Trade in quotes in 451 ED's

[SmartElectric 31]

Hi.    Wanted to post my trade in quote.   The Markham Mercedes dealer quoted me $8K (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) trade in on the purchase of a new 453 ED.

 

Story : Meanwhile, last night as I drove up my driveway my neighbour flagged me down and we talked about Tesla Model 3's (we both have reservations on) and he then said his gas car went kaput and he's looking for a temporary car for the next year waiting out the Model 3.   I told him that the existing used EV's on the market go for around $12K for a Leaf, and $10K for Smart ED, and mentioned the dealer would give me $8K.  He said, I'll take it!   He'd take my Smart for $8K.   I smiled and said it was worth that much to me to keep it, as I can't imagine driving anything else on my short commute to work.

 

Looking for feedback on what others have been offered, or indeed paid for used 451 ED's.

Edited June 15, 2017 by SmartElectric

[1983JZR3W 32]

On E Bay, I have seen used ED's in the US for sale from $4950-$7695.

[Blaine 24]

13 hours ago, 1983JZR3W said:

On E Bay, I have seen used ED's in the US for sale from $4950-$7695.

 

The US has that whole mess with BAP on the cars.  It "appears" like MBFS is ignoring the battery ownership on resales, but I'm not sure I'd risk it for a Canadian purchase.  7-10K C$ is too close to the market value up here, with no BAP.   Plus you likely have to get it certified by the government.

 

We also have a reservation on a Model 3 to replace our Mazda 3.   Our 451 ED will continue to be our commuter / runabout car even once the Model 3 arrives.   It saves us so much money on gas and maintenance that I have a hard time imagining not having it for years.  Cheap, fun to drive, easy to park, almost zero maintenance.  What's not to like.

 

A friend has also expressed interest in our Smart so I know it has a possible home if we should ever want to let it go.

 

[Blaine 24]

20 hours ago, SmartElectric said:

Hi.    Wanted to post my trade in quote.   The Markham Mercedes dealer quoted me $8K trade in on the purchase of a new 453 ED.

 

Looking for feedback on what others have been offered, or indeed paid for used 451 ED's.

 

That's good to know.  I just bought out our lease from Markham.  Not a huge delta.

 

I don't suppose they have pricing yet?

[SmartElectric 31]

They won't even give me a firm date on 453 ED availability, except to say "maybe August for the coupe, later for convertible".

[MikeT 744]

Maybe never?

[MikeT 744]

In another thread it's said to be October...!

[Jef 4]

The Mississauga Corporate Store has just given me a one month extension on my lease (2014 ED) to accommodate a (maybe) September order date (they hope) on a replacement for my end-of-lease ED. This has taken several weeks to coordinate between the dealer and MB Financial. To extend my lease beyond the 30 day extension into September will be a crazy amount ($430-ish/month) which makes no financial sense at all after the really good lease deal I've had so far.

 

Buying out the lease on the 451 - even though it has been a great car - is also difficult to even consider when the pricing on the 453 simply isn't available yet - and may be delayed even longer.

 

Needless to say at this point, I am looking at all my options to stay electric but it's really complicated. I have 2 Prius' and the Smart ED all to replace in the next few months and I really want to eliminate - or at least greatly reduce - gas comsumption and still accommodate my family's driving needs. When I leased the ED, I was sure it would be easier to replace it and have more options to go all-electric after the 3 year lease was up.

 

Used and off-lease purchase options now are very risky. Resale values on short range electric cars dropped and have now increased again due to the delays and unavailability of new replacements. So buying a used electric car as a hold over until new models come out is probably not going to work out well when the new models do show up. 

 

With a Nissan Leaf II announcement only a couple of months away, Bolt and Ioniq reporting delivery dates maybe within the next century, Tesla uncertainty with trim, timelines and pricing, and the elusive and further delayed Prius Prime in Ontario availability, it is really challenging to make any purchase decisions and dealers seem even less informed and mostly more clueless than I am.

 

Does anyone else find themselves in a similar "hopeful" but very indecisive situation? Better still - any suggestions?

 

 

[Blaine 24]

When we leased the 451 ED 3.5 years ago our logic was similar.  3 yrs, long time in tech.  New EVs coming, including small Tesla.  Lease vs buy was a risk mitigation strategy.

 

Fast forward to the end of the lease and the market had matured, and there were lots of new cars on the horizon.   But still not quite to the point where we'd ditch our aging Mazda 3 5dr and let the 451 ED go.

 

So hmmmm, what to do?  MB offered 6 months of "same payment" lease extension and a no lock-in 453 ED order.   Financing charges would have sunk about $350 over the six months.

 

We bought it, here's why.

1. We do 99% of our driving in the Smart.
2. The EV saves us about $2000 per year vs gasoline for the Mazda.
3. The diagnostics on the battery show minimal degradation after 44,000 km with twice daily charging during the week.
4. We've never been "stranded" with a long wait to charge.  Maybe that's just us?
5. Performs oddly well in the winter, even through a 4 hour commute in a blizzard. 
6. Maintenance so far has been filter, desiccant & fluids.  All easy things to do myself.
7. Repairs were some seals which MB did under warranty and I don't expect to have a problem with them again.
8. Minimal rust, plastic body panels, tires wearing well.

So, with the gas savings we see the car basically paying for itself in a few years.   No other car we've ever had has done that.   So the risks are low in terms of cost of capital vs cash flow.

 

There were a few other things we thought about too.

1. The car is easy to maintain yourself.  Lots of repair parts available and DIY info.
2. I put in a heated floor for winter use.  Its a big improvement and easy to do.
3. Off lease I can start hacking at it.   New satnav etc.
4. There are people we know who would likely buy it off us when we want to let it go.
5. My wife has formed an emotional bond with it.   I'm almost jealous.
6. I'm vaguely curious how long it will last vs our experiences with old ICE cars.

Not sure if that helps or not...

 

 

[SmartElectric 31]

There aren't too many options outside of buying a used EV, or a limited set of new EV's that are going to pale in comparison to the Tesla Model 3.

 

A new Kia Soul EV can be had for $22500 as per:

http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Kia/Soul+EV/Oakville/Ontario/5_32508150_20140808092822411/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_5

 

Used Leaf for $13K with fast charging port

 

Used Focus EV (without fast charging) $14K (http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/a/Ford/Focus+Electric/London/Ontario/5_30547811_ON20090401094744155/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_1)

 

Frankly, as the charging is built out around Ontario, I can't see the point in purchasing an EV without fast charging port.   That means the new 453 ED fits that category ... and as much as I love my 451 ED, the upgrade to the newer model really misses the mark, not any faster, not any further.

Edited June 18, 2017 by SmartElectric

[Blaine 24]

Without the pricing it's hard to say if the 453ED would be worth it.   While fast charging would be nice, I can't see travelling across the province in 100km increments.   The Smart will always be a city car, imnsho.   If the price isn't too high, with the 13000 rebate, it could be a great, cheap to operate, EV. 

 

Still going to be a good second car.

[MikeT 744]

Good Car2Go!  No fast charging is just crazy.....