SmartElectric Posted October 18, 2017 Posted October 18, 2017 Lease option on new 2018 Smart Electric Drive coupe with black and green (special color + option) + led + touch screen audio and pano roof upgrade.$31K purchase price (MSRP + $3000 options - $2500 dealer discount)36 months and 54000 km allowed2.9% finance rate$13K residual$13K downpayment (effectively I need to put up this amount and apply for rebate to get it back)= $250/month taxes included for 36 monthsThis is reasonable, as I have effectively paid $220/month to own my Smart ED over 4 years including purchase, taxes and interest minus trade in.I am not sure I can beat this by purchasing outright and selling later...lease might be the way to go this time... Quote
okko Posted October 18, 2017 Posted October 18, 2017 I need more understanding of this please. I've been waiting to lease another smart electric and my salesperson said the same thing. Didn't mention a possible workaround though (which ticks me off). He said that lessees were breaking their leases and the government was coming after the dealership for the rebate money. This really sucks as the $13000 really offsets the lease payments. Kev Quote
SmartElectric Posted October 19, 2017 Posted October 19, 2017 2017 Smart ED now listed on rebate page: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/electric-vehicle-rebate.shtml#smart Quote
steveyfrac Posted October 19, 2017 Posted October 19, 2017 The rebate for my Bolt is still in limbo. I applied June 15th. They're currently processing applications from April, so it'll likely be another few months before I get it. Quote
darren Posted October 19, 2017 Posted October 19, 2017 Wow... that timeline on the rebates is ridiculous! I'm not sure I would purchase any electric vehicle outright. With technology changing so quickly, leasing seems to be the smart thing to do right now. (No pun intended.) Quote
lebikerboy Posted October 19, 2017 Posted October 19, 2017 In B.C., the rebate is applied for at the same time as the purchase is made and, the amount is deducted from the pre-tax price. Quote
steveyfrac Posted October 19, 2017 Posted October 19, 2017 3 hours ago, darren said: Wow... that timeline on the rebates is ridiculous! I'm not sure I would purchase any electric vehicle outright. With technology changing so quickly, leasing seems to be the smart thing to do right now. (No pun intended.) The Bolt has such a huge range, that I don't see my self needing to replace it for a decade or two. There will also be a new shiny, and continually leasing the latest toy isn't cost effective. Quote
Blaine Posted October 19, 2017 Posted October 19, 2017 4 hours ago, darren said: Wow... that timeline on the rebates is ridiculous! I'm not sure I would purchase any electric vehicle outright. With technology changing so quickly, leasing seems to be the smart thing to do right now. (No pun intended.) We bought our ED because its saving us about $2100 per year in ga$. We've had it four years and we normally keep our cars 10 years. So if it lasts another six years it will have paid for itself. Which will be the first time we've had a car that wasn't constantly followed by that toilet flushing sound of your money disappearing into ga$ and maintenance. Heck, if it died tomorrow and we couldn't repair it, I'd be more upset because we love the car rather than it being old tech that died. 1 Quote
lebikerboy Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) 8 hours ago, darren said: Wow... that timeline on the rebates is ridiculous! I'm not sure I would purchase any electric vehicle outright. With technology changing so quickly, leasing seems to be the smart thing to do right now. (No pun intended.) This reminds me of back in the day when the Personal Computer revolution was in it's infancy. Everyone was saying it's too early to buy just wait. Industry gurus insisted the end of hardware revolution was in sight... As we all know now that has never happened and, hardware and software continue to evolve. The same is happening here. Sure battery technology will change and no doubt improve but the cycle will continue to infinitude. I consider myself to be an early adopter and chose to purchase a 450 when most people had never heard of them. Now, we've purchased a 453 ED (the first in Western Canada) and have no misgivings whatsoever. So, sit on the fence and wait for the technology to reach a point where no more improvements occur (it will either never happen or you'll be dead before it does). Or jump in and enjoy the benefits if and only if it meets your needs. Edited October 20, 2017 by lebikerboy 1 Quote
SmartElectric Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) Update : Got the final trade in price for my 2013 Smart ED, less than they offered only a month ago, good ol' dealer bait and switch. But they compensated by giving a reasonable discount off MSRP. Effectively paying $22K on the road, for black/green coupe with $3K in options (pretty much every option offered). This compares to $19K paid for my 2013 Smart ED which had $300 in options. So : Much newer car, with far better handling and tech for effectively the same price. If I keep it 4 years and get $10K on trade in, I'm looking at ~$210/month all-in (taxes inc). And in a world that won't happen, 8 years of ownership (to the end of the battery warranty) is more like $180/mo including maintenance (estimate a few thousand in costs from years 4-8). I love the 8 year battery warranty, that is the key reason for me to upgrade, as my 2013 is effectively out of warranty in a few weeks...trading in almost exactly 4 years to the day I got my 2013 Smart ED. Will be SAD to see it go, but excited to start a new journey. Edited October 20, 2017 by SmartElectric 1 Quote
jbcollier Posted October 26, 2017 Posted October 26, 2017 It's finally in. We're picking it up this afternoon. 1 Quote
jbcollier Posted October 26, 2017 Posted October 26, 2017 Well, it was worth the wait. My wife loves it. It's quite a step up from a Smart CDi. Ours is black on black and it looks great, the colour really suits the 453 shape. Of course, there will be more work to keep it looking good. Such is the plight of the dark coloured car. The latest is that the delays were due to certification issues. Not sure I buy it as it is structurally identical to gas powered 453. Quote
SmartElectric Posted October 26, 2017 Posted October 26, 2017 Just picked up mine today as well. We love it. Big step up from the 451 2013 Smart ED that we traded in. I'll write a full review and driving impressions in a weeks after I get some experience. So far. Plus -Softer, smoother, more refined road manners. Much better over rough pavement. -Good tech. Got the 7" touch screen, works well, integrates with Android phone reasonably. -More recuperation/regeneration in standard mode than the older 451 Smart ED. -Quiet cabin, very solid sounding doors, much more upscale interior. -Heated seats and steering wheel (BONUS!) Negatives -About 90% of the initial acceleration vs older Smart ED, which I expected, the old Smart ED planted me in my seat from a standstill, the new Smart ED is a smoother take off (in ECO mode or not) even when fully planted on the floor. Included charging cord is 120V 12A maximum, defaults to 6A. Dealer didn't fully charge the car, left with just enough range to get home and do a trip tonight. Dealer didn't provide the codes to enable the remote pre-condition/etc functionality I used to have with my smart phone, will need to follow up to get this working (I created a thread). Dealer didn't apply for Ontario rebate, made me do it. Dealer had 5 deliveries of Smart ED in just the past few days. Quote
jbcollier Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 I've not driven a 452 ED but our 453 initially accelerates like a bat out of the usual place when it is not in eco-mode. Ours was fully charged on delivery and I had already mounted a proper charging station in the garage. Quote
jbcollier Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 Having grown used to HID lighting, the H4 headlights are not inspiring. It's just a city car so I guess it isn't that much of an issue. Quote
lebikerboy Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 H4 led bulbs are available and work well... Quote
SmartElectric Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 I purchased the LED lighting option with the auto-high beams for our new 2017 Smart ED. Intend to test it out tonight and report back. Quote
lebikerboy Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 (edited) With the LED lighting package the headlights are still halogen H4s. The fog lamps, turn signals and reverese lights plus all interior lights are incandescent... Edited October 28, 2017 by lebikerboy Quote
SmartElectric Posted October 28, 2017 Posted October 28, 2017 You sound so authoritative, but the tail lamps are claimed to be LED on Smart website. Please advise on how you know different? https://www.smart.com/en/en/index/smart-fortwo-forfour-453/packages.html Quote Brings a shining light to the city. A whole host of highlights: daytime driving lights featuring LED fibre-optic technology shine in the LED & Sensor package. The rain and light sensor enhances comfort and safety by activating the windscreen wipers and headlamps as needed. The front fog lamps with cornering light additionally illuminate the corner if you indicate at a speed of below 40 km/h when the daytime driving lights are on. The elements of the LED & Sensor package at a glance: H4 halogen headlamps with welcome function, integral daytime driving lights featuring LED fibre-optic technology and LED tail lamps Front fog lamps with cornering light Rain/light sensor Quote
lebikerboy Posted October 28, 2017 Posted October 28, 2017 (edited) You're right, the tail lights are LED as are the brake lights. Having owned one for two months now I should have known better... Edited October 28, 2017 by lebikerboy Quote
jbcollier Posted October 29, 2017 Posted October 29, 2017 I have a pair of Philips H4 LED bulbs and ballasts on order. The LED bulbs are longer as they have cooling fins. Hopefully they will fit in the housing. Quote
lebikerboy Posted October 29, 2017 Posted October 29, 2017 (edited) Which ones did you order? The Philips branded Luxeon will not fit. These one's will... http://www.ebay.ca/itm/H4-HB2-9003-G7-Hi-Lo-6500K-Philips-Lumileds-ZES-LED-Headlight-Conversion-Kit/152472708113?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 With purchase price/shipping/taxes they were $105.00. Edited October 29, 2017 by lebikerboy Quote
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