Expiring Lease; Now What?

[in2insight]

GGV,

Like others here, I leased a 2017 B for a good price over 24 months, hoping that by the time the lease is up, there will be better options out there.
While the car is fine and I enjoy driving it, I have found the dealer experience to be not so great and nowhere near the level of Lexus (my previous car).

Best of luck!

 

[JeffRay]

GGV,

I suspect that the MB salesperson was using a fake deadline to make you decide to transact. In any case, if it is real, then call him after April 1st and ask about any leftovers. He should be able to get you one of the cars left (10 per cargurus.com). I note that MB still has the B-Class $299 lease deal on their website (with negotiable $4K upfront).

This is technically when you get your best deal when dealers want this car off the lot as it will no longer be produced. You can also promise them you will be back for another MB electric when the lease is up.

BTW, to ship from another dealer was $1900 to go across country. If coming up from west coast, should be under $1000.

Or just negotiate your purchase price like someone on this post did. Resale prices on discontinued models can only go down.

Good luck.

 

[JeffRay]

I went to cargurus.com and for yucks looked at Used prices. I FOUND MY 2014 LISTED FOR $18K. Same VIN. Still has less than 10K miles on it. It was trucked down to FL from NY. They must have bought it at auction for less than $15K. I actually offered my dealer $15K to buy out my car but they said no.

GGV, gives you some info on what leasor gets when they auction cars off instead of keeping in house as Certified Pre-Owned.

 

[GlennD]

Well, I went to Newport Beach's Tesla store. The S And the 3 sit two low for my body. The X was perfect but I am not sure I am willing to risk 86K given their shaky finances. Sense I never carry rear seat passengers the doors should be fine.

The lease was $1100 after 5K down. That is $500 more but it is doable. I am just worried about Tesla. It really boils down to the cult of Elon. By normal standards they are bankrupt.

Our cars are Tesla powered and that worries me

 

[GGV]

GlennD,

I know your problem, I am looking for cars with high seats too. From this viewpoint, Hyundai Kona Electric might look interesting but it won't be purchasable till 2019 (at least in WA).
Did you try Bolt (seats)?

 

[GlennD]

Do they still sell the B-Class in NY? You may need to bring one from another state...

I received a postcard that the Newport Tesla dealer had a 3 on the floor. I did not fit in the S or s but the X was wonderful. I am worried about Tesla's financial health. It would be terrible to be stuck with an 86K orphan.

While the $1100 lease payment is doable It would not be nice if Tesla declares bankruptcy. I am going to pass for now.

The X I wanted only had two options that brought up the price. The paint color and the enhanced driving pilot. Currently you can only get a 75D or a 100D. as an X. The car was a 75D with 6K of options.or before rebates around 86K. I see a lot of used 2016 cars available but the current car has more cameras. The Tesla rep said go with a new car since it is much better. Also there has been price drops and some are priced really high. It does not matter what you paid just what the car is worth now.

 

[cossie1600]

The used MX are selling for 70s, which is not much less than a new MX with the rebate. The MX is world better than the B, except for quality and reliability. The B is much easier to drive due to the size though.

I would also stay away from the earlier X, they are simply not as reliable and have way more issues. The later the car, usually the better they are.

 

[GlennD]

I think the X would be reliable for me given my limited range. I had 14 months left on my totaled 2014 B with 9K miles . These days I do not drive much

The thing that absolutely terrifies me is Tesla's financial position. Pretty much investors ignore reality and they worship the cult of Elon. Elon says everything is going to be OK. Yeah right He folded the money loser solar systems into Tesla If Space X was a loser it would also belong to Tesla.

 

[cossie1600]

The company is not going under anytime soon, stop thinking like a traditional company. That's how it works in tech. You are going to sound like that old man from GM.

They have billions in waiting if they would just finish building their cars on time, you don't have to worry about anything. These cars are not chupacabra, they are alive and well and they are so involved in people's lives that no one is going to take it away.

 

[GlennD]

The company is not going under anytime soon, stop thinking like a traditional company. That's how it works in tech. You are going to sound like that old man from GM.

They have billions in waiting if they would just finish building their cars on time, you don't have to worry about anything. These cars are not chupacabra, they are alive and well and they are so involved in people's lives that no one is going to take it away.

From what I see they are out of money and the market is balking. You are obviously a true believer. Me, I am going to wait a few months.

 

[evnewbie]

Anyone considering the Jaguar I-Pace?

I am still waiting on my Tesla Model 3 reservation but if it gets delayed again then it will likely get close to the release time of a few new EVs that look interesting. Since I have to return my B-ED next month I was under pressure to get another car and I was considering renting for a couple months but given the potential for further long delay of Tesla Model 3 it made less sense. I finally ended up getting a low mileage '15 Spark EV under $10K which has similar range as B-ED as my interim car. It's actually a very zippy car with more torque than most cars and it has CCS so I finally got to enjoy fast DC charging. It's much nicer and more fun to drive than the LEAF to me. It's definitely no comparison to B-ED in terms of size or luxury but it allows me to wait for my next "real" EV without feeling timing pressure.

 

[Dracula]

The Jaguar looks interesting - but would expect significant issues with a company that does not have good experience with EVS.

Earlier this month I drove a rental GLC350 Hybrid throughout Netherlands and Germany - 2000 miles over 8 days. It is a decent car, very quiet, well appointed and nice acceleration - but only drives about 12 miles on electricity alone.

All things considered, I pulled the trigger and ordered a Tesla Model X, to be delivered in June, shortly before the 2015 B-Class expires. From now until delivery, if a better opportunity comes along, may still get something else, or perhaps buy out the B-Class.

 

[JeffRay]

Evnewbie,

Great to see that choices other than Tesla are starting to appear. I spent the last few minutes watching the iPace web video. I always liked the Jaguar brand but isn't it ironic that back in the day, they had crappy electrical systems. I liked the AWD and the high end features that are in our B250e. Am hoping that Mercedes will deliver comparable models in the next year before my lease terms out in November 2019.

GlennD is correct in that with the loss of their monopoly in long legged electrics, Tesla sales will have some competition. I would rather have choices than no choices. So all good and coming into place.

Hm, maybe I ought to go to the Auto show this week in NYC.

 

[cossie1600]

I live in the area, I see the cars being built and being driven. If they ever get the M3 orders filled, they will have millions coming into their bank. 137m coming in a week is a good start (55K x 2500 unit per week. )

Their stocks are like a yoyo. It goes up and down. Is it always rational? Absolutely not. There are people with agendas behind them, just beware of where the news come from. The whole bankruptcy talk started with some guy saying they will run out of cash in 3 months, there is nothing to support it. Given how often they are being shorted, it's not surprising to hear it.

The company is not going under anytime soon, stop thinking like a traditional company. That's how it works in tech. You are going to sound like that old man from GM.

They have billions in waiting if they would just finish building their cars on time, you don't have to worry about anything. These cars are not chupacabra, they are alive and well and they are so involved in people's lives that no one is going to take it away.

From what I see they are out of money and the market is balking. You are obviously a true believer. Me, I am going to wait a few months.

 

[GlennD]

Anyone considering the Jaguar I-Pace?

I am still waiting on my Tesla Model 3 reservation but if it gets delayed again then it will likely get close to the release time of a few new EVs that look interesting. Since I have to return my B-ED next month I was under pressure to get another car and I was considering renting for a couple months but given the potential for further long delay of Tesla Model 3 it made less sense. I finally ended up getting a low mileage '15 Spark EV under $10K which has similar range as B-ED as my interim car. It's actually a very zippy car with more torque than most cars and it has CCS so I finally got to enjoy fast DC charging. It's much nicer and more fun to drive than the LEAF to me. It's definitely no comparison to B-ED in terms of size or luxury but it allows me to wait for my next "real" EV without feeling timing pressure.

I received an order email. By the time color was chosen the car was 57K. They are only building fully optioned cars now. I really think a 35K car is a myth and it will never happen. I for one do not need the larger 310Mile 9K option. The ordinary battery pack would be good enough for me. It is all academic since I do not fit into the car so I will pass.