Next EV?
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Help Support B-Class Electric Drive Forum:
I went from the B to a Hyundai Ioniq. I was just into the Mercedes as an EV. The prestige was lost on me. tThe first was my 2012 Leaf. I will pay list but no added ADP.. The Hyundai car I have leased at list. Both the Kona and the Kia are selling for about 5K over list. is a lot more advanced as an EV, It is the second
in2insight
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Four months to go...
Here is what I know so far:
1) MB will not extend the lease unless I have an order for another MB. The EQ is too big and expensive
2) Finally sat in a Tesla 3. Lovely car, but sits low and while I may get used to it, my body thinks over wise
3) The kona EV looks nice, no inventory around here, and the ultimate with all the safety features only comes with leather seats. Not an issue for the majority of buyers, but as a vegan it is a hard pass for me
So, what to do?
While I'd love to stay in an EV, I may have to bridge the next couple of years in a hybrid.
Unless of course Volvo become my knight in shinning XC40 armor and really relates the EV this year.
Here is what I know so far:
1) MB will not extend the lease unless I have an order for another MB. The EQ is too big and expensive
2) Finally sat in a Tesla 3. Lovely car, but sits low and while I may get used to it, my body thinks over wise
3) The kona EV looks nice, no inventory around here, and the ultimate with all the safety features only comes with leather seats. Not an issue for the majority of buyers, but as a vegan it is a hard pass for me
So, what to do?
While I'd love to stay in an EV, I may have to bridge the next couple of years in a hybrid.
Unless of course Volvo become my knight in shinning XC40 armor and really relates the EV this year.
The woman who owned my B before me bought a Chevy Bolt to replace it.
Otherwise, I wonder if buying some sort of used Leaf or i3 (or even a B) would tide you over until a VW or Tesla Model Y hits the market.
I'm with you on the Model 3 not being the answer.
Charles.
Otherwise, I wonder if buying some sort of used Leaf or i3 (or even a B) would tide you over until a VW or Tesla Model Y hits the market.
I'm with you on the Model 3 not being the answer.
Charles.
in2insight
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Thanks, Charles.
Leaf is not my cup of tea, no pun intended.
Looking at trying to purchase my current B (if the dealer will cooperate when it gets closer to November). Looking online, there are a fair number of 16-17 used B's to be had and far less than my cars purchase price on the MBFS site. (Even factoring in four more months of lease payments)
So time will tell.
Leaf is not my cup of tea, no pun intended.
Looking at trying to purchase my current B (if the dealer will cooperate when it gets closer to November). Looking online, there are a fair number of 16-17 used B's to be had and far less than my cars purchase price on the MBFS site. (Even factoring in four more months of lease payments)
So time will tell.
JeffRay said:
I'm receiving that as good news, as I look forward to seeing what you get next, and likewise I think that what is available will continue to swing toward greater things during the additional year.
It's funny that I keep checking in here, usually when it comes time to do maintenance/repair to the gas car that has replaced our B class.
Even with performing an oil change myself, which I really don't mind doing during the warm months, and even with internet pricing on parts, we're spending $20/month for a factory-parts oil change in a garden variety Honda Accord. The Honda has also developed a fault in one of the minor safety systems which has disabled a good number of complementary safety and convenience features. Parking in the sun can overheat the forward facing camera, disabling not only the forward collision warning system, but also the anti-lock braking?!? Alternatively, according to a preponderance of online owner statements, a low state of charge in the 12v battery can cause the same symptoms. I can't imagine such a thing would ever happen in the Mercedes. It feels like I've stepped back in time regarding technology and safety, and all told we've been nearly paying a premium over the B to do so. Used B Class examples still are available at what seem to be high asking prices, especially compared to relatively comparable initial value i3 examples.
I had hopes that our state legislature could be moved to permit an increase in Tesla delivery showrooms in N.Y. and that we'd get one with a service center in our region of the state. When that didn't happen, I requested a refund of my Tesla deposit, and received it in my account in a short few days with no questions asked. The following day I found the news that a service center is being completed here. The next year's developments will be interesting. Perhaps a used i3Rex would be a better and more interesting "gap car" with good service support than the Accord. Today's shade makes tomorrow appear to me as even brighter for electrics.
Bcurious,
Yes, good news for me and gives me more time to consider what to do. There are things I like about our B250e that I would like to see in the next electric I lease/buy.
1. Elevated seating and ample leg room in second row.
2. 200+ range.
3. Economical in terms of cost.
When it hits all three, I can transact. Until then, we may plod on with the two ICE cars until they cost too much to maintain. I have a MB mechanic and so long as he is available the cost of maintaining two older cars is manageable.
One more thing I discovered is that while there are plenty of L2 chargers in NYC, there seems to be only one commercial L3 charger in Manhattan. So I will have to continue the practice of charging/topping off at every opportunity but will have the greater range flexibility for 100+ mile road trips.
Yes, good news for me and gives me more time to consider what to do. There are things I like about our B250e that I would like to see in the next electric I lease/buy.
1. Elevated seating and ample leg room in second row.
2. 200+ range.
3. Economical in terms of cost.
When it hits all three, I can transact. Until then, we may plod on with the two ICE cars until they cost too much to maintain. I have a MB mechanic and so long as he is available the cost of maintaining two older cars is manageable.
One more thing I discovered is that while there are plenty of L2 chargers in NYC, there seems to be only one commercial L3 charger in Manhattan. So I will have to continue the practice of charging/topping off at every opportunity but will have the greater range flexibility for 100+ mile road trips.
I'm pretty sure my next electric will be the Audi E-Tron. It was the first electric car that I was able to convince DH to want. The $77K price tag, well, not so much love there.
But the 2021 car season promises a much larger group of car options for EV lovers.
But the 2021 car season promises a much larger group of car options for EV lovers.
in2insight
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Drum roll please...
My next E.V. is an e-golf!
A bit early, but the deal was just too good to pass up.
With nothing else fitting the bucket list, the e-golf is the closest to my perfect E.V. with good range, fun to drive, great safety features and non leather seats.
The next few years should be very interesting with all the planned and promised new offerings.
Will the XC40 E.V. happen and will it be as awesome as I hope? Time will tell.
I have enjoyed driving the B. It is a good car and so well made.
This group and you all have been awesome, and I thank you for the advise, information and feedback.
Cheers,
Dorian
My next E.V. is an e-golf!
A bit early, but the deal was just too good to pass up.
With nothing else fitting the bucket list, the e-golf is the closest to my perfect E.V. with good range, fun to drive, great safety features and non leather seats.
The next few years should be very interesting with all the planned and promised new offerings.
Will the XC40 E.V. happen and will it be as awesome as I hope? Time will tell.
I have enjoyed driving the B. It is a good car and so well made.
This group and you all have been awesome, and I thank you for the advise, information and feedback.
Cheers,
Dorian
in2insight or should I call you Dorian?,
Sorry to see you go, was hoping you would be the first to get a discounted purchase price on your leased B250e.
I did see the eGolf charging at my local Whole Foods. Nice looking car and if I recall correctly, it has a Fast Charge capability! It seemed about the same interior size as ours so a clear option.
Good luck with it. I am in a wait and see mode as my lease is up November 2020. Would like to purchase my gently used B250e from MB but only at a discount of lease purchase price.
Sorry to see you go, was hoping you would be the first to get a discounted purchase price on your leased B250e.
I did see the eGolf charging at my local Whole Foods. Nice looking car and if I recall correctly, it has a Fast Charge capability! It seemed about the same interior size as ours so a clear option.
Good luck with it. I am in a wait and see mode as my lease is up November 2020. Would like to purchase my gently used B250e from MB but only at a discount of lease purchase price.
in2insight
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Both work, but thanks for asking! 
The e-golf does have fast charging and some pretty cool safety features.
I did make contact with the sales person at MB who handles lease return purchases. But the e-golfs were selling fast (saw 3 leave the lot to new homes in the 2 days I was there, and another looked like it was on they way out. Of a total of 10 or so) and I did not want to miss out and take a chance that MB would be able to sell it to me below residual.
The e-golf does have fast charging and some pretty cool safety features.
I did make contact with the sales person at MB who handles lease return purchases. But the e-golfs were selling fast (saw 3 leave the lot to new homes in the 2 days I was there, and another looked like it was on they way out. Of a total of 10 or so) and I did not want to miss out and take a chance that MB would be able to sell it to me below residual.
in2insight
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I did.
So the test is.. what's the range on it.. you know when some drives it for real and not in a test in a lab. I've driven my B 85 miles and had 30 miles of range on the GOM left (no extender) so I know these EVs can do more than rated if driven the right way.
MZT,
I have not been able to sit in one yet but I did see two last month in the service area of my dealer. They have since disappeared.
It is on my list too for end 2020 but I am willing to use my ICE cars until there is one I want to buy. Might consider a 3 year lease as before given the $7500 tax credit applied to the lease. Have not figured out where I might charge a larger battery economically in NYC. Last week, it cost me $54 to charge my B250e from 6% to 112.5%. The dealer is currently an option for free but don't know how long that can last when they sell more EVs. I might have to convince my work landlord to install a Clipper Creek.
I have not been able to sit in one yet but I did see two last month in the service area of my dealer. They have since disappeared.
It is on my list too for end 2020 but I am willing to use my ICE cars until there is one I want to buy. Might consider a 3 year lease as before given the $7500 tax credit applied to the lease. Have not figured out where I might charge a larger battery economically in NYC. Last week, it cost me $54 to charge my B250e from 6% to 112.5%. The dealer is currently an option for free but don't know how long that can last when they sell more EVs. I might have to convince my work landlord to install a Clipper Creek.
For me, this RAV4 checks off all the boxes:
https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-revs-up-lineup-with-new-302-horsepower-rav4-prime/
- Can do 40-ish mile trips pure EV
- No need to "take the other car" when winter kills my EV's range.
- Roomy / well appointed / reasonably luxurious
- Fast
https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-revs-up-lineup-with-new-302-horsepower-rav4-prime/
- Can do 40-ish mile trips pure EV
- No need to "take the other car" when winter kills my EV's range.
- Roomy / well appointed / reasonably luxurious
- Fast
FordAnglia
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oilerlord said:
Oh, the irony. I rented a RAV4 to go "where no B250e could safely go" (Hiking and photography trip to the Eastern Sierra, California)
I agree it's a nice vehicle. My rental was of the ICE persuasion. Will be interesting to see how a EV/ICE hybrid stacks up.
My only complaint was the noise from the transmission (automatic with 4WD)
Peter,
Our lease on my wife's 2017 came up last month. It's gray with the white MB-tex interior, which my wife fell in love with. I had her try the Kia, Leaf, Golf, Bolt, Model 3. Nope, she wanted hers.
Our residual was $23,547, which is considerably more than KBB. Great if we were to give up the car, crappy if we were keeping it.
Went back and forth between MB Financial and our dealer to try to negotiate the buy-out. Dealer came back with $600 off residual.
Looked around at all the off-lease Bs in the area, got super close, but there was something wrong with all the ones that looked good on the interwebs (no rearview camera, smoker's car...)
One of the dealers we went to ended up getting our residual down to $18,381.
We got to keep our own car (it just hit 12,000 miles), and paid over $5k less than residual. So we paid about $26k for a $44k car, basically skirting most of the depreciation to date.
TLDR: Negotiate your lease buy-out!
Our residual was $23,547, which is considerably more than KBB. Great if we were to give up the car, crappy if we were keeping it.
Went back and forth between MB Financial and our dealer to try to negotiate the buy-out. Dealer came back with $600 off residual.
Looked around at all the off-lease Bs in the area, got super close, but there was something wrong with all the ones that looked good on the interwebs (no rearview camera, smoker's car...)
One of the dealers we went to ended up getting our residual down to $18,381.
We got to keep our own car (it just hit 12,000 miles), and paid over $5k less than residual. So we paid about $26k for a $44k car, basically skirting most of the depreciation to date.
TLDR: Negotiate your lease buy-out!
Mimark,
Interesting and congrats. I just checked my lease agreement and it says my purchase option is $18,805.60 plus tax and fees.
Question #1. Was yours including taxes and fees, I assume yes? Mine is the base version with heated seats and range extender but did not have park assist, navigation, or paddles.
Question #2. How did you involve another MB dealer to help the negotiations? Did they buy the car from MBFS at a lower price and resell it to you at the price you negotiated? From when I turned in my 2014, MBFS did not want to negotiate but my dealer tried to buy from MBFS and resell to me.
I agree that we can negotiate purchase price, just trying to understand exactly how.
Interesting and congrats. I just checked my lease agreement and it says my purchase option is $18,805.60 plus tax and fees.
Question #1. Was yours including taxes and fees, I assume yes? Mine is the base version with heated seats and range extender but did not have park assist, navigation, or paddles.
Question #2. How did you involve another MB dealer to help the negotiations? Did they buy the car from MBFS at a lower price and resell it to you at the price you negotiated? From when I turned in my 2014, MBFS did not want to negotiate but my dealer tried to buy from MBFS and resell to me.
I agree that we can negotiate purchase price, just trying to understand exactly how.