% Note: sources' opinions have previously been shown to not be EV-friendly: NADA (is fighting Tesla), Edmunds, KelleyBB, Forbes, cartrade %
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2015/08/25/unbeatable-deals-in-used-electric-and-hybrid-cars/ Unbeatable Deals In Used Electric And Hybrid Cars Jim Gorzelany [2015/08/25] [images http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45efjid/1-mitsubishi-i-miev/ ] Used vehicle sales are soaring these days, and so are their prices. Though it tends to counter the conventional wisdom that only highly valued collectible cars ever increase in value, Edmunds.com reports that used car prices jumped by 7.6 percent in the second quarter of 2015 to reach a record average high of $18,800. While this tends to make bargain hunting among late-model pre-owned models difficult, there’s one segment of the used-car business that’s actually headed in the opposite direction as far as pricing is concerned. That would be electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids, which are being battered in the pre-owned market by a combination punch of unfortunate market forces. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association’s (NADA) recent Electric Vehicle Retention Report Card, trade-in values of some two-year-old hybrid and plug-in vehicles have dropped precipitously in recent months, with the cheapest of the bunch returning just over 20 percent of their original sticker prices after three years. The best deals these days are among full electric vehicles, including the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric and the tiny Smart fortwo electric drive, which are selling for as little as $10,000 for a 2013 vintage with around 22,000 miles on the odometer. In fact, despite starting out at higher original sticker prices, all of the EVs in our list are priced lower as used vehicles than any of the hybrid cars we’re featuring. Motorists having modest daily commutes and/or using them for around-town use could find any of these pre-owned electric cars to be real money savers. We’re featuring 15 of the best deals in used hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs from the 2013 model year (except where noted) in the accompanying slide show. As is typically the case, our old friends from Economics 101 – supply and demand – largely determine values in the used-car market. With gasoline prices still about a buck a gallon less than they were a year ago, demand for the most fuel-frugal rides on the road has softened considerably. At the same time, there’s a slew of two-and three-year old low-mileage models coming off of heavily subsidized leases and are returning to the market. According to the Wall Street Journal, 85 percent of Nissan Leafs were leased last year and the vehicle’s residual values are winding up being thousands of dollars less than originally estimated. That’s bad news for leasing companies, but it’s good news for budget-minded used-car shoppers, especially those with an ecological bent and/or who believe gas prices are still too high (and/or anticipate they’ll yet again approach the $4.00/gallon mark). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the Leaf can run for an average 84 miles on a full charge and obtain the electric equivalent of 114 mpg in combined city/highway driving. And then there’s consumers’ ongoing trepidation regarding electrified vehicles in general. “Used EV demand continues to be hampered by range and technology concerns,” according to the NADA’s report. “Many three-year-old EVs are now nearing or already to the point where they are no longer covered by their respective manufacturer’s basic warranty due to age or mileage accrual, (which is) a potential concern since an extra layer of risk is being added into the mix when used EV buyers are shopping for vehicles.” Still, hybrid and EV battery packs are usually guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, which means a three-year-old used model will still have five years of coverage left on the clock for this key component. Replacement costs for the rechargeable power cells can run anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000 or more, though prices are expected to drop down the road. Unfortunately, you won’t be seeing the wildly popular full-electric Tesla Model S on our top deals list. NADA says it leads all comers in terms of trade-in value retention, holding tenaciously onto 71 percent of its original cost after two years and nearly 53 percent after three years. Ditto with the equally exclusive – and expensive – Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid. “The Model S [EV] and Panamera S-E [pih] are expensive vehicles purchased by affluent consumers [and] demand for the two has been predicated on owning a vehicle with cachet and exclusivity,” says NADA’s report. “These luxury vehicles are status symbols and often do not compete with the large pool of mainstream, gasoline-powered substitutes, but rather a rarer group of more technologically advanced performance models. By comparison, demand for more inexpensive models – such as the Chevrolet Volt [pih] and Nissan Leaf [EV] – is driven by more pragmatic factors.” The Fine Print: Used-vehicle prices noted in the accompanying slide show are estimated “fair purchase price” values for cars from the 2013 model year in good or better condition with average mileage (around 22,000 miles for plug-in vehicles, and about 37,000-39,000 for hybrids) in the Chicago area as provided by Kelley Blue Book. Where multiple trim levels of a given model were offered, we’ve expressed both current used-vehicle values and the original manufacturers’ suggested retail prices as a range. An astute haggler will probably be able to whittle down the prices of any of these slow-selling models by as much as 10 percent or more. [© forbes.com] http://www.cartrade.com/blog/2015/greens/important-points-to-remember-before-purchasing-a-green-car-1539.html Important Points To Remember Before Purchasing A Green Car [2015/08/26] Buying a green car can be a arduous task if its specifics and details are ... And the last but never the least, the hundred per cent electric cars are the one that only ... ... http://www.autospies.com/news/In-An-Ultra-Hot-Used-Car-Market-EV-and-Hybrids-Are-Losing-Up-To-80-Of-Value-In-First-3-Years-86260/ 'An Ultra Hot Used Car Market' 8/27/2015 For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://inhabitat.com/passengers-can-dive-to-400-feet-in-this-all-electric-personal-submarine/ Passengers can dive to 400 feet in an electric personal submarine http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-tassies-electric-car-movement-gaining-traction/story-fnj4f64i-1227497134479 Tassie’s electric car movement gaining traction http://evfleetworld.co.uk/news/2015/Aug/Rapid-charger-to-support-ULEV-taxis-in-St-Albans/0438021227 electricblueuk.com L3 Rapid EVSE &deicated etaxi spots in St.Albans.uk http://media.comcar.co.uk/article/2015/Aug/image/0438021227-0223-IMAG0254_jpg-320.jpg + EVLN: Jaguar F-Pace 'EV-Type' Crossover> "soft-roader" {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Bargain-hunting-Used-Plugin-Deals-tp4677412.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
