Stupid to hold on to eGolf post lease?
 

This is more of a thought exercise...

I know that this is far to early to consider and that by the time the eGolf is due to be returned (Jan 2019) its range will be horribly bad compared to new tech. But given the "low" buyout cost ($13.0k), the low projected miles (15k?) at lease end, and the fact that we hardly ever worry about range given our use, I'm wondering if it would make any sense to keep it as an nth car.

Ideally, by 2019 we'll have an SUV, a sedan, and possibly even a sportscar. The question is if we hang on to the eGolf purely for sub-5 mile drives (already 80% of what it does). It would probably see 3k miles a year, so it would be many years before the battery would hit the projected ~80k-mile battery end of life.

Maintenance costs are zero, as are consumables other than tires, really. My wife loves it.

Also, judging by current used eGolf prices, it may be worth far less than $13k in used car market (low mileage 2015's are in the upper teens). Perhaps it can be negotiated lower still.

Of course, you have to assume that say 5 years from 2019 the resale on that car will be zero. The ROI is in keeping it forever as an nth car. The big question mark is reliability. If something (batteries) craps the bed a year past the warranty the whole car may be worthless right then and there.

The used EV market dynamic will be really interesting to see develop of over the next couple of years.

EDIT: Battery warranty is 8 years/100k miles.

this is what you need to keep watching over the next two years. And in two years you will know better if you want to keep it, or toss it back to VW.

Do you have to pay to keep the battery warranty when you buy it from the lease company? Cause right now you don't own the VW, it is a transaction to buy the car at the end of the lease

Doesn't the egolf rectify the need for a "sedan"?

The car serves your purpose perfectly, and you like it, yet you already worry about replacing it. :? :lol:

Well, it's a cheap lease. This is all about when the lease is over. Also, I want a sports sedan for me. Something with a stick, ideally.

The eGolf is my wife's car. We use it any chance we get because we have lots of free lease miles we won't use and the LR4 is much more expensive to run and not as fun to drive (big/heavy). Currently the eGolf is hers and the LR4 mine as daily drivers.

The plan is to replace the eGolf at lease end with a sedan for me and give the LR4 to my wife. The only point is that given our extremely limited use, a dirt-cheap used EV with old tech and low range may still make sense for us as an nth car where it might not to most people.

Makes sense to me.

Even if you are only able to use it for 5 years after the lease (until the warranty runs out), and its worth 0 at the end of that, it'll still be pretty cheap to own. And that's worst case. Its quite possible that it keeps chugging along for a few more years after that.

Then again, I vaguely remember someone posting that you can lease an eGolf now for like $50/month if you factor in the federal tax credit? If that's true, and there are similar deals when this lease is up you're better of just leasing a new one I think. I think an EV only i3 can be leased for like $150 so it wouldn't surprise me.

I think your question is impossible to answer until the lease is close to being due for turn-in.

My best guess? It'll be like asking, "Should I keep this iPhone that I've had for four years or go buy the new one?"

Don't buy the new one if they don't re-enable swipe to unlock. Fuck them.

Wait, wait, wait..I can lease an i3 for $150/mo? That must be a California special.

Exactly.

Yeah, I have heard of some mythical, crazy-cheap deals (usually around $100/month). I mean, mine ends up being about $200/month all-in, which is pretty damn good IMO for a loaded eGolf.

Some of those low per-month figures don't include downpayment, taxes, refer to the lower trims (equipment and charger), etc. It also requires luck in availability, etc. But still, that's crazy-low.

:lol:

I was hoping that you'd post that :cool: