- As much as I love my beloved 2014 Nissan Leaf, I’m starting to explore my options. I love not having a car payment, paying for gas, oil changes, and other maintenance, or worrying about belts or hoses. I’m also trying to weigh my wants vs my needs. I work from home, and the furthest I drive each week is 11 miles to play trivia. But, with the colder weather, my Leaf’s full charge shows 65 miles, which is really closer to 55 miles. Range anxiety is weighing in, and I think I’d like to explore being able to do more social activities, like in the downtown Dallas and Fort Worth areas.
- I looked at buying a newer model Leaf, but some folks on Reddit encouraged me to look at the Chevy Bolt. To my surprise, for the same price range ($17-$21k) and model years (2021-2023), I can get an extra 100-mile range with the Bolt. Not to mention, Nissan is in dire straights, and some think it may not even survive 2025. However, Nissan replaced the Leaf with the ARIYA, and I really like how the interior and the climate control buttons are integrated into the dash panel. It’s fancy and futuristic. I doubt I’ll go with it since its range is about 215 miles when I can get closer to 250 miles and more affordability from the Bolts. And, it fits my simple lifestyle.
- More than likely, I plan on turning my Leaf in. I’ve been offered $1,000 – $1,200. There’s a part of me that would love to keep it as a first car for my 14-year-old. It would be a great first car for a kid who only needs to the school, practice, and allher friends that live by. But, she’s not too fond of the Leaf and taking what she said in context, her and her brother’s vehicles will be taken care of by their very wealthy grandparents. So, as much as I’d like to provide my kids with their first car, I think I better take advantage of focusing on what’s best for Team Keith.
- One dealership in Plano had three Bolts. One was a larger model, almost like an SUV, and the other two were smaller and very similar to my Leaf. Before I start to get attached to a make and model, the biggest thing to me is how comfortable I am in the driver’s seat, leg room, line of sight, and other similar factors. So, I arranged a visit to the dealership.
- I’m still looking at electric vehicles (EVs) because I want to take advantage of end-of-year federal tax credits. Not to mention, I have no idea what the new administration is going to do when it comes to EVs. Trump has expressed a huge dislike for EVs and any federal tax credits related to them. However, since he’s now close to Mr. EV Elon Musk, who I think holds a lot of influence on him and his team, things can change. So, I can only go with what I know now. Qualifying used EV purchases can fetch taxpayers a credit of up to $4,000, limited to 30% of the car’s purchase price. A new EV can fetch taxpayers a credit of up to $7,500.
- After arriving home from the dealership, I did more research. Upon closer inspection, the dealership included the potential tax credits for used EVs in the price. Which, I don’t qualify because I exceed the annual income threshold, which I think is $75,000. However, that left the larger Bolt, a 2023 model with only 13,000 miles. I thought I could be eligible for the $7,500 credit, basically a third of the online price. But it looks like I won’t qualify for that one either. Even if the car qualifies as a new EV car for a financial institution because of the year and low miles, it will still be considered used, and I still wouldn’t qualify since at least one person or company was the initial buyer. But of all the stuff that bothered me, when I looked at their first offer, they added a “Dealership Fee” of $2,599, which came out of nowhere. The interest rates they were offering were in the six-percentage area. The salesperson returned, talked to his manager, and was willing to take $500 off the car and go down a whole percentage point. Then, for the first time in my life, I stood up, said, “I’m out,” and walked out the door. They tried to tell me that’s the best rate I can get anywhere else. Then I showed them what Navy Federal was offering for new and used vehicles in the high four-percent area. They told me there was no way I’d be getting a better interest rate. And the one thing that really ticked me off, they added a “Dealership Service Fee.” They told me it’s a list of several fees climbed together and make up for market changes. I didn’t like that, and that certainly wasn’t transparent pricing.
- The dealership later called to talk numbers, and as they don’t use any messaging system to show their price and terms. They want customers to consider this portion, and they promised me they had met my demands of a loan in the low to mid 5% range and for the price I wanted.
- I always prefer to work with USAA regarding this sort of stuff, so I decided to try Navy Federal Credit Union since they have better rates and my father’s Navy and Army service would allow me in. After eating lunch with a friend on Saturday, I drove to the nearest Navy Federal Credit Union branch. In less than 20, maybe 25 minutes of time, I was approved for membership, printed and handed my new debit card, and approved for a new car loan with a very competitive interest rate, but still not what I could get when I owned a house or become indebted by divorce attorney fees. To prove my father was a service member, I had his DD214 pulled up on my phone, but through the process, they never verified if I actually qualified as a member. Either way, in and out in less than 20 minutes with a new debit card I could immediately use was impressive.
- The dealership called again, the sales manager, and asked what would it take to get me in that car. I told him more for my trade-in and to waive that sticker shot fee of $2,599. But with all the rain and the SEC championship about to start, I wasn’t going anywhere for the rest of the evening.
- Georgia, wow, one heck of a team. I’m still glad to see that the Longhorns have a chance to win it all. But if it happens, I hope they play Georgia one more time to make it feel more legit.
- Made me laugh.
it just kept going pic.twitter.com/BS9Bg0EKl3
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) December 6, 2024
