2014 for $30,999 - good deal?

[jrbobson]

A local lot has a 2014 that was returned from lease after 3 months and it is available for outright purchase at $30,999. My state will give an additional $6k tax credit (it was previously leased in another state so I am allowed the credit in my state), making the price $25k. Unfortunately since it's not new it won't quality for the $7.5k federal credit. The car has the interior and premium packages (ash trim, monsoon stereo, radar braking, heated seats, blind-spot assist) and 1300 miles on the odometer. I think this is probably a good deal but I would like a second opinion before pulling the trigger. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

~Josh

 

[tom]

A local lot has a 2014 that was returned from lease after 3 months and it is available for outright purchase at $30,999. My state will give an additional $6k tax credit (it was previously leased in another state so I am allowed the credit in my state), making the price $25k. Unfortunately since it's not new it won't quality for the $7.5k federal credit. The car has the interior and premium packages (ash trim, monsoon stereo, radar braking, heated seats, blind-spot assist) and 1300 miles on the odometer. I think this is probably a good deal but I would like a second opinion before pulling the trigger. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

~Josh

How does one return a leased car after 3 months? What would be the reason?

Find out if the previous owner ran into this:

http://www.mybclasselectricdrive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=380

 

[sparqi]

i think it is a great price especially the 6k credit you are getting. if this is the one im looking at, the benz dealer should be able to provide maintenance or repair records. it is also certified right? this could also be a quick return after owner realized that the car wont work for them i.e. charging time and miles on full charge (i have read a few feedbacks about this already).

 

[jrbobson]

A local lot has a 2014 that was returned from lease after 3 months and it is available for outright purchase at $30,999. My state will give an additional $6k tax credit (it was previously leased in another state so I am allowed the credit in my state), making the price $25k. Unfortunately since it's not new it won't quality for the $7.5k federal credit. The car has the interior and premium packages (ash trim, monsoon stereo, radar braking, heated seats, blind-spot assist) and 1300 miles on the odometer. I think this is probably a good deal but I would like a second opinion before pulling the trigger. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

~Josh

How does one return a leased car after 3 months? What would be the reason?

Find out if the previous owner ran into this:

http://www.mybclasselectricdrive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=380

The guy had it from late December until early March. I'm not sure on how the leasing works, but I would assume there's some kind of early termination fee you could pay to end it early.

 

[jrbobson]

i think it is a great price especially the 6k credit you are getting. if this is the one im looking at, the benz dealer should be able to provide maintenance or repair records. it is also certified right? this could also be a quick return after owner realized that the car wont work for them i.e. charging time and miles on full charge (i have read a few feedbacks about this already).

It's not certified, it's from an independent dealer that specializes in electric cars. There's not any maintenance records other than the delivery inspection (when it was leased) and an inspection from the local Mercedes Dealer that the lot took it to when they got it as it's only got 1300 miles on the odometer. After lease it was sold at auction, and I have looked at the Carfax to verify these records. I do get the remainder of the factory warranty (which is most of it).

 

[sparqi]

sorry, i happened to be looking at a nearly identical one in my area. for me, i still think it is a good deal considering the 6k credit, miles, clear history, mercedes inspection, and remaining factory warranty.

 

[tom]

It's not certified, it's from an independent dealer that specializes in electric cars. There's not any maintenance records other than the delivery inspection (when it was leased) and an inspection from the local Mercedes Dealer that the lot took it to when they got it as it's only got 1300 miles on the odometer. After lease it was sold at auction, and I have looked at the Carfax to verify these records. I do get the remainder of the factory warranty (which is most of it).

If it went to a MB shop in the past, then it's not possible there is no maintenance record. All MB service centers have their records in the database. MBUSA collects and uses this data. See if you can find someone who can look it up for you (with the VIN #). Call MBUSA.

Canceled lease after just a few months then car is auctioned? Only 1300 miles. Independent dealer. MB cannot certify it. Don't smell right.

What state are you in? and what was MSRP on the sticker?

 

[wtzouris]

The resale value does drop on a luxury EV, typically 30% as soon as you drive off the lot. There is no interest in the B-Class ED, even though it is a great car. If you think the car is a lemon, ask for an additional warranty and a 3 month buy-back guarantee. You will know everything about the car in 3 months. What about a 2-year lease? Also the car doesn't have the range option which allows you to charge up an additional 12%, which is so useful for long trips and cold weather. If the car had a multi year extended drivetrain warranty, I would go for it.

 

[jrbobson]

It's not certified, it's from an independent dealer that specializes in electric cars. There's not any maintenance records other than the delivery inspection (when it was leased) and an inspection from the local Mercedes Dealer that the lot took it to when they got it as it's only got 1300 miles on the odometer. After lease it was sold at auction, and I have looked at the Carfax to verify these records. I do get the remainder of the factory warranty (which is most of it).

If it went to a MB shop in the past, then it's not possible there is no maintenance record. All MB service centers have their records in the database. MBUSA collects and uses this data. See if you can find someone who can look it up for you (with the VIN #). Call MBUSA.

Canceled lease after just a few months then car is auctioned? Only 1300 miles. Independent dealer. MB cannot certify it. Don't smell right.

What state are you in? and what was MSRP on the sticker?

I've got a call into the dealer who leased it to try to find out why it was returned. According to that dealer any time they get early lease returns they send them straight to auction, but waiting to see if they can tell me the reason for the early return.

 

[jrbobson]

So after almost a week of trying to get some information from the dealer that originally leased it and 0 returned calls I finally got someone on the phone today, zero help, basically just sounds like they don't want to be bothered with looking it up for me. So anyone looking for a B I would highly recommend avoiding MB of New Rochelle, NY. I'm going to try calling corporate when they're open on Monday to see if they can do anything, but if this dealer in NY is any indication of how MB treats people then maybe I should look elsewhere, which is a shame because I like the car otherwise, I just want to make sure it wasn't a lemon...

 

[tom]

I am not surprised of your experience. Because this is a ZEV compliant car, Mercedes doesn't really want to make, sell, or support this car. The individual MB dealerships also hate this car because: 1) they can't make money on service, 2) they generally don't know anything about electric cars and don't want to know, and 3) this car is hard to sell because the public don't know about it.

In reality, the MB B EV is an excellent electric car, for the price, as long as you are not one of these: http://www.mybclasselectricdrive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=380

You might try these 4 things:

1) Bargain hard because there is virtually no demand for an used 2014 B. Try offering them $25k or less. I'll bet that independent dealer bought it at auction for under $20k. Then get it in writing that you can return the car to them if you don't like it for any reason within 90 days. The sudden loss-of-drive issue usually shows up early on, if you don't see it for 90 days then you are probably fine. Also keep in mind the car is still under its original factory warranty.

Consider showing that dealer this list: http://www.mybclasselectricdrive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=380

IMO, even if you get it for $19k ($25k -6k rebate), it is still better to lease one. If you can find one, a 2014 $49k msrp can be leased for $12,100 or less ($3000 + 35 x $260). So, minus $6000 from your state rebate means $6100 net to you for three years. That's a lot better than $19k out of your pocket today. $6100 for three years is crazy cheap for this car.

Here in California our rebate is $2500, so 12,100 - 2,500 = $9600. IMO $9.6k is still better than $19k out of ones pocket today because ....

EV technology, especially the battery, is improving quickly, they will get much better in 3 to 5 years, and no one will want these used EVs 5 years from now with a degraded battery. For these two reasons, no one should buy electric cars, only lease.

(Maybe it's okay to buy an used EV if it's super super cheap. For example, used 2013 LEAFs with original sticker of $30k are now selling for less than $10k. I won't even buy it for $10k, $7k maybe, because longer range LEAFs are coming in early 2016, no one will want the old ones six months from now.)

2) Another suggestion for you is to get that 2014 B inspected at a MB service center. Tell that independent car dealer it will be done at your expense and you take the car to the MB service center for the inspection. While at MB service center, ask the tech to look up the car's service history.

3) Since this is an used car, ask the dealer if you can test drive it for 24 or 48 hours. Take your time checking out the car and see if it stalls on you (or jumps to neutral while in drive).

4) See if you can lease it, for as cheap as possible, for 24 or 36 months. Check and see if your state will still give you the $6k rebate for leasing an used EV. Offer to lease it for $150 to $200 per month with zero down.


So, which state are you in where you get $6,000 rebate for purchasing an electric car?