I just chose the Honda Fit because it's getting thrown around as the "go-to" car that one should buy used. I've done this quite a few times for other forums/discussions, when I made my only car purchase ever (2011 Dodge Challenger, back in 2011, go ahead and "facepunch" me or whatever) and when my brother purchased his car as well.
It's a decent choice from what I hear, I was just curious if you'd looked across the class. I'm not really into facepunching... if what you're doing works for you, I'm all for it.
It always turns out the same: minimal savings from buying a used car.
I only asked the question because I found major savings (~40%) more than once on a car that was only 1-2 years old in very good condition. It's interesting to compare experiences and figure out how things vary with location and model.
Someone mentioned that Leafs are a steal used. That may be the case because I see on Leaf and EV Forums, tons of people bragging about how cheap their lease is or recommending leasing the Leaf, but I'm putting my money on the fact that the sticker price is so muddied with rebates and such, that it's not actually significant savings. Sure, you're getting it for $13k less than MSRP, but you're missing out on the Federal Tax Credit, your States tax credit, and some local tax benefit from installing a charger (for example) so in the end it isn't a steal, just the actual cost after all these other factors are taken into account.
Even *after* all that, they are a steal. I'm talking the delta between what a new buyer actually pays (after all incentives) and what you can pay for a slightly used one still in warranty. I've been watching regional prices for two years and I can confirm it with confidence. If I didn't have a monthly business trip through EVSE-poor territory at 3x the Leaf's range each way, I'd absolutely have one myself.
I see plenty of them for $10-15k, and you can hammer it for $.02 per mile at average US electric rates. Even a Prius will run 2-3x that on regular gas. If you drive 1,000 miles a month (probably higher than MMM average, lower than US average) the gas savings alone offset ~$10K in financing (or return 15-20% on a cash buy).
The higher-than-average depreciation is due to fears about battery degradation, but if it loses more than 20%, you get a new one for free.