2018 LEAF - ~$31k after dealer discount and tax credit
That seems high by at least $5K and probably more like $8K. (Assuming you're in the US.)
Considerations: Will mainly be pottering around the city, 3 people + dog, and winter is v cold.
I like the price on the older LEAF, but am worried about how it'll go in the cold and have some 'range anxiety'.
The used Volt looks like a good deal, with the big depreciation hit taken by the original owner, plus no range issues while still enough on pure electric for around town. And the idea of supporting EVs and the local automaker with a nice new Bolt and a tax subsidy is hedonistically attractive... mmmm new car smell and a full warranty, maybe even 0% financing for a few years.
Any advice or experiences with EVs from the Mustachians?
I've daily driven a 2015 LEAF SL for 3.5 years now. (Yes, I bought it new, because of the $10K in government cheese included.)
Range: It started with about 80 real-world miles of range and 3.5 years later, I haven't taken it on max range trip recently, but I'd guess is was more like 70 miles now. That's driving a bit carefully and not running the climate control. Winter range is worse by about 5%, maybe a bit more. For us, DW has a 2005 Honda CR-V, so my car has to be able to get back/forth to work (9 miles each way), to/from Home Depot, and to/from the airport. It excels at all that and costs me between $0.05 and $0.06/mile for power (at $0.1955 / kWh MA rates).
Car as utility object: I really like it. My first few months, I have a Notes file detailing all my bits of range anxiety. Lately, I have an idea, but it's a non-issue. I do all the maintenance work on our cars (ex-tires and exhaust) and in 3.5 years, I've added some air to tires, filled the washer reservoir a few times, and changed the wiper blades once. That's pretty much a dream for me. (Even DW's CR-V has been good, but I've had to change a couple hundred bucks in parts [belt tensioner, serpentine belt, PS pump). The car is hard on front tires if you drive it like a hooligan. Because I mostly don't, the fronts will last probably 30K and the rears 60K or more. Seat heater and steering wheel heater is nice and lets you leave the climate control off on a lot of winter days. (Climate costs up to 10% of range.) It's great to not go to gas stations. (I plug in at work [paying electricity only] and rarely at home or the airport.)
Car as fun object: It has sporty acceleration off the traffic light. That's about it. Tires are not particularly sticky. Has plenty of power to keep up with traffic, but no one will mistake for a sports car of any sort. Nav system is utterly terrible. Radio is OK. Bluetooth is OK. USB interface to iPhone is OK. Nothing is exceptional.
If it's going to be your only car, it's hard not to look at the Volt or Prius instead. If you have a second ICE car or you're good with renting cars for longer travel, I love my LEAF.