2015 e-Golf: good deal?

Hello, I am weighing buying a 2015 e-Golf from a local dealer (Massachusetts). It has never been registered (dealer floor model only), so would be eligible for both the $2,500 state incentive and the $7,500 federal one, so $10k off their price, which I have negotiated down to KBB ($18,850)... thus a little under $9k for the vehicle. This seems almost too good to be true... I have a 2004 Prius I could drive for a few months while I wait for the longer-range 2017 model, or if I act fast I could grab one of the cheap lease deals on a 2016 e-Golf a little further away... am I crazy to pass up the deal on the 2015, though?

ColbyBrown said:

Hello, I am weighing buying a 2015 e-Golf from a local dealer (Massachusetts). It has never been registered (dealer floor model only), so would be eligible for both the $2,500 state incentive and the $7,500 federal one, so $10k off their price, which I have negotiated down to KBB ($18,850)... thus a little under $9k for the vehicle. This seems almost too good to be true... I have a 2004 Prius I could drive for a few months while I wait for the longer-range 2017 model, or if I act fast I could grab one of the cheap lease deals on a 2016 e-Golf a little further away... am I crazy to pass up the deal on the 2015, though?

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$18k before rebates? Yes that's a good deal.

The only real knock on the 2015 models is the infotainment system: it has a hardwired 30-pin iPhone connection and zero phone integration, so basically you'll have to use bluetooth to stream audio, rather than direct plugin via USB. Assuming you're OK with that, OK with the 86 mile range, and qualify for the full $7500 federal tax credit, it's pretty much a can't lose deal.

Do make absolutely sure it's never been registered as a demo. Otherwise, no rebates.

Thanks for the replies. I guess my only lingering doubt is whether I'd be able to lease a 2017 (when they become available) for close to $9k over 3 years. That would be about $250/month, I guess, which doesn't seem crazy given what I have seen online... does anyone know what kind of lease pricing they are offering in states where they are already available (if any exist)?

There have been no 2017s leased or sold in the US or Canada thus far, so we can only speculate on pricing. The 2016s went $180-375/month for zero out the door, depending on trim. The 2017s supposedly will be in 3 trims, with MSRPs in the $28k-38k range but nobody knows exactly how they will correlate to lease costs. If it's anything like the Bolt, the lease prices will initially be quite high and then drop significantly after about 6 months. I wouldn't bet on getting a 2017 e-Golf for $250/month until very late 2017 or early 2018.

johnnylingo said:

The only real knock on the 2015 models is the infotainment system: it has a hardwired 30-pin iPhone connection and zero phone integration, so basically you'll have to use bluetooth to stream audio, rather than direct plugin via USB.

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VW offers official MMI dongles for both Apple Lightning Port (iPhone 5 and later) and normal micro USB; my iPhone 6S works fine on my 2015 eGolf. The bigger issue for some is the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; my 2017 Alltrack has those, but to be honest I could live without it particularly if your car has built-in navigation (that's the only thing I use CarPlay for really).

ColbyBrown said:

Hello, I am weighing buying a 2015 e-Golf from a local dealer (Massachusetts). It has never been registered (dealer floor model only), so would be eligible for both the $2,500 state incentive and the $7,500 federal one, so $10k off their price, which I have negotiated down to KBB ($18,850)...

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With an MSRP of $28,850 it sounds like you're getting one of the rare LE models (halogen headlights, cloth seats, hubcaps instead of alloy wheels). If so, keep in mind that these models have a resistive type heater which will use a lot more energy than the heat pump of the SEL model. If you have a short commute (30 miles round trip or less) it may not be an issue, but if you need to push the official EPA range it will give you problems in winter unless you have charging at your workplace.

RonDawg said:

ColbyBrown said:

Hello, I am weighing buying a 2015 e-Golf from a local dealer (Massachusetts). It has never been registered (dealer floor model only), so would be eligible for both the $2,500 state incentive and the $7,500 federal one, so $10k off their price, which I have negotiated down to KBB ($18,850)...

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With an MSRP of $28,850 it sounds like you're getting one of the rare LE models (halogen headlights, cloth seats, hubcaps instead of alloy wheels). If so, keep in mind that these models have a resistive type heater which will use a lot more energy than the heat pump of the SEL model. If you have a short commute (30 miles round trip or less) it may not be an issue, but if you need to push the official EPA range it will give you problems in winter unless you have charging at your workplace.

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I think you've misread it. He negotiated the dealer selling price down to $18,850 and should still eligible for $10k in incentives. Still unknown is what trim it actually is or what the sticker price is.

Whether or not I'm correct or wrong, it still behooves Colby to make sure to verify what he's getting for that price, and if it is an LE that he knows the limitations of that model vs. the SEL which was more common in 2015.

I would also verify that the dealer isn't throwing in the government incentives in that quoted price. Even for an unsold 2 year old new car I find it hard to believe they will let the car go for nearly 1/2 price, particularly since dealers are asking about that much for a used one, as opposed to finding a market that desires the car more (like California) in trade for something that would sell well in Massachusetts like an AWD SUV.

A check of Autotrader for a 200 mile radius of a random Boston zip code (since I don't know what city that dealership is located) only came up with 3 hits for brand new 2015 eGolfs, and only one was an SEL with an asking price of $31.5k. The others were both LE's for $30.5k and under $30k. VW's own vehicle locator says dealers in the Boston area are "out of stock." Unfortunately it won't let you specify a distance like with Autotrader.

Hello again, to clarify, the vehicle is indeed an SEL, not an SE as one responder speculated... I have put a deposit down on it so feel reasonably comfortable providing you this link to the listing for your own verification: https://my.dealersocket.com/NewEBrochure/eBrochure/Index?WebLeadId=XpLlFhFdm+4=&InventoryID=/q4jAch7Mfg=&EBrochureSiteId=DP9mCTwez9A=&EBrochureEntityId=BFst0YzpL08=&EventId=lPmusnvGpZs=&CreatedById=a1XVkaPGjhk=&RemoteSiteId=DP9mCTwez9A=&NoRedirect=1

I thought you guys also might be interested to know that I asked the dealer sales rep about anticipated availability and lease rates on the new 2017 e-Golfs and he mentioned that he had just come back from training where he asked about this. The corporate VW America guy apparently told him that the 2017s were getting pushed back to 2018 for two reasons: 1) to re-redesign the body and interior and 2) so that they can focus on selling their new SUVs... as such, I'm not expecting any cheap e-Golf lease deals in the future as clearly EVs are not a high priority for the company.

ColbyBrown said:

Hello again, to clarify, the vehicle is indeed an SEL, not an SE as one responder speculated... I have put a deposit down on it so feel reasonably comfortable providing you this link to the listing for your own verification: https://my.dealersocket.com/NewEBrochure/eBrochure/Index?WebLeadId=XpLlFhFdm+4=&InventoryID=/q4jAch7Mfg=&EBrochureSiteId=DP9mCTwez9A=&EBrochureEntityId=BFst0YzpL08=&EventId=lPmusnvGpZs=&CreatedById=a1XVkaPGjhk=&RemoteSiteId=DP9mCTwez9A=&NoRedirect=1

I thought you guys also might be interested to know that I asked the dealer sales rep about anticipated availability and lease rates on the new 2017 e-Golfs and he mentioned that he had just come back from training where he asked about this. The corporate VW America guy apparently told him that the 2017s were getting pushed back to 2018 for two reasons: 1) to re-redesign the body and interior and 2) so that they can focus on selling their new SUVs... as such, I'm not expecting any cheap e-Golf lease deals in the future as clearly EVs are not a high priority for the company.

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I see a USED sticker on it. No 7500 rebate for you then.

Ok, you got me worried, so I ran a carfax report, and just as the dealer sales rep told me, this car was never sold nor registered. Thus I think it was their mistake to mark the car as used (albeit a lucky one for me as this was my basis for negotiating them down to the KBB certified pre-owned value)... he told me they thought they had to mark it as used in order to finance a purchase simply because of the model year; whereas I plan on paying cash, so that's not a factor. As I interpret the federal incentive the model year does not matter; the rebate simply can't be passed along to another buyer after the initial purchase, so as long as I am in fact the first owner I am eligible to receive it.

A 2-3 year old car with under 100 miles on the odometer definitely not been used as a demo. Sounds like it's been out for a handful of test drives and that's it. Shouldn't be an issue, but yeah...you really do need to be 100% sure. $7500 ain't chump change.

What happened with this? Did you buy the car? does the Federal credit seem like it will work?

Says sold, don't know if OP bought it.

Yes, I did! We're pretty happy with the car aside from some initial tire pressure issues... the roadside assistance guy told me that this particular dealer is more known in the area for getting people in the door with crazy deals. Also, my sister told me she has a friend doing environmental litigation for VW America and apparently there is in fact some sort of corporate policy behind practically giving these cars away... thought you might be interested in that little insight.

Did you confirm the car will qualify for the Federal $7500 ev credit? Thanks for the info, I am looking at a similar situation.