My ID4 lease ended, here’s my final decision on next car
Having followed this sub for a while I know there are others facing the same decision so I thought I'd share my experience...
I had a 3-year lease for a 2023 RWD ProS, ending June 2026, and in general I've liked the car.
For several months I've reviewed options, including:
Purchasing the leased vehicle based on residual value. VW doesn't make that very appealing so I passed.
Ruled out leasing another ID4 because terms are no longer competitive.
Considered leasing a different EV, looked at everything priced under $45k and ended up focusing on the Subaru Solterra and the Ioniq5. I ruled out the Ioniq5 despite excellent lease offers due to the ICCU problem. I liked the Solterra, which felt like a slightly improved ID4.
Looked at Certified Pre-Owned EVs, with focus on the ID4.
My final decision came down to leasing the 2026 Solterra or buying a CPO ID4. I'll keep the Solterra in mind for the future but ultimately decided to buy a CPO 2023 ID4 ProS RWD.
The car I purchased is the exact year, model, and trim of my leased car and I've reduced the monthly payment by $200, thanks to a 2.9% promotional rate on a 72-mo loan. VW also offered a 1.9% rate on a 60-month loan.
It has relatively low miles, an excellent history, new tires, tinted windows, and 21 months left on the original warranty. On top of that VW provides an additional 2-yr/24k CPO warranty (recently changed from 3 years). I'll most likely sell the car before warranty coverage ends.
The only downside is that the car is black, which I'm learning is a whole project, but I decided early on not to let color be a determining factor.
The ID4 is not a perfect car but I like it enough to feel happy about this decision. And I'm able to use the after-market items I had purchased for the leased vehicle.
One final note: a few months ago I requested from VW Finance, and was granted a 6-month lease extension, which I wanted to give myself flexibility to make a decision about my next vehicle. The extension was easy to get and was month-to-month so I just cancelled it when I turned in the car this week.
Happy driving!