Brand New Chevy volt is ~20k new with dealer and tax rebates. Chevy offers 0 down 0% financing.

There's a fair argument that the volt is a better economical buy than the used leaf.

True, but 20k is not 11k. And that's the out-the-door price with lower than average mileage bought by someone who didn't want to haggle. You can get a 2015 Leaf with 30k miles for 9k.

Can confirm! I got a 2015 for $9600, with 24k miles. It is fantastic and has more than _twice_ the trunk space of the volt which was a deal killer for the volt. We are a two car family and the other car is gas only for long range & occasional dual usage. We're jamming the miles on to the ~free-to-operate leaf as much as we can though.

Any downsides other than range?

Stock tires are uninspired and the car doesn’t handle particularly well, but basically “no; they’re great!”

The torque is what amazes me, for something considered an econo-box.

I don't have any yet downsides yet, but if interested I'd suggest browsing the leaf owner forum https://www.mynissanleaf.com/ which has a lot of leaf hacker information & a wishlist section. Essentially my takeaway was: leaf owners love their cars by and large.

That $11K could put you in 2005 S600 with enough money to spare for 2 years of fuel.

You're not accounting for the difference in cost of maintenance. Which would be SIGNIFICANTLY higher for a 2005 S600. Oil changes, brakes, etc, all of which do not apply to the Leaf, plus all the things that are statistically very likely to be wrong with or break on a 2005 vehicle.

Bought a 2015 at 19k miles for $8,500. Definitely a good deal and a pleasure to drive.

I'm envious, it seems I got swindled! Oh well.

No, I just got very good deal. Most of what I saw for sale is about what you paid.

How can something that has 90 miles of range be worth 20k$ literally defies my comprehension...

Well, it depends on what you want a car for. :)

If you need a commuter car to get you to and from work every day, and errands/visiting people in town on the weekends, getting one with a fuel cost per mile of 15% of normal (or even free if your work offers charging) makes a lot of sense. The 90 mile range is rarely a limitation at all.

If you need a car for frequent long trips out of town, the 90 mile range would be a huge hindrance. In that case I would discourage you from buying a 2015 Leaf.