Should I buy a Used LEAF?

Hi, I'm in the LA/SoCAl market to buy two pre-owned cars: 1) a family mini-van and 2) a commuter car (my wife and I work mostly from home). With that in mind we were looking at buying the LEAF (i.e..2011) to offset the Mini-Van gas costs/pmts etc. I have one car paid off (will sell) and another leased car expiring next week. I was interested in the Leaf for the obvious reasons but also because the used prices were at levels I could pay off in just 4 to 8 months. Leaving me commuting in a Leaf paid off and without other petroleum vehicle costs.

My concerns with buying a used Leaf are the battery degradation (I have one weekly So Cal /LA client commute of 68 miles round trip/not near a re-charge station), price depreciation, and warranty.

Can I over-come these obstacles? Are there other pros and cons to consider before buying a pre-owned LEAF? Is there another vehicle to suggest for a pre-owned vehicle in the 2011 Leaf price range?

See the chart here for predicted battery capacity loss for your region:
http://electricvehiclewiki.com/Battery_Capacity_Loss" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you buy a 3 year old LEAF with a battery at 80%, it's likely that in another 2 or 3 years, you'll need a new battery. It's questionable whether you will be able to get a warranty replacement, so always factor in that $5500 cost as something that's likely to happen while you still own the car.

For this reason, unless you are able to find one that qualifies for (or will very soon qualify for) a free warranty replacement of the battery, I would avoid used LEAFs unless you can get one for a bargain. The current going rate of $11,000 is too high, considering the risk.

Also, remember that you probably won't be replacing the pack until it has reached end of life (70% capacity). If you can't suffer 30% range degradation, you'll probably want to stick with a lease or look to a different car.

lonestar49 said:

Hi, I'm in the LA/SoCAl market .....
My concerns with buying a used Leaf are the battery degradation (I have one weekly So Cal /LA client commute of 68 miles round trip/not near a re-charge station), price depreciation, and warranty.

Can I over-come these obstacles?

Click to expand...

Short answer, no don't buy a used Leaf in your situation.

Your range requirement is OK for a new Leaf, but not with much extra. You can't drive even a new leaf that far at 70-75mph, esp if you have the AC on. So on So. Cal freeways, you will be going in the slower lanes if you want to make the 68 miles w/o a charge (you can probably drive 65mph wo hills). A used Leaf+new battery will cost almost as much a new Leaf after the 7500 Fed Tax break and 2500 California rebate.

You could go with an older LEAF if you're willing to stop at a DC Fast Charger (aka. CHAdeMO quick charger) somewhere along the way to/from that weekly customer visit. This might not be a big deal if you only have to do it once per week. Check out http://www.plugshare.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for fast charger locations.

Thanks Abasile

it will be somewhat of a hassle for that weekly trip. and you wont really know until you drive the car on the route.
you could have a heavy foot.
the battery could be more degraded than average.
if it rains, you will lose range. but then, it may never rain again here.

Well, you could just take the minivan for that one trip. If you have two cars (and can reliably use the other one when you need to) there's really no reason not to make one of them a Leaf.

The 2013 Leafs are losing less range than earlier models. You could consider one of those.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17043" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Also buying from San Fran area and shipping down, might be good, because of colder climate.

Buy a mild weathered 2013 from Carmax and pay the shipping for them to bring it to your area.

On any purchase, I suggest:

1. Look up the car's VIN at your Nissan dealer to check its repair history
and battery pack warranty status. Then can also do an extensive pre-warranty
(extension) "100 point" inspection of a LEAF for about $110.

2. The Nissan extended warranty is over $3000 at some dealers, but
priced at about half that at Santa Rosa Nissan, check the Gold,
8 year, 100,000 mile warranty, which you can buy online.

3. Evaluate the vehicle with the ELM-type OBD to bluetooth adapter
and a suitable Android tablet or smartphone. The Kyocera eVent seems
to work well, is inexpensive, and can be purchased without a contract.
The display of the 96 cell voltages can reveal weak cells, and the
Amp-Hour "capacity" number might reveal a 20% capacity loss even
when all 12 capacity bars are still showing on the dash.

4. Driving conditions (hills, wind, rain, traffic, etc.) can greatly affect range,
but driving style (speed and aggressiveness) are even more important.
The difference between 70 mph and 55 mph can be something like 55 miles
up to 70 miles. The Heater can be a big hit, but the Air Conditioning not
very much.

Does the LEAF have a Quick Charge port?
If not, the Chademo QC stations will not help you.
There are many more of these these days, but many/most of them
are priced much higher than gasoline. Look on PlugShare for
suitable charging stations. Just a little bit of charging, even at
the much slower Level2 J1772 EVSE stations, can bring you home
when circumstances conspire against you. Investigate the
suitably located stations along your longer route.

Yes, it is just a little bit more complex planning, when making
longer trips, but... EV driving is, I hope, the dawn of a new age,
and an important step to support, to help save the planet that
the local humanoids call Earth (which originally meant "dirt",
I suspect).

If you want to, you can make it work, but try to avoid a real lemon.
Cheers, Gary