Buying a leaf with out test driving or seeing the car in person?

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Hi there,

I found a 2013 Nissan leaf SL with 47,000km for $21,994 (final price) I'm looking to get it all in for $21,000. If the dealership will do that, if not I won't be getting the vehicle.

Hears the risky side of things. I test drove a Nissan Leaf already and it was great!! Love love loved it! However this car is in Quebec it's a certified car and still has all its 12 bars, leather, heated seats front and rear, navigation, rear view camera, heated steering wheel, comes with the original charger (L1). I will be purchasing the vehicle without seeing it in person only in pictures, and I haven't test drove that actual vehicle since I can't go to Quebec. We are going to buy remotely (not sure how that works yet) I plan on financing through them or my insurance company (leaning more towards my insurance company to be on the safer side.

Do you think this is not a good thing to do? I talked to my mother and she bought her new car before test driving it or seeing the actual car in person... So it's kind of similar situation.

They are going to ship it to me via truck or train.

(Yes I know it's expensive compared to US pricing, no I'm not going to import from the US, yes this is a risk)

What do you all think, I'm certain I have read that someone has purchased a vehicle here without seeing it in person first. I'm nervous about this however I think in the long run once it's here I'll be so thankful for this purchase since it fits perfectly for my driving habits.
 
I've done it before on a classic car, but not a newer car. Always test drove first.

I think it's a big risk to spend that amount of money on a used car sight unseen, not knowing Leaf values in Canada. Does it come with a warranty?

What's your driving like? I'm lucky to get 50 miles round trip from my 2013 in Detroit in the winter, just FYI.
 
That sounds like a big risk to me. You must really want an EV and I appreciate that.

Here's my story. I waited 20 years for my Leaf. In that time I had ONE car (I still have it). I rode my bicycle to work (still do, but it's a LOT closer now) and have gone through four bicycles (still have two mnt bikes, a road bike and a tandem). My point is that waiting a bit made it possible to afford an over-priced EV (I paid $35,000 US for the 2011 Leaf when new). In hindsight, it would have been financially better to wait, continue to bicycle, and purchase a used 2011 this year (auction pricing is currently $5000-$7000 US). However, my small sacrifice made possible the current low pricing for used EVs. If nobody buys the product, then the technology won't move forward. I'm ok with that, plus I paid cash for the Leaf and expect to drive it until the battery won't make it the 3 mi RT to the grocery store and the 8 mi RT to work. No new battery for me (unless Nissan gives me a REALLY good deal, like they make good on that $100/mo lease promise in 2030).
 
I believe others have done that here, purchase a used Leaf from another state and have it trucked in. I believe they do it through a company that specializes in such things. If you purchased the car and then found something that you really couldn't live with, do you have the option of cancelling the deal? I believe in the case I mentioned above if the buyer absolutely didn't want the car they were only out the transportation costs, which could approach 4 figures I believe, but that might be better than being forced to purchase a car you really didn't want.
That said for such a new car chances are that if you like the basic car there probably wouldn't be any deal breakers, one car is pretty much like another, albeit possible small scratches, dings or upholstery/carpet stains. Unless your extremely fussy I'd think you should be OK, after all it sounds like you like the Leaf you drove, is the model your looking at the same year and trim level you drove? A '13SL is a nice model, in some ways nicer than newer models and IMO much nicer than a '11 or '12.
 
My reading of your post leaves me thinking that you're buying from a dealership. That is both good and bad, in my opinion. They're used to doing this kind of thing which is good. That could be bad in that they may exploit your eagerness to buy the car by leaving the arrangements subject to interpretation.

If they do this often, I bet they have a contract or some wording that provides for return if you're not satisfied. Since you're paying what looks to me like "top dollar" I'd not do the deal without a signed agreement that allowed for a return. If they don't or they verbally say that you can, I wouldn't close the deal. If they do have a contract, then don't pay any money until you've read and understood it and they have signed it. I think everyone is more likely to be happy with the deal if all the parties are sure of what responsibilities they have.

Hope you can go green soon!
 
Quebec City? There are firms that do remote inspection for you like this one in Montreal: http://www.onsitecarinspection.com/

Do they have Carfax in Canada? Battery's probably OK if it's a northern car, but still near 30k miles, it's not new. How much is a new Leaf in Canada? Any incentives?
 
Hi everyone, I'm going to be taking the risk. The cost of the car here where I live is over $45,000. There is only one other leaf that I know of in the maritimes (PEI, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia)

I will not be putting a deposit or doing anything until I get the papers and read over the contract. I will be financing (through my bank or insurance company) and I will make sure that a return policy is in place on the contract and also that the contract says that the taxes were paid and the registration, plate, and license if I get that included in my deal.

I am paying a lot more then I thought I would be paying however compared to a 2016 Honda civic that has the same features there is a big savings. I don't see this car breaking down on me at any time.

I travel 13miles roubd trip to work maxing out at normally 37miles city driving for a day of shopping. Charging is free where I live at the level 2 public charging station without counting the dealer ship charging stations that are also public. All be taking advantage of thoses charging stations.

As the pictures show, there are still 12 bars to the charge. I have the 5 years remaing battery degeneration warranty (until 2021), their used vehicle warranty which is 12 months 20,000km roadside assistance, wear warranty on parts only (shocks, muffler, brake pads) it only had one owner, vehicle is certified from the dealership (155 point inspection) no crashes. It was purchased new at that dealership and serviced at the dealership I'm getting it from.
 
As the pictures show, there are still 12 bars to the charge.
Click to expand...

Assume that the car will soon have 11 bars, as there is no way to tell "12 bars" from "11 & 1/16 bars" just by looking at the dash. If that works for you, and the dealership will take it back if it is defective, and the price is the best you can do (yikes!), then it may work out fine.
 
AshleyGoingGreen said:
Hi everyone, I'm going to be taking the risk. The cost of the car here where I live is over $45,000. There is only one other leaf that I know of in the maritimes (PEI, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia)

I will not be putting a deposit or doing anything until I get the papers and read over the contract. I will be financing (through my bank or insurance company) and I will make sure that a return policy is in place on the contract and also that the contract says that the taxes were paid and the registration, plate, and license if I get that included in my deal.

I am paying a lot more then I thought I would be paying however compared to a 2016 Honda civic that has the same features there is a big savings. I don't see this car breaking down on me at any time.

I travel 13miles roubd trip to work maxing out at normally 37miles city driving for a day of shopping. Charging is free where I live at the level 2 public charging station without counting the dealer ship charging stations that are also public. All be taking advantage of thoses charging stations.

As the pictures show, there are still 12 bars to the charge. I have the 5 years remaing battery degeneration warranty (until 2021), their used vehicle warranty which is 12 months 20,000km roadside assistance, wear warranty on parts only (shocks, muffler, brake pads) it only had one owner, vehicle is certified from the dealership (155 point inspection) no crashes. It was purchased new at that dealership and serviced at the dealership I'm getting it from.
Click to expand...
See my post in the " Newbie from Canada" thread http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21669&start=40#p459989
 
AshleyGoingGreen said:
I am paying a lot more then I thought I would be paying however compared to a 2016 Honda civic that has the same features there is a big savings. I don't see this car breaking down on me at any time.
Click to expand...

That actually brings up another important point - is there anyone in the Maritimes that would be willing to work on the car? In the USA, not all Nissan dealers have LEAF techs or even the equipment required to fix the LEAF. If there aren't other LEAF drivers in your area, dealers may not have opted to train techs.

Don't assume it will never need work. Mine has been in the dealer three times since buying it new for major warranty work. Twice, the heater needed replacing.

I know someone locally who bought a Fiat 500 electric and had it shipped to Detroit from California. Nobody here would work on it when it broke. It's now a very heavy, very expensive, doorstop.
 
DNAinaGoodWay said:
Quebec City? There are firms that do remote inspection for you like this one in Montreal: http://www.onsitecarinspection.com/

Do they have Carfax in Canada? Battery's probably OK if it's a northern car, but still near 30k miles, it's not new. How much is a new Leaf in Canada? Any incentives?
Click to expand...

New leafs in Canada run from 29900 to 36000 ish depending on model. I am currently following a few in Kelowna BC but really not ready to buy. Our target date is fall 2018. We already drive a smart EV but will replace our last oil burner then, possibly with a leaf.
 

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