Buying a USED Leaf for the uninformed

Hello,

I am a relatively new member here and am looking for a wiki, etc. on how to make an informed decision on a used Leaf. It's easy enough to take an ICE to a mechanic and have it checked out but when it comes to an all-electric car there are other things to consider that most mechanics would not know to look for. The first that comes to mind is the battery and it's condition. I have read through the forums about LeafSpy and have downloaded it for my device ... but I lack the OBD II BT dongle. I have read that only certain BT dongles will work with LeafSpy. If so, can someone recommend models that do work?

Any information, even if it is just a link to subject matter that might be helpful would be much appreciated. Thank you ...

Your best bet is to post your location and hope that a nice well informed leaf owner with leaf spy lives close buy and will meet up with you.

The dongle is super cheap on ebay and amazon that if you got the wrong one it wouldn't be the end of the world.

There are so many and some using stock photos that it's hard to say but this one looks to be the same as the one I'm using.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ELM327-Super...847398?hash=item3d01d69de6:g:VYcAAOSw8d9Uxf~K

This is the exact one I bought - I clicked on my purchase history at Ebay to get the url. It works great and is reasonably priced.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321918830944?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

It's all about battery health and degradation. That is all about heat.

So where was the car initially sold and registered? Where was it used between then and now? How much battery health has been lost?

Leafspy will tell you some but carfax/autocheck/any records the dealer or prior owner toss in the glove compartment might help for the rest.

I'd take leafspy as the final answer if it shows a weak battery (SOH below 85%, aHr below 55.00) but if SOH is very high like say 95% on anything but a brand new car then the readings could be inaccurate.

Miles on the odometer don't matter as much as the date of manufacture on the driver door jamb label.

Look at the car funny if the date of manufacture is in 2011 to 2013 and it doesn't have a bar lost. Check for the VIN with a search of the last 4, 5, or 6 digits to see if an owner posted on this board about it and check the bar loss wiki in my signature.

Look at the car funny if the date of manufacture is in 2011 to 2013 and it doesn't have a bar lost.

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While most 2011-2012 Leafs seem to have lost at least one bar, there are plenty of 2013 Leafs with all 12 - like mine. If the odometer mileage is above 30-35K and there are 12 bars, that might be a little suspicious.

LeftieBiker said:

Look at the car funny if the date of manufacture is in 2011 to 2013 and it doesn't have a bar lost.

Click to expand...

While most 2011-2012 Leafs seem to have lost at least one bar, there are plenty of 2013 Leafs with all 12 - like mine. If the odometer mileage is above 30-35K and there are 12 bars, that might be a little suspicious.

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+1

Find a 2013 or newer SV or SL with quick charge and that has a battery that qualifies for or is very close to qualifying for a warranty replacement (less than 8 battery bars, the skinny bars to the right of the thick bars). That way you can get a 2015+ battery, which makes the car like-new.

2011 and 2012 are the best years for quality and performance, but you'll want a 2012 so you get a heated steering wheel and a heated battery. 2013-2015 SV and SL add a faster 6kW charger and a heat pump. You also get more cargo space and more efficiency. The drawback is the motor isn't as peppy and the quality is marginally worse with Tennessee built LEAFs.

I agree, there are lots of 2013s with 12 capacity bars, not unusual IMHO. My 42k mi 2013 has 12 bars and is hovering at 85-86% SOH since I bought it in August.

Thank you all for your advice. I almost purchased a 2012 Leaf SL with 3K miles on it about a month ago but didn't pull the trigger because I did not know how best to validate that the car was a good deal AND in good condition. Here are some personal particulars on myself and my driving habits:

Location: Central Florida
Miles driven/year: Approx 4,000
Leaf Preference: 2013 SL or later, white w/tan interior

I chose the 2013 or later because the 2012 has the ugly "hump" charger built into the back of the car, inhibiting your ability to store stuff in the back. I plan to do 99% of my charges using the 110v home charger as I drive only 14 miles RT to work each day. My wife has a nice ICE to use on longer trips.

Is a Leaf a bad idea for "hotter" Florida?

Thanks ...

Firetruck41 said:

I agree, there are lots of 2013s with 12 capacity bars, not unusual IMHO. My 42k mi 2013 has 12 bars and is hovering at 85-86% SOH since I bought it in August.

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Not unusual at all. But you are in the Pacific Northwest and I was answering without knowing where the OP was. So as a general rule I wanted him/her to be more cautious because a AZ, TX, FL, soCA 2013 leaf with 12 bars would be more suspicious

Always hard to make broad statements without exceptions or caveats.

dud said:

Thank you all for your advice. I almost purchased a 2012 Leaf SL with 3K miles on it about a month ago but didn't pull the trigger because I did not know how best to validate that the car was a good deal AND in good condition. Here are some personal particulars on myself and my driving habits:

Location: Central Florida
Miles driven/year: Approx 4,000
Leaf Preference: 2013 SL or later, white w/tan interior

I chose the 2013 or later because the 2012 has the ugly "hump" charger built into the back of the car, inhibiting your ability to store stuff in the back. I plan to do 99% of my charges using the 110v home charger as I drive only 14 miles RT to work each day. My wife has a nice ICE to use on longer trips.

Is a Leaf a bad idea for "hotter" Florida?

Thanks ...

Click to expand...

FL is a mixed bag.

The leaf is great for FL because you can use your phone or PC to turn on the AC remotely. That alone is a luxury that some would buy for.

FL is hard on the battery pack, so you have to take it as a mixed bag. Look at the worst complaints and the best props and consider you'll experience some of each.

If you get one cheap enough its a good car. Just know that the battery will age based on heat and time so your low miles per year won't help keep the car in good shape. Your cost per mile will be high no matter what car you get though if you only do 4,000 miles a year any newish car will be expensive to upkeep. At least with a leaf there is no real maintenance. It's more all or nothing, you have a battery that gives you enough range or you don't. It'll degrade in a predictable fashion giving you months/years to think about how you'll upgrade/replace the battery or buy another car.

Like others have said FL is a mixed bag and isn't the best place in the world for the battery. 2015+ batteries have a new chemistry that makes them much more heat tolerant. However, given your low mileage I'm guessing you have very short commutes all around. If so, even a heavily degraded battery would have minimal affect on your ability to go places.