Buying a used 2015 Leaf S

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

luckyleaf

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Messages
11
Hi,

My 2013 Nissan Leaf got totaled recently. I am looking into buying a used 2015 Leaf S from a local auto dealor (not a Nissan dealor). This was a lease return and sold at an auto auction recently.

Total Price (including TTL) : $11K
Model : 2015 Leaf S
Mileage : 12K miles
Battery : 12-bars
Factory warranty : 3-months remaining
Leased in Texas earlier.

CarFax report looks clean. Should I get the battery inspected at the dealorship or 12-bars a good indicator?

My initial preference was to do another lease but there are no 2017 models and 2018 models seem to be 1-2 months away. 2018 model lease pricing is not yet out and I don't expect to be cheap at least in Q1'2018.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks
 
If it was driven in Texas, I'd assume that it has closer to 11 bars than 12. If your climate is mild it should keep 11 bars for a long time, and may keep the 12th for a year or two. Or not...
 
Not trying to be a jerk, but I don't understand why anyone who lives in Texas, or any other hot climate locale, would buy a LEAF knowing that heat absolutely destroys LEAF batteries.

Have you considered other EVs that have TMS?
 
alozzy said:
Not trying to be a jerk, but I don't understand why anyone who lives in Texas, or any other hot climate locale, would by a LEAF knowing that heat absolutely destroys LEAF batteries.

Have you considered other EVs that have TMS?

I owned a 2013 Leaf S for 4 years and it worked well even with Texas weather. Only lost 1 bar ~35K miles after 3yrs. Before it was totaled it had 48K miles in 4yrs.

My daily commute is < 50 miles and it works well as a commute car.

In Texas there isn't much choice on EV. I could only find Leaf EVs. Most of the other EVs like VW eGolf, Ford Focus etc are not even sold in TX. Bolt & Honda EVs are too expensive with lease ~$500+/month.
 
@luckyleaf I guess it comes down to expectations and how comfortable you are with range loss. Losing a capacity bar (~15% degredation) after 35k miles and 3 years is probably better than average in Texas, but not something I'd willingly accept.

FWIW, Autotrader.com has a few 2015 Kia Soul EVs listed in Texas but they are more expensive than a Leaf.
 
@LeftieBiker I don't know much about owner's experiences with Soul EVs, but I thought they have TMS? Shouldn't the batteries fair better in hot climates? Just curious.
 
alozzy said:
@LeftieBiker I don't know much about owner's experiences with Soul EVs, but I thought they have TMS? Shouldn't the batteries fair better in hot climates? Just curious.

The TMS consists of pulling cabin air through the pack. So when the A/C is running you get some cooling of the pack. It isn't enough.
 
luckyleaf said:
Hi,

My 2013 Nissan Leaf got totaled recently. I am looking into buying a used 2015 Leaf S from a local auto dealor (not a Nissan dealor). This was a lease return and sold at an auto auction recently.

Total Price (including TTL) : $11K
Model : 2015 Leaf S
Mileage : 12K miles
Battery : 12-bars
Factory warranty : 3-months remaining
Leased in Texas earlier.

CarFax report looks clean. Should I get the battery inspected at the dealorship or 12-bars a good indicator?

My initial preference was to do another lease but there are no 2017 models and 2018 models seem to be 1-2 months away. 2018 model lease pricing is not yet out and I don't expect to be cheap at least in Q1'2018.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks

It is too bad you are caught between model years. The battery in my 2015 has done well in the heat compared to the 2011 so I think this used car would be a good replacement for your 2013 if it has the quick charge package and is in good condition. The CARB states have many compliance cars to choose from, but Nissan is the only manufacturer (besides Tesla) who is willing to sell EVs in all states. The price seems appropriate since TTL is included. I assume it has the 16-inch Ecopia tires so they should be OK for a while. The sidewalls were badly deteriorated from the dry desert climate on the 17-inch Michelins that came on my 2015 after less than 2 years.
 
Back
Top