Tell me why I should NOT buy a used Leaf????

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cdherman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
182
Location
Kansas City, Missouri
OK, I have a 2012 SL that just dropped to 10 bars (77.5% bat left IIRC). 40,500 miles. And its been a blast. Of late, here in KC, we have charging stations all over. I have been charging at work ONLY lately. My 38 mile round trip commute still is pretty safe even at 80% charges, and I can always plug in at home for a while if I have other evening plans or if I have ran an errand after work and the bat is lower than usual....

So I am considering a second used Leaf. My wife likes the Leaf as well. We would become a 2 Leaf, one old Subaru Forester (for trips and inclement weather, and I have a job that I MUST be able to come to work, even on snow days). Kids would keep the Priuses as the Prius makes a darn good long distance commute to college car.......

Pros:
-- Prices on 2013 Leaf in SL or SV trim are falling which gets me quick charge, better heater, and 7.4 kw charger.
-- In KC, there are lots of charging stations, so falling range is less an issue.

Cons:
-- Newer choices such as Bolt, Tesla 3, 2017/18? Leaf might have far better range. But my most common "long range" trip is 270 miles to my parents. All of those vehicles will struggle with that. too......
-- Newer choices will have better battery technology and degrade more slowly. But at the current price of 2013 Leafs, you can almost factor in a new batter at some point.

What aspects am I missing???
 
As long as you understand, and can live with, the range limitations of the Leaf, there is no reason not to buy it. Find one that is manufactured 4/13 or later, unless you want to gamble with the capacity warranty. The early 2013 models have the same capacity issues as the 2011/2012 models do.
 
cdherman said:
-- Prices on 2013 Leaf in SL or SV trim are falling which gets me quick charge, better heater, and 7.4 kw charger.
'13+ SV and SL (and S w/charge package) have a 6.x kW OBC, not 7.4. At 208 volts (common commercial power), it pulls ~5.7 to 6.2 kW, usually 5.9 to 6.0 kW for me. It should be 6.6 kW at 240 volt input voltage.

Quick charge port is optional on the '13 SV. It's part of the QC + LED package.

Don't overpay, BTW. Nissan franchise dealers tend to have high markups above auction prices.
 
Well, I'll need to be careful if buying and having it shipped then. I found one features table, looked to be from Nissan, that showed QC on Sl and SV both as standard in 13.

Suffice to say, yes, I will not be buying from a local dealer, at least not unless the price is good. I plan to spread a pretty large net across the Midwest. I have access to a good F150 truck that I can tow a used Leaf back from pretty much anywhere in a 500 mile range. I am leaning to that option, as I buying a vehicle on cars.com and having it shipped from northwest or northeast just seems to risky....
 
cdherman said:
Well, I'll need to be careful if buying and having it shipped then. I found one features table, looked to be from Nissan, that showed QC on Sl and SV both as standard in 13.
Yes on the SL but not on the SV for the US market.

See Specs table at http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/presskits/us-2013-nissan-leaf-press-kit under "Quick charge port". I had leased a '13 SV w/premium package and QC + LED package. I used the CHAdeMO inlet ~16 times.

I now own a used '13 SV w/premium package only. It most definitely does NOT have a CHAdeMO inlet, but rather a blank space where the inlet would be.
 
The longer you wait the more you save. Can expect prices to drop significantly a few months after Bolt arrives as many plan to upgrade. I see Spark EV lease deals for $99 a month. Some people call these free cars given the gas savings.
 
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