2018 Leaf - preferred trim and options

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booper

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
Messages
63
Location
Seattle, WA
Been recently considering a 2018 Leaf, and it seems to me the best two options are either:

a) Go with an S or SV with all-weather package (if needed).

or

b) If you want the Tech Package/Pro Pilot, might as well go all the way with an SL, as an SV with tech package is so close in price, that you might as well get the SL with Bose stereo, All-around cam, and Leather seats.

Am I missing something here?

As an aside, I'm also wondering how current 2018 users are finding the ProPilot/Safety features to be working.
 
This is close to being a duplicate topic, but it won't be the first or last. Yes, a loaded SV is very close in price to an SL with Pro Pilot and what used to be Premium Package. I leased an SL only because I need those parking cameras. The (big for some of us) downside is that the SL only comes with a leather interior, and I hate leather. There is a topic on the downsides of Pro Pilot. I or someone else will link it later.
 
Evoforce said:
Or... wait for the 2019 Leaf which should be a much better/ longer lasting/ less depreciating car.

Or the 2021, with an even larger and longer lasting battery. :lol:

I would bet on high depreciation for any EV, however, as new technology and many new choices as new cars will outshine the older cars. And the tax credits make for instant depreciation.

Lease, if you want to be protected from this. Or plan on owning longer.

If you own longer, expect to see cars cheaper than yours with twice the battery size and even more. They might be hard to resist.
 
Evoforce said:
Or... wait for the 2019 Leaf which should be a much better/ longer lasting/ less depreciating car.

Unfortunately my 2015 SV was recently totaled, so I need to replace it with something. Could go with a used 2016 SV in the $15k range, or jump in to a 2018.
 
WetEV said:
Evoforce said:
Or... wait for the 2019 Leaf which should be a much better/ longer lasting/ less depreciating car.

Or the 2021, with an even larger and longer lasting battery. :lol:

I would bet on high depreciation for any EV, however, as new technology and many new choices as new cars will outshine the older cars. And the tax credits make for instant depreciation.

Lease, if you want to be protected from this. Or plan on owning longer.

If you own longer, expect to see cars cheaper than yours with twice the battery size and even more. They might be hard to resist.

The Leaf's depreciation has a lot to do with its poor battery reputation and lack of longevity. I have a great hope that Nissan will finally fix this Achilles Heel with the 2019 Model Leaf.

I had really had hoped that the 2018 would have finally implemented liquid TMS but alas, no such story. I am not one that generally would agree to leasing a car, but with the Leaf up to this point, yes, but only if they still insist on buying a Leaf as their only option.

Why buy a car with the worst monetary and battery degradation in the industry, once you become aware of it? If the 2018 had the liquid TMS as an option, that would have been the one to pick. As it is, the most important option is missing!
 
Evoforce said:
Or... wait for the 2019 Leaf which should be a much better/ longer lasting/ less depreciating car.

Two parts;

#1; There is ALWAYS something better a year down the road. EVs are still maturing and have a long way to go.

#2; There is no such thing as a car that less depreciating. Tesla? Hardly. My friend just got a S85 with a LOT of features. for $51K. Supposedly the car was 110K new. Car has 41,000 miles on it so just broken in really. That is a LOT of money for a 4 year time period.
 
Evoforce said:
WetEV said:
Evoforce said:
Or... wait for the 2019 Leaf which should be a much better/ longer lasting/ less depreciating car.

Or the 2021, with an even larger and longer lasting battery. :lol:

I would bet on high depreciation for any EV, however, as new technology and many new choices as new cars will outshine the older cars. And the tax credits make for instant depreciation.

Lease, if you want to be protected from this. Or plan on owning longer.

If you own longer, expect to see cars cheaper than yours with twice the battery size and even more. They might be hard to resist.

The Leaf's depreciation has a lot to do with its poor battery reputation and lack of longevity.

For the 2011 and 2012, sure. In Arizona, perhaps.

Evoforce said:
I had really had hoped that the 2018 would have finally implemented liquid TMS but alas, no such story. I am not one that generally would agree to leasing a car, but with the Leaf up to this point, yes, but only if they still insist on buying a Leaf as their only option.

Liquid TMS would have very little impact on my battery life. Sure, there have been a few hours where a TMS might have helped, on long days with multiple QCs. Battery hit 101F Friday, and cooled to 96F an hour later. If the TMS came on at 100F, I would have had lower battery temperatures. Very slightly, for a short amount of time.

TMS has near zero value to me, at best. With the increased risk of battery fires due to liquid in the battery pack, I'd rather not have a TMS. With the passively cooled battery perhaps staying at lower average temperature in my climate, I might have worse battery life, higher energy usage as well as a higher cost car.

Evoforce said:
Why buy a car with the worst monetary and battery degradation in the industry, once you become aware of it?

I would't buy a new 2012 today. So?

Evoforce said:
If the 2018 had the liquid TMS as an option, that would have been the one to pick. As it is, the most important option is missing!

Liquid TMS is a negative value option for me. I'd pay money to avoid it. Probably a wash for most of the USA. Definitely what AZ buyers would want. Please don't try to force your choices on me.
 
Right now the only sensible way to buy a Leaf is to lease it instead and then after the lease is up negotiate a buy-out. That way, you get the option of walking away if the car has battery problems or doesn't suit your needs. If you do buy it out at the end of the lease, the odds are that you'll be able to negotiate a new lower price than the Residual in the lease. The dealer usually ends up sending Leafs to auction anyway so they will often cut you a deal to keep the car rather then go through the hassle of auction and getting only the wholesale value anyway.
 
johnlocke said:
Right now the only sensible way to buy a Leaf is to lease it instead and then after the lease is up negotiate a buy-out. That way, you get the option of walking away if the car has battery problems or doesn't suit your needs. If you do buy it out at the end of the lease, the odds are that you'll be able to negotiate a new lower price than the Residual in the lease. The dealer usually ends up sending Leafs to auction anyway so they will often cut you a deal to keep the car rather then go through the hassle of auction and getting only the wholesale value anyway.

Yes, just so.
 
Not to get into the debate of depreciation or long term battery health or lease vs buy, I chose the SL. Unlike others I work a 12 hour rotating shift schedule (sometimes on days, sometimes on nights) and the peace of mind of the pro pilot is what made my mind up. It works surprisingly well (it does have it's faults) but seems to be a good middle ground between a normal version of CC versus full autonomous driving.
 
lashlee said:
Not to get into the debate of depreciation or long term battery health or lease vs buy, I chose the SL. Unlike others I work a 12 hour rotating shift schedule (sometimes on days, sometimes on nights) and the peace of mind of the pro pilot is what made my mind up. It works surprisingly well (it does have it's faults) but seems to be a good middle ground between a normal version of CC versus full autonomous driving.

I also chose Pro Pilot because of driving fatigue, although mine is due to health issues and medications. I'm not 100% sure that the car won't instead steer me off the road at an off-ramp or intersection, so I try to be extra alert whenever the road contains "complexities."
 
LeftieBiker said:
lashlee said:
Not to get into the debate of depreciation or long term battery health or lease vs buy, I chose the SL. Unlike others I work a 12 hour rotating shift schedule (sometimes on days, sometimes on nights) and the peace of mind of the pro pilot is what made my mind up. It works surprisingly well (it does have it's faults) but seems to be a good middle ground between a normal version of CC versus full autonomous driving.

I also chose Pro Pilot because of driving fatigue, although mine is due to health issues and medications. I'm not 100% sure that the car won't instead steer me off the road at an off-ramp or intersection, so I try to be extra alert whenever the road contains "complexities."

It will not. In the case of extended "no hands" it will turn on emergency flashers and slow down to a stop in the middle of the lane you are traveling.
 
You misunderstand. I'm not talking about me letting go of the wheel, I'm talking about Pro Pilot getting 'confused' and steering me off the road while I'm a little groggy. It regularly tries to do this under several circumstances, like when an off-ramp diverges from the highway, or when you approach an intersection with multiple turning lanes marked with white lines.
 
LeftieBiker said:
You misunderstand. I'm not talking about me letting go of the wheel, I'm talking about Pro Pilot getting 'confused' and steering me off the road while I'm a little groggy. It regularly tries to do this under several circumstances, like when an off-ramp diverges from the highway, or when you approach an intersection with multiple turning lanes marked with white lines.

Yeah, that is an interesting scenario when you have lanes with options to go straight or turn. When testing PPA in Washington, PPA successfully negotiated a 3 lane left turn from the middle lane from SB I-5 to highway 512 in Lakewood, WA. I was quite surprised and yes the dashed lines are/were there (They fade a lot but this intersection due to its complexity is restriped quite regularly.
 
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