What is your opinion on this car.

I have been toying with picking up a Leaf for a while. I have done a lot of research, but still have many questions.

This is one of the cars I am considering. Please give me your opinion.

http://www.billluke.com/used/Nissan/2013-Nissan-Leaf-Phoenix-277af75a0a0e0ae75af8e084d6e9bc4a.htm

Thank you,
Bret

Here is a link to all 11 of the Leafs that are available. Do any of these stand out as being any better than the others? Any you would definitely avoid?

http://www.billluke.com/all-inventory/index.htm?search=leaf&saveFacetState=true&compositeType=&year=&make=&driveLine=&bodyStyle=&trim=&odometer=&internetPrice=&engine=&normalTransmission=&lastFacetInteracted=

Without going through all those listings, here is what you need to know about the 2013 Leafs:

* If it gets cold where you live, get an SV or SL. Their heatpump heating system uses far less power in Winter temps above 26F or so.

* CHECK THE BUILD DATE!!! This is on the driver's side door jamb sticker, and gives the month and year it was built. Avoid those built before April of 2013, as these have the older battery chemistry and will lose bars quickly. Those built in April or later lose bars much more slowly. The only exception to this advice is if you see an early 2013 car with 8 or 9 capacity bars showing on the dash. These may be eligible for a free new pack installed by Nissan, when the capacity is confirmed to be 8 bars or less, within 5 years and 60k miles of the in service date.

* Cars with Premium Package are worth more. This option consists of the upgraded Bose stereo system, and the excellent 4 camera "Around View" parking monitor system. The car in the first link doesn't have it, so try for a better price if you don't need these options. When looking at photos of Leafs, you can see if it has Premium several ways: by looking at photos of the touchscreen and looking for a button labeled "Camera" at the bottom left, or by looking closely at the Nissan emblem on the nose for a little round camera lens. Yo can also look at the side mirrors for the little camera lenses on the bottom, but these are harder to spot in most photos.

what do you think of the price for the car in the first link?

It's a good price. It doesn't have Premium, but the price reflects that. Even with low miles, if the dash reads 12 capacity bars, assume that it will soon be 11, meaning about 60 miles range in mild weather, 40-45 in frigid.

Bretsuaz said:

what do you think of the price for the car in the first link?

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Did you read the fine print? $399 doc fee, the $7273 price is only if you finance through them, otherwise add $1000.

atikovi said:

Bretsuaz said:

what do you think of the price for the car in the first link?

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Did you read the fine print? $399 doc fee, the $7273 price is only if you finance through them, otherwise add $1000.

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$8700 is still a good price for a '13 SV with a used car warranty.

Yeah, it would be $8,319.05 out the door. $21.57 DMV, $399 doc fee, and 625.48 tax.

You can always take dealer financing to get the good deal then just refi it 2 months later with whomever you prefer. I did that for my Nissan Versa that I bought in 2014.

Let me know your opinion on these two.

The battery was replaced on this one at 44k miles.

https://www.midwaynissan.com/used/Nissan/2012-Nissan-Leaf-2a3c40c90a0e0a175837ce58e49b7962.htm


This one has 9 bars, and an in service date of October of 2012. They wont budge on the price of this one though.

http://www.azfinecars.com/2012_Nissan_LEAF_Tempe_AZ_266125109.veh

The 2012 SV doesn't have a heatpump - that started in 2013. If you don't need more than 40 miles of range, then the 9 bar car might prove a good investment, but there are no guarantees of that.

The car in my first post is gone.

The car with 9 bars I thought might be good since it would surely need a new battery before warranty was up.

Bretsuaz said:

The car in my first post is gone.

The car with 9 bars I thought might be good since it would surely need a new battery before warranty was up.

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I don't think you've said what your range needs are. Don't buy the 9 bar car expecting a definite new pack, especially if you need a car that will go 40 miles in Winter.

I wouldn't buy a pre-2013 car. I will take the American built one, with the larger trunk and less bugs. I would also hold out for one with the Quick Charge option, so that you get the 6.6kw onboard charger for quicker at-home Level 2 charges.
I live in northern Utah, but still don't find the less efficient (non heat pump) heater in my 2014 Leaf S to be a problem. In 20* weather I pre-heat the car before starting out on my errands, and use the heat/defrost function to keep the cabin a toasty 70*. Yes, it does impact the range, but unless your commute puts you at the very limits of the cars capability, it won't matter: just plug it in when you get home and let it recharge.
bought my car a couple months ago: 21k miles with 12 bars. I love it, and will enjoy it to the fullest, not letting little non-important things worry me out of the joy of it.
YMMV: cheers!

I wouldn't buy a pre-2013 car. I will take the American built one, with the larger trunk and less bugs.

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Actually, the 2013 Leaf has proven "buggier" than the Japanese-built version. It just has a better battery pack after 3/2013. As for the heater impact, there are several differences between a pre-2013 Leaf and a 2013-2015 S. Your car has an 'air heater' while the earlier cars have 'water heaters' and this makes a big difference. Your heater provides heat more quickly and can be turned on and off easily.The earlier cars also lack a switch to turn the heat off.

Thank you: I am still learning about this car's evolution, and did not know this.

LeftieBiker said:

Bretsuaz said:

The car in my first post is gone.

The car with 9 bars I thought might be good since it would surely need a new battery before warranty was up.

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I don't think you've said what your range needs are. Don't buy the 9 bar car expecting a definite new pack, especially if you need a car that will go 40 miles in Winter.

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Yep. This is SUPER important.

OP: Can you update your location info via your user name in the upper right > User Control Panel > Profile tab? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it.

What are your daily driving needs in terms of miles? How much city vs. highway? Will you have the ability to charge at your work/destinations?

A Leaf may NOT be suitable for your needs.

LeftieBiker said:

I wouldn't buy a pre-2013 car. I will take the American built one, with the larger trunk and less bugs.

Click to expand...

Actually, the 2013 Leaf has proven "buggier" than the Japanese-built version. It just has a better battery pack after 3/2013. As for the heater impact, there are several differences between a pre-2013 Leaf and a 2013-2015 S. Your car has an 'air heater' while the earlier cars have 'water heaters' and this makes a big difference. Your heater provides heat more quickly and can be turned on and off easily.The earlier cars also lack a switch to turn the heat off.

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+1
As someone who owns both a '12SL and '13S I can say your statements are spot on. Of course I added the heater-off mod switch to my '12 it still takes longer to heat and seems to effect range even more than on the '13S.

it would be my general policy to avoid AZ cars. The weather is simply too extreme for any kind of car especially a 100% BEV with no active thermal management.

Most 2013 S's coming off lease have a value roughly $5400 so the sales prices are right in line with that since most dealers will have to put a few bucks into the cars to have them sale ready but there is a HUGE difference in what car you will get from region to region. I would look for a car from the North. It is probably in your best interest to pay for shipping.

the other thing to consider is if anyone of these cars are in line for a battery warranty exchange. I would plug in LEAF Spy or something similar to find out. LEAF Spy is an INVALUABLE tool for anyone planning to drive a LEAF to near its range limits.

I'm selling my northeast 2012 with 10 bars but that's a way from AZ.