2013 or 2015?

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Smgs89

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2018
Messages
4
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
I'm relatively new to EVs but have been doing a bit of research lately and have been looking to purchase a used one. The dealerships around here mainly have 2015 models but they range from about $13k-15k. Most are certified and have all capacity bars, and I'm assuming a remaining warranty on the battery.
I've also found two 2013 models on Craigslist but I'm hesitant to buy an older model from a private party because I'm kind of going in blindly.

The first one has 75k miles on it but had the battery replaced at 50k and has 86% SOH with all bars remaining selling for $10,000. The AHr is 53.47. I'm guessing this means that the first bar will drop soon? Is a high mileage Leaf with a newer battery a bad idea?

The second one has 39k miles but only 10 bars of battery left and probably very little to no time left on the battery warranty.

What would you do in my shoes? Buying from a private party is more appealing because of the cost but I'm worried about capacity loss. I only drive about 12 miles roundtrip to work everyday, so range isn't super important but would like the car to last.
 
Try looking for a 2014. Some powertrain warranty will be left, there is no worrying that it has the earlier 'Canary Pack,' and it should be priced lower than a '15. If you do look at 2013 Leafs, get an April or later build (the info is on the driver's door sill sticker and in many VIN check reports), with cars built in the Fall of 2013 being most likely to have a SOH over 90% - 2013 was a Hot Summer for most of the US. The car with the replaced battery and 11 bars isn't appealing. If you do buy one with a replacement pack, make sure it has SOH over 90% or it isn't worth anything extra. And finally, if you can't use LeafSpy, assume a 12 bar car is really 11+, and an 11 bar car is 10+ bars.
 
I personally wouldn't rely on a dealer to report battery health stats, unless they provided a screenshot of LeafSpy including a matching VIN.

Buy LeafSpy and an ODB2 dongle, it's not that difficult to use and will give you the peace of mind you need.

Alternatively, post your location and perhaps someone near you would be willing to loan you their OBD2 dongle.
 
Looks like I'll have to purchase one. Thanks so much for your responses.

Is mileage a huge factor in purchasing?

This one would work? I have an iPhone.
https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Reader-Scanner-Devices/dp/B078K54MT5/ref=sr_1_5?m=A2VZTJP6N0Z6QL&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1524879492&sr=1-5
 
I personally think mileage on a LEAF is meaningless, it's all about the battery health. If possible, research the history of the car and try to buy find one that spent it's life in a cooler climate. Single biggest factor that impacts battery health is heat.
 
Battery health is first in importance, followed by age (because it's better to have at least a powertrain warranty and a pack made after 3/2013), physical condition of the car, and then, last mileage. It doesn't not matter, but unless it's over 60K miles it isn't very important. Dealers can't give you the info that LeafSpy can, BTW. Nissan could, but they never, ever do.
 
Many 2013 S models are quickly approaching their battery warranty termination date at this point. So, at best, you might get 6 months of remaining battery pack warranty - better than nothing, but really only useful to someone taking a gamble on a 9 bar LEAF dropping to 8 bars in the nick of time.

So, I would buy a 12 bar LEAF with 50k miles on it over an 11 bar LEAF with 25k miles on it (all other things being equal), since neither one is going to get you a replacement battery pack and the higher mileage LEAF is likely to be considerably less expensive.

Wait, that's exactly what I did already :)

My 2013 SV +QC was purchased with 46k miles on it and with an SOH of 92%. It's now got 65k miles on it and still has an SOH of 88%. I was lucky enough to get it for $8k - haven't seen a similar deal since. So, higher mileage 2013 LEAFs with healthy batteries are a bit of a unicorn, but there are still a few out there.
 
Just found a 2015 at a dealer that they dropped down to $10,500 from $14k but I just placed my order for the scanner. Hopefully it'll still be available because this seems like a really good deal.
 
Smgs89 said:
Looks like I'll have to purchase one. Thanks so much for your responses.

....

This one would work? I have an iPhone.
https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Reader-Scanner-Devices/dp/B078K54MT5/ref=sr_1_5?m=A2VZTJP6N0Z6QL&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1524879492&sr=1-5

A dongle and a battery tool such as LeafSpy will prove useful throughout the time you own your Leaf, and not just when looking for a used one. Consider it a good investment.

If you are using iOS, you MUST use a dongle that connects to the phone's WiFi, and not Bluetooth. That one might work as it specifically mentions you cannot connect to any other WiFi while using the device.
 
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