Considering Phoenix Leaf Purchase - Thoughts?

[Phatcat73]

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I'm considering purchasing above car for a retired elder family member. She drives less than 10 miles per day or less than 5000 miles per year. Car will be garaged. I've read about the Phoenix woes with battery degradation. I thought about leasing however dealer will make out on the miles. My thought process: the car's battery will degrade and be eligible for the "hot" battery replacement in a few years.

Also, this car is certified for 7 years/100k. Does the certification add anything to the battery warranty?

Thoughts? Go electric or go ICE?

 

[johnrhansen]

How about one of those neighborhood electric vehicles? The glorified golf carts? As long as she doesn't drive on roads with speed limits greater than I think 35 MPH, it will work.

 

[adric22]

Since she drives so little, why not get a used Leaf? Even a severely degraded battery would be fine for 10 miles per day. And who knows, you might get a replacement battery much sooner since it would still be under warranty for 60,000 miles.

 

[myleaf]

I agree. I think a used one would be a good option. There should be a lot of lease returns entering the market.

 

[myleaf]

I see you are purchasing a used 2013. I would suggest an older model, maybe a 2011 or 2012 ?

 

[cgaydos]

Since she drives so little, why not get a used Leaf? Even a severely degraded battery would be fine for 10 miles per day. And who knows, you might get a replacement battery much sooner since it would still be under warranty for 60,000 miles.

This is a used LEAF - the web site lists it as having 7015 miles and there is a full Carfax report.

It does not look like an attractive deal to me as this appears to be a basic model S and the asking price is more than I would expect to pay for a new 2013 S after the federal tax credit. Given the requirement of < 10 miles/day and the assumed requirement of not needing to drive a long distance I would look instead for a used 2011 or 2012 LEAF. Those cars had more features than the 2013 S, including the rear view camera which is very helpful for parking, etc., and the older models can be found for less money. The battery degradation won't be a problem given the limited range needed, and the warranty will allow you to have Nissan replace the battery when it hits the 4-bars-lost threshold.

 

[Phatcat73]

Thanks. 10 miles is avg with occasional longer trips, perhaps 60 miles.

This looks to be an SV due to the alloy wheels, nav, Bose and monitor package.

 

[GerryAZ]

If the buyer qualifies for the full Federal tax credit, it may be almost the same net price to buy new. If not, this looks like a reasonable way to get an almost new LEAF. In general, speeds on surface streets in Phoenix are too high for neighborhood electric vehicles so I would not recommend that option which someone proposed.

Gerry