Should I buy this Leaf?

It’s a 2013 SV model, with 42k miles he is selling for $7k. The battery life shows 2 bars down (10 left). I have never had an Electric car. I do have another car I could use for distance driving, looking at this for a commute of 15 miles each way each day.

Seller says he uses his regular 120 v. home and does not use any higher charging system. What do I look for? Advice appreciated.

Read this thread
https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=26662&p=538030

What is your climate? For 30 miles per day, you may get by with charging using the 120-volt portable unit if you don't need to preheat or precool the car before driving and you plug in as soon as you get home. If possible, I strongly recommend getting a 240-volt charging unit (also called EVSE for electric vehicle supply equipment) so that you can charge the car much faster. The faster charging rate with a 240-volt EVSE will also let you preheat while plugged in without discharging the battery (you can preheat while plugged in at 120 volts, but the 120-volt EVSE will not supply enough energy so the battery will discharge slowly).

Check the car over like you would any other car. The DCQC (quick charging port for 400 volts DC) was optional so verify that the car has that port if you want the fast charging capability (assuming there are public quick charging stations in your area). Verify that both heat and air conditioning work properly because repairs can be expensive (there were reports of a few early failures). Check the manufacture date on a decal visible when the driver door is open--there is a general consensus among forum users that cars manufactured prior to April 2013 experience more rapid battery deterioration than later cars. Verify that the telematics control unit (TCU is basically a cellular modem) has been updated if you want to use remote functions. TCU update cost is $300 if it has not been done. Used LEAF prices vary a lot due to location and supply/demand issues so compare prices in your area.

zahmed1094 said:

It’s a 2013 SV model, with 42k miles he is selling for $7k. The battery life shows 2 bars down (10 left). I have never had an Electric car. I do have another car I could use for distance driving, looking at this for a commute of 15 miles each way each day.

Seller says he uses his regular 120 v. home and does not use any higher charging system. What do I look for? Advice appreciated.

Click to expand...

Where are you located?

Best case you could use this car for years for this commute, at little expense other than replacing tires, 12V battery and electricity.


What is your commute type?

30 miles a day at secondary road speeds of 30 MPH or 50 kmh will use far less battery than 80+ MPH 130+ kmh freeway. I would not recommend buying this car for a high speed commute. Not enough battery left for that.

You need about 10 hours on 120 V to replace the energy used by a 30 mile commute. Key question, do you have a high quality 120V outlet near the car's parking with little else on the circuit?

A 240 V charge station is probably not needed, at least at first. If you need to prewarm the car in cold weather you will want a 240 V charge station in the future. Preheating the car on 240 V will extend the time this car do the commute in cold weather. I suspect once you drive an electric for while... the other car will be replaced by an electric, and you will want the 240 V station for the other car as well.


DCQC is nice to have, and cars with it often sell for more. The price may be too high if the car doesn't have DCQC. As long as this is a purely commuting car, you probably don't need DCQC.


If you are married, don't let your spouse drive this car. You might not get it back.

GerryAZ said:

Check the manufacture date on a decal visible when the driver door is open--there is a general consensus among forum users that cars manufactured prior to April 2013 experience more rapid battery deterioration than later cars.

Click to expand...

Either the OP is in a moderate climate, and the older battery is holding out OK in that climate, or it is a newer battery in a warm climate, and the battery is holding out OK. Either case, the car is likely to be usable for a 30 mile moderate speed commute for years.

GerryAZ said:

Verify that the telematics control unit (TCU is basically a cellular modem) has been updated if you want to use remote functions. TCU update cost is $300 if it has not been done.

Click to expand...

For a purely commuting car, there is little value in the remote functions. Don't care if updated or not, don't spend to update it.

That's a little high but not a horrible deal.
See if the guy will take somewhere between that and $6,000.

I made an offer, $6150. Maybe he will accept it. I don’t want to go higher. Thanks for the comments.

Should have offered more, he sold it to someone else.

If you aren't in a hurry you may be about find a 12 soh bar leaf for $7,000 or less.
I bought mine a year and a half ago for around $6,400 and it still has all 12 soh bars.

If you are up against some one with more money and little to no leaf knowledge just let them have it.