Looking to buy a Leaf - around $6K

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SVTEXPY

New member
Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
3
Location
Bothell, WA
Hello, I am interested in buying a Leaf as a commuter vehicle. I would like to stay around the $6,000 mark to spend. Looking on line, it appears I may be able to find a 2011 or 2012 for about that amount.

What are the things I should look for when buying? This is strictly a commuter car. Probably looking at the S model, don't need NAV but would like Bluetooth phone and audio, heated seats are nice, don't need a heated steering wheel, backup camera is nice but not needed.

Batteries seems to be the big issue with any of these electric vehicles. Aside from finding out the current capacity of the battery, are there ways to determine how long they will last?

How do these batteries degrade? Linearly or exponentially?

Are the batteries degradation based on cycles or time?

Can you replace just a single cell or do you have to replace the entire battery pack at one time? If so, how expensive is it to replace the entire battery?

Anything else I should look at?

Does anyone here on this forum have one for sale in or around the Seattle area?

Thanks.
 
I should add how I will use this vehicle.

My commute is 13 miles each way to and from my house to work. So a total commute of 26 miles. Plus some after work errands. Now, most people would say why do you need a commuter car if you are only going 130 - 175 miles per week for work and errands. My current daily driver is a Ford Expedition with a built crate motor pushing 425hp and only runs on super unleaded fuel.

My work has 8 charging stations for EVs so my plan is to charge at work everyday and trickle charge at home on weekends. So maybe I could get by with a Leaf with a degraded, lower capacity battery.
 
This is where I am at and trust me it won't work, unless your drive is completely flat to and from work. If there's traffic I will make it to work with enough power to get home, if no traffic ?? I'll have to charge at work because I used up way more power driving faster and I have smaller hills to and from work.

SVTEXPY said:
I should add how I will use this vehicle.

My commute is 13 miles each way to and from my house to work. So a total commute of 26 miles. Plus some after work errands. Now, most people would say why do you need a commuter car if you are only going 130 - 175 miles per week for work and errands. My current daily driver is a Ford Expedition with a built crate motor pushing 425hp and only runs on super unleaded fuel.

My work has 8 charging stations for EVs so my plan is to charge at work everyday and trickle charge at home on weekends. So maybe I could get by with a Leaf with a degraded, lower capacity battery.
 
SVTEXPY said:
Hello, I am interested in buying a Leaf as a commuter vehicle. I would like to stay around the $6,000 mark to spend. Looking on line, it appears I may be able to find a 2011 or 2012 for about that amount.

What are the things I should look for when buying? This is strictly a commuter car. Probably looking at the S model, don't need NAV but would like Bluetooth phone and audio, heated seats are nice, don't need a heated steering wheel, backup camera is nice but not needed.
There's no such thing as an S trim '11 or '12. That was new with model year '13. For the first few years of S trim (at least '13 and '14), the S trim's stereo only supported Bluetooth for phone calls but NOT A2DP music streaming. SV and SL stereos of all years at least '11 to '17 have always supported both.

I've posted about a disturbing trend re: '11 and '12s I've seen recently...
http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=28583&p=554947&hilit=disturbing+2012#p554947
http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=556865#p556865

Where are you located? 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.

How much of that driving is city vs. highway?
SVTEXPY said:
Are the batteries degradation based on cycles or time?

Can you replace just a single cell or do you have to replace the entire battery pack at one time? If so, how expensive is it to replace the entire battery?
On the former, it's more on time but high temperatures (hot climates) make it worse. And, some chemistries are worse than others w/the pre-4/2013 built Leafs being amongst the worst.

On the latter, unless there's a defective cell/module, all the modules age pretty evenly. Barring defective cell/module, replacing only a single or a few modules will do no little to no good.
 
Please, read the buying guide I linked above. You can skip the section on 30kwh Leafs, but read the rest of it. It will help you. My short answer is you want to look for a later build (after March) 2013 that is down two capacity bars. Low retail value, more features, better battery and heater.
 
This person seems like an ideal older leaf owner. Short commute plus can charge at work. I would get one where you could do the round trip on a charge. I may be in a position eventually where I have to charge at work to get home. (50 mile round trip and lots of elevation.

If you can get it cheap and use it for a daily commute car you will save enough money to buy another in a few years.
 
I would get one where you could do the round trip on a charge.

The understatement of the day. ;) The problems with a first generation Leaf (2011-2012, plus the first 3 build months of 2013 for the pack) are that not only will it be down several bars, it will continue to lose bars quickly unless driven in a chilly climate. Washington only meets that last qualification in some areas. Here's a handy little mnemonic: "If the Summers get hot, get a Canary pack NOT." Further, the first gen Leafs have a terrible, power sucking heater that runs even when it isn't needed or wanted, and just using defrost in cool weather will drain the battery.

Or, to put it more succinctly: Read the buying guide.
 
As suggested - Read the Buying Guide! :!: :!:

For an EV the battery is critical! Features are nice, but not worth a damn if the vehicle doesn't meet the primary goal of getting you around as you require. You don't want a 6 bar battery or a pre-13 model. Unfortunately the Leaf is kind of a 'disposable' car because replacing the battery is so damn expensive. :cry:

$6K is a tight budget. OTOH, that Expedition sounds like it goes through that much gas in a year. :shock:
I spent 2 months in this forum, and watching Craigslist to get the SL Leaf I wanted; 4 years old, 12 bars (92%), 13K miles, always garaged, for about 1/3 of the original price. :D

You will want to get an OBDII and Leafspy to validate any battery.
I'm just south of you near Sandpoint. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk.
 
flydiver said:
$6K is a tight budget. OTOH, that Expedition sounds like it goes through that much gas in a year. :shock:
I estimate 25 cents a mile. It reminded me of a cartoon I saw a few years ago of quarter coins dripping out of a tailpipe.

If OP's motivation to buy a LEAF is mostly (or only) money, even a monstrosity like his Ford can drive 24,000 miles on $6,0000.
Spending $8,000 to get a healthier battery and a couple extra years use from the car is a better value.

OP also has to consider whether he is dumping the Ford. Owning two cars rather than one has its own non-trivial expenses due to a annual fees/taxes and insurance. And by the way, WA annual fees are $150 more a year for an EV
 
Cwerdna here has a nice 2013 (later type battery) Leaf SV for sale. It has 11 bars, and IIRC it has the Premium Package. He will take $6500 for it. If I were the OP I'd jump on that deal, even with shipping added.
 
^^ Fair idea if the shipping is not too expensive.
I thought about towing but it seems too far.
 
Thanks for all the feedback.

As for the Expedition, they will bury me in that thing. I'm the original owner and will never part ways with it. I use it to tow my boat and it's my play toy that I've had to turn into my daily driver since my son is taking his car (Nissan Altima) to college this fall. I brought my 2 kids home in it from the hospital - one is now 19 and the other 17. Also, there is way too much money in the Expedition to get rid of it and have to buy something else to tow the boat. Lastly, no one is stupid enough to do what I've done to the Expedition to make it a high 12 second quarter mile truck. It really is a lot of fun to drive - just not put $100 in high octane gas every week.

So, I'll keep looking for a nice, gently used Leaf in the Seattle area. All I really need it to do is go to work (13 miles), charge it at work and drive home. Nothing fancy.

Thanks for all the info.
 
I would second the recommendation to buy cwerdna's. That said, I have a 7 bar SL 2011 for $4k available. You'd have to ship it, but its definitely in your price range and it goes 35mi in the summer (20 in the winter with heat blasting on full).

PM me if interested.
 
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