Looking for Leaf; lost out on 2 attempts

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Lupus

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2020
Messages
19
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Maybe you fine people can help: I'm looking to get a used LEAF. I had my eye on a $9k 2015 Leaf SV with quick charge but the dealership sold it to someone else because they had visited the night before. Then I tried Carvana with a $13k 2015 Leaf SL to avoid hassles trying to verify if the SVs had QC upgrade after the dealership I visited taking too long to confirm (QC absolutely required because I can't charge at home and I work from home). Got to the final stage: delivery set up for early next week, and my credit union decided to lowball the loan amount claiming the car wasn't worth what Carvana was charging. The carvana mishap was earlier today and I'm still rather set on a Leaf. I work from home for my main job and delivery food for a side job. No gas sounds like a dream come true.

Can anyone point me towards where I can get an affordable Leaf that won't die on me? I'm not expecting it to last forever (5 years at least though), but it needs to brave Chicago's infamous polar vortex as well as our summers. Temps at worst range -10F to 105F. I only need a max driving range of 50 miles in worst conditions. I have a modest budget of under $300/month and nothing down.

I got so close and was heartbroken to lose the car first to another person and then to an underwriter. I installed plugshare, read the entire 412pg manual, and did as much research as I could to select the 2015 year as the intersection of reliable and affordable. All I can seem to find now are Leafs that are too old to have a usable battery or too expensive.
 
Try looking for a 2016-2017 30kwh Leaf with a degraded battery. It will be worth less (until people catch on to the battery warranty), still have great range compared to a 24kwh Leaf, and when it loses 4 capacity bars (after getting a Nissan software patch) it should received a new, free 40kwh battery under warranty. Have you read my buying guide? I need to update the 30kwh Leaf section to reflect the above, but it's otherwise helpful.

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=26662&p=538030
 
L.long term level 3 charging may decrease the life of pack.Any level 2 close to you.On Cl in Chicago 2013 sl/ w qc, 12 bars one owner? grey/black 39k miles $8400 in Niles.Ziegler nissan Gurnee has a 2015 SV prem. grey/black 51,300 miles $10,555. The 2013 look for after 5/13 build date.Try a wtb on CL/FB market.
 
The 2013 look for after 5/13 build date.

Look for a 2013 leaf built after March of 2013, not after May. With one or two possible exceptions, the April builds are fine, and an April build with 11 or 12 bars is just as good as a later build.
 
I can't figure out how to find date of manufacture. Quick charging is necessary because I have only public chargers, of which there are plenty near me. I work from home and rent. Landlord is cool on the idea of electric cars but logistically putting in a box is not going to happen.

I think I can only do dealer, not private sales since I need financing.

Trying to find what will do the job but not leave me stranded. Not so much range anxiety as aging anxiety.
 
The date of manufacture (month, year) is on the manufacturer's sticker on the driver's side door opening.

Nissan is honoring the battery warranty. It's essentially a court-ordered warranty, and we see posts from people who get new batteries here.
 
LeftieBiker said:
The date of manufacture (month, year) is on the manufacturer's sticker on the driver's side door opening.

Nissan is honoring the battery warranty. It's essentially a court-ordered warranty, and we see posts from people who get new batteries here.

Thanks for the info! I'll have to ask dealerships to send me a picture of the sticker but that shouldn't be too much trouble. And I'm glad it is happening - I could not find any official Nissan link.
 
Is this the one you were looking at? You can tell by the "B" in the VIN that it's a 30 kWh. It does seem overpriced by $2-5k, but the market has gone up. (for whatever reason)

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/d/saint-charles-2016-nissan-leaf/7082187309.html
 
coleafrado said:
Is this the one you were looking at? You can tell by the "B" in the VIN that it's a 30 kWh. It does seem overpriced by $2-5k, but the market has gone up. (for whatever reason)

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/d/saint-charles-2016-nissan-leaf/7082187309.html


Overpriced?? NO. It has Premium package and is in nice shape. I'd say it's undervalued by a grand or two, barring issues.
 
LeftieBiker said:
coleafrado said:
Is this the one you were looking at? You can tell by the "B" in the VIN that it's a 30 kWh. It does seem overpriced by $2-5k, but the market has gone up. (for whatever reason)

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/d/saint-charles-2016-nissan-leaf/7082187309.html


Overpriced?? NO. It has Premium package and is in nice shape. I'd say it's undervalued by a grand or two, barring issues.

Looks like a 10- or 11-bar battery. I will admit I don't really consider the packages (other than QC) to matter much...
 
With the 30kwh pack, you only know the real capacity if it either loses no bars without the BMS update, or gains bars from it and then keeps them. At worst it's like a 2015 13 bar Leaf. ;)
 
coleafrado said:
Is this the one you were looking at? You can tell by the "B" in the VIN that it's a 30 kWh. It does seem overpriced by $2-5k, but the market has gone up. (for whatever reason)

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/d/saint-charles-2016-nissan-leaf/7082187309.html

Nope. I hadn't checked CL. That seems like a great price as long as the battery isn't somehow dead lol.

I'd be contacting that dealer ASAP if it wasn't in MO. I have no idea why they were posting in the Chicago CL. MO is 6+ hour drive away. :(
 
Lupus said:
coleafrado said:
Is this the one you were looking at? You can tell by the "B" in the VIN that it's a 30 kWh. It does seem overpriced by $2-5k, but the market has gone up. (for whatever reason)

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/d/saint-charles-2016-nissan-leaf/7082187309.html

Nope. I hadn't checked CL. That seems like a great price as long as the battery isn't somehow dead lol.

I'd be contacting that dealer ASAP if it wasn't in MO. I have no idea why they were posting in the Chicago CL. MO is 6+ hour drive away. :(

Oh, you mentioned Chicago winters so I assumed that's where you were. Keep in mind a 6 hour drive in an ICE car is more like a 10-13 hour drive in a 30kWh Leaf (if you're lucky with charge stations).
 
I generally recommend against buying an EV if you cannot charge at home. If you are set on an EV, check rates and availability of public charging stations nearby and along your normal delivery routes. Costs for charging at public stations are often as expensive or even more expensive than buying gasoline for a similar sized car. I recommend a LEAF with the heat pump HVAC system and at least 30 kWh battery (30 kWh and larger batteries have 8-year, 100,000-mile capacity warranty).
 
Thanks everyone for your help! I found one on CL and just did a test drive. I'm hoping to negotiate the price down but otherwise it is great. 2015 w/QC and 12/12 bars.
Hopefully I'll be able to soon join you all as a fellow Leaf owner.

There are many public charge places near me and several are free. Plenty of backups in case those are occupied.
 
Keep in mind that without LeafSpy, you should assume that a 12 bar Leaf is close to dropping to 11 bars. I hope it isn't an S, as you will need the heat pump. An SV with 11 bars won't do 50 miles in frigid weather, but should go that far in milder Winter weather. I drove a 2013 SV before this, and with 88% capacity left, the frigid weather range was about 35 miles at most, with heat.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Keep in mind that without LeafSpy, you should assume that a 12 bar Leaf is close to dropping to 11 bars. I hope it isn't an S, as you will need the heat pump. An SV with 11 bars won't do 50 miles in frigid weather, but should go that far in milder Winter weather. I drove a 2013 SV before this, and with 88% capacity left, the frigid weather range was about 35 miles at most, with heat.

I'm pretty sure it is an S, as it has an older style dash and no fancy nav. Should I back out completely despite putting down a $100 deposit? I deposited to hold the car for a week. I'm hoping to negotiate the price down to $10k but now I'm concerned it isn't worth it. I thought that newer than 2013 Leafs are all fine... I must have misread/misunderstood that part on the Used Leaf Guide you so helpfully posted.

The range might be a problem, but probably not. I almost never needed heat in my old ICE car - I love the cold (I wear shorts until it is below about 20F). The furthest I travel is 25 miles and I already confirmed I can trickle charge at that destination in the winter if needed.
 
The range issue with the S is because of the resistance-only heater. If you can happily drive with just the seat and wheel heaters, then it could work. (BRRR!) You want to verify that the car was built AFTER March of 2013, though, as earlier builds use the old, bad chemistry in the battery.
 
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