New member thinking about buying an older used LEAF

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

WILLIAMMUSE

New member
Joined
May 5, 2021
Messages
1
Thanks for allowing me to join. I am considering purchasing a used Leaf. Is there a year better than others to consider. I am hoping for a 2012 or 2013 year. Thanks for the help!


[mod: fixed the subject]
 
WILLIAMMUSE said:
Thanks for allowing me to join. I am considering purchasing a used Leaf. Is there a year better than others to consider. I am hoping for a 2012 or 2013 year. Thanks for the help!

I had a 2013 (September build date) that gave 8 years of faithful service, as others have or will say, try to find one built after March of 2013 when they changed battery technology. You can find the build date on the drivers side when you open the door. Look for the white build sticker and see what the manufacture date of the EV is so you know for certain. If you are technical enough, consider LeafSpy so you can directly interface with the EV and know exactly how the health of the battery is, check for any DTC codes, anything suspicious, etc.

The buying guide that LeftieBiker linked is a lot more in depth and recommended reading also. :)
 
try to find one built after April of 2013

While we have noted about two April builds that appeared to have the old "Canary" packs, the vast majority of April builds are fine. (I drove one for five years, and it never lost a bar.) If the car was built in April and still has 10 or 11 bars left, it's NOT a Canary pack car. March of 2013 and earlier are what are to be avoided, unless they've already had their packs replaced with better ones.
 
WILLIAMMUSE said:
Thanks for allowing me to join. I am considering purchasing a used Leaf. Is there a year better than others to consider. I am hoping for a 2012 or 2013 year. Thanks for the help!


[mod: fixed the subject]

You didn't say your location or your mileage needs, which might be helpful to know.

I recommend a 2018.

Coincidently, I'm going to be selling my 2018 this Fall.
 
WILLIAMMUSE said:
Thanks for allowing me to join. I am considering purchasing a used Leaf. Is there a year better than others to consider. I am hoping for a 2012 or 2013 year. Thanks for the help!

If you can afford a slightly newer 2015, I'd go with that as the 2015 MY has the best 24 kWh pack and the car would also be newer. Although overheating issues cause the worst pack degradation, the age of the pack is the second biggest degradation factor.
 
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.

What are your daily driving needs in terms of miles? How much city vs. highway? Will you have the ability to charge at your home/work/destinations?
 
So, ok, I am also one of those guys considering a Leaf as a 3rd car.I am in northeast Ohio and will use the car as an around town vehicle needing 60 or so daily miles (max). Not every day but my wife and I would like to reduce ICE miles and maybe learn a thing or two about electric vehicles (we did own a Prius a number of years ago).

With the current great deals on new Leafs (we would qualify for and benefit from the $7,500 fed tax credit) I think maybe a 2021 Leaf S with the charging package might be the way to go. Approx $250 down with $250/mo for 10k/yr for 3 years and a residual purchase price of a less than 15k. Running the numbers seems like I would do better leasing a new leaf and maybe buying it down the road rather than buying a used 2013-2015 with battery ?? for $7-$12k.

What am I missing?

Steve
 
The only thing you may be missing is the reduced range of the S in milder Winter weather - roughly above freezing. You might want to also price an un-optioned 2021 SV, as they are once again coming with the heat pump, heated steering wheel, and heated front seats standard. Still, the 40kwh S should be able to provide you with at least 80-90 miles of Winter range. If you see a leftover 2020 Leaf, though, make sure that it has the All Weather Package, as that includes the then-optional heat pump (SV) and heated seats and steering wheel (S).
 
SteveADV said:
With the current great deals on new Leafs (we would qualify for and benefit from the $7,500 fed tax credit) I think maybe a 2021 Leaf S with the charging package might be the way to go.
For 60 miles of daily range, really any Trim of a 2021 Leaf will work. It's the creature comforts that you probably want to tweak. Other's have already posted great advice on it, but one more thing though is charging options. Regardless of what model Leaf you buy, are you charging on a 120V outlet at home or do you plan on installing a L2 station at home?
 
If you have never owned/driven a Leaf, then you will probably be impressed by the way the car drives. If you have owned a previous year Leaf, though, I suggest a test drive. I didn't realize it when I leased my 2021, but somewhere around '20 Nissan changed the mapping of the electronic "throttle" and made both Eco and Normal modes milder-mannered. I now find Eco mode too sluggish, although people - women especially - who like a tame car will like it. Normal mode, which I used to find fun for driving fast, but too abrupt for normal driving, is now what I use in all situations except heavy traffic. The car still feels Sporty in that mode, although not as 'muscle car' like at low speeds.
 
Back
Top