Things You REALLY Need to Know When Shopping for a Used Leaf

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I've found lots of vin checking websites, but I don't know which one to choose. And there're tons of online auctions. I'm a bit lost. Any recommendations on these?
 
Hello, we are looking at getting a 2013 Leaf S with 60,000 miles. It was manufactured 09/13. It currently has 11 bars of battery and at full charge has a range of 82 miles. The video test drive seems to match those estimated miles with a slight dip once the heater was turned on but only a few miles off. It is a remote purchase so I wanted to get some feedback if this seems accurate? Even if the bars at one point had been reset wouldn't the miles show a lower range still?

Thank you for the feedback
 
If the range test shows an actual range that approximately matches what's on the Guess O Meter, then the old "Wolf Pack" battery should be in good shape still. Those batteries are just about as good as the "Lizard Pack" series that replaced them, when kept away from Hot air temps.
 
KenpoLeaf said:
Hello, we are looking at getting a 2013 Leaf S ... It was manufactured 09/13. It currently has 11 bars of battery

Ignore the miles -- that is influenced by recent driving which could be uphill, downhill, with a wind, slow, fast .... ....
11 bars is somewhere between 16% -- 23% less than new capacity

I sold my LEAF from almost the exact same vintage for $9k during COVID, but could not get $7k before COVID. It had 11 bars, and by LEAFSpy had lost 18% of new capacity. Our capacity for good for about 60 miles of city driving in temperate weather, and perhaps 40 miles in the cold winter.
 
I totally agree with Sage, I never saw 80 miles on my '13 when new, his numbers are spot on for an 11 bar '13.
 
Thank you both for the quick replies! That is good to hear the bar estimate sounds correct. This will be shipping to me since there are none available close by. I am going to purchase Leaf Spy and check it out once it arrives. For 6700 I thought it was a good deal. Only wish it had the larger touch screen and capabilities. It does have the rear heated seats/front heated seats/steering wheel so that is good. I figured I will just upgrade the screen to add Apple Car play and have a bigger back up screen.
 
Thank you Leftiebiker for an excellent guide to everything one needs to know before buying a used leaf. I wish I had seen this forum and shared this with my son before he bought a used Chevy Bolt. It had enough information relative to batteries to have prevented him from getting burned even buying a hybrid.

I see however that you last updated this article in 2018. Due to living in an area with plenty of snow, cold temps, and hills (my home is at 1100 FT elevation and up), I'm looking at 2019 and newer used Leafs. There are so many variations on both batteries and technology that I believe this article deserves a new update which will give similar information on the batteries at minimum. I haven't searched for any offerings on the newer driver assist safety technology. That's my next step and I hope you, or someone as well versed, has or will address that topic. Thank you for helping us all make the right choices and avoid bad experiences.
 
If you look at the bottom of page 8 of this topic, you'll find a mini-guide to the Gen II. I'll also copy & paste it here now:

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I really need to write up a guide for the Gen 2, but in short:

* There were a significant number of bad or weak cells in the 2018 Leafs. Use LeafSpy Pro to check the battery of any prospective Leaf. Bad or weak cells will show much lower voltages than the rest of the pack on the voltage histogram chart. LS also gives the maximum difference in voltage between cells. If that voltage is over 50mv, be concerned. Smaller differences are normal.

* The 2018 Leaf has more issues with Pro Pilot than do later model years. The front radar units can ice up or fail from exposure to a lot of moisture. Nissan only replaces them when they throw error codes.

* Starting in, I believe, 2021, the accelerator pedal mapping was changed. Eco mode is now very underpowered, and Normal/D mode is also wimpier. I've gone from driving in Eco 90% of the time to driving in D mode most of the time.

* Starting in 2019 or 2020, the pedestrian warning sound (VSP) was made louder. It bothers some people, sounding a bit like the sonar sounds you hear in submarine movies. It is no longer adjustable/muteable, IIRC.
 
Did you ever put together a Gen 2 40kw guide??

We just purchased a 2018 Gen 2 65km car, when climbing a local fairly step grade the percentage drops off and we get the "power is limited" message on the screen. Watching the vehicle with leafspy while this is occurring the module separation reaches 594mv and the pack voltage drops to 282.29v with the lowest cell reporting 2.44v

I am not in the US 99% of our leaf's are used Japanese imports and because they are all grey imports they have no manufacturer support at all so no factory battery warranty

Have you seen simular occurances in the US

Thanks
David
 
The post before yours has a short one quoted. Here it is again:

If you look at the bottom of page 8 of this topic, you'll find a mini-guide to the Gen II. I'll also copy & paste it here now:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I really need to write up a guide for the Gen 2, but in short:

* There were a significant number of bad or weak cells in the 2018 Leafs. Use LeafSpy Pro to check the battery of any prospective Leaf. Bad or weak cells will show much lower voltages than the rest of the pack on the voltage histogram chart. LS also gives the maximum difference in voltage between cells. If that voltage is over 50mv, be concerned. Smaller differences are normal.

* The 2018 Leaf has more issues with Pro Pilot than do later model years. The front radar units can ice up or fail from exposure to a lot of moisture. Nissan only replaces them when they throw error codes.

* Starting in, I believe, 2021, the accelerator pedal mapping was changed. Eco mode is now very underpowered, and Normal/D mode is also wimpier. I've gone from driving in Eco 90% of the time to driving in D mode most of the time.

* Starting in 2019 or 2020, the pedestrian warning sound (VSP) was made louder. It bothers some people, sounding a bit like the sonar sounds you hear in submarine movies. It is no longer adjustable/muteable, IIRC.
 
When you say "There were a significant number of bad or weak cells in the 2018 Leafs" this week I looked at 3 different 2018 and all had a cell drop during a hill climb, so far that's 100% of this model with failed cell, are they really that bad??
 
It's hard to quantify these things. My 2018 was fine. Remember that cars are often sold because they have defects that are too expensive or troublesome to fix. Thus a 2018 for sale is more likely to have battery issues than one with a happy owner and no For Sale sign.
 
LeftieBiker said:
It's hard to quantify these things. My 2018 was fine. Remember that cars are often sold because they have defects that are too expensive or troublesome to fix. Thus a 2018 for sale is more likely to have battery issues than one with a happy owner and no For Sale sign.
Most likely it's just the end of the lease: in the Netherlands most of the EV are leased for 4 or 5 years, meaning these 2018 ones are being sold now. Almost no one buys one new as a private person, so almost all Leafs from 2018 are ex lease cars.

That's the only reason they are sold: the owner is the leasing company, not the previous driver.
 
True enough. I can see an additional influencing factor, though: cars that go unsold after the lease ends and they are turned in for more than a short period are more likely to be the ones with defects.
 
I’m thinking of getting an older used leaf in Houston as a second car and only driving it six months November through April, then storing it in the summer. As long as I don’t drive it when the temp is over 85 or so I should be okay - right?
 
I have a 6 year old (2018) and drive it in the south of Houston (coastal) area regardless of summer ambients.
Admittedly I'm not on the interstate heating the battery up to extreme end of the temp bar.

I think it's those sustained 70+mph runs that take the battery into the red zone?
 
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