After way too much obsessing (for a month, jeez!) on balancing desire for all the cool Leaf tech things I wanted with the wife’s desire for a very local, much more affordable Leaf to be used as car no 2 ( very limited range needed for it), we still had to drive an hour and a half south from MA into Connecticut to see a couple viable prospects.
One was a pretty Robin’s egg blue 2012 SV/L model with a really clean, light gray interior. 30K miles. Only $7800 but — only seven total SOH bars out of 12 on the battery and showing a range, at 55° outside temperature and 9 fuel capacity bars, of just 37 miles.
Not wanting to go down the rabbit hole to get a refurbished battery put into it, (and knowing I couldn’t even drive it home without two charging stops!) we went and looked at another dealer’s Leaf nearby.
That was also a very nice looking car: white, 2016 S, one owner, bought off a lease by the same owner; the interior was very very clean, 40,000 miles but it looked like 15000.
It had 12 SOH bars, but a range of around 70 to 75 miles. Also 24kwh batt. This was also at 57° outside temp.
We drove it and it was solid, like flying a P 51 Mustang fighter plane (and yes, I have) - not a rattle, not a squeak or squiggle. Very tight steering. Perfect for my wife and she loved driving it. End of story. We decided on that one.
And given this inflated market, we’re still paying $12,000 for it. Cash! Kwazy. But that’s the market. I’d studied the options for weeks. Searched with a500 Mike radius. Not much there there. Shocking that this like a good deal, and we really liked the dealer, Shaker Hyundai in Waterbury, CT.
I’d been pushing for a 2018-19 SV but with taxes etc out the door it was looking like $22K+. That’s nuts! Unhappy wife scenario. Unhappy wallet for that matter, I had almost talked her into a lease on a 2022 instead. Would have cost $13,000 over 3 years, and no car at the end. But she said as a second car that was a bit of overkill and I had to agree. We don’t have a need for the fed $7500 tax rebate either so a purchase and big mo. payments was out too.
But I have set myself up for a winning argument before the judge and jury when it’s time for closing arguments about a new EV around Fall of 2023.
“In conclusion your honor and lady and gentlewoman of the jury, you must deliver a verdict of new car with all the bells and whistles in 2024. The prosecution rests.“
It’s all about the long game.
And as they say, and they know what they’re talking about in this case, “Happy wife, happy life.“
She’ll be driving it 90% of the time once I get over my fantasy thrill trips.
ie, “Hey honey let’s have Mexican tonight, I’ll call it in, I’ll go get it in the Leaf, no problem honey, happy to help, you just take a break on the cooking tonight, you look kinda tired and I’ll do the dishes, oh and after dinner I’ll take the Leaf and go get dish soap because we’re out, no problem dear of dears, love of loves, heart of hearts, dove of doves!!”
And in a year or two I’ll be looking at whatever longer range EV is available for our replacement of our last-ever ICE car which is a 2010 Prius. We’ve had it since it was new, it’s been a great car, but I’ve been putting money into it the last three years or so and don’t wanna put no more into it.
And rather than wait for a hoped-for drop in used Leaf prices maybe over Christmas or early next year, we’ve got a Leaf now and can adapt to the realities and vagaries of driving a CHadeMo chariot. We need so very little range here in our country town most days, we can charge it at the house and it’s no big deal.
I will probably install a lvl 2 home charging port here in the next year with the capacity for adapting to whatever port I may need when I buy the new EV.
My neighbor across the street with a new Prius haunts the local food co-op because there’s a free lvl 2 charger there. He’ll probably share costs of my charger install and use.
Thank you all for your advice along the way. Before I couldn’t speak Leaf owner. Now I are one.