Gen 1 or 2 ?

Hi

I'm guessing this question has been asked before.
I'm thinking of buying the Leaf,I've seen some Gen 1s going for around 10000 late 2017
The Gen 2s seem to start around 12500. I've no experience of the Leaf, so can't decide which Gen to go for. Though I'm leaning towards the Gen 2.
Appreciate any replies.
Thanks
Ian

Welcome. In order to answer your question, we need to know what your needs and preferences are. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that most of the batteries used in the 2017 Leaf are problematic in that they are prone to degradation of capacity. I'm going to attach my used Leaf buying guide. It focuses on the Gen I Leaf, but if you read through the posts following it, there is a short guide for the Gen II as well.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=538030

killie77 said:

Hi

I'm guessing this question has been asked before.
I'm thinking of buying the Leaf,I've seen some Gen 1s going for around 10000 late 2017
The Gen 2s seem to start around 12500. I've no experience of the Leaf, so can't decide which Gen to go for. Though I'm leaning towards the Gen 2.
Appreciate any replies.
Thanks
Ian

Click to expand...

I'm a new owner of a Gen1, but I bought it BECAUSE it had a degraded battery. I want a new 40kWh or a buyout from Nissan due to some very advantageous things I can do with local EV incentives. If you don't want to monkey around with any of that, and just want an EV that works, go with the Gen 2. The 30kWh battery packs suck. Mine has degraded significantly even in the short time I've owned it. I don't mind, but I'd be P.O.ed if I hadn't known what I was getting myself into ahead of time.

That said, I like the Gen 1 styling better. The bug-eyed headlights are fun. I love the hatchback style and LED strips. Also, the low price made me jump at a chance to get one. Be sure to look at what options the Gen 1's have. Some--like mine--really are just glorified golf carts. I only have a 3.6 kW onboard charger, so it charges at half speed at level-2 chargers and can't quick charge. That's fine for me, because I exclusively charge at home on a level-1, but it would be no bueno for someone who wants to recharge during a 2-hour stop or who uses a time-based public charger (rather than an energy-based one.)

SpaceCadet said:

The 30kWh battery packs suck. Mine has degraded significantly even in the short time I've owned it. I don't mind, but I'd be P.O.ed if I hadn't known what I was getting myself into ahead of time.

Click to expand...

What would you call "degraded significantly"?

I bought a 2017 in Sept of 2020 (so more than 2.5 years now), and I've gone from 88 SOH to 84 in that time. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me, driving it at least a few times a week. I finally dropped my 12th bar about 6 months ago.

One of the remarkable things about the 30kwh batteries is that not all of them are bad. They run the gamut from being more prone to degradation than the 2011-(March) 2013 batteries, to being about as good as the 2015 "Lizard" battery...

Driver8 said:

SpaceCadet said:

The 30kWh battery packs suck. Mine has degraded significantly even in the short time I've owned it. I don't mind, but I'd be P.O.ed if I hadn't known what I was getting myself into ahead of time.

Click to expand...

What would you call "degraded significantly"?

I bought a 2017 in Sept of 2020 (so more than 2.5 years now), and I've gone from 88 SOH to 84 in that time. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me, driving it at least a few times a week. I finally dropped my 12th bar about 6 months ago.

Click to expand...

I just got my Leaf, so I might not know what I'm talking about. I bought it at 8 bars and it is now at 7. As I mentioned, I bought it because of some great incentives and the battery warranty, for which I got que'ed the next working day after purchasing it.

Mine had 55K miles on it and was at 58.6 SOH when I bought it.

Now it's got 56.5% SOH after just 500 miles of driving. 2% lost after 500 miles compared to 0.07% per 500 miles previously driven. It looks like the pack is seriously dying. I, of course, am not helping it by starting at 97% Charge (200-ish GIDS) and burning it down to 15-20% (40-ish GIDs), 5 days a week.

But that's my commute. I already draft and drive slow (<65mph) to keep a reserve. I also don't leave it sitting fully charged over the weekend. At the same time, I am not worried about whipping the crap out of the battery, since I anticipate either a buyback or a new 40 kWh in the next 6 months (hopefully). If it drops enough that it can't make my 50 mile round-trip, I have a backup ICE or I'll switch with my spouse, who drives a PHEV. She only needs 20 miles (of surface streets) max between charges. She wants to drive the smaller Leaf, and I like her PHEV, but I like saving money more, and the Leaf is more efficient, so it should do the longer commute--as long as it can.