coach81 said:
Thanks so much for the comments as I continue to research. I welcome any and all comments.
From what I gather so far.. the Leaf is a fun, reliable EV car if you have a home charging setup that will handle most normal driving needs. However, the long term outlook for the vehicle (battery) is not good.
Yes, only buy it if you have a home charger and a spot to charge it in. Don't buy it if you live in apartments, even if your current apartment has chargers, because you may be unable to move.
Not only super fun to drive, easier to drive. It doesn't shift and is quicker. That makes it easier to pass or merge because the car is so responsive and means that you aren't distracted by any transmission shifting. Finally, it's SUPER quiet which I just can't explain how wonderful that is until you drive an EV. Never having to stop to get gas is also amazing, especially in the winter--just plug in when you get home.
coach81 said:
So if I decide to purchase one, I will need to be prepared for negative issues after 5-7 years or so, and little to no resale value.
Agree??
The later generation batteries are better than the regrets you're getting from the early adopters (2011/2012). Major improvements were made in the second half of 2013 and again in 2015. Finally, if you purchased a new Leaf now, you'd have 2x the range, which means that a degraded battery will "only" go 60-70 miles, not 30-35. That's the same as a new 2015, and I'd be super happy with that!
Therefore, I would revise your statement as follows:
So if I decide to purchase one, I will need to be prepared for significant battery degradation after 10 years or so (less years if a super hot climate like AZ), and a car with a significantly reduced range and resale value, because the range will only be 60-70 miles when newer electric cars have a range of 300 miles. However, the car will have significant value because many people would love to have an inexpensive, reliable daily driver with a decent range.
Also, parts for Leafs are hyper expensive. I don't know if this is true of all foreign vehicles, but parts for my Town and Country were 5-10x less expensive. For instance:
1) The occupancy sensor failed and Nissan wants to replace the entire seat (they don't sell just the sensor). Cost? $3k.
2) Coolant pump failure is $1,071 at the dealer. Someone found the same pump for a different Nissan model (which is fully compatible) for $126.
See: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=24152
That said, the OVERALL cost for the Leaf maintenance is MUCH lower than an ICE because the # of parts and failure rates are so much lower. But IF you run into an issue, it's much more likely to cost big $$$ (or buy from Junkyard parts).