Stuck ! 2012 SL vs 2013 SV

[blimpy]

I have been studying used Leafs and this website for quite a while. following battery issues, ac/heat, tires, leaf spy, yada yada.

Now that there are a LOT of nice used choices in the $9500-10,500 range I sill find my self STUCK.

I think I need...Light Color Paint and Seats ( heat/ cooling, battery life)
QC.. Especially if I chose a car with the 3.3 kw charger... although I hope to use it very seldom

My struggle is to Juggle 13 heat pump and 6.6 kw charger against the SL features and Japanese build quality of a 12.

We live up in the hills.. 12 miles of windy hills and valleys ... and elevation gain ( 1000 feet) between us and anyplace.
With pot holes galore ( Sonoma County).

Plenty of charge options with-in normal operating range... and unless we got to 9 bars or less.. should be able to charge at home only,
for what we normally do... but this is the West.. and the sticks.. so also easy to want to extent to 100 mi round trips with mixed driving.. that would require some charging. At which point the 3.3 becomes a serious drag.


So.. What is the Advice of Experienced Owners... who do both rural, grocery getting, and freeway runs of 20 miles... all mixed up in
an ordinary day... don't forget the hills !

Lastly... are there any decent LRR tires that can stand up to our twisties, and pot holes ?

Our temps run 48 to 80 over the course of the year... few days run into the 90's.. and I think we might opt to park it in the shade on those days.. but life is what it is.

What can a poor boy do ? Is the SL stuff just fluff ? And a extra year of bumper to bumper warranty and a year up on the 5/60 batt warranty worth the tennesee joy ?

 

[LeafMuranoDriver]

Are you set on a 12 or 13 for a particular reason? Price?

Have you thought about a new 2015? The deals are getting ridiculously good and not much more than a used version with the prices you mention.

 

[blimpy]

I said it in other posts, but not this one. We are not rich. We do not pay much in taxes. We are old. The tax credit is free money for rich people who do not need it, and wrong headed compared to getting poor people with old clunkers shed of them.

So, for us a $33K to $37K new leaf.. is exactly that.

We keep cars 15-20 years. Leafs will someday be understood as million mile cars. They are an insanely good deal as a used car.. because we are living off the crumbs from the rich folks table.

Why else would I be looking at used ones.... and why would I have been looking at them for years ?

Sorry to be snarky.. but I also send emails to guys selling used Teslas ( dropping 25K in 6 months) that go like this:

'We live in a gated community... and we are very concerned about coming in contact with undesirables... does the Tesla come with some kind of portable high voltage alarm fencing ?" :mrgreen: :roll:

 

[Phatcat73]

Build quality is generally excellent. Any issues that may have popped up should have already been fixed and most were software updates in our case.

I'd easily go w a 2013 for the % remaining meter, longer warranty, more trunk space, faster charger, increas d driving range and other '13 perks (lighted and locking charge port).

 

[LeafMuranoDriver]

I said it in other posts, but not this one. We are not rich. We do not pay much in taxes. We are old. The tax credit is free money for rich people who do not need it, and wrong headed compared to getting poor people with old clunkers shed of them.

So, for us a $33K to $37K new leaf.. is exactly that.

You could lease and get the $7500 credit rolled into the price of the car. You can still purchase the car at the end of the lease and at the end it would be just like you bought it.

Have you seen the thread "2015 Leaf for $11,000"?

But... I understand your points. Good luck on the hunt for a good used Leaf.

 

[tkdbrusco]

Assuming that you can't get a new one, I'd go for a 2013 SV... Do you have a family member that could buy a new 2015 for you, take the tax credit and then sign the car over to you a year later as a gift? Or just go talk to your tax guy. You could do some strategic tax planning to make it work. Let's say you sell some investments to take a capital gains hit on purpose of $7500, only to get that back via the purchase of a new Leaf? You may be able to simultaneously free up some assets and get the tax credit. If you planned this carefully by the end of the year, you could work it out pretty well, file your taxes in February, and get the money back ASAP.

In my approach I would do one of two things (1) Buy a 2013 because 11/12 cars have the first gen batteries and they degrade really quickly! (2) Intentionally buy an 11/12 car that has a battery about to be qualify for a replacement, which could be tough to do and a bit of a risk, but could be a good deal.

 

[speedski97]

The 13 is a good car. If all things are the same a added year of warrantee is worth a lot. The 13 has a small recall for a/c I know of make sure it is done. The faster charger and heat pump is a good upgrade.

 

[blimpy]

thanks.. rofl about the investments and strategic tax planning.. talk about unclear on the concept !

We are glad the rebates are lowering the price of almost new used cars to insanely low prices. This works for us..and we are greatful.

The buy back prices are higher than the cars actually sell for. And you shovel in a LOT of money during the lease.
Again.. if you can write it of.. all gravy.

Thank for the thumbs up on the '13. Who decided that BLACK INTERIORS WERE A GOOD IDEA IN A CAR THAT DEGRADES IN THE HEAT !
TRYING TO FIND A CAR WITH LIGHT INTERIOR.. NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.. PEARL AND LIGHT.. HAVENT SEEN ONE NEWER THAN 2012.

 

[dgpcolorado]

From what you've listed as your usage pattern it would be 2013 SV/SL (or S with charge package) all the way. The 6.0 kW charger is very helpful when Level 2 charging away from home; I wish I had it! The only way I would go with a 2012 is if you could find one with 9 or fewer capacity bars and mileage well below the 60k limit for a new battery. A new battery for free would be worth living with the slow on-board-charger and lack of a %SOC meter on the dash. Otherwise, budget $6k for a new battery when the range drops to where it is too inconvenient to make your usual trips in a few years.

As for tires, replacement Ecopias are ok on curvy roads if you keep the pressure at 40-42 psi. Ride at that pressure is a bit hard but it helps handling and tire wear. Should also help with potholes; I don't have that many of those here but the ones I've hit haven't caused damage. But I drive steep hills and hairpin turns everyday.

I also don't "get" the attractions of the black interior. But it really isn't going to make that much difference in battery temp since the battery is outside the passenger compartment. Its more of a comfort thing on a hot day.

 

[tkdbrusco]

I wouldn't worry about the the dark interior too much. I think its more the dark paint that impacts the heat. Especially if you don't park it outside every day. Furthermore the 13+ batteries seem to be more resilient anyways. As far as the lease return prices, yes they look higher, but its also pretty safe to assume that Nissan is constantly reducing those. Over the past few years, as lease returns have been coming back in, Nissan has been offering anywhere from $5000-$7500 back on lease returns, simply to avoid people returning them. If I had known this, I would have likely leased mine over buying it.