which year is the best deal

[estomax]

get the leafspy app on your phone and buy a bluetooth obd2 dongle. be sure the battery has 90% or more health left, otherwise negotiate the price down. don't buy without knowing the actual battery health would be my biggest point to drive home.

i bought a 2013 SL less than a month ago, with 27k and 93% SOH. a good condition battery will improve resale value if you do decide to sell later.

 

[powersurge]

OK, I will be the long straw in the bunch.

All of this year comparison and trim comparison in this car may be nice, but it seems that everyone is price conscious period.

Price would be a factor if you were talking about basically the same product. The Leaf comes in several flavors, and everyone seems to be agreeing that the "flavor" automatically has difference "value". I say that the "flavor" is irrelevant, just like when you buy a used car, you may not get the color you wanted.

My feeling that buying a used Leaf is just like any used car, you want the newest, lowest mileage, and best battery car you can. The Leaf is unusual in that you can get a junk Leaf for $5000, and a great Leaf for about $10,000 - a $5,000 spread. Buying a used leaf is like buying a loaf of Italian bread. You want the freshest one you can find. You should spend what you can afford to get the best one you can, because for only a small amount more you are saving yourself future headaches, and preventing surprise expenses.

My top pick for a used Leaf is what a gentleman on this site recently bought (which happens to be the same car I have). He got a 2015 "S" with QC package with 12K miles and perfect battery for only $10,000... Everything you need in an electric car, with no $$$ filler options.

 

[LeftieBiker]

One person's "filler options" are another person's "comfort and convenience features." Not everyone has the same needs, so your parameters don't apply equally to everyone. Someone with range needs of 20 miles but who plays music constantly and needs to pre-condition the cabin wouldn't want an S.

 

[alozzy]

I don't know how others feel, but I bought a higher mileage (46K) 2013 SV + QC for about the same price as I would have paid for a 2013 S + QC with lower mileage (20K). I felt getting the SV was a good tradeoff for an S with lower mileage.

I personally think the mileage on an EV is largely irrelevant, it's all about the condition of the battery. Being a Washington State car, the battery in mine is excellent, with SOH @ 96%, AHr of 62.91, and Hx of 96.72% using LeafSpy Pro. These stats have been steady since purchased, so I'm confident nothing was reset. I was very happy to get a battery pack in that condition on a now 4 year old EV.

Based on others feedback, Leafs from the NW and Canada seem to have much healthier battery packs thanks to our milder climate. One of the few benefits of living in a temperate rain forest with tons of rain

 

[trexmdr]

bought a 2013 SL less than a month ago, with 27k and 93% SOH. a good condition battery will improve resale value if you do decide to sell later.

May I ask how much I would expect to pay for a similar car?
Thanks

 

[alozzy]

I paid $7995 US ($10560 CA) in Seattle for the car. In Canada, that same car would have cost me at least $17K CA. Even with the costs associated with importing the car into Canada, I easily saved $6K CA. I'm very happy with my decision as I really like the feature set of my SV + QC + LED headlights - I've never had a loaded car before.

I would have had to pay another $1500 US for an SL and I just couldn't get very excited about any of the SL features (leather interior, 17" wheels, solar panel, cargo cover, HomeLink, etc). To each his/her own though...

 

[TonyWilliams]

I just bought a 2012 (my third LEAF) SL for $6500, with a brand new battery. I mean brand new as in it was installed last Friday. It's like buying a new battery and getting a free car.

This will be a company car.

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
Wow. That sounds pretty good. Doesn't bode well for the value of Leafs down a few bars that have expired capacity warranties.

If I could get my parents into EVs, the above wouldn't be a bad car at all.