Buying a used 2013 SV

I am wondering if I would be a good 'candidate' for owning an electric vehicle like a Nissan Leaf.

I'm a cyclist, and have been bike commuting to work for the past 4ish years. We have recently moved to a town that is not bike friendly (for now). Too many potholes, too many vehicles on the road, and not enough route options to get to work with a safe route.

My workplace is usually 5 1/2 miles each way, so 11 or so miles a day. Every once in a while can be a 11 1/2 mile each way trip, so 23 miles round trip.

I have found a used 2013 SV with 15000 or so miles, for a decent price.

We have a gas guzzling Mazda CX-9 as a second car, as we have two children. Both in car seats.

I'm excited about not having to fill up so frequently like I have been lately with our CX-9. It's just not efficient enough. However, I really do need a vehicle for when I don't bike commute. I don't like leaving my wife at home with the kids when I take our one vehicle to work.

So, as this would be a second car for us, mainly mine for safely getting to work and running errands around town, do you all think this is a good idea or will I be disappointed?

Also, I live in Springfield IL (central IL). Would this be considered a 'good climate' area to own an EV?

Since your daily commute is only 11-12 miles, Leaf should be perfect for you.

As you would find in other posts/forums, DO get the LeafSpy app and OBD-II device to know the condition of the battery. You want to make sure it has enough capacity left. First see the number of small bars on the right on dashboard, how many do you see? Then get better measurements from leaSpy app.

What's the average day temperature in summers in your area?

Yes I think a Leaf would be perfect for you. If you wanted to maybe save some money a '12 missing a bar or 2(of battery health) should be several thousand dollars cheaper but note with a '12 or older you'll lose the vary handy dash SOC(state of charge %) display and also lose the ability to turn OFF the heat and finally you'll have the far less efficient resistive heater compared to the '13SV's efficient heat pump heater. In second thought if you can swing the '13 I'd really go that route, the '12 also has a very light interior(very kid unfriendly as apposed to the dark interior of the '13. Considering all the negatives of the '12 personally I'd have to save close to $4k to make it worth it to me, of course it's your call, either should give you enough range for your modest needs.

Excellent feedback! I appreciate it.

So, the temp in central IL does not go above 100F too often. June avg high is 83, July 86, August 85, Sep 79. In winter you don't see negatives too often, but it's possible. Definitely doesn't last too long. Only a day or two.

I went ahead and ordered an OBD II scanner as suggested (the one suggested from leafspy) so I can give it a shot this weekend.

So does the car need to be fully charged to check capacity/battery degradation?

And yeah, there are 2012's available, but decided to give the '13 a shot for the reasons stated. Hopefully they will budge a bit on the price to get what I am wanting.

Good luck with your choice. Yes, with those shorter distances and a second gas vehicle any Leaf (including a fairly degraded 2011) will work just fine for many years to come. Even the 2011/12 energy-sucking heater should be fine for 30 mi range for several more years. With low mileage use, you won't get the huge financial benefits that a higher mileage driver will see. However, buying used means you've let someone else take depreciation. Do some research around here (especially the auction threads by OrientExpress) to get a better idea on fair pricing.

If you can afford a '13 with 12 bars, then it should serve you well for many years to come, with that commute. If you want longer battery life, I suggest not buying one built before April of 2013. If an early build is all you can find, use that as a negotiating factor, as the Jan-March '13 leafs seem to lose capacity as fast as the '11 and '12 Leafs.

LeftieBiker said:

If you can afford a '13 with 12 bars, then it should serve you well for many years to come, with that commute. If you want longer battery life, I suggest not buying one built before April of 2013. If an early build is all you can find, use that as a negotiating factor, as the Jan-March '13 leafs seem to lose capacity as fast as the '11 and '12 Leafs.

Click to expand...

The carfax says it was manufactured and shipped on 4/22/13. Would that be considered an "early build"? Seems like it's pretty close to what you're saying.

Also, when I check the vehicle out with an OBD II scanner, does the Leaf need to be fully charged? Or will I be able to tell battery degradation from a non-fully charged battery?

Main reason why I ask if you need to have it at full charge, is that I will need to make sure the dealership has the vehicle at full charge when I look at it... correct? Or it could possibly take 4 hours to charge to check the "GID"s? Just trying to make sense of it all and be fully prepared to look at it this Saturday.

No, the leaf need not be fully charged to get an idea about the capacity loss.

kevmk81 said:

LeftieBiker said:

If you can afford a '13 with 12 bars, then it should serve you well for many years to come, with that commute. If you want longer battery life, I suggest not buying one built before April of 2013. If an early build is all you can find, use that as a negotiating factor, as the Jan-March '13 leafs seem to lose capacity as fast as the '11 and '12 Leafs.

Click to expand...

The carfax says it was manufactured and shipped on 4/22/13. Would that be considered an "early build"? Seems like it's pretty close to what you're saying.

Also, when I check the vehicle out with an OBD II scanner, does the Leaf need to be fully charged? Or will I be able to tell battery degradation from a non-fully charged battery?

Click to expand...

You don't have to fully charge the car to get the State of Health, only the GID count, which isn't as important.

April 2013 builds seems to be fine. I have one, and several others here as well. There is a sharp drop in degradation (in bars) between March and April of 2013, for some reason.