not many used Leafs for sale locally (Tucson, AZ)

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evme

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
19
Location
Tucson, AZ
I live in Tucson, AZ. I don't see any used Leafs available locally on Craigslist or Autotrader, and only a few in Phoenix. What's my best option to purchase a used 04/13+ Leaf from a cooler climate? I see Carmax has a transfer option available on most listings, but cars from the NW have a $500+ transfer fee that is non-refundable. Anyone with experience with this please chime in. I am ready to buy a Leaf if I can get one for a decent price without having to travel (I prefer not even to go up to Phoenix if possible)
 
evme said:
I live in Tucson, AZ. I don't see any used Leafs available locally on Craigslist or Autotrader, and only a few in Phoenix. What's my best option to purchase a used 04/13+ Leaf from a cooler climate? I see Carmax has a transfer option available on most listings, but cars from the NW have a $500+ transfer fee that is non-refundable. Anyone with experience with this please chime in. I am ready to buy a Leaf if I can get one for a decent price without having to travel (I prefer not even to go up to Phoenix if possible)


There are no longer any used leafs for sale in my area either. This might be why:

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/24/used-nissan-leaf-appreciating-can-thank-overseas-cities-banning-gas-cars/
 
Amped said:
evme said:
I live in Tucson, AZ. I don't see any used Leafs available locally on Craigslist or Autotrader, and only a few in Phoenix. What's my best option to purchase a used 04/13+ Leaf from a cooler climate? I see Carmax has a transfer option available on most listings, but cars from the NW have a $500+ transfer fee that is non-refundable. Anyone with experience with this please chime in. I am ready to buy a Leaf if I can get one for a decent price without having to travel (I prefer not even to go up to Phoenix if possible)


There are no longer any used leafs for sale in my area either. This might be why:

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/24/used-nissan-leaf-appreciating-can-thank-overseas-cities-banning-gas-cars/
This is the power of the internet.

One lousy blog from Detroit takes on a life of its own.
 
Whether nationwide increased pricing is true or not, everything available within 100 miles of me seems to have increased about $2,000 in asking price.

I felt like I was catching a falling knife when purchasing back in January, but couldn't see how a relatively new car with non-degraded battery could be at giveaway pricing. If the post is true, it looks like Mr. Market has caught up for a while.
 
silverone said:
Whether nationwide increased pricing is true or not, everything available within 100 miles of me seems to have increased about $2,000 in asking price.

I felt like I was catching a falling knife when purchasing back in January, but couldn't see how a relatively new car with non-degraded battery could be at giveaway pricing. If the post is true, it looks like Mr. Market has caught up for a while.

Sounds like you bought at just the right time!
 
I live in Tucson, and I just ordered my LEAF from Carvana.com. So far, it has been a very pleasant experience, and the customer service has been outstanding. The car will be delivered in a couple of weeks (due to my schedule, not theirs). Delivery is free, and there is a 7-day money back guarantee for any reason. I got a LeafSpy and the little dongle thingy so I can check the battery status and stuff on my test drive upon delivery. They have a pretty good selection of LEAFs with competitive prices. Just FYI.
 
In addition to Carvana, you may want to try Platt Auto in Oregon to see how much they will charge to ship a Leaf to Tucson. http://162.243.132.34/?utm_source=cars.com&utm_medium=referral
 
RonDawg said:
In addition to Carvana, you may want to try Platt Auto in Oregon to see how much they will charge to ship a Leaf to Tucson. http://162.243.132.34/?utm_source=cars.com&utm_medium=referral
Not all their cars are from the PNW. I remember seeing someone either here or a Leaf FB group (more likely) consider a Leaf from there which actually came from California.
 
I would suspect that due to the reputation of Leaf battery degradation in the Phoenix/Tucson climate, that the resale value in that market is so low that any trade ins get put onto a truck and shipped elsewhere. The buyer in another market won't be wise to the degradation issue and will overpay enough so that the shipping expense still results in more profit than trying to sell it locally in the original market.

Be careful not to buy a car from a cooler climate that was shipped there from a hot climate.
 
DarthPuppy said:
I would suspect that due to the reputation of Leaf battery degradation in the Phoenix/Tucson climate, that the resale value in that market is so low that any trade ins get put onto a truck and shipped elsewhere. The buyer in another market won't be wise to the degradation issue and will overpay enough so that the shipping expense still results in more profit than trying to sell it locally in the original market.

Be careful not to buy a car from a cooler climate that was shipped there from a hot climate.
Exactly! This has definitely happened as many of the early Leafs were sent north to MN.
 
cwerdna said:
RonDawg said:
In addition to Carvana, you may want to try Platt Auto in Oregon to see how much they will charge to ship a Leaf to Tucson. http://162.243.132.34/?utm_source=cars.com&utm_medium=referral
Not all their cars are from the PNW. I remember seeing someone either here or a Leaf FB group (more likely) consider a Leaf from there which actually came from California.

I was more recommending them as a one-stop source for EVs as opposed to recommending them for their location.
 
DarthPuppy said:
I would suspect that due to the reputation of Leaf battery degradation in the Phoenix/Tucson climate, that the resale value in that market is so low that any trade ins get put onto a truck and shipped elsewhere. The buyer in another market won't be wise to the degradation issue and will overpay enough so that the shipping expense still results in more profit than trying to sell it locally in the original market.

Be careful not to buy a car from a cooler climate that was shipped there from a hot climate.
I flew into Phoenix this morning (super hot) and drove to Tucson (~110 miles from PHX airport to Tucson) before going on the tour at https://titanmissilemuseum.org/ (another ~25 minute drive). Tomorrow, I'm going to https://pimaair.org/ and the boneyard tour: https://pimaair.org/tour-boneyard/.

Man... it his hot in Tucson, as well. Was over 105 F in the day and 89 F right now at 9:38 pm.

I was rather tired and focused on making it to my hotel and to the last tour of the day. I only noticed one EV, a blue gen 1 Leaf w/black interior, so it had to be model year 2013 to 2017. Was in Tucson this afternoon on Valencia (IIRC). Not surprisingly, EVs don't seem real popular here from my observations, so far.

I really can't recommend people buy 24 kWh Leafs here. Even 30+ kWh Leafs w/8 year/100K capacity warranty.... hope one is able to lose enough capacity to get a replacement pack at least once.
 
cwerdna said:
Was in Tucson this afternoon on Valencia (IIRC). Not surprisingly, EVs don't seem real popular here

Former Tucson resident here. Priuses are/were everywhere around Tucson, but EV presence still seemed relatively noticeable. One thing for sure is that the types of cars you see on the West side and South side (where you were/are) are different than the cars seen on the East side or Foothills areas. It follows the economic demographics, so you'd probably see more EVs as you get closer to the "nicer" parts of town.

Down in Green Valley, where the Titan Missile Museum is, electric vehicles are very prevalent. The place is crawling with them. People drive them all over the place, and they even get to drive in special lanes on the main roads around town.

Of course, I'm speaking of...
GolfCartBikeLane.JPG
 
cwerdna said:
DarthPuppy said:
I would suspect that due to the reputation of Leaf battery degradation in the Phoenix/Tucson climate, that the resale value in that market is so low that any trade ins get put onto a truck and shipped elsewhere. The buyer in another market won't be wise to the degradation issue and will overpay enough so that the shipping expense still results in more profit than trying to sell it locally in the original market.

Be careful not to buy a car from a cooler climate that was shipped there from a hot climate.
I flew into Phoenix this morning (super hot) and drove to Tucson (~110 miles from PHX airport to Tucson) before going on the tour at https://titanmissilemuseum.org/ (another ~25 minute drive). Tomorrow, I'm going to https://pimaair.org/ and the boneyard tour: https://pimaair.org/tour-boneyard/.

Man... it his hot in Tucson, as well. Was over 105 F in the day and 89 F right now at 9:38 pm.

I was rather tired and focused on making it to my hotel and to the last tour of the day. I only noticed one EV, a blue gen 1 Leaf w/black interior, so it had to be model year 2013 to 2017. Was in Tucson this afternoon on Valencia (IIRC). Not surprisingly, EVs don't seem real popular here from my observations, so far.

I really can't recommend people buy 24 kWh Leafs here. Even 30+ kWh Leafs w/8 year/100K capacity warranty.... hope one is able to lose enough capacity to get a replacement pack at least once.
Those are great places to visit but you did pick oven temperature time of year. There are a lot of EV's in Arizona! If you want to have a visit with some like minded EV people try TEVA since you are in Tucson. Tucson Electric Vehicle Association has a good group of people and maybe can even help in your Fried Eggs On The Sidewalk Tour! I don't know how long you are there but EV week is coming up... There is also a road trip planned on the 14th and if you are interested PM me and I will give you contact information.
 
^^^
LOL! I did see 1 silver gen 1 Leaf today and a grey Model 3.

My original plan was to go to https://www.startrektour.com/ in Ticonderoga, NY. But, I've already been to numerous cities in that vicinity for vacation (Boston, Philly, Washington DC 3+ times, NYC at least 2 or times, Montreal, Canadian side of Niagara Falls), so I figured I'd go to some other places along the way or way back. My original plan was to go on the Titan missile silo tour only then I learned of https://pimaair.org/, the boneyard and Biosphere 2.

After I was done w/the tour, I noticed two A-10s flying around in a circle. I guess they were doing some training.

My plan was to do this trip last year but had to postpone it due to work. Then, I wanted to do it when it wasn't hot but not snowing in the East Coast (don't want to deal w/bad weather flying and driving) but got busy w/work again. Then I became resigned to the fact I might to go when it's hot as I might be going on another vacation later for Tokyo Motor Show (end of Oct to beginning of November: https://www.tokyo-motorshow.com/en/press_release/20181009.html). And, if it's after that, I could run into the weather issues again.

I'm flying out of Phoenix (yes, that far away) to Houston on 9/7 at 6:35 pm. For some reason, when I was originally planning trip, the flights in/out of PHX were a lot better or cheaper or were more direct than TUS. I'm in Tuscon one more night, possibly two (unsure right now). Heading to Biosphere 2 tomorrow.
 
cwerdna said:
^^^
LOL! I did see 1 silver gen 1 Leaf today and a grey Model 3.

My original plan was to go to https://www.startrektour.com/ in Ticonderoga, NY. But, I've already been to numerous cities in that vicinity for vacation (Boston, Philly, Washington DC 3+ times, NYC at least 2 or times, Montreal, Canadian side of Niagara Falls), so I figured I'd go to some other places along the way or way back. My original plan was to go on the Titan missile silo tour only then I learned of https://pimaair.org/, the boneyard and Biosphere 2.

After I was done w/the tour, I noticed two A-10s flying around in a circle. I guess they were doing some training.

My plan was to do this trip last year but had to postpone it due to work. Then, I wanted to do it when it wasn't hot but not snowing in the East Coast (don't want to deal w/bad weather flying and driving) but got busy w/work again. Then I became resigned to the fact I might to go when it's hot as I might be going on another vacation later for Tokyo Motor Show (end of Oct to beginning of November: https://www.tokyo-motorshow.com/en/press_release/20181009.html). And, if it's after that, I could run into the weather issues again.

I'm flying out of Phoenix (yes, that far away) to Houston on 9/7 at 6:35 pm. For some reason, when I was originally planning trip, the flights in/out of PHX were a lot better or cheaper or were more direct than TUS. I'm in Tuscon one more night, possibly two (unsure right now). Heading to Biosphere 2 tomorrow.
All great places to visit! Enjoy!
 
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