Buying used: Leaf Spy reports on 2 used 14's - thoughts?

A chance encounter with a Leaf owner a few weeks ago sent me down the rabbit hole! The past few weeks I've been reading about Leafs and watching videos to learn about them.

Out of the nearly dozen Nissan dealers in my area, only one carries used Leafs. They have 15 used Leafs as the moment. I stopped in a few weeks ago and ran into the sales person who is their expert and a Leaf driver and geek (in a good way...).

Looking at their stock, I test drove a 2014 Leaf SV with 8,700 miles on it, asking price is $9,800. They have another 14 SV Leaf with 9,700 miles for $10k. The sales person, being a geek (again geek is good...) he has the Leaf Spy. Below are the screen shots I had him make while I was there today.

I loved driving the Leaf. I have a 98 Camry. Purchased used in 2004, I've put 72K on it in 13 years. That's 5,538 miles a year and 106.5 miles a week on average. Our other car is a 2007 Prius with 104k miles, which would be our long-distance car.

The Leaf with 8,700 miles and 100% SOH seems like a pretty deal. Thanks for any thoughts!

Yes, assuming no BMS reset (unlikely at that low mileage although not impossible) the one with 100% SOH is what you want. Does it have Premium Package?

Vin ... 446 is a killer deal.
And has 21% more battery capacity than the other LEAF of similar age and mileage.

jim0266 said:

Looking at their stock, I test drove a 2014 Leaf SV with 8,700 miles on it, asking price is $9,800. They have another 14 SV Leaf with 9,700 miles for $10k.

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This just doesn't make sense, unless the first one has damage :? I mean the one with less mileage and a much better battery and the same trim level is $200 cheaper, who in their right mind would pick the 2nd :?

The other car may have the CHAdeMO charging option. The Leaf I drove only has J1772. I thought some of their pricing was weird too, but he said it all depends what they have in them. They all seems to be coming from other states off a lease. The one I drove came from NC. The other car I posted came from Iowa, but also listed a minor accident in the left rear.

Nissan had some incentive from Nissan, so all their Leafs come as Nissan Certified pre-owned. That's a nice little perk for the car. Cargurus.com lists the car as a fair deal $376 below.

I think it has the premium package from what I remember him saying. It does have the camera that shows me the view from above. What that be in a premium package? Is there anything else in the description that would clue me into the package level of this SV?

I would pay in cash so I'm not sure if that helps or hurt if I try to get it a little lower. I have to say the guy is pretty low key. He seems to move a lot of used Leafs and doesn't press me.

I think it has the premium package from what I remember him saying. It does have the camera that shows me the view from above. What that be in a premium package? Is there anything else in the description that would clue me into the package level of this SV?

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Yes, the Around View camera system is part of the premium package, along with the better Bose stereo. In photos of the exterior, look for a little camera lens in the Nissan emblem on the nose. In interior photos, look for a "Camera" button on the bottom of the Nav screen. Written descriptions are notoriously unreliable, as many dealers will write "premium" even if that package isn't there.

LeftieBiker said:

Written descriptions are notoriously unreliable, as many dealers will write "premium" even if that package isn't there.

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+1
I've found most dealers listings, especially on places like CraigsList, to be basically worthless! As you said they basically take the description of a SL and apply it to all models they are selling, even if the title says a S or SV, the description will often say things only available on a SL.

jjeff said:

jim0266 said:

Looking at their stock, I test drove a 2014 Leaf SV with 8,700 miles on it, asking price is $9,800. They have another 14 SV Leaf with 9,700 miles for $10k.

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This just doesn't make sense, unless the first one has damage :? I mean the one with less mileage and a much better battery and the same trim level is $200 cheaper, who in their right mind would pick the 2nd :?

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Similar mileage, and battery health for most consumers and most dealers comes down to bars if they look at all.

So pricing ends up being based on features. Educated consumers like OP who know to focus on battery health are going to get a great deal.

I don't know what part of the country you are from but QC is important to us.

I do like the idea of having QC but not sure how much I would ever use it. I live 35 miles outside Cleveland. In my head I can see driving there and using the QC to extend the range but not sure how often that would happen. I'd probably just take the Prius.

I'm not note sure how easy it would be to find another Leaf with low miles and great battery condition as reported by LeafSpy as the one I found.

Did I stumble into a great deal? Going to talk to the guy today and see if they will move the price even more.

Both cars you are looking at are SV models so they both have a 6 kW onboard charger and heat pump. Since you are in Ohio, you definitely need the heat pump. If there are DCQCs in areas you frequently drive to, the QC port might be beneficial. If not, there is no need to spend money for a port you won't use. I recommend the QC option package (QC port and 6 kW charger) for anyone looking at the S trim level mainly because they have 3.3 kW onboard chargers unless they have QC.

Since the onboard charger in my 2011 was only 3.3 kW, I used QCs frequently if I needed additional range during the day. I use QCs with my 2015 when convenient, but the 6 kW charger is fast enough to charge at home or at my workshop/garage if I need additional range during the day.

LeftieBiker said:

Yes, assuming no BMS reset (unlikely at that low mileage although not impossible) the one with 100% SOH is what you want. Does it have Premium Package?

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BMS reset doesn't change ahr

jjeff said:

jim0266 said:

Looking at their stock, I test drove a 2014 Leaf SV with 8,700 miles on it, asking price is $9,800. They have another 14 SV Leaf with 9,700 miles for $10k.

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This just doesn't make sense, unless the first one has damage :? I mean the one with less mileage and a much better battery and the same trim level is $200 cheaper, who in their right mind would pick the 2nd :?

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pretty obvious one does not have QC. that is a HUGE consideration.

Evoforce said:

I don't know what part of the country you are from but QC is important to us.

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+1!!!

I couldn't consider one without it. I would gladly take the one with it (despite its near bar loss) and run the crap out of it and replace the pack in 12-15 months for free.

DaveinOlyWA said:

Evoforce said:

run the crap out of it and replace the pack in 12-15 months for free.

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Or not. That is not a given by any means.

SageBrush said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

Evoforce said:

run the crap out of it and replace the pack in 12-15 months for free.

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Or not. That is not a given by any means.

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I would beg to differ but no need!

DaveinOlyWA said:

SageBrush said:

Or not. That is not a given by any means.

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I would beg to differ but no need!

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Why do you say that? I'm not trying to argue, genuinely curious.

The 14's have a better battery chemistry than previous models and a BMS that will mostly protect the batteries from intentional damage.

I suppose you could intentionally run it past turtle mode, have it towed to a QC station, rinse, repeat..... over and over but that hardly seems reasonable.

-Jim

To the OP: For me, I wouldn't buy either of those cars. The one with the freakin fantastic battery doesn't have QC, which is a must for me. The other has unusual battery degradation. You should be able to find a 14' with 90%+ SOH with QC for the same or less money if you have the time to be patient.
If I had to choose between the two, obviously, the one with the excellent battery would be my pick.

-Jim

You can't "run the crap out of it and replace the pack in 12-15 months for free" with a '14, unless you live in extreme heat. Probably not even then. Nissan was trying for as close to zero warranty replacements as possible with the newer chemistries, and they seem to have succeeded. It's not hard to lose one bar, but after that it's a fools errand trying for four.

kingjamez said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

SageBrush said:

Or not. That is not a given by any means.

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I would beg to differ but no need!

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Why do you say that? I'm not trying to argue, genuinely curious.

The 14's have a better battery chemistry than previous models and a BMS that will mostly protect the batteries from intentional damage.

I suppose you could intentionally run it past turtle mode, have it towed to a QC station, rinse, repeat..... over and over but that hardly seems reasonable.

-Jim

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zero QC events? not likely and a ZERO chance of that happening if the dealer has one to use. The other one has QC events so it obviously has one and besides there is an explanation for the price disparity and no other argument fits.