Deciding between two used Leafs (first EV)

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Just finished test drive on the 13 SL...

Used 25% on the SOC
18.8 miles at 4.1m/kw

Looking like the battery would calc to 18.3kw capacity...does this look decent for a vehicle this age?

Also - one other question. Should I worry about QC twice in one day to get home from the dealer?
 
GerryAZ said:
Power draw is about 30 kW on the level with no wind at that speed so it can easily go up hills without slowing down.
Umm.. Raising the car's elevation takes energy, and the faster you try to do that, the more energy per unit time it takes. If you figure you've got 80-30 == 50kW left over for acceleration, there'll be a surface speed associated with any given slope where all 50kW is needed to gain altitude. And that could well mean you slow down.
 
Talock2018 said:
Also - one other question. Should I worry about QC twice in one day to get home from the dealer?
Not if you are only doing it once. If you had to do that every day to support your commute, it would be an issue.
 
@Talock2018 Keeping in mind that the 25% SOC driving range test is an estimate, that 2013 SL is likely going to lose it's first capacity bar soon. The useable capacity on a brand new pack is supposedly 21.3 kWh, so 18.3/21/3 = 86%

So, for a 2013, the pack seems to be in good condition as most 2013s have dropped the first capacity already. For an SL in that condition, I think $9000 would be a target price to pay for it.

If the 2014 SV likewise has a healthy pack for its age, then it's likely got a 4%-6% higher SOH than the 2013 SL. However, the manufacturing date on the 2014 SV could be only a few months younger than May 2013, since some would have been built in late 2013.

So, you might get an extra year of "useful" range from the 2014 SV. Wild guess though, as the 2014 SV could just as easily have an SOH of 85% or 86% too. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $10000 for a 2014 SV with a good battery pack as very little changed between model years.

Getting Leaf Spy data on the 2014 SV will help you make the best decision.
 
Leaf Spy would be your best bet to compare these cars, obviously, but the 2013 does sound like it might be in good shape and the fact that it is an SL might make it more attractive. I entertained trading my 2013 SV in on a 2014 SL recently at a local NIssan dealership. The 2014 only has 12000 miles on it and has lived it's life here in the Seattle area, so one would think it's battery would be in excellent condition, but when I checked it with Leaf Spy- it was only at 88% SOH.
Considering they wanted me to give them over $8000 and my 2013 SV with almost 83% SOH and 39000 miles, I decided I liked Ol' Snowflake a lot more. :D
 
All - thanks for the advice. 2014 SV wasn’t willing to come down from the 10.5k cost due to certification, so a no brainer since was able to secure the 13 SL for under 10k including fees/tax. On the way home I got this data... over another 25% SOC drop:

20.1 miles/4.0 miles/kWh - 94% - better, and more like my usual commute...needless to say I was beating GOM pretty handily even with taking it out of ECO for fun section of the drive.

We will see. The risk has been taken. OBD 2 on order. I am sure there are many more questions to come!
 
Good for you! I just bought a 2013 SV, 82% SOH, which has the premium package but not the QC & headlights. I paid $8900 all taxes and fees included, in central NC. So I think you did well, hope we both avoid any surprises!
 
What did you end up paying for the 2013SL? I'm just looking for a datapoint, since I might be selling mine soon.
 
Jiv,

I ended up paying around $9300 excluding dealer fees, etc. Oddly, even given the the upgraded trim package, it was the cheapest 12 bar Leaf i could find in my area. My guess is this was because of the mileage (i.e. inexperienced dealer pricing the car based on age and mileage and not understanding EV). Everything else i looked at were mostly S’s with 30-40k miles, often no QC port and even only 3.3kw, but MORE expensive (like mid 10k range). It kinda made the the SL a no brainer in the end - i figure, given my commute, even if i lose a bar right away, doesn’t really change our use it at all - we have an ICE vehicle as well...The dealer literally new nothing about the car except that they thought it was “cool”. It was the oddest car purchasing experience i’ve ever had.
 
Talock2018 said:
Jiv,

I ended up paying around $9300 excluding dealer fees, etc. Oddly, even given the the upgraded trim package, it was the cheapest 12 bar Leaf i could find in my area. My guess is this was because of the mileage (i.e. inexperienced dealer pricing the car based on age and mileage and not understanding EV). Everything else i looked at were mostly S’s with 30-40k miles, often no QC port and even only 3.3kw, but MORE expensive (like mid 10k range). It kinda made the the SL a no brainer in the end - i figure, given my commute, even if i lose a bar right away, doesn’t really change our use it at all - we have an ICE vehicle as well...The dealer literally new nothing about the car except that they thought it was “cool”. It was the oddest car purchasing experience i’ve ever had.
Congratulations on both the purchase and being savvy enough to learn the ins and outs of EVs (to your advantage price wise)! Welcome to the club and THANK YOU for making the choice to drive electric. Please try to educate your coworkers, friends and neighbors so that we get another and another and another. :D
 
Reddy, thanks for the vote of confidence - i am an architect who designs Passive House buildings exclusively, so it was really the only choice i could consciously make :D - unfortunately our rural location prohibits my family from going exclusively electric, but perhaps in the coming years that will change with affordable longer range options coming to the market.

My new goal is to track the carbon reduction of my commute over a year - pretty excited to do so.
 
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