Buying 2011 leaf w/ 6 bars

Hi everyone!

I'm in the process of looking at a 2011 leaf with 79k miles. The battery only has 6 bars, so it's pretty much shot. The car is priced just under $5k USD and I live in a hot state.

With all that in mind, do I finally pull the trigger to move to an EV or is this one too far gone? I don't recall if fast charging was introduced in 2011 or if it came later, but my work has a free charging bay and the commute is about 30 miles each way.

Looking at the battery degradation charging my it should be enough to get me each way on a full charge, but if the bay is used one day before I get to work I might be out of luck.

Thanks for any help and advice!

Now that Nissan has upped the charge for a replacement battery, I would weigh the costs of this car PLUS a replacement battery and see what you can find otherwise. At 30 miles each way, using this car is going to be VERY dicey for you, particularly in winter.

I don't know where you're at, but here's a 2014 Leaf with just 30k miles, offered by a CarMax in Santa Rosa, CA for just $11k, with just a $99 transfer fee to as far as Henderson, NV. Of course I don't know how many bars it's lost, but I'm pretty sure it's not as bad. The car's history shows it was sold in Sunnyvale, CA so assuming it's accurate it lived in a somewhat cool (for CA) climate.

Thanks! I'm in AZ and the car would be private party, so I'm avoiding tax too. I had read that Nissan was fiddling with remanufactured battery replacements which were more affordable in Japan, do we know if that might be coming out to the US anytime soon?

Everything I've read about the remanufactured battery indicates that it will not be available outside Japan.

If you're willing to pay for a replacement battery (even a refurbished one) I'd look for something newer. Every model year is a little different and while I'm not an expert I'd avoid the 2011 and 2012 model years since they have some sort of liquid cooling around the inverter and charger that is used for cabin heat. I've heard it doesn't work well and more importantly if it fails you will be stuck with a big repair bill.

In general there were minor improvements made every year so getting a later model year car will probably give you a more reliable vehicle. Also, since you live in a hot climate I'd look for a late 2014 or 2015 car since the battery will last longer in the heat. Or if you could find a 2013 or early 2014 that has lost a lot of capacity that could work if the range was still adequate or if you don't mind paying $$$ to replace the battery.

Thanks for the feedback guys! If I replace the battery in one of the older models, do they put in the newer packs that don't die as fast, or do they just throw the same old packs in?

I feel like I read one place that they replace the older one with the newer ones, but again it's the internet and who knows how true it is haha!

The replacement pack will have the same nominal capacity as the original pack (ie you won't get a 30kWh replacement for a 24kWh pack) but everything I've heard indicates that the replacement packs use the latest chemistry. Li batteries have a limited self-life so they can't just be stockpiled for years. They are also expensive and would be a lot of inventory to carry.

My guess is that a fraction of production runs are reserved for replacement packs. Normal manufacturing practices would allow continual cost-cutting and process optimization but all the evidence of people here who have gotten replacement packs indicate that the replacements are as good as any other packs out there.

...and while I'm not an expert I'd avoid the 2011 and 2012 model years since they have some sort of liquid cooling around the inverter and charger that is used for cabin heat. I've heard it doesn't work well and more importantly if it fails you will be stuck with a big repair bill.

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Well, that's a new one! You are actually describing a heat recovery system used by the Bolt, and that one doesn't provide most of the cabin heat, either, just a little. The 2011-2012 Leaf uses a liquid-based heating system, with a resistance heater to heat the liquid. It's very wasteful, especially because unless you add a heater On/Off switch, it's always on above about 65F if the climate control is turned on. There is a switch kit available from one of the members here, but the 2011-2012 Leafs use more power for heat than even the later air-heating resistance heaters in the S model.

Thanks for the correction. I never paid much attention to it since I have a 2017 but I've heard enough about it to know that I wouldn't want a 2011 or 2012 due to that reason.

Of course living in AZ, heat may be of little importance to the OP
Still, as an owner of a '12 and '13 I'd say without a doubt I'd not want to get another pre '13 Leaf
Lots of improvements in the '13 model year and for better battery chemistry look for one post March.
Personally I'd also not pay even $5k for a 6 bar Leaf. My '12 has 8 and I have little to no regen even in low SOC, IMO regen is one of the nicest things about an EV, the range is also quite poor with 8 bars and even fully charged my SOC stops at less than 90%

proudapron said:

Hi everyone!

I'm in the process of looking at a 2011 leaf with 79k miles. The battery only has 6 bars, so it's pretty much shot. The car is priced just under $5k USD and I live

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At $1000 -- I'd think about it.

I tried to sell my 2013 w/ Quick charge and rear view and a 12 bar battery for $9k a few months ago. My one serious offer was $7k.