Thinking of buying 2013 SV with 10/12

Hello!

First time potential EV owner here! I'm in Minnesota where the temps get cold.

I'm looking at a 2013 SV with 10 battery bars left. My round trip commute 3x a week is 43 miles at about 65mph.

And chance this will work? It's about 0° F in Minnesota today. The car has 38k miles on it.

The seller is asking $8500. I'm definitely open to other options though, but there isn't much in this price range on the used leaf market in MN.

Unless you absolutely sure you can charge at work, I wouldn't. At zero, your on the resistance heater and you'll be pushing your luck, especially in a storm.

43 miles with a 12 bar Leaf would be doable in 0F without a half way charge but not with a 10 bar Leaf. At 0F you'll strictly be using the resistive heater which really eats up range, in the summer no problem but not in our winters when you need the heat not only for yourself but most importantly to keep the windows clear of fog and ice.
A quick search of Craigslist come up with several '13 Leafs ~$8.5k, don't be afraid of a S model as long as it has the charger(6.6kw) package. My '13 S is just that model and as long as it has 12 bars(as it does) I wouldn't be afraid of your commute. I would NOT try this with my '12 thats missing 2 bars, again not without at least a 1hr 16a 240v half way charge. The '13 also heats quite a bit better and faster than the '12 because the '12 heats antifreeze which then heats a coil which then has air blown over it. The '13 S heats the air direct which results in faster and more efficient heating, as I believe the post '12 SV and SL models do when using the resistive heater, of course they also have the more efficient heat pump heater for warmer weather or defrosting.
I weekly do a 60 mile RT commute with my S which is no problem in the summer but in the winter I need to charge 1/2 way for about an hour @ 208v 19a, 43 miles might be close but certainly doable. I generally average 65 mph freeway, 60 some of the way and 70 mph other times.
I'd strongly suggest a decent L2 EVSE for home use, at least 20a and 30 would be nice to take full advantage of the Leafs 6.6kw charger, note pre '13 Leafs only have a 3.6kw charger which is why I'd be hard pressed to suggest one in your case.
Personally I'd suggest Wayzata Nissan, I purchased my '12 from them and not only were they decent to deal with and had what I thought was good prices, they had a very large selection. Go directly to their website for the best selection, they list on CL but not all their vehicles.
Do you live in a house or Apt? If a house do you have 240v to your garage or where you plan on charging your Leaf? again in your case you really need L2 charging especially for morning warmup.

Since you have the cold temperatures now, check out PlugShare.com and figure out where you can plug in if you run low on power and take the car out on a range test. From fully charged, with the trip meter and efficiency meter reset, take it around your commute route.

I did that when I started my current job with a 54 mile round trip.

If that is 43 miles total, it could be doable, but since you specified a speed of 65MPH, it wouldn't work for you. You'd need to go 45-55MPH at single digits F or colder. And anyone with a marginally long commute shouldn't be looking at the S if they live in a cooler climate. Jjef may be making it work for him, but if you like a heated car, you wouldn't enjoy the constant range loss in even slightly cold weather. My Sister lives 20.5 miles from me. I take a lower-energy route with an average speed of maybe 30MPH (speeds of 30 to 55) to visit her, but in cold weather I have to reduce the heat and put a heated blanket over my lap. I get home with maybe 12 miles of range left to Turtle Mode, sometimes less. If we go into town while I'm there, I pretty much have to opportunity charge on L-2 for at least 20 minutes to be sure I'll make it home. That's with a 2013 SV with 12 bars still showing.

Thanks everyone!

I decided against it. I didn't want to deal with range anxiety everyday during the winter.

Thanks!