buying used Leaf- help in Tucson

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juliabee23

Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Messages
5
Location
Tucson, AZ
Hi all,

My husband and I are looking to buy a used Leaf, and are wondering if someone with more knowledge about how to evaluate a used Leaf could meet us to help us check one out in Tucson. We are on the NW side of town, and are looking at a Leaf around the corner. Would also welcome advice on what to look out for.

Thanks!

Julia
 
Can you update your location info via your user name in the upper right > User Control Panel > Profile tab? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it. (Yes, from this thread we know you're in Tuscon.)

What are your daily driving needs in terms of miles? How much city vs. highway? Will you have the ability to charge at your work/destinations? How long do you plan on keeping the car? Will you continue residing in the hot climate while holding onto the Leaf?

Concur w/what Leftie said. As for what alozzy said, yeah, it could get to be that bad even on the "lizard" battery (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17168&p=374490) which is the best revision battery we know of, so far. If it were an '11 or '12 on its original battery, losing 40% of capacity in 5 years in hot Arizona is probably an underestimate. It'd be likely even worse.

When the '11 Leaf had only been out ~21 months, Blue494 in Phoenix at https://web.archive.org/web/20160113132627/http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=228326 was already 4 capacity bars down (lost somewhere over 30% capacity).
 
Thanks, everyone. Sorry for my late reply; I didn't get email notifications that there were replies, and it's my first time on the forum.
Yes, I'll update my profile. We are specifically looking at 2015/16 models with the "lizard battery." So far the 2 2015s that we test drove (appx. 30K miles) had 11 bars. At 11 bar capacity, a used Leaf would more than suit our needs. We have a 2006 Prius that we use as our main car, and need another for commuting/around town only. My hubby works 20 miles away, I work 4 miles away and bike half the time. I will need this 2nd car to pick up and transport kiddos around town, mainly. I read about batteries in hot climates- didn't realize it was that bad. I'm going to meet with a Leaf owner in Tucson tonight who's on the Tucson Electric Vehicle Association, so I plan on picking her brain. Car would be kept in a shaded carport, equipped with basic outlet. There is easy faster charging right around the corner from where we live- library and we are very near a main car dealership drag (Nissan, Chevy, BMW with free chargers). I would need to park it in the sun sometimes while I'm at work. Hubby might be able to charge at his work (they have chargers for golf carts, and he's currently in discussion with HR about whether he could use them).
 
Also-- if it seems like a direction we want to go in after gathering all info-- Carvana car from cooler climate? Do some dealerships far away ship? Have people had good experiences with Carvana? Anyone have a suggestion for an EV that performs better than the Leaf in hot climates? We want to spend 13K max.
 
We are specifically looking at 2015/16 models with the "lizard battery."

Only the 2015 Leaf (and a few early 2016 S models, maybe - I forget) have the Lizard battery. In 2016 they went to a 30kwh battery that either loses capacity rapidly or has a firmware programming error - only time will tell for sure which. You want a 2015 that came from a cooler climate. Carvana tends to ship cars from hot climates to cooler ones to sell. I don't know what they do in hot climates.
 
The 30kWh battery in the 2016 and 2017 models is an unknown since they have only been in existence for a few years. There was some early rapid degradation and Nissan claims that it was caused a battery management programming error. As Leftie says, time will tell.

However, one thing that is for certain is that a 30kWh hour battery can lose 20% of its capacity and be essentially equal to a brand new 24kWh (eg Lizard) battery. The 2016 and 2017 models also come with an 8 year/100,000 mile battery capacity warranty. The warranty is a bit murky since it depends on the firmware in the car indicating that the battery is bad and no one knows how that firmware works but I'd venture that any Leaf that has serious degradation and range loss within its warranty period will get a replacement battery from Nissan.

I mention all this because around here in CO there is very little difference in price between 24kWh cars (eg a 2015) and 30kWh cars (2016 and 2017). While the 2016/2017 cars don't have the history behind them that a 2015 does and the batteries have more power packed into roughly the same volume (and thus may run hotter) than the earlier batteries, you do get a longer warranty and a higher starting range.

If you can live with a range of 60 miles per charge for the next 8 years I'd say a 2016/2017 is a very safe bet. If the range falls below that Nissan should replace the battery under warranty. Worst case, the car drops its 4th bar just after the 8 year mark and you have a car with degraded range and value but no warranty coverage. Even then, if you can live with the lower range the car will probably still be in good condition as they are well built and the chassis, etc should easily do 150k miles.
 
You said that your husband does the longer commute at 20 miles (40 RT). That would be the prime target for the Leaf rather than the Prius because it will cut your fuel expense the most. If the Leaf ever got to where it did not do the RT commute for him you could then switch to him using the Prius. With the 2016 and newer Leaf having the 8 year/ 100K miles warranty, you could get the pack replaced as needed and keep it several years past the warranty.

I bought my 2015 SV specifically to use on a 54 mile RT commute, which it did great even in the winter with snow on the ground.
 
The Chevrolet Spark EV might be a good choice for you, given your climate (the Spark EV has TMS) and budget. However, finding one in Arizona would be the challenge.

Having said that, here are a few listings:

https://goo.gl/nogJVg
 
alozzy said:
The Chevrolet Spark EV might be a good choice for you, given your climate (the Spark EV has TMS) and budget. However, finding one in Arizona would be the challenge.

Having said that, here are a few listings:

https://goo.gl/nogJVg

The Spark was never sold in AZ so service from GM dealer would be a problem. You would probably need to haul it to CA.
 
GerryAZ said:
alozzy said:
The Chevrolet Spark EV might be a good choice for you, given your climate (the Spark EV has TMS) and budget. However, finding one in Arizona would be the challenge.

Having said that, here are a few listings:

https://goo.gl/nogJVg

The Spark was never sold in AZ so service from GM dealer would be a problem. You would probably need to haul it to CA.

The Spark needing a repair would be rare... However, I have a friend that owns one and I will get back with an answer to that question.

Note added: Talked to that friend who owns one. His personally hasn't been in the shop but his friend did have their Spark in the shop for a new cooling pump and it was done locally in Arizona.
 
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