Opinions on this 2015 Leaf SV w/ charging and premium packages

I have been looking for a used SL or SV (4/2013 or later) since I think I will need the hybrid heater for the cold weather here and my ~22mile one-way commute to work. It has been tough to find one except the rare one at a dealer, which means I would prob pay $1,000 more for it.

This one popped up on Carvana and I reserved the chance to buy it when it is officially available.

It has 24K miles. It does have the charging package and also the premium package and is going to be offered at $13,500.

Assuming it is in good condition when I check it out, is this a worthwhile deal? I have searched on line and I can find similar 2015 SV hundreds or thousands of miles away, but usually for more money.

I wish I lived in an area without cold weather so I would feel more confident about buying an S with a quick charge package. However, there are lots of times when I need to run the defogger to clear the windshield here and that on top of a 22 mile one way commute, principally on highway.

Question: I will install a 240V EVSE at home for sure and that would be fine, I think, for this 2015 SV. However, if I also installed a 240V EVSE at work, would I be good with an S with the non-hybrid heater, running heat and/or defogger during the winter with 22 mile one way highway commute?

Thanks!

Way overpriced compared to a 2016 30 kWh after tax credits and Nissan incentives. The Nissan incentives are regional and jump around but you can probably find one and if needed pay a shipping charge.

If you have L2 charging at both ends (and you know it will be available when you need it), then an S with resistance heater only would probably work for you. If not, then you need an SV or SL. The used market and pricing for Leafs really depends on location. Prices are lower in areas like California and Georgia that have a lot of lease returns, but places without large quantities of used Leafs have higher asking prices. I don't think the price of the 2015 is out of line for your area, but consider the real cost of a new one after all the incentives you can take advantage of. You might find that a new one makes more sense.

SageBrush said:

Way overpriced compared to a 2016 30 kWh after tax credits and Nissan incentives. The Nissan incentives are regional and jump around but you can probably find one and if needed pay a shipping charge.

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Can you be more specific about a 2016 30kWh (do you mean new or used)? Do you have a link to one you found online?
Also, are the tax and Nissan incentives only for someone who purchases the vehicle new?

GerryAZ said:

If you have L2 charging at both ends (and you know it will be available when you need it), then an S with resistance heater only would probably work for you. If not, then you need an SV or SL. The used market and pricing for Leafs really depends on location. Prices are lower in areas like California and Georgia that have a lot of lease returns, but places without large quantities of used Leafs have higher asking prices. I don't think the price of the 2015 is out of line for your area...

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Non-dealer used 2013+ SV and SL are as scarce as hen's teeth in my area. Then I used online search without mileage limits and found maybe two private owned ones on the west coat, the rest were dealers. I did see a good deal on two at a dealer in Hawaii, though. :?

GerryAZ said:

...consider the real cost of a new one after all the incentives you can take advantage of. You might find that a new one makes more sense...

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What I would like to do is to own a Leaf for a few years. This way I can wait out to see how the Bolt holds up, if there are any problems, and maybe there will be some used available in a few years.

SageBrush said:

Way overpriced compared to a 2016 30 kWh after tax credits and Nissan incentives. The Nissan incentives are regional and jump around but you can probably find one and if needed pay a shipping charge.

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You do have a point if the post from another thread would apply to my area where the dealer gave them $10,000 off MSRP for a new 2017 SV with cargo net.

http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1225&start=450

In this example: $35,755 - $10,000 - $7,500 (fed tax incentive) - $1,500 (PA tax incentive) = $16,755. I'll have to check a local dealership price through Truecar.

Thanks

If you are price sensitive then think twice about the higher trim choices. You get very little for your money.

I just checked and see that Nissan is offering 72-month 0% financing in addition to other incentives in certain locations so I suggest that you check with a couple of dealers in your area to see whether it makes sense for you to buy new before you buy the 2015. I was not planning to finance when I ordered my 2015, but Nissan offered $3,500 "Nissan cash" and 6-year 0% financing by the time it arrived so I used the $3,500 as the down payment and financed the balance (including tax and license) for 6 years. I save enough on gas from not driving my SUV (regular gas at 15 mi/gal city) and motorcycle (premium gas at 40 mi/gal city) to cover about 1/2 of my monthly car payment and also save wear/tear on both vehicles from city driving in extreme temperatures.

I appreciate all the help! This helps me go through the options and what is best for me.

With regard to getting a new car, Leaf or other new car, I am a dedicated used car purchaser (I'm very much a tightwad).

Maybe I would be better off getting a used 2013+ S - I can get one pretty easily for $10,000 or less if I'm patient.

I can then install a 240V EVSE at work as well as at home, then in the winter I should be good for my 22 mile one way highway commute with heat and defogger running.

In - lets say 3 years - I can sell the S for the remaining value and use that and the money I didn't spend on the 2015 Leaf towards a new Bolt - assuming that new EV turns out to be reliable. I guess for this to work, I should try to find an S with low mileage.

Thanks

I am also a tightwad, but have a different perspective: I buy new when possible and keep the vehicle long enough to make up for the depreciation. The only time I lost was on the 2011 Leaf because I only got 3-1/2 years out of it (not my fault). I plan to keep the 2015 Leaf for at least 10 years. My other vehicles include a 1988 pickup (purchased March 1988), 2002 motorcycle (purchased June 2002 which replaced a 1982 purchased in 1982), and a 2004 SUV (purchased during end-of-year close out in October 2004).

I am sure you will find a Leaf that meets your needs. As a reminder, don't get one without a heat pump unless you know you will be able to charge at work. Even L1 charging at work would probably be OK as long as you leave home with a full charge every morning. You will easily make your round trip in moderate temperatures when you don't need heat.

SageBrush said:

If you are price sensitive then think twice about the higher trim choices. You get very little for your money.

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That is entirely a matter of opinion. I wouldn't buy a Leaf without Premium Package, and I wouldn't buy an S even if I didn't need the extra range provided by the heatpump. I could actually lease an S30 now, but I have no interest in doing so. One person's worthless options are another's necessities.

Fair enough so far as it goes, but look at the used car LEAF prices. The more expensive trims are about the same price as the base if model year and miles are similar. This is good data to support my contention.

And actually, other than a bigger screen, off the top of my head I cannot think of other differences between the base model and those that cost some $3,000 - $5,000 more.

That depends on what you mean by "base model." There are many differences between the S and an SV or SL with premium. In 2013 the S didn't even have cruise control available.

LeftieBiker said:

That depends on what you mean by "base model." There are many differences between the S and an SV or SL with premium. In 2013 the S didn't even have cruise control available.

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Cruise control for a local commuter car ?!

I looked up the 2017 model, and have to moderate my opinion somewhat
The base model without QC or 6.6 kW OBC is about $3,500 cheaper,
but that useful feature costs about $1,8000 to add to the base model

The next trim up has QC and the 6.6 kW OBC included as well as Nav and a couple other (in my opinion trivial) differences
So my reading would be another $1,700 for Nav and little else.
You may find Nav in a commuter car for $1,700 to be great value but I certainly do not and I'm willing to guess that you are in the distinct minority.

ymmv

You are yet another person who assumes (like the guy who only uses heat in subzero temps) that his preferences are the universal norm. They are just that - preferences and opinions. I don't tell people that they need Premium Package. I tell them to think about what they, personally, do need. I suggest that you consider doing the same. Most people are not, in fact, you. Or me.

Just as an example: you scoff at using cruise control to commute. Many people (like me) have issues with their legs that make it difficult and uncomfortable to use the accelerator pedal 100% of the time while driving. For us cruise control is a "necessary option."

SageBrush said:

I looked up the 2017 model, and have to moderate my opinion somewhat
The base model without QC or 6.6 kW OBC is about $3,500 cheaper,
but that useful feature costs about $1,800(0) to add to the base model

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The same is true of the late 2016 S model with 30kwh pack. On the other hand, none of the dealers in my area even ordered the S30 model LEAF without the QC package so that was something of a non-discussion. I think Nissan only offered it for bragging rights on the entry level MSRP.

I may end up going for a 2015 S with 25k miles and QC for around $10.5K. It seems the S is the most abundant style and so the deals at least in my area are better for used S than used SL or SV.

With an S, I would have to pay to put an EVSE in at my business just like I have to do at my home; so I wouldn't have to worry about running the heat/defogger during cold weather commutes.

Thanks!

I was looking at similar options as the original posting.
There just were no t that many great deals on the better trim packages in my area.
I purchased a 2016 S for 12K. It is the smaller 24 battery not the 30.

My commute is 27 miles each way, the can do 3 legs between charges, that is a round trip of 55 miles then One way before I have to charge. This will be fine for a couple more years until I can only get the round trip on a charge. Currently charging at home Level 1, and L2 near work a couple times a week.
I would love the QC, larger battery, faster 6.6 charger etc., but I went for what I can afford today, and my goal is to get all those things in three years when the 2016-2017 models come off lease and are a great deal.

The temptation to spend money on a newer model year just for that reason is best resisted in a LEAF. The overall miles dictate a lot of the price, while the condition of the car and particularly the battery matter to the owner. I bought a late 2013 MY LEAF a few months ago for $8,300 in N. California. Model 'S' in like new condition, with QC and 6.6 kW OBC at 22k miles.

Informed buyers can get a great LEAF deal theses days, new or used. I did consider waiting for a $10k off deal on a new car but decided against it in part due to my local and personal tax and tax credit situation and the practical lack of much difference/improvement through the years.

I'm quite happy with my '13S but don't really use Cruise or things like car NAV. True the heater does eat up range but if you have work charging you shouldn't have a problem. The only thing I'd really be hard pressed to not have is the S charger package for double speed L2 charging, oh and on the '13S you needed the charger package to get a backup camera. Note the S heater does have one advantage over the heatpump in that it basically heats right away, just like an electric heater, the heatpump takes a minute or two to start heating. Still nowhere near as bad as the '11 and '12 liquid based heaters though, they not only took quite a time to heat, drew lots of current and didn't work all that well. Personally I'd really avoid those years if heat is important to you.
Note to OP, I'd look into using a L6-30 or L14-30 outlet/plug setup for work and maybe even at home. They are much less bulky than the range type 14-50 plug and will fit into a standard single outlet box, and allow you to use a common 120v style in-use outlet cover. I guess if you wanted to have 2 separate EVSEs, one for home the other portable for work, you could hardwire your home EVSE but for flexibility I prefer outlet installations, generally cheaper too. The one issue you might run into is with a 30a outlet your electrician may only want to put it on a 30a circuit. Continuous charging a full 6.6kw Leaf will draw ~27-28a and code says your not supposed to run more than 24a continuous through a 30a breaker, if your EVSE is adjustable you could dial it down to 24a. I regularly charge full rate at work but try and not charge for more than 2-3hrs as the breaker gets "warm" to the touch. Not hot, that would not be good warm should be OK. Also I believe you can purchase 30a continuous rated breakers but they aren't nearly as common and probably quite a bit more expensive than a standard 30/24a breaker.