Looking for the cheapest leaf around I only need 40 miles :-)

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One more question, anyone aware of any Colorado Tax break for used EV? I know of all the crazy ones last year for new cars.

This is why it grates me to see a $13k used leaf from 2013 when I know some buggers got a new 2017 one for $15k!
 
I'm one of the lucky ones who got a Leaf last year and the way it worked for me was that the dealer took both the $5k CO tax credit and the $10k Xcel Energy credit off the sticker price. I never saw the money, didn't have to do any paperwork, etc. It all went straight to the dealer. The $7500 credit from the Feds will be coming on my tax return this year.

I'd check the web about the federal credit and CO state credit. Not sure if any it applies to used vehicles or not. And yes, i could sell my Leaf for more than I paid for it given the used prices on CL but I'm keeping mine. I like it too much.
 
IF you could find a new 2017 in stock somewhere, you could take both the $7500 federal credit and $5000 CO credit and have the car shipped to you. I don't know if Xcel is still offering their rebate but you could ask. They extended it 2 or 3 times last summer already.
 
So they don't offer the tax credit on used cars any more in CO, they did away with it - nice !!

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/energyoffice/alt-fuel-vehicle-tax-credits

No credit is allowed for the purchase or lease of a used vehicle made on or after Jan. 1, 2017.

The new option would be still 30k - the limited rebates, my costs just jumped from 5k to 10k now 20k ouch! I'm leaning towards waiting it out for a few months, keep the Subie and perhaps buy the loner E39 BMW we have right now for 3.5k - e39 baby and of course I have to quote the consumer reports article stating that it was the best car they ever tested 2001- http://tinyurl.com/ycj3o8nu :)

As someone commented there should be a flood of used ones once Mr Musk gets his arse in gear but now he's saying 2019 ........

Thanks again for all the great feedback and tips!
 
Colorado still has EV credits. Actually the highest for any state. But they only apply to new purchase vehicles. When you lease the incentive goes to the leasing company, just like the federal incentive.

http://driveelectricnoco.org/2017/06/coloradoans-have-access-to-highest-ev-tax-credit-in-nation/
 
@Gigawatt:

I second what many others have said here about avoiding a car that barely meets your needs right now, as the range & usefulness will only get worse and more frustrating, and then you're the last guy holding the bag (a great-looking car that nobody wants) and you have to junk it. Ironically, that's likely for many of these originally environmentally friendly cars. Unless there's a quantum breakthrough tomorrow in battery tech and prices plummet, most cars will get scrapped when range hits 30-40 miles.

Assume you're the last owner for whatever car you buy. You'll need to keep it for several years to get your money's worth, so buy a car that will still have 30-40 miles range in three years from now.
 
That's a good point, I saw a car with a battery warrantee until 2021 that might be a good idea, What everyone is tell me that unlike the Prius the batteries won't make it to 200k Miles. I don't need a lot of range but yeah if ever year I get less and less range it's gonna suck. Wonder how much the cheapest pack is, just parts? I can install it myself.
 
I have trouble with those who say that when the battery goes, its time to scrap the car.

A Leaf is well made, and has a lot of value as an electric car, which are still rare and sought after. I would have no problem spending $5-6K on a Leaf that has been sitting around while the battery deteriorated....

Where else could you get a good quality car at that price that could potentially go another 100K miles and use NO gasoline... AND save thousands in fuel vs. gasoline... That alone is worth the price of admission.
 
powersurge said:
I have trouble with those who say that when the battery goes, its time to scrap the car.

A Leaf is well made, and has a lot of value as an electric car, which are still rare and sought after. I would have no problem spending $5-6K on a Leaf that has been sitting around while the battery deteriorated....

Where else could you get a good quality car at that price that could potentially go another 100K miles and use NO gasoline... AND save thousands in fuel vs. gasoline... That alone is worth the price of admission.
I hear what your saying, but from an economic sense, well it makes very little sense :)
Lets say you spend $6K on a battery replacement on a very good condition '13?? Leaf. Well the day after you do the upgrade it will still only be worth $8-9K??. Now I know what you're saying, it may be worth more than that to you, but if another inattentive driver totals your Leaf, $8-9K is probably all your going to get. If you figure before the upgrade you may have been able to get $5-6K for the Leaf and it's degraded battery, well that means you've lost $3k for your battery replacement :(
Spending big money on certain things you'll never really get your money back. Sure if you really want it, it may be worth it to you, but from a financial point, it won't, this happens frequently with a house. The thing with a house is there is it has a far less chance of it getting totaled(house fire??) your Leaf can be like new one minute and totaled the next, with very little you yourself could have done to change the outcome :(

To me instead of spending the $5-6K on a replacement battery what makes more sense is to sell your degraded Leaf cheap on the second hand market and look for a like new, with a good battery, replacement. Of course if your really attached to your current car the $5-6K may be worth it to you, but it probably won't be to anyone else :)

I wonder just how many people(original owners mostly) pony up for a new battery once say it's degraded to 50 miles or less? It's really a shame aftermarket companies and batteries haven't brought down the cost to say $3-4K.....at that cost I might think of replacing the 8 bar battery in my '12SL which otherwise is in excellent condition. As it is now I'm lucky to get 40 miles nowadays and even 20 miles isn't unheard of in extreme cold. Oh and basically 0! regen, just when I need it the most :(
 
Another point to consider; the HUGE difference in battery longevity with a lower DoD

DoD is the % of total capacity used. If you can get a LEAF that has 40% more than you need, you can "live in the middle" running your SOC from 20 to 80% or a DoD of 60% which will greatly increase the usable life of your LEAF.


Now we can debate endlessly over what happened with certain 30 kwh packs so not going there other than to mention

24 kwh packs. DoD 93.6%

30 kwh Packs DoD 94.8%
 
That’s interesting, we are just looking to toodle around town and obviously we have another all-wheel-drive vehicle for our ski trips and road trips to Colorado Utah etc as every other leaf user has here in Colorado I’m sure.

Interesting never knew the batteries were so crappy on these cars perhaps it’s the State of the current technology and perhaps I am comparing them to the Prius which is a totally different beast.

I wonder how the I3 BMW batteries hold up over time?

Are replacement batteries that expensive? Even for the DIY person? If that’s the case how come some people are still asking 10/ 11 K for 2013‘s? Crazy. A good example here on CL in Boulder Denver area is one that was listed at almost 13 K now dropped his price to 11- tow hitch snow tires 360° camera etc. but still a 2013.
 
Gigawatt said:
That’s interesting, we are just looking to toodle around town and obviously we have another all-wheel-drive vehicle for our ski trips and road trips to Colorado Utah etc as every other leaf user has here in Colorado I’m sure.

Interesting never knew the batteries were so crappy on these cars perhaps it’s the State of the current technology and perhaps I am comparing them to the Prius which is a totally different beast.

I wonder how the I3 BMW batteries hold up over time?

Are replacement batteries that expensive? Even for the DIY person? If that’s the case how come some people are still asking 10/ 11 K for 2013‘s? Crazy. A good example here on CL in Boulder Denver area is one that was listed at almost 13 K now dropped his price to 11- tow hitch snow tires 360° camera etc. but still a 2013.

We need a BIG clarification here.

The batteries are not the crappies we need to worry about. Its Nissan's nearly useless BMS and questionable marketing/engineering decisions.

They are the only EVs that allow such as HUGE DoD as the default option and with removal of the 80% option, its not only the default but the ONLY option.
 
Ok so I understand I need to get a 2013 but I'm wondering if folks on CL are really getting what they are asking. Kelly BB list this one here for $9-12k and the they are asking almost $12k

! https://boulder.craigslist.org/cto/d/2013-nissan-leaf-sl-premium/6483660061.html


Ok so it's go snow tires, real trailer hitch etc but we all know that stuff is worth pennies on the dollar when it comes sell a second hand car - and if I can lease a new one for $269 a month (would never do that since the 250 mile range one is on the horizon) and all the battery packs will be bad in a few years according to this forum then why are they asking so much?

I leaning toward an old e39 Bmw, makes more sense than some car with a battery pack thats's gonna conk out and cost me 6k, just been down that road with my Audi, selling it for $500 :(
 
One more thing - how much are new battery pack - I can install it, just wondering what's the cheapest pack one can find that is any good?
 
As far as I know, there are no aftermarket battery packs available. Cheapest option currently is to buy a wrecked car with a good battery and swap it yourself. I doubt Nissan will sell you a pack but who knows? Eventually I assume someone will come out with aftermarket battery kits but I haven't seen any. Replacement at the dealer is currently around $6k I believe.

There are several guys here at work who have 50k+ miles on their Leaf's with all 12 bars remaining. Not all of the battery packs die an early death and if you get one with a 8 year warranty, it will get replaced for 'free' if it does go bad. Usually they get replaced at around 60-65% of full capacity so if you only need 40 miles, you would be covered in all but the worst weather.

I agree the used prices are nuts in Boulder these days. I bought a new one last year since it was cheaper than the used ones. First time I've ever bought a new car in my life. And I've been driving for 40+ years :mrgreen:
 
The one in the ad you posted does look nice and unless the battery management system (BMS) has been 'reset' it should be good for a while. It has all the bells and whistles which add about $5k to the list price and at 39k miles, it is still fairly new. It appears to have the 24kWh pack so the capacity is lower than the newer models but anecdotal evidence is saying that these packs do not degrade as fast as the newer packs. Some people have put the larger pack into these cars but it is a DIY project and not supported by Nissan.

If you truly only need 40 miles of range this wouldn't be a bad choice IMHO. I get about 120 miles of range at 100% on the GOM but all that means to me is that I charge 2x a week. If I had to charge 3x or 4x a week, it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Going to DIA is right at the edge of my cars range so that is one trip I wish I could take but can't. I suppose I could charge at the airport but I do wish I could get there and back on 1 charge. That is how my range affects me. If you only need 40 miles, you should have no issues with the car in the ad. You will certainly save money on gas and maintenance vs an ICE car and it's a blast to drive.
 
The high used prices are probably because of continued demand, while Nissan punted on actually producing significant numbers of 2016 and 2017 models, while also screwing up and not releasing the 2018's until just recently. This will be rectified soon, probably by Summer, but certainly by Fall. Also, the Leaf batteries won't magically crap out, especially in areas like CO with lower average temperatures. My 2011 SL still had 9 bars and has a range of 40-50 mi summer, 30-40 mi winter. I expect about 8% loss per year going forward. I'm in the hottest portion of WA (routinely see 110 F temps every summer), so much greater temps than CO.

You should expect something similar, maybe only 5% loss per year if lucky. Still, if you must buy now and need 40 mi range, I expect that you won't find a "cheap" Leaf that will still meet your needs in 4-5 years. Unfortunately, you're stuck with "cheap" that will need a new battery in a few years, or "expensive". Good luck with your decision.
 
Yes, "cheap" is all relative. It's like eating at a restaurant "a la carte" . It will eventually cost you a lot more than you planned. If you are spending thousands on a used Leaf, get one with the best battery you can afford.

PS- I am a DYI guy, but Those posters who say they will change the battery themselves are naïve.... There is much more involved than just swapping a 12 volt car battery...
 
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