Hello from Canada! Thinking of buying a used Leaf and have questions

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

WPGRoads

Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2024
Messages
7
Location
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Hi everyone! My wife and I are considering purchasing a 2011 Nissan Leaf. It has 9 bars of battery health left and we might be able to get it for a great price. I took the car for a test drive and everything seemed to work fine, including the PTC heater. I did not check the battery with leafspy yet as my OBD2 reader is not compatible. I have a compatible reader coming from Amazon asap. I've done a lot of research in the past couple days and I still have some questions for the community.

First some context for my situation:
  1. This would be our first EV. We currently have 2 ICE cars, one of which would be sold within a few months after making sure the leaf works for us.
  2. We'll be using this car for commuting which is a maximum of 15km (9 miles) each way.
  3. We currently only have a regular 120v outlet at home to charge from.
  4. We do not have a garage. The car would be stored outside.
  5. We live in a part of Canada where it can get as cold as -30C (-22F) in the winter and as hot as +30C (86F) in the summer. This leaf has been here since 2019 so I guess it's survived this climate at least that long.
  6. No charging available at my workplace. They have block heater outlets that are on timers and restrict power which likely means the charger would not work.
  7. I have experience working on my own ICE cars as well as an electronics engineering degree with experience designing DC control systems for small vehicles like golf carts. I also have access to the tools, PPE, and workspace to work on this car. I'm not purporting to be able to fix all the potential issues with this car, but I'm open to experimenting and I'm hoping to be able to contribute to the Leaf community.
My questions for you:
  1. Charging is not yet available at my workplace. If the car is sitting in the extreme cold or extreme hot for up to 10 hours, would this greatly deplete the battery? (See question below about battery warmer, too)
  2. Some people on Reddit and forums have referenced unique features available on the 2011 that were phased out in later models. Any idea what they're talking about?
  3. I purchased a Carfax report and the car has a clean history. However, 9 bars remaining in a 2011 seems a bit unlikely and I'm wondering if the original battery was replaced. I know that sometimes even maintenance/repairs as big as a battery replacement can be missed by VIN reports like Carfax so I'm wondering if there's an easy way to tell if it still has the original battery.
  4. The Carfax shows the car originated from Tennessee (after being built in Japan) and does not have heated seats or heated steering wheel. What are the chances it has a battery warmer that was present in later models? The weather here has been pretty mild lately so it may be hard to test. Am I able to tell any other way if it has a battery warmer? If it doesn't, I'm not sure how it would have survived being here since 2019 unless the previous owner had heated garages at home and work to park in, unless I'm missing something else.
  5. Is there anything else I should check for next time I see the car?
  6. As a last step I'll likely have the car inspected by my local mechanic, moreso for the mechanical stuff I don't like working on like suspension. Is there anything specific I should have them check?
Thank you in advance!
 
Welcome. Have you read my used Leaf buying guide? I'll link it shortly. We generally discourage people from buying a 2011 or 2012 Leaf because of battery issues and the poor heating system, but your use case is an exception. I'm also concerned about the temperature extremes your would experience, though. 10 hours of extreme cold shouldn't be an issue, but days of it, with no garage, definitely would be. One way to deal with it is to keep the car charging at 120 volts as much as possible, as charging even at that rate warms the battery slightly. Still, overall, I think that owning that 2011 would be a bridge too far, as it were. You need a Leaf with a battery warmer, at a minimum, and someplace to keep it plugged in during frigid weather.

https://mynissanleaf.com/threads/things-you-really-need-to-know-when-shopping-for-a-used-leaf.26662/
 
Hi Leftie,

I found your buying guide shortly after I made the post. Thanks for the great writeup, it helped a lot!

I mostly agree with your assessment. Ideally I would find a 2013-2015 model for a great price and move on, but the 2011 I'm looking at simply has me captivated! I'll likely go look at it again soon (if it doesn't sell in the meantime) better prepared with more information. I'll be looking to see if the original battery has been replaced by checking the disconnect under the panel. If the battery has been replaced with a newer one, do you think it's possible it would have a working warmer?

If I find that the car definitely does not have a battery warmer, I figure I have two possible options to mitigate the freezing risk:
  1. Drive the car every day to keep the battery warm and charge it on 120V whenever it's not being used. The only time this wouldn't be possible is at work for up to 10 hours. Currently it's very rare for a day to go by that I don't have to drive somewhere.
  2. Install external heating pads like these. There are a few posts of people adding these to the bottom of the battery packs with great success. Having worked on farm equipment for years in the North, I'm all too familiar with installing and using these warmers. They would also be able to be powered by the block heater outlets at my workplace, keeping the battery warm during the day.
Of course, the smartest thing to do would be to heed your advice and move on, but I usually like to make sure I've exhausted all options before giving up on a project, haha!
 
I'm new here so don't quote me on this, but from what I've read almost all later year Leafs have a battery warmer that kicks in when the battery temperature is -1F (-17C) or colder, and turns off when the temperature is 14F (-10C). Early model Leafs only had this battery warmer if they had the cold-weather package from the factory. If you live in a warm climate, the battery warmer is unlikely to ever be used.

The Leaf I'm looking at does not have this cold-weather package and likely does not have a battery warmer despite having been owned and driven in a very cold climate for at least 5 years!
 
  1. No charging available at my workplace. They have block heater outlets that are on timers and restrict power which likely means the charger would not work.
Block heaters typically work on 120 VAC household plugs which is equivalent to a Level 1 charge rate of 12 amps. Can you set the timer for the whole time you are at work or do they limit it to an hour or two?
 
Block heaters typically work on 120 VAC household plugs which is equivalent to a Level 1 charge rate of 12 amps. Can you set the timer for the whole time you are at work or do they limit it to an hour or two?
Unfortunately for EV owners at my workplace, the outlets in the parking spaces meant for block heaters cycle on and off to conserve power. This works great for traditional block heaters, but is not recommended to be used for anything else. It may end up working somewhat, but I don't want to rely on power being available at work.
 
  1. The Carfax shows the car originated from Tennessee (after being built in Japan) and does not have heated seats or heated steering wheel.
In your location/weather, even with your expected usage of 18 miles roundtrip, the lack of seat and steering wheel heating would be a no-no for me.

The Leaf, especially the first years without a heat pump, use a lot of energy to heat the air in the cabin. Under most winter conditions (down towards zero F for me), and with appropriate clothing, you can get along pretty well with a warm butt/torso and hands. Without that option, I think a Leaf would be a pretty miserable car to be in.
 
In your location/weather, even with your expected usage of 18 miles roundtrip, the lack of seat and steering wheel heating would be a no-no for me.

The Leaf, especially the first years without a heat pump, use a lot of energy to heat the air in the cabin. Under most winter conditions (down towards zero F for me), and with appropriate clothing, you can get along pretty well with a warm butt/torso and hands. Without that option, I think a Leaf would be a pretty miserable car to be in.
Agreed! My plan was to add an aftermarket seat warmer powered by a portable power station, which I was already planning to purchase for camping.
 
I can't imagine buying a 12-year-old vehicle let alone a 12-year-old EV, but more power to you. I just bought a 2024 and have tried to see how little heat I can use during my 25-mile commute. This morning it was 17 degrees F and I had the climate control set to prewarm the car for my commute. I still wore my hat, heavy down coat with a hoodie underneath, jeans and trainers. I also have gloves. I started the trip out comfortable with gloves off. Within 10 minutes I needed the gloves, and shortly thereafter was thankful for the heated steering wheel. The heated seats also helped because the down was compressed under my backside, eliminating most of its insulating value. My biggest issue is cold legs and feet. If you are in a climate where you will be wearing better thermal layers on the lower half of your body for your commute or all day,... you'd probably still be uncomfortable. A heated coat and socks and flannel lined pants, or long Johns might do it.

I'd really like to see employers have more parking spaces with simple 20A 240V outlets and let employees use their own portable EVSEs. Installation costs would be much more reasonable.
 
Hi everyone! My wife and I are considering purchasing a 2011 Nissan Leaf. It has 9 bars of battery health left and we might be able to get it for a great price. I took the car for a test drive and everything seemed to work fine, including the PTC heater. I did not check the battery with leafspy yet as my OBD2 reader is not compatible. I have a compatible reader coming from Amazon asap. I've done a lot of research in the past couple days and I still have some questions for the community.

First some context for my situation:
  1. This would be our first EV. We currently have 2 ICE cars, one of which would be sold within a few months after making sure the leaf works for us.
  2. We'll be using this car for commuting which is a maximum of 15km (9 miles) each way.
  3. We currently only have a regular 120v outlet at home to charge from.
  4. We do not have a garage. The car would be stored outside.
  5. We live in a part of Canada where it can get as cold as -30C (-22F) in the winter and as hot as +30C (86F) in the summer. This leaf has been here since 2019 so I guess it's survived this climate at least that long.
  6. No charging available at my workplace. They have block heater outlets that are on timers and restrict power which likely means the charger would not work.
  7. I have experience working on my own ICE cars as well as an electronics engineering degree with experience designing DC control systems for small vehicles like golf carts. I also have access to the tools, PPE, and workspace to work on this car. I'm not purporting to be able to fix all the potential issues with this car, but I'm open to experimenting and I'm hoping to be able to contribute to the Leaf community.
My questions for you:
  1. Charging is not yet available at my workplace. If the car is sitting in the extreme cold or extreme hot for up to 10 hours, would this greatly deplete the battery? (See question below about battery warmer, too)
  2. Some people on Reddit and forums have referenced unique features available on the 2011 that were phased out in later models. Any idea what they're talking about?
  3. I purchased a Carfax report and the car has a clean history. However, 9 bars remaining in a 2011 seems a bit unlikely and I'm wondering if the original battery was replaced. I know that sometimes even maintenance/repairs as big as a battery replacement can be missed by VIN reports like Carfax so I'm wondering if there's an easy way to tell if it still has the original battery.
  4. The Carfax shows the car originated from Tennessee (after being built in Japan) and does not have heated seats or heated steering wheel. What are the chances it has a battery warmer that was present in later models? The weather here has been pretty mild lately so it may be hard to test. Am I able to tell any other way if it has a battery warmer? If it doesn't, I'm not sure how it would have survived being here since 2019 unless the previous owner had heated garages at home and work to park in, unless I'm missing something else.
  5. Is there anything else I should check for next time I see the car?
  6. As a last step I'll likely have the car inspected by my local mechanic, moreso for the mechanical stuff I don't like working on like suspension. Is there anything specific I should have them check?
Thank you in advance!
Ah ha! You’re looking at the leaf I’m thinking about also. I don’t need a car but I’m foolish enough to buy them anyway.
You have found out enough about this one that I’m not terribly likely to buy it. It would work better for me as I’m looking at a 20 km round trip to work but I have an insulated garage so it would start out much warmer. And access to always on 120 plug.
Heated seat cushions are easy to use, installation of seat heaters into the existing seats should be fairly easy for you.
Steering wheel swap to heated probably a bit more complicated depending on if factory wiring is in place or not.
From this site battery warmers didn’t start until after 2011. It’s a mat under the batteries apparently. The batteries in the 2011s are purported be the worst but also are noted to be long lasting in cool climates. Heat is almost always worse for any battery than cold is unless it’s discharged.

If you have a spot dedicated to you then you could see if your employer would swap that plug out for a regular one. Assuming it is the blinking light type of receptical.

I was considering it as I have appropriate charging and warm garage to park it in. And a spare vehicle in case it dies too. Not having the heated steering wheel and being a 2011 is probably the deal breaker for me. But $5200 is a plus.

One thing I haven’t found out about the 2011 is can it be set to preheat in the cold weather while plugged in.

It’s up to you but given your lack of warmer place to park it maybe you should pass? A interior car warmer would help for the interior but then you need two separate circuits to plug it in. Which you will need anyway if you plug your ice vehicles in too. If you’re plugging your ice in, the interior warmer can be on the same circuit with it.

Too bad you missed out on the 2013 that just sold. 88,000 on it also 9 bars if I remember right. Original from Kelowna BC. Only $6900 for that one.

Note for our American friends, we’re in Canada so 🇨🇦 $ and kilometres.
 
Block heaters typically work on 120 VAC household plugs which is equivalent to a Level 1 charge rate of 12 amps. Can you set the timer for the whole time you are at work or do they limit it to an hour or two?
The plugs for the block heaters here electronically controlled. They don’t turn on until -12 Celsius and then cycle on and off variable amounts of time depending on the ambient temperature. The good news is it can easily be swapped for a conventional plug. But it might not have 15 amp available as it might be shared with another plug.
 
Ah ha! You’re looking at the leaf I’m thinking about also. I don’t need a car but I’m foolish enough to buy them anyway.
You have found out enough about this one that I’m not terribly likely to buy it. It would work better for me as I’m looking at a 20 km round trip to work but I have an insulated garage so it would start out much warmer. And access to always on 120 plug.
Heated seat cushions are easy to use, installation of seat heaters into the existing seats should be fairly easy for you.
Steering wheel swap to heated probably a bit more complicated depending on if factory wiring is in place or not.
From this site battery warmers didn’t start until after 2011. It’s a mat under the batteries apparently. The batteries in the 2011s are purported be the worst but also are noted to be long lasting in cool climates. Heat is almost always worse for any battery than cold is unless it’s discharged.

If you have a spot dedicated to you then you could see if your employer would swap that plug out for a regular one. Assuming it is the blinking light type of receptical.

I was considering it as I have appropriate charging and warm garage to park it in. And a spare vehicle in case it dies too. Not having the heated steering wheel and being a 2011 is probably the deal breaker for me. But $5200 is a plus.

One thing I haven’t found out about the 2011 is can it be set to preheat in the cold weather while plugged in.

It’s up to you but given your lack of warmer place to park it maybe you should pass? A interior car warmer would help for the interior but then you need two separate circuits to plug it in. Which you will need anyway if you plug your ice vehicles in too. If you’re plugging your ice in, the interior warmer can be on the same circuit with it.

Too bad you missed out on the 2013 that just sold. 88,000 on it also 9 bars if I remember right. Original from Kelowna BC. Only $6900 for that one.

Note for our American friends, we’re in Canada so 🇨🇦 $ and kilometres.
Haha no way!

The 2011 can be set to preheat using a timer on the Nav/display unit. Good point on the steering wheel swap if the harness is there. I've done steering wheel swaps on ICE cars. It's a headache but it's doable.

Did you go see that 2013? I only talked to the seller online and they weren't very responsive. Plus any time a car needs body work due to rust to pass safety I get weary. I can fix a lot of things, but any body work more than a paint touchup scares me away!

I'm a little sad, but I'm now leaning towards not getting the 2011. PM me if you want the Carfax report lol. If you do get it and want some help tinkering with it I would be happy to help. After all the research I've done on Leafs I think I'll patiently wait for a 2013-2015 to come up for sale.
 
Haha no way!

The 2011 can be set to preheat using a timer on the Nav/display unit. Good point on the steering wheel swap if the harness is there. I've done steering wheel swaps on ICE cars. It's a headache but it's doable.

Did you go see that 2013? I only talked to the seller online and they weren't very responsive. Plus any time a car needs body work due to rust to pass safety I get weary. I can fix a lot of things, but any body work more than a paint touchup scares me away!

I'm a little sad, but I'm now leaning towards not getting the 2011. PM me if you want the Carfax report lol. If you do get it and want some help tinkering with it I would be happy to help. After all the research I've done on Leafs I think I'll patiently wait for a 2013-2015 to come up for sale.
I thought I edited my reply, it was a 2012. That one would have been great for you if it has the battery warmer.
I did try to see the 2013 with rust but that guy was an idiot when it comes to communication. It’s actually the one that got me started on this silliness.

There might be a 2015 coming for sale soon but it’s got 189k on it. 75% battery.
 
I'm a little sad, but I'm now leaning towards not getting the 2011. PM me if you want the Carfax report lol. If you do get it and want some help tinkering with it I would be happy to help. After all the research I've done on Leafs I think I'll patiently wait for a 2013-2015 to come up for sale.
Good call IMO.
 
Good call IMO.
I might consider it as a toy car to play with in my spare time, but because it’s a throwaway vehicle I can’t justify paying 5200 for it. There aren’t many leafs in the area so parting it out after the traction battery is done would be difficult.
 
Haha no way!

The 2011 can be set to preheat using a timer on the Nav/display unit. Good point on the steering wheel swap if the harness is there. I've done steering wheel swaps on ICE cars. It's a headache but it's doable.

Did you go see that 2013? I only talked to the seller online and they weren't very responsive. Plus any time a car needs body work due to rust to pass safety I get weary. I can fix a lot of things, but any body work more than a paint touchup scares me away!

I'm a little sad, but I'm now leaning towards not getting the 2011. PM me if you want the Carfax report lol. If you do get it and want some help tinkering with it I would be happy to help. After all the research I've done on Leafs I think I'll patiently wait for a 2013-2015 to come up for sale.
I pm’ed you. At least I think I did.
 
Hi everyone! My wife and I are considering purchasing a 2011 Nissan Leaf. It has 9 bars of battery health left and we might be able to get it for a great price. I took the car for a test drive and everything seemed to work fine, including the PTC heater. I did not check the battery with leafspy yet as my OBD2 reader is not compatible. I have a compatible reader coming from Amazon asap. I've done a lot of research in the past couple days and I still have some questions for the community.

First some context for my situation:
  1. This would be our first EV. We currently have 2 ICE cars, one of which would be sold within a few months after making sure the leaf works for us.
  2. We'll be using this car for commuting which is a maximum of 15km (9 miles) each way.
  3. We currently only have a regular 120v outlet at home to charge from.
  4. We do not have a garage. The car would be stored outside.
  5. We live in a part of Canada where it can get as cold as -30C (-22F) in the winter and as hot as +30C (86F) in the summer. This leaf has been here since 2019 so I guess it's survived this climate at least that long.
  6. No charging available at my workplace. They have block heater outlets that are on timers and restrict power which likely means the charger would not work.
  7. I have experience working on my own ICE cars as well as an electronics engineering degree with experience designing DC control systems for small vehicles like golf carts. I also have access to the tools, PPE, and workspace to work on this car. I'm not purporting to be able to fix all the potential issues with this car, but I'm open to experimenting and I'm hoping to be able to contribute to the Leaf community.
My questions for you:
  1. Charging is not yet available at my workplace. If the car is sitting in the extreme cold or extreme hot for up to 10 hours, would this greatly deplete the battery? (See question below about battery warmer, too)
  2. Some people on Reddit and forums have referenced unique features available on the 2011 that were phased out in later models. Any idea what they're talking about?
  3. I purchased a Carfax report and the car has a clean history. However, 9 bars remaining in a 2011 seems a bit unlikely and I'm wondering if the original battery was replaced. I know that sometimes even maintenance/repairs as big as a battery replacement can be missed by VIN reports like Carfax so I'm wondering if there's an easy way to tell if it still has the original battery.
  4. The Carfax shows the car originated from Tennessee (after being built in Japan) and does not have heated seats or heated steering wheel. What are the chances it has a battery warmer that was present in later models? The weather here has been pretty mild lately so it may be hard to test. Am I able to tell any other way if it has a battery warmer? If it doesn't, I'm not sure how it would have survived being here since 2019 unless the previous owner had heated garages at home and work to park in, unless I'm missing something else.
  5. Is there anything else I should check for next time I see the car?
  6. As a last step I'll likely have the car inspected by my local mechanic, moreso for the mechanical stuff I don't like working on like suspension. Is there anything specific I should have them check?
Thank you in advance!
I have a 2015 Leaf S (base model), bought in 2020, with 150,000 km that just recently dropped to 10 bars. I don't know if it has a battery heater but I have noticed that the range takes a nosedive as soon as the exterior temperature gets close to 0 °C (3 bars or less on the battery temperature indicator). It recovers as soon as it warms up, so the cold doesn't discharge the battery, it just makes it behave like a smaller battery. If the car you are considering was bought in Kentucky, it likely has the 2.5 liter washer fluid tank with no low level sensor (mine came from Texas), so you need to keep a jug of washer fluid in the car. If you are used to a heated seat and steering wheel, you won't be happy in a Leaf that doesn't have them. In the 5 years I have had my Leaf, I have changed 3 lightbulbs, that's it! It's easily the most trouble-free vehicle I have owned in 50 years. My favourite feature is the cabin warmer that operates when the car is plugged in. It is delightful to get into a warm car on a cold morning and, as a bonus, any frost or light snow melts. Our family now has 4 EVs and no ICE cars. We seem to have no problem keeping all four EVs charged with a single 240 volt charger.
 
Back
Top