Looking for a leaf

[bhicks]

I keep hearing about the original packs loosing bars. I have found a few ads for leafs that mention only 5-6 bars available and they only have 40-50k on the odometer. That seems like a terrible design. There is no chance that car will ever hit 100k. What is the solution to that? All the threads I found about battery replacement were extremely vague on the cost to do that. I found one thread that mentioned price but it said $10,000 for the battery. Is that correct? If so, that's insane. That basically means that when the battery dies the cars has zero value since the cost of a used 1st gen with good battery is less then the repair. It's like owning a disposable car. You drive it until the battery runs out then just junk it. That may not be a bad approach if the batteries can go 500k but if they can't even get close to 100k then these cars seem like a technology joke.

There is capacity warranty for up to 60 months/60000 miles, if the car drops to 8 bars or less Nissan will replace the battery under this warranty, so a 2011 car with 6 capacity bars that has 40-50k on the odometer may be a good find as you can get a free new battery. You should confirm with Nissan if the car is eligible for such warranty replacement before buying.

Out of pocket battery replacement will cost 5-6k, one of the MNL members just recently got his replaced for $5,500.

Yes, 2011 cars were not a good investment as it turned out. I expect to be able to squeeze 120,000 miles out of my battery but with greatly reduced range, so I will have to charge on the road more and more. It all depends how far you need to drive daily, if all you need is 30-40 miles and have a second car for occasional long trip the Leaf will be usable for quite a while.

After talking with my insurance company and now finding out the cost in battery replacement every 100-120k I have some numbers and they don't bode well for the Leaf. I average about 40,000 miles a year in driving my car. If I get 120k out of a new battery, then every 3 years I spend around 6K on an new battery. That's 2k a year for battery cost plug another $1500-$2k a year in electric bill. A 35mpg communter car like a Kia forte or something will end up costing almost the exact same amount in fuel as I will spend in electricity and battery replacement. There are still a couple unknowns that still may make the Leaf more affordable. Are there any tax incentives for buying a used EV? Is the cost of registration in CA less for an EV?

 

[Valdemar]

After talking with my insurance company and now finding out the cost in battery replacement every 100-120k I have some numbers and they don't bode well for the Leaf. I average about 40,000 miles a year in driving my car. If I get 120k out of a new battery, then every 3 years I spend around 6K on an new battery. That's 2k a year for battery cost plug another $1500-$2k a year in electric bill. A 35mpg communter car like a Kia forte or something will end up costing almost the exact same amount in fuel as I will spend in electricity and battery replacement. There are still a couple unknowns that still may make the Leaf more affordable. Are there any tax incentives for buying a used EV? Is the cost of registration in CA less for an EV?

No incentives for buying used. Registration is about the same. That's why I said earlier a 35mpg commuter car would be a better and more convenient choice if your primary goal is to save money. Curious how you put 40,000 miles a year with the 60 mile daily r/t commute you mentioned, i do about 20,000 annually with a similar commute. Electric bill can be much less if TOU works for you. Also no oil changes and other maintenance required, reduction gear oil and coolant change once in 120,000 miles, brake fluid as ususal, brake pads last forever, that's pretty much it. Also consider if you have an EV-specific failure on the Leaf most likely than not you will have to take it to a dealer for repairs ($$$), however 11/12 Leafs are super reliable overall apart from the battery life.

Money matters aside, you should first be concerned with your commute from work. Even if Leaf turns out to be free to own, will it do you any good if you can't make it home from work on a single charge during winter? I don't have the data how much more energy you spent driving uphill, but I've seen it somewhere on this forum, ask in the main owner's section about your specific commute needs and how degraded of a battery can still handle it.

 

[bhicks]

After talking with my insurance company and now finding out the cost in battery replacement every 100-120k I have some numbers and they don't bode well for the Leaf. I average about 40,000 miles a year in driving my car. If I get 120k out of a new battery, then every 3 years I spend around 6K on an new battery. That's 2k a year for battery cost plug another $1500-$2k a year in electric bill. A 35mpg communter car like a Kia forte or something will end up costing almost the exact same amount in fuel as I will spend in electricity and battery replacement. There are still a couple unknowns that still may make the Leaf more affordable. Are there any tax incentives for buying a used EV? Is the cost of registration in CA less for an EV?

No incentives for buying used. Registration is about the same. That's why I said earlier a 35mpg commuter car would be a better and more convenient choice if your primary goal is to save money. Curious how you put 40,000 miles a year with the 60 mile daily r/t commute you mentioned, i do about 20,000 annually with a similar commute. Electric bill can be much less if TOU works for you. Also no oil changes and other maintenance required, reduction gear oil and coolant change once in 120,000 miles, brake fluid as ususal, brake pads last forever, that's pretty much it. Also consider if you have an EV-specific failure on the Leaf most likely than not you will have to take it to a dealer for repairs ($$$), however 11/12 Leafs are super reliable overall apart from the battery life.

Money matters aside, you should first be concerned with your commute from work. Even if Leaf turns out to be free to own, will it do you any good if you can't make it home from work on a single charge during winter? I don't have the data how much more energy you spent driving uphill, but I've seen it somewhere on this forum, ask in the main owner's section about your specific commute needs and how degraded of a battery can still handle it.

40,000 miles a year is actually a tad under my average. 4 days a week I get home from work and either have baseball or soccer practice for one of my two boys which is BACK down the mtn. I also have a Church group and friend group thing I do each week. I average making the commute down the mtn. about 12-15 times per week. It ads up quick. I'm realizing that even if the Leaf can get me home (and at this point that is a big if) it will definitely not be able to get me back down and up for sports practices and games. That means I'm still driving the Landcruiser down the mtn. for the 2nd trip every day. Looks like the Leaf is just not the right fit for my life style. Looks like the traditional commuter car is the path I need to take. Guys, I REALLY appreciate all your honest and straight forward info. It has allowed me to make a good decision on what I need to do next. Thank you.

 

[Valdemar]

You could buy 2 Leafs

 

[speedski97]

A Tesla S- 70D would work well for you. All wheel drive for the snow. It might be more fun then your Toyota. and a Tesla supercharger is not that far away from you.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

A Tesla S- 70D would work well for you. All wheel drive for the snow. It might be more fun then your Toyota. and a Tesla supercharger is not that far away from you.

I think the Tesla might be a little out of his $7500-9000 price range...
Ok.. a lot.

 

[BernieTx]

delete

 

[BernieTx]

... A 35mpg communter car like a Kia forte or something will end up costing almost the exact same amount in fuel as I will spend in electricity and battery replacement.

Get a used Prius @50 mpg.

One of the guys 4 spots down from me drives a volt. He plugs it in on the same wall (different outlet) that I'm considering using. He has been doing it for 2 years with no complaints. I will talk with him and see if he had to get it all arranged with our employer.

Ask your friend what he thinks of his Volt The used Volts gets 38 EPA miles electric range and have a 9.5 gallon gas tank; 37mpg combined and no range anxiety. I don't think you can get a used Volt under $10k though, because they hold their value better than Leaf's due to GM's bullet proof battery TMS cooling/heating system. There are many Volts that have been driven 200k miles, some in hot climates, and they all have minimal or zero battery degradation. A 30mile drive on electric is no big deal, but with 4000' of elevation gain, I think it will use gas on the way home, even with a full battery.

 

[mitrals]

Another option for you is a Ford Cmax Energi. Does about 22miles on a charge and charges in 4.5 hours. Based on your commute you can easily do 2/3rds of your trip on electric. Monthly electric bill will go up by $40-50 at 25 cent/KWH. No range anxiety!!!

 

[JimSouCal]

Used Prius. BernieTX is spot on.

Your elevation up and down, along with winter cold...

I love my LEAF but it's a no go for the LT here... If money was no object, Tesla with easy on off Thule chains for those few days you'd have to chain up to get home.

Fun mental exercise watching the thread go, but I'd say since money (and hassle reduction) at the drivers, go fine a great used Prius.

 

[Valdemar]

What is the life expectancy of a used Prius battery? How much to replace? I spoke with a coworker he said he had to replace his at 150,000 miles and paid $3,500, while I believe he overpaid the mileage he was able to get out of it is probably about right?

 

[bhicks]

Looks like I will go look at a prius and Ford Cmax. Thanks for the tips guys!