Prospective Used Leaf Buyer

[jjeff]

Ok so now I have another question, I found a 2015 leaf s with 5000 miles for 15,000. Is it worth getting a newer s over an older sv?

It depends on the features you want. I believe in order to get the faster charger you need to have the charger package with a S model, that also adds the QC port. The S comes with a smaller LCD screen and lacks navigation, if thats important to you. 5K miles and that '15 should be like new and will also have the Lizard battery.
Personally I have a S and am quite happy with it, mine has the charger package, something I considered a must in my neck of the woods. Oh a downside to the S is it's much less efficient resistive heater compared to the SV and SL's heat pump. In hindsight I kind of wish I had got the upper trims to get that but I didn't know about it at the time and apparently neither did the new car dealer I purchased it from, although I didn't want all the extras on the upper trims nor the cost associated with it so I don't really know what I would have done.

 

[GRA]

Ok so now I have another question, I found a 2015 leaf s with 5000 miles for 15,000. Is it worth getting a newer s over an older sv?

For Roseberg's climate, you'll really benefit on range with the heat pump heater, which is only available on the 2013+ SV/SL. You're pushing the winter range either way (older battery with heat pump vs. newer battery without). If you're a college student, I'd think it's difficult to justify a used BEV at this time, especially if this is your only car and you take road trips occasionally (or more often). I think your best bet is a used Prius or Volt. Once you're out of college and earning the big bucks, you can consider a longer range BEV.

 

[ColbyS]

Thanks everyone for all of the answers, I'm still torn though. I really want to make it work and I feel like I could, but the battery degrading scares me. And I do have a place I can charge in town, at my grandmas... I usually stop by for an hour or two every day before work anyway actually. Also, I still live at home so I have access to a car for roadtrips, which I rarely go on.

 

[ColbyS]

I wish there was some way I could "test" one for a weekend and see if I could get it to work. I wonder if the dealer would be willing haha.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I wish there was some way I could "test" one for a weekend and see if I could get it to work. I wonder if the dealer would be willing haha.

Some dealers do allow that, but not most. You could put an offer on Craigslist to pay someone $100 to drive you around your route for a day in their Leaf.

 

[inphoenix]

I wish there was some way I could "test" one for a weekend and see if I could get it to work. I wonder if the dealer would be willing haha.

Some dealers do allow that, but not most. You could put an offer on Craigslist to pay someone $100 to drive you around your route for a day in their Leaf.

Find the a local user group on this forum or FB and post a request as you never know. I'd love to help out someone in Phoenix area.

 

[GRA]

Thanks everyone for all of the answers, I'm still torn though. I really want to make it work and I feel like I could, but the battery degrading scares me. And I do have a place I can charge in town, at my grandmas... I usually stop by for an hour or two every day before work anyway actually. Also, I still live at home so I have access to a car for roadtrips, which I rarely go on.

You can 'make it work' with the right attitude, which you seem to have, but for most people putting up with limited or no heat and having to worry about finding a place to charge and wasting the time there whenever they make any deviation from their normal routine gets old pretty quickly. Since you can charge at your grandma's, although that makes a used LEAF more viable*, a used Volt looks better and better. Except on the worst weather days (cold/rain/wind), you will be able to do your whole trip in on the battery, and most days you can get part of the way home too. Add charging at grandma's, and you can do most or all of the trip home. If you could afford a new Volt you could do the round trip much of the time on the battery without recharging, but that's almost certainly out of your price range.

Not only will a Volt do the majority of your local driving on the battery, it will also allow you to take any road trip with no issues, nor will you have to worry if you need to make a spur of the moment trip. In addition, the car will still be usable 10 years from now (with less electric range to be sure), and will keep a higher resale value. In short, you get 80-90% of the electric benefit without dealing with the hassle of limited range and charging infrastructure.


*Does your grandma have a 240 volt receptacle (dryer typically) in her garage? Otherwise you'll be limited to 120 Volt charging, which typically adds just 3-5 miles of range per hour of charging. That's true for any plug-in electric vehicle, BTW.

 

[ColbyS]

I'll have to look at the volt, it sounds like it might be the way for me to go. Or I could just hold off for a few years... I'll have a better job, electric cars will be cheaper and have more range. Yes she does have a 240 volt in her garage.

 

[ColbyS]

One thing that I really dislike about this whole process is talking to the Nissan dealer. They're horrible! No matter what question I ask the only answer I get is a sales pitch, no real answers.

 

[LeftieBiker]

One thing that I really dislike about this whole process is talking to the Nissan dealer. They're horrible! No matter what question I ask the only answer I get is a sales pitch, no real answers.

Yes. Car dealers in general Suck, but Nissan Dealers seem to be even lower on the evolutionary scale than most. They probably have rooms at the dealerships with sun lamps and big flat rocks.

 

[GRA]

I'll have to look at the volt, it sounds like it might be the way for me to go. Or I could just hold off for a few years... I'll have a better job, electric cars will be cheaper and have more range. Yes she does have a 240 volt in her garage.

Seeing as how you're a college student, I think holding off is probably the most economical and logical option, assuming you have a reasonably reliable vehicle that's paid for and gets better mileage than a Hummer to drive now.

You haven't told us why you want to get into a PEV now - is it because you think it will save you money, you want to be green, energy/national security, or you just think the tech's cool? Obviously I know little about your specific situation, but if you're considering doing this for money or ideological reasons, let me suggest another option: is there any chance you could rent a room at grandma's, at least during the week? It may not be as cool as driving an electric car, but eliminating 200+ miles of commuting every week is about the best thing you can do for the environment/energy security, at the lowest cost.

 

[ColbyS]

I want to get an electric vehicle for a few reasons, more environmentally friendly, cheaper to operate, coolness factor is part of it. Also, I drive a 2013 Hyundai Elantra limited right now, which I still make payments on. I got a pretty good deal on it, so I could most likely sell it for more than I paid, which would get rid of my loan and give me some extra, plus what I have saved is almost enough to buy a used Leaf. If I didn't have to pay for gas, just electricity and minor maintenance I think it would be cheaper for me to own the Leaf.

I should add that I do enjoy my current car, and it gets about 40mpg depending on how I drive, so I should be content with what I have now. I can't help but think that the Leaf is a better option.

 

[GRA]

I want to get an electric vehicle for a few reasons, more environmentally friendly, cheaper to operate, coolness factor is part of it. Also, I drive a 2013 Hyundai Elantra limited right now, which I still make payments on. I got a pretty good deal on it, so I could most likely sell it for more than I paid, which would get rid of my loan and give me some extra, plus what I have saved is almost enough to buy a used Leaf. If I didn't have to pay for gas, just electricity and minor maintenance I think it would be cheaper for me to own the Leaf.

I should add that I do enjoy my current car, and it gets about 40mpg depending on how I drive, so I should be content with what I have now. I can't help but think that the Leaf is a better option.

You should have enough info now to do the economic tradeoff calcs. Only you can weigh what the other factors are worth to you. Good luck with your decision.

 

[ColbyS]

Thank you, I certainly have a lot to think about!

 

[Evoforce]

We really enjoy our cars! We don't have any tattoos of electric vehicles but I am pretty sure we are enthusiasts. Good luck on your quest!