dgpcolorado
Well-known member
One correction here: 2012 SL models have the Quick Charge port. The 2012 SV models do not. If Quick Charging is of interest be sure to check that the car in question has the charge port.TimLee said:No, DCQC cannot be added. Must be factory installed.
Many early 2011 customers were in the government EVproject. They got an SL-etec model that included DCQC at no cost. All 2012s had it. Overall a large % of LEAFs have it.
Very few cars were sold with incentives that lowered the price to $20k. The 2012 prices were much higher than the 2013 prices and only a few states have significant state incentives, with West Virginia the highest IIRC. Others are Georgia, Colorado, California, and Washington (waives sales tax, I believe). So, don't think that the older cars were routinely sold below about $25k net. Most were not.Graycenphil said:...Prices seem to be around 15K here too. That seems high to me because I know that the original owner may have paid under 20K brand new, if they bought it in a state with good incentives. With all the battery degradation reports, it does seem buying a used one is much riskier. I'd have thought that might be reflected in better prices.
For the most part, yes. "Grabby brakes" are a common problem and there is a software fix that is supposed to help. There is also a simple DIY fix that works well IME. The resistance heater has had some failures and there is a long backlog to get the parts. The problem seems worse on 2013 models, for reasons I can't fathom. There are a few reports of the 12V battery failing, in part because the LEAF doesn't do a good job keeping it fully charged, which is bad for lead-acid batteries. A few other problems have cropped up but my sense is that, aside from the main traction battery degrading faster than we were led to believe, the LEAF has been surprisingly reliable for the most part.Speaking of which, that seems to be the only issue anyone is complaining about. Can I assume then that braking, suspension, heating, air conditioning, electrical, etc are all very reliable?
No. The 12th capacity bar is supposed to be lost at 15% degradation but user reports suggest that the car can get close to 20% loss before it disappears. Please understand that a car with 15% or so degradation is still perfectly usable, especially for a short commute. But do consider that the battery will continue to degrade over time so more capacity is better when you purchase a used LEAF*.As for the battery, if I look at a used Leaf and it shows all 12 bars for the battery, am I pretty much assured a good one? ...
My suggestion, and that of others here, is that you purchase or borrow some sort of "Gid meter" that can be used to check on the actual capacity (in Amp•hours) of the battery of any used LEAF you plan to buy. Do NOT expect a dealer to know, or be willing to tell you the truth even if they did know. A Gid meter is also useful to know how much charge is left when driving the car and makes using the bottom part of the battery capacity much more comfortable. In effect, it increases the range and greatly reduces "range anxiety".
One other thing. Only a few 2011 LEAFs had the cold weather package. You can tell which ones because they have the seat and steering wheel heaters (what you can't see is that they also have a battery heater to protect it from extreme cold; it comes on at -4ºF). All 2012 and 2013 LEAFs have it. In the snowbelt you definitely want the cold weather package. Even if your car never sits in below zero temperatures for an extended time, the seat and steering wheel heaters can greatly reduce the need for the energy hog cabin heater. I consider it a really big deal, which is why I mention it.
* A notable exception to the idea that more capacity is better is that if you were to purchase a LEAF with a battery that is severely degraded you could get another battery from Nissan if the car loses four capacity bars (~66% capacity remaining) AND it has less than 60k miles and is less than five years old. So far Nissan has been putting new batteries in those warranty claim cars but it is possible that they may use used batteries in the future. The warranty says that the car will be kept at nine CBs or more during the warranty period. These severely degraded battery cars are usually found in hot weather states such as Arizona, Texas, and parts of California.