2011–2015 Leaf as a secondary vehicle?

[LeftieBiker]

Make sure the car you select has the convenience features you want because cruise control, heated seats, and heated steering wheel were not included on some lower trim models.

The S came with no cruise control before 2015 or so, but ALL Leafs had heated front and rear seats and steering wheel until 2015, except the 2011. Otherwise I agree with the above. One thing to consider: you really don't need 12 bars, so you might focus on 11 bar cars, and even consider a 10 bar - as long as it was built after March of 2013 and had the QC port, and the price was very low.

[SageBrush]

You'd have to have the car transported to Oregon, which would run probably $500-700.

I had my LEAF shipped from NorCal to Albuquerque two years ago for ~ $600.

[rmay635703]

as long as it was built after March of 2013 and had the QC port, and the price was very low.

The odd part with leaf asking prices is that they seem to be the same today as they were nearly 4 years ago except the cars are now older with more miles.

Very strange, a lot of low end plug ins are in the $3-$4000 area with lowish miles.

Odd to think a leaf is becoming a premium EV in the beater EV market.

[powersurge]

Yes, Leaf resale prices have remained stable (bad thing)..... My 2015 S was worth $10k 2-3 years ago, and they are still going for that...

I guess that any junk Leaf will always bottom out at around $5k.

[rmay635703]

Yes, Leaf resale prices have remained stable (bad thing)..... My 2015 S was worth $10k 2-3 years ago, and they are still going for that...

I guess that any junk Leaf will always bottom out at around $5k.

There are quite a lot of what I would consider “high mileage” leafs in the market now.

One has to Wonder who pays $7000+ on up for a leaf with over 70,000 miles?

Seems like that person might be disappointed with the remaining range?

[anthonystclair]

Holy moly, y'all have been amazing. Thank you for all these perspectives. My wife and I have been digesting everything you said, and it's been really helpful.

Based off what you're saying, I'm figuring a 2015 will be our sweet spot. Waiting to see how our taxes settle out before we start "Leaf hunting" more aggressively.

Good points on the private sale. I've seen a few private ones in the area, but mostly dealerships. Thanks too for being willing to check out links.

Looking forward to finding our right Leaf!

[LeftieBiker]

This should help with Leaf shopping:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.p ... 2&p=538030

[SalisburySam]

Other posters have pretty much said it all and I’d like to add my own emphasis to two items:

1- Dealership cars are cars bought from individuals either outright or as trade-in. There may or may not be an advantage if the dealership really does inspect and repair deficiencies, but beyond cleaning it up, that’s unlikely. The only thing you can be sure of is that there will be a markup over negotiating and buying from an individual. Just a middle-man situation.
2- I can’t stress enough the sage advice of others regarding the acquisition and use of an OBDII device and LeafSpyPro BEFORE signing paperwork. Go through the two major threads on this forum (yes, they’re lengthy) to see what these amazing tools can do, and more importantly, what to look for in considering any LEAF purchase. LeafSpyPro offers a huge amount of information, but you’ll want to hone in on several key readings affecting purchase decisions. Again, reading related threads (lots of homework, I know) will be very informative. Use the forum search for help. Even better, there may be a forum member near you who can quickly explain how to plug-in and set up the OBDII, pair with your phone (Android and iOS are both supported by the app), and highlight what to look for. Regardless, if you do acquire a LEAF, LeafSpyPro will likely be the best $20 you’ll spend on the vehicle.

My 2012SL, purchased new, was an incredible introduction to the then state-of-the-art electric vehicle. I still very much enjoy it today as our 2nd vehicle even though it is pretty range-restricted at this point over 7 years after purchase and given battery deterioration. The good news is that the rest of the car has held up such that everything is still working like new. Maintenance has been minimal: new wipers blade refills about every two years, new cabin air filter every two years (which I do myself), brake fluid flush and replace after four years (yeah, I know, the manual says more often). Rarely have I used charging stations other than my home EVSE, and I’ve never had to pay for a charge.

Whatever you do, enjoy!

[RonDawg]

1- Dealership cars are cars bought from individuals either outright or as trade-in

Not necessarily. Many are also purchased from auctions; I would dare say the majority of used cars you see on dealer lots were obtained this way, unless the car is a high-demand one in which case the dealer may have gotten it as a trade. Most trade-ins and ones brought in solely to sell off don't get sold at the same dealer, but are auctioned off. Even my excellent (according to the lease-end appraisal guy) condition, low mileage, new-tire-equipped Leaf wasn't desired by the dealership where I returned it. I found it for sale at CarMax a month later, for much less than the residual.

I think it was cwerdna who mentioned difficulty in finding off-lease Leafs with the CHAdeMO port that were NOT being sold by a dealer, as they tended to be purchased from leasing company auctions by Nissan dealers first.

[SageBrush]

Make sure the car you select has the convenience features you want because cruise control, heated seats, and heated steering wheel were not included on some lower trim models.

The S came with no cruise control before 2015 or so, but ALL Leafs had heated front and rear seats and steering wheel until 2015, except the 2011. Otherwise I agree with the above. One thing to consider: you really don't need 12 bars, so you might focus on 11 bar cars, and even consider a 10 bar - as long as it was built after March of 2013 and had the QC port, and the price was very low.

It comes down to price in the end but each of the top bars is worth more than may be realized.

Consider the case of 35 all season miles to be a practical commuter
That is 35/0.7 + 10 = 60 EPA miles with a battery reserve

The car when new is 84 EPA miles
One capacity bar down, the car is 84*0.84 = 70.56 EPA miles. 13.5 EPA miles are gone
Two bars down, the car is 67 EPA miles. 4.5 more EPA miles are gone
Three bars down, the car is 62 EPA miles. 5 more EPA miles are gone

So it follows that a 24 kWh LEAF has lost 14/23.5 = 60% of it's useful life by the time the 12th bar drops,
And 18.5/23.5 = 79% of its useful life by the time the 11th bar drops.

Put another way, a 10 bar car is worth 1/2 that of an 11 bar car.
In moderate climates a LEAF built after 10/2013 loses about 1 kWh a year. A LEAF that just lost its 12th bar has ~ 2 years of useful life left while a LEAF that just lost its 11th bar has ~ one year of useful life remaining.


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Notice how often LEAF owners sell their cars just before or just after the 12th bar drops ? This is not random.