Used Leaf (2017 MY) buying advice

Hi all,

I've learned a lot from the forum over the last few weeks as I've been looking into buying a used Leaf, so thanks to everyone for that. I've looked at a lot of cars and have narrowed it down to two.

I'm looking for a 30kWh Leaf. I've read the caveats and info about these packs available here and elsewhere and am aware of the issues! I've been taking the cars I've looked at on long test drives and tested the trip computer's reported energy usage and distance vs. reported battery capacity compared to what LeafSpy reports. The car will easily meet our needs even when the battery has degraded to ~60%, which should be some time from now. I've been car-free for the past 4 years, but have found myself in a situation where I need a short-commute / city car, I've ruled out buying a fossil-fuel vehicle due to ethical considerations, and a used Leaf is affordable for me, so it seems like a great car for my purposes.

I am looking at these 2 cars, both no-accident, one-owner cars originally registered in the SF Bay Area and since imported to Canada:

2017 Leaf SV
12500 km
LeafSpy data:
94% SOH
74.75 AHr
80.77% Hx
131 QC 75 L1/L2

A 66.7 km test drive used 34% of the trip-computer reported charge level at an average of 7.7 km/kWh, which is within a percent or so of the expected value, if I've done the math right.

The other is a
2017 Leaf SV
42000 km
87.5% SOH
I don't have the other values from LeafSpy at the moment, but this one had around 2000 charge cycles, with the large majority being L1/L2.
This one is $1200 (Canadian) less than the lower-mileage one. The math also checked out on this car with a 50km test drive.

Both seem very clean and mechanically sound to me, and I'm having independent inspections done (the 42000 km car is in excellent condition, I'm getting the other inspected tomorrow).

It seems like the lower-mileage car is the way to go, assuming no problems found in the inspection. Unfortunately the NIssan dealership that is selling it seems a little scammy (the sales guy told me straightfaced that "importing the car to Canada voids the warranty so you won't have any protection if anything goes wrong, but we can sell you an extended warranty..."). And I'm a little worried about the high proportion of quick-charges. Would that set the battery up to degrade faster in the future? But it is a much newer car, and if I can count on the higher battery capacity it seems like it's worth it for the slightly higher price. The second car is from a specialist used-EV dealership that knows their stuff and has been straight with me (or as straight as I would expect car salesmen to ever be!)

Anything I've missed? Thanks in advance for your help!

Have you read my buying guide? It appears that you may have. If not I'll link it later - I'm headed out the door now.

* Odometer mileage isn't significant with a Leaf, except as it pertains to the battery warranty. Other factors like SOH and overall wear and tear are more important.

* QC sessions done singly aren't a big problem, especially in cool climates. It's only when they are done more than once on a hot day that battery heating becomes an issue.

Living in Canada, unless your local climate is hot, I'd get the Leaf with the higher SOH (assuming you have verified that it isn't due to an aging BMS reset) for the simple reason that you likely won't get a new battery under warranty, so you should get the best battery you can. If your range needs are modest, OTOH, (say less than 60 miles) you would save money with the more degraded pack.

Hi, thanks for the reply. Yes, I've read the buying guide thoroughly -- sorry that wasn't clear! Both of these cars seem to have the SOH stated by LeafSpy based on battery % used over a 50-60 km test drive, so I'm not concerned about a BMS reset. My commute is only 20 km roundtrip, and we'll be doing 70 km round-trip trips about 1-2 month, and longer trips of 200 km or so a couple times a year. Apart from that it'll be errands around town, and there's very good public Level 2 / QC infrastructure here. So even at 50% of the original capacity it would still be usable (it rarely gets very cold / snows here).

Everything else being equal I would agree that I should get the car with the less-degraded battery. But the dealership selling the 94% battery car has really left a bad taste in my mouth with their hard-sell tactics, so I don't feel great about doing business with them and I don't really trust them or anything they've said about the car now. So I think I'm buying the higher-km (lower SOH) car from the other place and save $1200.

If you won't have a problem with a battery with 70% SOH in a few years (or longer), and you like the less expensive Leaf, then get it. I don't see any other issues. Is there something you don't like about that car?

It seems like the lower-mileage car is the way to go, assuming no problems found in the inspection.

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Nope, couldn't disagree more. The odometer reading isn't typically important for picking a good EV, HV battery health is by far the most important factor.

Where in Canada do you live? What's your budget? What features are most important to you in a car? It's always helpful to include that information when posting. Better yet, add your location to your MNL user profile.

Agree totally with alozzy. As to the dealer, get anything they represent about the car in writing. If they misrepresent you have legal recourse.

Any warranty you will have will come from Nissan directly and not through the dealer. Personally, I'd buy the car with the higher SOH and just hold your nose and get in/out of the dealership as fast as possible. Once you have the car, you should never have to go back to that dealer.

I bought a 2017 Leaf from a dealer in Denver and have never been back. I've had my recall service and battery checks done locally at another dealer. I bought a 2013 Leaf for my father from an outfit in a shady part of Denver that was run by a russian dude. I actually got a good vibe from him since he was a no BS kind of guy but if I didn't know Leaf's well it would have been enough to scare me off. IMO, bottom line, you're buying the car, not the dealership, so pick the best car and don't get hung up on the A-holes selling it.

goldbrick said:

Any warranty you will have will come from Nissan directly and not through the dealer. Personally, I'd buy the car with the higher SOH and just hold your nose and get in/out of the dealership as fast as possible. Once you have the car, you should never have to go back to that dealer.

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Seems like this is good advice to the OP. I don't disagree with the contention by others that mileage is less significant than battery SOH, but that doesn't matter much in this case as the lower mileage car also has the better SOH. You are buying the car, not the dealer.