NISSAN leaf thinking of buying Used
- Thread starter partspro
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Car Wizard recently bought one...
Be Afraid, be VERY Afraid!
If it suits your needs for a daily driver then consider what costs would be incurred for new battery and any other maintenance. What would ownership costs after 3-5 years be worth it?
Miles mean nothing in a leaf, it is the battery deterioration / remaining life left that matters. Also please define "price is great".
If you only need a car to go to supermarket near you it is a great car, or a teenager's first car. It is not for road trip or long commute, I think you already know that.
If you only need a car to go to supermarket near you it is a great car, or a teenager's first car. It is not for road trip or long commute, I think you already know that.
D
Deleted member 89374
Three things to consider:
- Used and New car prices are up. It will be atleast until next April/May before prices stabilize and come down to sane levels. That will be of course countered by inflation somewhat.
- It's a small EV, and you might encounter some unexpected expenses.
- If you like to tinker with your car, or even perform basic maintenance like oil changes, then that is one of the things you will not be able to enjoy with an EV.
I've just bought a new Tesla Model 3 and my daughter has just bought a used Leaf (and we both really like them) so you can assume I'm prejudiced in favour of EVs.
One question with the Leaf is the cost and availability of a new battery. A local newspaper ran a story about a man with an older Leaf in otherwise excellent condition that needed a new battery. His range was down to something pretty useless. But he couldn't get a battery at any price. Nissan wouldn't even talk to him. In my experience newspapers often get a story scrambled somehow, so there may have been more to the real story, but that's what they said. Anyway check on price and availability of a new battery. And I'd check on batteries for older Leafs because you'll have an older Leaf when/if you need a battery.
I believe Leaf batteries deteriorate faster than Tesla batteries. Tesla batteries are projected to deteriorate very little over reasonable distances (like 150 - 200,000 miles).
The actual range will be less than the theoretical range. The stated range assumes ideal conditions which hardly ever apply and besides that you should not fully charge the battery (to improve its longevity) so you have to mentally apply a discount. My Tesla has a theoretical range of well over 400 km but in everyday driving I doubt I'll get much more than 300 kms. On a trip (with a full charge) possibly 350.
Taking into account potential aging of the battery, real world conditions and my typical daily drives, my Tesla should do just fine.
One question with the Leaf is the cost and availability of a new battery. A local newspaper ran a story about a man with an older Leaf in otherwise excellent condition that needed a new battery. His range was down to something pretty useless. But he couldn't get a battery at any price. Nissan wouldn't even talk to him. In my experience newspapers often get a story scrambled somehow, so there may have been more to the real story, but that's what they said. Anyway check on price and availability of a new battery. And I'd check on batteries for older Leafs because you'll have an older Leaf when/if you need a battery.
I believe Leaf batteries deteriorate faster than Tesla batteries. Tesla batteries are projected to deteriorate very little over reasonable distances (like 150 - 200,000 miles).
The actual range will be less than the theoretical range. The stated range assumes ideal conditions which hardly ever apply and besides that you should not fully charge the battery (to improve its longevity) so you have to mentally apply a discount. My Tesla has a theoretical range of well over 400 km but in everyday driving I doubt I'll get much more than 300 kms. On a trip (with a full charge) possibly 350.
Taking into account potential aging of the battery, real world conditions and my typical daily drives, my Tesla should do just fine.
Wait till he registers it. States have really jacked up registration costs on hybrids and EV's. In WV it's $150/yr for a Prius, which still used gasolene.
Pennsylvania, which has the 2nd highest gas tax, is trying to pass a $150-200 registration tax on EV's & Hybrids to make sure "they pay their fair share of road costs".
AZjeff
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If Pa or any other state calculates the average miles/year driven by passenger cars and the amount of gas tax paid and applies that to EVs not sure why that's a problem. Should EVs use the roads for free compared to ICE cars? A miles based tax for EVs would be fairer and duplicate the gas tax better but it's easier to do a blanket charge.
Yeah. I wonder what the thinking is of the legislators: “Let’s subsidize EVs on one hand and specially tax them on the other.
Don’t worry. No one will notice.”
I understand that a Leaf is quite serene to drive.
You need someone local and knowledgeable about Leafs to do a Leaf-Spy report off the OBD.
I have considered a used leaf as well. But it seems getting a battery can be a problem.
Some dealers told the customer, just buy a new look leaf. I have not seen much in aftermarket batteries, maybe one company.
Some dealers told the customer, just buy a new look leaf. I have not seen much in aftermarket batteries, maybe one company.
the leaf is not unreliable but the batteries loose capacity rapidly easpecially those manufactured before March 2013
Learn from mynissanleaf forums how to measure battery capacity and become familiar with the warranty (or lack thereof)
A leaf requires a lot of research to get what your expecting, in a mild climate with less than 40 miles of low speed driving a day the leaf makes lots of sense, newer “leaves” will go further but will loose capacity over time as well.
So Yep PA charges you taxes like your driving a semi, real fair having a limited use econo box that rarely drives 5000 miles a year paying more on taxes than it would on fuel.
There is no need or fairness in making every moped, econobox, and semi pay the same tax rate ignoring efficiency, road damage or environmental damage.
Taxes + Insurance have blocked me from buying a cheap modern plug in.
My antique Honda used $200 of fuel last year, why would I pay more on tax than fuel? Until that is fixed it’s a no from me.
Learn from mynissanleaf forums how to measure battery capacity and become familiar with the warranty (or lack thereof)
A leaf requires a lot of research to get what your expecting, in a mild climate with less than 40 miles of low speed driving a day the leaf makes lots of sense, newer “leaves” will go further but will loose capacity over time as well.
Roads have not been properly funded in over 30 years and LITERALLY NO ONE EVERY CARED until 5 people bought a plug in.
So Yep PA charges you taxes like your driving a semi, real fair having a limited use econo box that rarely drives 5000 miles a year paying more on taxes than it would on fuel.
There is no need or fairness in making every moped, econobox, and semi pay the same tax rate ignoring efficiency, road damage or environmental damage.
Taxes + Insurance have blocked me from buying a cheap modern plug in.
My antique Honda used $200 of fuel last year, why would I pay more on tax than fuel? Until that is fixed it’s a no from me.
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In Ohio, it's $100/yr for a hybrid, $200/yr for a plug-in, or BEV like the leaf.
Yep. Ohioans like me who have a regular hybrid (avg mpg of about 35 for me) that gets all it's energy from gas ( meaning I pay the gas tax) have to pay an extra $100/yr for the privilege of regenerative braking.
Yes, my normal mpg isn't great, but it's still double what my prior gasser was in similar usage.
Good eyes!
I test drove a Leaf once. It was very roomy and comfortable. It was just too quiet for me.
Here is a 40 page thread in a leaf forum about the cost and unavailability of leaf batteries. I was considering a used one, but not after reading the threads of owners. Basically Nissan raised the price to $8500 as a we don't want to sell one. They just want you to buy a new leaf.
After the cvt fiasco, and now seeing the battery issue for a leaf, i would never buy a nissan product.
https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=25882
After the cvt fiasco, and now seeing the battery issue for a leaf, i would never buy a nissan product.
https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=25882
