Alan B
100 GW
In October of 2016 I started looking at used Nissan Leaf EVs. Lots of the 2013's are coming off lease now, and the market, even in the SF Bay Area isn't buying them up all that fast. Compared to the Mazda 3 my Daughter is looking for, the Leaf's sit there while the Mazda 3's are gone in a few days. The pricing is very soft on used EVs.
I did a fair amount of research and decided to look for a 2013 SL model, the highest level of trim. I wanted the Chademo fast DC charging, the 6.6kW 240V L2 charging, the heat pump type heater and the LED headlights as well as the larger rims. The SL had all those things and didn't cost all that much more than the lesser trim levels. But you can save even more money by getting less on the car.
The 2013 year is significantly improved over the 2011-12 models, and the list of improvements is quite long.
I found a lot of cars available on the internet, generally starting just over 10K. Some as low as 6K but those are the early models in basic trim levels with old batteries. They weren't moving.
One day I saw two near identical vehicles at one dealer that was near the edge of my chosen radius, picked so I could make a round trip to the dealer on a charge. I sent them a query asking what the difference was since they had different prices. Of course they called me and after looking at the traffic between my home and this dealership I told them it was just too time consuming to come look at this vehicle.
The next day the price dropped almost $1500.
So I took the difficult drive over a bridge and through the city to the opposite end of this bay area to look at it, and ended up driving it home for a good price. They weren't too happy I didn't buy any of the extra stuff they always want to sell. It has full battery capacity bars. It has all the bells and whistles except the Bose stereo and backup camera. I'd just as soon not have the Bose since it takes space in the cargo area, and the car is short and has good visibility so the camera is not all that important.
I'll add some photos later, and there's more to this story now that I've driven it for about 1.5 months. I'll post more on that later, as well as interesting comparisons to our 2013 Prius V.
I talked to one fellow who had ordered the new low cost Tesla, and I suggested that while he waits (for a year or more) he could be driving a "cheap Leaf". He was quite interested in that, though I don't know if he did it. These 2013's are good for 60 miles easy range, 80 miles stretching a little, possibly more depending on temperature, terrain and speed. It satisfies the majority of short trip needs for us and is fun to drive. It takes a lot of wear and tear off the other vehicles. I like not having to go to the gas station. These days the pumps are set on "really slow" and filling the tank takes awhile. Maybe they are training folks to be patient and driving them toward EVs.
I still like and enjoy my ebikes, but in the wet, cold and dark the Leaf is a nice alternative to have in the driveway.
So don't tell anyone about the good pricing on used EV's, we would not want too many people out there buying them and driving the prices up.
I did a fair amount of research and decided to look for a 2013 SL model, the highest level of trim. I wanted the Chademo fast DC charging, the 6.6kW 240V L2 charging, the heat pump type heater and the LED headlights as well as the larger rims. The SL had all those things and didn't cost all that much more than the lesser trim levels. But you can save even more money by getting less on the car.
The 2013 year is significantly improved over the 2011-12 models, and the list of improvements is quite long.
I found a lot of cars available on the internet, generally starting just over 10K. Some as low as 6K but those are the early models in basic trim levels with old batteries. They weren't moving.
One day I saw two near identical vehicles at one dealer that was near the edge of my chosen radius, picked so I could make a round trip to the dealer on a charge. I sent them a query asking what the difference was since they had different prices. Of course they called me and after looking at the traffic between my home and this dealership I told them it was just too time consuming to come look at this vehicle.
The next day the price dropped almost $1500.
So I took the difficult drive over a bridge and through the city to the opposite end of this bay area to look at it, and ended up driving it home for a good price. They weren't too happy I didn't buy any of the extra stuff they always want to sell. It has full battery capacity bars. It has all the bells and whistles except the Bose stereo and backup camera. I'd just as soon not have the Bose since it takes space in the cargo area, and the car is short and has good visibility so the camera is not all that important.
I'll add some photos later, and there's more to this story now that I've driven it for about 1.5 months. I'll post more on that later, as well as interesting comparisons to our 2013 Prius V.
I talked to one fellow who had ordered the new low cost Tesla, and I suggested that while he waits (for a year or more) he could be driving a "cheap Leaf". He was quite interested in that, though I don't know if he did it. These 2013's are good for 60 miles easy range, 80 miles stretching a little, possibly more depending on temperature, terrain and speed. It satisfies the majority of short trip needs for us and is fun to drive. It takes a lot of wear and tear off the other vehicles. I like not having to go to the gas station. These days the pumps are set on "really slow" and filling the tank takes awhile. Maybe they are training folks to be patient and driving them toward EVs.
I still like and enjoy my ebikes, but in the wet, cold and dark the Leaf is a nice alternative to have in the driveway.
So don't tell anyone about the good pricing on used EV's, we would not want too many people out there buying them and driving the prices up.