Leaf 2016 for $13k - mistake?

[gabeincal]

Hi

I'm entertaining myself by looking at EVs from time to time. As it happens, my fiance will need a new car and I'm eyeing Leafs mostly for her. I found this car today:

http://www.nissanofsanjose.com/vehicle-details/used-2016-nissan-leaf-sv-1N4AZ0CP4GC303946

Is this a huge mistake..? I mean I understand leafs depreciate like crazy, but it's practically a brand new car for more than half of it's original price with no mileage on it. I understand it's probably had a little degradation, but surely it cannot be terrible...? And I also understand I'll lose another 5-6k in the next 2 years on it, but if we plan to keep it and rent it out on Turo perhaps, it might be a good little runaround car, no?

Any insight appreciated, we're planning on checking it out today just to know a little more about it.

Thanks,
Gabe

 

[kort677]

this leaf is a fine limited range EV, if it is a mistake all depends on if you can live with it's very limited range.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Dozens of people have Leafs where I work...and our 36 Level 2 chargers make it look like a Nissan Leaf dealership at times as they usually fill up at least 24 or more of the chargers. The Leafs work well and the owners praise them but as @kort677 pointed out, the range is very limited compared to a Tesla so you'd need to keep that in mind. I don't think Turo would be a good idea in a large metro area if the renter doesn't know how limited the range is but I guess it depends on how far they would need to go.

FWIW, in the Denver metro area, I wouldn't even be able to drive a Leaf from my house in the western suburbs to the airport and back. With my Tesla, I could easily do the same round-trip drive at least 3 times without charging.

If you don't need to go very far...or have another vehicle that you can use for longer trips then the Leaf is probably a good way of getting into an EV cheaply.

 

[BluestarE3]

If you don't need to go very far...or have another vehicle that you can use for longer trips then the Leaf is probably a good way of getting into an EV cheaply.

So the Leaf can be deemed a "gateway" EV?

 

[Evbwcaer]

There are 2014 Leafs near me with 20-30,000 miles for 6-7k.

 

[kort677]

There are 2014 Leafs near me with 20-30,000 miles for 6-7k.

if your daily commute is <25 miles each way, or longer if you have the ability to charge during the day or if your daily needs are <70 miles a day then the leaf can be a forever car.

 

[ThisIsTrue]

"Unlike the Tesla roadster or smart electric, this electric car has room for five."

Unlike the VW Beetle, which has room for 32.

It's pathetic what car dealers will claim in advertising. The REAL lesson I get from this listing? Renting a brand new Leaf for a 100 mile drives devalues it by 50 percent! Sure hope it was worth it to them to rent it out. What the hell was the rental fee? $15,000?

 

[TexLaw]

If the car is in good shape, you'll have a tough time going wrong with that one.

Yes, as long as the Leaf's range meets your needs, you'll be in very good shape.

 

[dhrivnak]

The Leaf is a fine car and if the range fits I would get it.

 

[PAULL]

Dealer here is leasing 2017's for $175/MO 2Yr
If you buy used, there is a process involved for checking if the Battery is going to last or not.
You may not want to have to buy a new battery from the dealer in short order..
Start reading Here before you buy...
I personally would do a cheap lease, it is the safest bet!

 

[MIT_S60]

It's listed as a 2016 SV trim, but it's definitely the S trim since it doesn't have the Nav screen, which means it has the 24 kWh battery, not the 30 kWh battery.

 

[deonb]

Wow, only 109 miles on it.

 

[gene]

Anaheim Pre-Owned Cars ships everywhere. They have 60 to 80 used Leaf's at all times. A few of my friends have bought from them, (salesman Josh). 2013's with 25 to 35k miles go for $6500 to $7500. Yesterday a friend of mine bought a 2013 with 12 bars, 17k miles for only $7100.

 

[MountainRatMat]

Dozens of people have Leafs where I work...and our 36 Level 2 chargers make it look like a Nissan Leaf dealership at times as they usually fill up at least 24 or more of the chargers.

Wait, you have 36 level 2 chargers? Hats off to your company for investing in EV! We have 7 and I thought that was decent.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Wait, you have 36 level 2 chargers? Hats off to your company for investing in EV! We have 7 and I thought that was decent.

Yes...and they are all solar powered! There are 1.2 MW of solar panels on the roof and southern facade of the garage.

 

[gabeincal]

It's listed as a 2016 SV trim, but it's definitely the S trim since it doesn't have the Nav screen, which means it has the 24 kWh battery, not the 30 kWh battery.

Indeed, that's what we found out, It was an S. And we didn't really like the boring drive etc. Now we're looking at Fiat 500e's for about $6k for a runaround zippy little car. We have an S60 so long distance won't be a problem. And neither of us commute, I work from home, she doesn't work lol.

 

[gabeincal]

And not to forget, thank you for your replies and comments!! Any comments on Fiat 500e's? We've driven a couple yesterday and I really really like them...

 

[TexLaw]

I can't comment on the Fiat 500e, other than they do seem to be well liked. At $6,000, shoot, that sounds like a nice way to go. Being in California, you probably have a bunch of them coming off lease. They are a lot trickier to find around here, and the ones I can find are around $10-12k.

I've also heard the same "boring drive" comments about the Leaf. I know a few Leaf owners, and they love them, but it seems the only thing they love about the Leaf is that it's an EV.

 

[gabeincal]

At $6,000, shoot, that sounds like a nice way to go. Being in California, you probably have a bunch of them coming off lease.

There are hundreds of them here between $5k to $8k. Literally, they ask you what color you want and can get one next day on an auction Picking up an orange one (hopefully) this afternoon, 2015 with 10k miles at around $6.5k with still full or near full battery, no degradation. What can go wrong at this price...?

 

[TexLaw]

Congratulations!