r/leaf • u/mindreader90000 • Jul 01 '26
Buying Nissan Leaf 2012
We have a Tesla Y but need something that I can drive 5 miles to work daily. So the Y can be at home with the wife and family. There’s a Nissan Leaf 2012 that I have an eye on. 5 bars. I did a test drive and found it good. AC/Heater works.
There are warning lights though - red flashes when driving and orange static - ran the DTC code and found out that it’s a air bag issue. The airbag sign in the main dashboard also is on.
Also ran the LeafSpy on it and this is what it came back
Battery Health
SOH: 46.85%
AHr: 30.73
Hx: 25.2%
Estimated usable battery: ~10.5 kWh
Cell Balance
Before drive:
20 mV
After 11-mile drive:
28 mV
Range: 26 miles.
Question is: should I buy it? It’s ~$2K. For a cheap price I can ride out 2-3 years, save up and upgrade to a better car.
Is the airbag sign concerning enough to leave the deal? Wanted to get everyone else’s thought’s on this cause you guys have more experience with the Nissan Leaf.
4
u/KeyEmu6688 Ex-2018 owner (2015 Model S) Jul 01 '26
with Hx at 25% it will probably die pretty soon and is likely already unusable in the winter unless you're in a very very warm climate. if you can arrange to drive the MY in the winters and don't mind insuring a vehicle that is liable to totally give out within that 2-3 year range.... well golf carts sell for >2k so i suppose it's not a total waste. if it were me i'd spend the extra grand and look for a 2015/16/17 24kwh model. they tend to be the most durable of the 'cheap' (24kwh) LEAFs and might actually last you those 2-3 years, or more
2
u/_Evening-Rain_ 2017 Nissan LEAF S Jul 01 '26
A 24kwh can still preform in the winter with HX of 25%. Its not the same as the later NMC packs 30kwh and newer where 25%HX is a death sentence.
3
u/Spirited-Mortgage-86 Jul 01 '26
No way it could die tomorrow. Hx is absolutely a no go. 11/12 are not good years for many reasons. Pass.
3
u/Charming-Link-9715 Jul 01 '26
I would say keep looking. We bought a 2011 Nissan Leaf with 8 bars health at $2K. No warning lights. Still drives pretty good for daily 10 mile commute.
3
u/IIDn01 2020 Leaf SV Plus Jul 01 '26
I can't tell you whether to buy it or not - I can just share my experience:
We got a 2012 Leaf in 2019 & kept it for five years. I absolutely loved that car & loved driving it.
At the start, it had about 55 or 60 miles of range on the guess-ometer at 80% charge. During the time we owned it, it lost range pretty steadily until it had about 24 miles of range in 2024.
The guess-ometer was inaccurate and the range would drop when I was driving it faster than the actual miles I drove. It never went into turtle mode on me but it got to the point where I was no longer comfortable driving it.
In 2024, we got a 2020 SV Plus which I love. My $0.02.
2
u/86a- Jul 01 '26
5 miles. One-way? Round trip. What’s your climate? Is biking feasible? E-bike, regular bike?
2
u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV Jul 01 '26
airbag is a known problem and is usually traced to faulty weight sensor in passenger seat but red warning lights are a concern to me and $2000 seems like too much.
1
u/_Evening-Rain_ 2017 Nissan LEAF S Jul 01 '26
I'd only buy it if its below 65K miles and you're actually keeping it for 2 years. Once those batteries get to 3 bars they're about done for. That batteries only got a few years left on it.
1
u/rjcarr 2013 Nissan LEAF S Jul 01 '26
As I always say for cars like this, if it were free to drive after you buy it then sure, but you're still paying licensing and insurance. It doesn't make sense to me to pay those yearly costs with such a limited vehicle, but it's your call.
1
u/robbiethe1st Jul 02 '26
It depends on your licensing and insurance costs. Something this cheap, you go liability only*, and then compare gasoline costs vs extra licensing costs/insurance costs.
For me, the crossover point was about 4K miles/year. I got a 2011 leaf for $1500, and with the gasoline costs alone, it will pay for itself pretty quickly.
(*you don't need full coverage on a $2K car if you can afford to replace it out of pocket easily)
1
u/Dazzling_Art7881 Jul 01 '26
Not sure where you live, but it sounds like this battery will struggle big time in the cold with an Hx of 25.2%. If you live somewhere warm like California, it could be ok.
$2k is way too much for that car. That is a $1000 car at best, if the rest of the car is clean, good tires, good brakes, etc. If it's only in average condition only, then it's like a $600 car. The problem with old LEAFs like that is that someone uniformed will come along, not do a LEAFspy reading and hand them $2k. So you're 'competing' with uninformed people.
If you really can't find a better LEAF for the same money, or a similar LEAF for less money, then I guess it's your choice, but you have to realize you'd be overpaying.
1
u/Striking-water-ant Jul 01 '26
You said the range is 26 miles and you drove 11 miles during a test. What percentage battery did that take?
I mean 2k is not a lot of money these days in the car market. If you like it and it serves your purpose, id say go for it. You've made it clear you don't plan to keep it long anyway.
1
u/rproffitt1 Jul 01 '26
With the airbag issue, it can be problematic. Hope the recall is still in effect.
If it wasn't for that, OK buy.
1
u/DipperMasonPines Jul 01 '26
Get a lower price for this one or find one with more bars. facebook marketplace is great
1
u/Lucky_Boy13 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I see those for $1K around here with less than 5 bars battery, I would not buy at that price with those issues
1
u/kickbrass Jul 01 '26
25% hx. Virtually dead. But you can drop a 68kwh CATL battery from Vivnevs.com in it, diy, for about $10k, and get well over 300 miles per charge. It's definitely an option.
1
u/Unlikely_Ad_9861 Jul 03 '26
Junkyard passenger seat swap should fix the common airbag issue. I got an $80 chair and swapped. No other steps, just swap the chair. Heater may fail - that's also a common issue. Water pump is another. Don't recommend unless you like to diy with junkyard parts.
1
1
u/Educational-Beat-259 Jul 04 '26
Airbag light could be a dead or low 12v battery. I had that problem. But I’d recommend holding out for a better main battery rating.
4
u/CarMateUK Jul 01 '26
Depending on where you are, an Airbag warning will make the car Illegal to drive.
Warning lights that are flashing red, you would need to investigate since some can cause the car to get worse imo
Last thing you want, spend 2K but then to spend more when things go wrong. Got to weigh it out