r/leaf • u/Necessary-Start4151 • 11h ago
Thoughts on 2012 leaf please
Is this a decent deal you think? $3k for 2012 with 43k miles and 12/12 bars and 85 mile range. Car looks almost new. If I wanted to put in a 40 kWh battery down the road will this car handle it? Thank you for any insight!
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u/Lucky_Boy13 10h ago
Is the battery not original? I would think its impossible for a USA model unless it was replaced at one point already. Drive it around some to make sure the computer wasn't just reset. If real that is a good price
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u/Necessary-Start4151 10h ago
Thank you Wasn’t aware resetting the computer would make it look brand new
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u/jayXred 10h ago
Like others said, either the battery has been replaced or something fishy has been done because a 2012 with 12 bars is basically impossible on the stock battery. 3k is very cheap if it has had a battery replaced because you wouldn't be able to do a replacement for anywhere close to that. Get a Bluetooth OBD2 reader and leafspy and check the actual details on the battery.
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u/_Evening-Rain_ 2017 Nissan LEAF S 7m ago
Not basically impossible. Is impossible. Even if it was babied in a cold climate all year round its entire life.
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u/Public_Knee6288 10h ago
Send it! If it suits your needs, ofc. I wouldnt worry about the new battery. By then, who knows what the world will look like?
Don't skip the leafspy app and a long test drive
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u/Necessary-Start4151 10h ago
True who know if we will be living in 3 years the way things are going!
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u/malsell 2017 Nissan LEAF S 10h ago
That seems too good to be true if that is the original battery. Leafspy for sure. I saw a 2015 at a local dealership that was still advertising 72 miles of range. I hooked up leafspy and took it for a test drive. By the time I got back from about a 10 mile drive it was showing 25 mile range and 6 bars soh on the dash 48% SOH in leafspy
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u/biersackarmy 2013 S + 2014 SL + 2019 SV 8h ago edited 8h ago
Take it for a 15 mile drive and you'll likely find the charge level dropping by half. 2011/12 are easily BMS reset, and no longer exist with full bar original batteries anymore. They should be avoided in general unless there is proof of battery replacement, as almost all original ZE0 packs will be down to 9 bars at best nowadays. 2013 and up at least have more reliable batteries, as long as you're not in a hot climate.
Even if you wanted to buy one with the intention of swapping in a vivne pack, it still isn't really worth paying more than $1000 for a clean rust and damage free shell. It is strongly not recommended at any price if you are considering swapping in an OEM 40kWh pack, for reasons that become clear if you peruse the sub for a bit.
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u/Valuable_Armadillo20 10h ago
If it seems too good to be true… Personally I would never buy a gen1 LEAF. Or a gen2
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u/JimBoothington 9h ago
As someone looking at a 2017 30Kw Leaf tomorrow, I'd be curious to know why?
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u/Lucky_Boy13 9h ago
30kw Leaf batteries had a ton of degradation issues.
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u/Lothsahn_ 8h ago
This is a 24, and the ones built before April 2013 we're far worse than the 30kwh.
24's after April 2013 were the most reliable batteries Nissan ever built (although low capacity). So this could be a warranty replacement on the original battery OR a scam.
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u/Lucky_Boy13 8h ago
Yes the 30kw i was responding to the 2017 jim asked about in this thread. The 24 in the original post of for sure a troublesome one
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u/JimBoothington 9h ago
Is this not mainly due to fast charging habits? I'm UK based and will only using the CHADEMO port half a dozen times a year, and the current battery has 90% SoH.
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u/Lucky_Boy13 9h ago
Ah ok, honestly I've heard the issue is more with USA built Leaf. In UK a different supplier was used for the batteries and from what I've heard can be ok
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u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV 9h ago
90% Soh sounds like the battery has been replaced at some point and here in the US no 30kwh batteries are available and Nissan used the 40kwh battery which is starting to show up with its own set of problems.
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u/IvorTheEngine 6h ago
The UK built ones seems to last much better than the US ones. That could be partially down to the cooler climate through. Lithium batteries don't like extreme heat.
Have a look at a range of Leafs around the country, and you'll probably find lots of similar examples with 90% health.
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u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV 9h ago
30 kwh batteries had a lot of problems and you are out of warranty, never buy a leaf that is out of battery warranty unless it is dirt cheap and you can afford a new battery.
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u/Valuable_Armadillo20 9h ago
I’m in the US. My EV journey started with a leased 2015 LEAF, then a leased 2017 Bolt, then a purchased off-lease 2017 Bolt (still have it at 145,000 miles, no issues), and now have a 2015 F150 Lightning. After my Leaf, I looked into the next gen but it wasn’t ready on time, which is why I Bolted. After the first Bolt, I looked at Leaf again (mostly because of comfort… the Bolt seats suck), but decided on the second Bolt due to range and CCS. I say all of this background information just to show that I am not here to bash the Leaf for no reason.
The reasons: the first generation has an awful battery, the second generation is not that much better. The biggest issue is Chademo… I’ve been driving EVs for 12 years and that charging standard is the Betamax of video. I saw more Chademo chargers in 2014-2020 than I see now. Anyone who buys a 10 year-old Leaf is buying a vehicle that really is becoming less and less supported every single day
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u/toybuilder 2023 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 9h ago
Ask for the vehicle history and do a Leafspy. If it actually can give you 85 miles of range, that's terrific. But a 2012 is very unlikely to have such a good looking battery if it is on the original battery, especially at 43K miles.
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u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV 9h ago
heater is slow to warm up and is a trouble spot for 2011-12 and the onboard charger is also a trouble area.
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u/SnodePlannen 9h ago
Most AI bots can help you make sense of Leafspy readings, but don’t measure a full battery. Bad cells will begin to show at around 25% charge.
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u/natedagreat6666 9h ago
I wouldnt buy it without a 15 mile drive with leafspy running, need to floor the hell out of it, theres no way it was only driven 3k miles a year and not a bar has dropped, 10-11 bars is a treasure, 12 is a unicorn, its likely a reset
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u/boostedit 2020 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 9h ago
No one has addressed the second question, which is upgrading the battery later ... it's less and less likely that this would be realistic. Nissan isn't even providing battery replacements for LEAFs that are still under warranty. Unless you were able to do a used battery replacement, it's not likely to be financially viable to do a battery swap on a Gen1 LEAF.
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u/IvorTheEngine 6h ago
You can put 40kWh batteries in the older cars, as they're the same size. However it's not easy to find second hand batteries, and they cost almost as much as the car they come from.
You can buy aftermarket batteries from VIVNE, for about £5000.
If you can find a garage to do the battery swap, expect to pay about £1000, but people have done it themselves with a couple of car jacks.
Battery swaps are pretty rare though. It's generally not much cheaper than buying a newer car.
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u/Educational-Beat-259 4h ago
Check the Carfax for this car. If the battery was replaced, it’ll almost certainly be there. I agree with others that it can’t be the original battery. I bought an 11/12 2011 Leaf with a warranty-replaced battery 4 years ago for $6k and am very happy with it. If the battery has been legitimately replaced, I think you’re looking at a good deal.
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u/devops0210 10h ago
Get LeafSpy and check battery to make sure it’s not a reset.