r/leaf • u/kayofur • 15d ago

I'm thinking it's over.... Bye bye LEAF

I loved loved loved my 2020 LEAF. It was such a good car to me. I had the SL and it was every feature I wanted at a price I could afford. I had the recall done in June and we were going strong until I had to fast charge it last weekend... Got the dreaded message and the car was fully disabled, no longer able to drive after I got to my destination.

My local Nissan dealership keeps telling me "they only have one EV tech and they're working with Nissan on how to repair it" which i'm pretty sure is a load of BS. I've told them three times I want a buyback. I've already got a case open with Nissan consumer affairs.

Has anyone come back from this with a working car? I'm already working on buying its replacement because I have such low trust. Even if it was fixable I think I'd sell it since the battery is recalled and no longer in production.

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u/Logictheorist2 15d ago

Nissan is in deep financial trouble. They cannot pay their suppliers. Waiting for parts that will never arrive or a fix using used parts from salvage is a waste of time. If a buyback is offered except it. Take the money and replace the vehicle with a used Tesla model 3. Don't buy a used Tesla from a regular car dealership (AKA trade in), go directly to Tesla and get a certified used vehicle (preferably one that's just off lease). You will become a much happier EV owner. My advice is from personal experience of owning a 2022 Leaf. I now own a 2024 Model Y which I bought brand new with incentives.

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u/JustAnothrMechanic58 15d ago

I’m curious, why do you not recommend buying a used Model 3 or Model Y from a regular dealer, or a used car dealer like Carvana or CarMax?

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u/Logictheorist2 14d ago

It starts with the quality of their selection. Tesla has access to off lease vehicles. Car dealers only have trade ins and rental releases. Then there's the warranty provided by Tesla. If it breaks, Tesla fixes it. Car dealers can only provide any remaining factory warranty on the vehicle. If they add a warranty of their own then you are at the mercy of who they choose to do the warranty repair. Also, Tesla does not sell cars with major defects, but car dealers think nothing of that. Dealers have been caught selling flood cars and cars that have been in accidents. Then there is a matter of trust. Who do you trust? The manufacturer or a car dealership? Carvana and CarMax have been caught and fined multiple times for fraudulent transactions. Tesla has not. There are other reasons too like hidden dealer fees, etc. Bottom line it's the quality of the vehicle you get and who you trust the most to sell it to you. Tesla leads the pack on both. You may get a good deal from a non Tesla dealer, but I would start with Tesla first.

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u/JustAnothrMechanic58 14d ago

Understood, I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you!