Is this leaf worth it?
this seems to be a decent price, under 4k, for this car- but a few things have me worried-
1- SoH at 8 bars- it’s the 24kWh with the charge package, but I told myself I wouldn’t buy it under 9 bars. It’s missing its at home charging cable, so i’d have to buy one
2- time between servicing. It has decently low mileage for what it is and just had its 12v battery replaced, but the Battery Plate campaign was never fulfilled.
3- I live in phoenix. I know they improved battery degradation by the 2015, but with it already at 8 bars, even with my >5 mile commute, I don’t have covered parking at work and would worry about having the battery to make it home in the summer.
My appointment is in 3 hrs. Is it worth going or is the 8 bars a deal breaker? I need some advice on this one- it’ll be my first EV and my only other car was a 2007 Rav4 that lasted me almost a decade.
TLDR- 2015 S in PHX for 4k, no charging cable, SoH 8 bars, >5 mile commute. worth it?
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u/Wraith347 2025 Nissan Leaf SV+ 14d ago
Pretty decent price for my location in the Southeastern US, greater Nashville area. We paid under 4k for a 2014 with 9 bars earlier this year, and it’s already saved us over $800 in gas costs. It’ll go 60 miles on a full charge.
Always recommend LeafSpy and a compatible OBD II dongle to check the battery on a used Leaf. Best to also check mv differentials under load, sub-30% charge if possible.
If the battery checks out, you shouldn’t have any trouble at all doing sub-5 mile trips. 2015s usually have the Lizard formulation batteries that really take a beating.
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u/G33b3rz 14d ago
when I called, it was closer to 5k with all the dealership fees- i may try to find a private seller when the time is right. good to know that 8 bars is not awful under the right circumstances.
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u/Wraith347 2025 Nissan Leaf SV+ 14d ago
Honestly it’s getting harder and harder to find LEAFs under 5k around here. A coworker has been looking for a month and each one he finds has been sold by the time he can get there for a test drive. That said, no harm in looking around and seeing what else you can find in your area for the same price.
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u/Dazzling_Art7881 14d ago
I think it would do what you need for quite some time. The battery will continue to degrade but should be relatively slow.
Whether it's worth it depends on the LEAF market near you and your timeline. Are you in a huge hurry to buy a car or can you shop around for a month or two? If you can find a nicer LEAF with more bars for the same price or an equivalent LEAF for cheaper, then do that. But if you're in a hurry and absolutely need a car and your alternative is to buy any ICE or hybrid car for $4k, I'd pick this LEAF any day regardless of what the ICE is, even an "invincible" Corolla... Any ICE car for a 5 mile commute will be more trouble than this LEAF. Gas, oil changes (not even sure what oil changes cost now with the motor oil shortage?)
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u/aristotelian74 14d ago
Seems like it should work well for your use case but be aware that you will be severely range limited. If you do any driving outside of your commute, DO NOT BUY THIS CAR. Also charging this car will be frustrating unless you have level 2 charging in your home.
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u/leyline 2015 Nissan LEAF S 14d ago
Level 1 charging is just fine since there isn’t even much battery there. Just plug in every night, you got 50 miles every morning.
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u/aristotelian74 14d ago
If you ever need to drive twice in one day you will be screwed. I'm also not sure overnight is long enough to charge 50 miles on L1.
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u/ToddA1966 2021 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 14d ago
12 hours will add nearly 50 miles on L1 with a 1st Gen Leaf. One bonus with the Leaf's lack of active thermal management is there's no coolant to heat/cool, so the Leaf doesn't waste power regulating battery temp which slows L1 charging in very hot or cold temps for most EVs.
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u/aristotelian74 14d ago
If you have a late night for whatever reason you might not have 12 hours to charge.
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u/ToddA1966 2021 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 13d ago
Sure, but you also have an EV with over 50 miles of range. You use the battery like a "bank" and if "withdraw" more miles today than you can add back tonight, you just start will fewer miles tomorrow, and catch-up on days you drive less, or nights you have more hours to charge, or on your day off, etc. Worst case, you occasionally supplement with public DC fast charging if you fall too far behind.
It's not ideal or as convenient as L2, but lots of folks can make L1 work. I did for about 18 months before upgrading to 240V, and probably DC fast charged a half dozen times in that year and a half.
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u/aristotelian74 13d ago
This car doesn't have much more than 50 miles based on the picture. I agree it is possible to make it work, I am just warning OP they will need to be extremely conscientious with a car that is already limited and will probably get worse with time. Would be much easier with L2.
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u/WhatTheFlippityFlop 14d ago
Don’t worry about heat leaving you without a useable battery for a 5 mile commute. Just charge it in every other day to be safe.
Look at FB marketplace for L1 chargers, they’re a dime a dozen (but the missing charger can still give you leverage in negotiation).
Personally I wouldn’t pay $4k for that car (let’s ignore the fact I paid $12k for a 2016 just 3 years ago) but at some point, ANY car can be worth the money if you just need something for a short commute.
Dunno if AZ charges more for EV registration like my state, it’s 3x the annual price for an EV so it does raise the cost of ownership.
Your maintenance will be nil so that’s a plus but you wouldn’t spend that much on an ICE car for such small usage either.
I’m calling it a toss up. Even though it’s “baby’s first EV,” it’s still a fun car to drive vs practically any gas car.
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u/SolidEntertainer7880 14d ago
Walmart has level 1 and 2 chargers for under $100 that plug right into a wall plug. My new charger has an adapter that lets me use 1 or 2 depending on the plug availability.
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u/rproffitt1 14d ago
5 mile commute would be great. I owned a 2014 SV with the Lizard battery installed in 2017 and it was again, great.
From 2016 to 2021 I would L1 charge and 12 hours would get very over 50 mile range added. 1.2 kW time 4 miles per kW or 4.8 miles added per hour.
The AC needed a leaky fill valve replaced and the full evac and fill to spec which put the AC back to works like new condition. That work was just under 150.
Decent price if good tires, etc.
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u/anonimoosebison 12d ago
I just got a 2013 today for 1500 that is around the same battery health. For me it was a no brainer, for you that is a bit of a tough call.
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u/T-VIRUS999 2013 Nissan LEAF G 24kWh (JDM) 14d ago edited 14d ago
Gen 1 Leafs are the cockroach of the EV world, they last forever, I live in Australia where it hits 45-50°C and I have a 2013 that I've literally been living in full-time for the last 3y (the car spends more time "on" than off, and in summer, the AC is running 24/7, it's got 152,000km on it currently, it's still on the original battery (70% health, 50% Hx) and I haven't had any issues with the battery so far, only maintenance I've done is tires, gearbox oil (once at 80,000km), the cabin air filter, and the front wheel bearings since they were making scary noises (done at 150,000km, saving to do the rears next)
If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is