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Comment by aphextron | Hacker News Reader

Leaf is a special case because of the battery degradation issues. 100k miles on a Leaf is basically end of life (unless you buy the $5k battery replacement). That being said, you can pick one up in California for $5k in perfect condition with <50k miles and ~75% of battery life remaining right now. When you factor in zero cost of maintenance and zero cost for fuel over a lifetime of 2-3 years, and HOV access, it's the single most perfectly designed commuter car to ever exist IMO. I just bought one last month and it's the best car I've ever owned. Having a bunch of free chargers nearby means my total monthly cost to commute ~20 miles a day is a $75 insurance payment.

Definitely a niche thing for heavy urban areas that have the charging infrastructure though. I can't imagine owning one in the Midwest.

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Any advice on how to make sure you're getting a good one, or where to get one? We considered Leafs several years ago, but the range wasn't quite good enough for our needs.

Since then, our needs have decreased and range has increased a bit. Would love to trade in one of our 25 mpg vehicles for a Leaf. Plenty of chargers around Palo Alto, including at work!

Make sure the battery has at least 8 bars left. There's two gauges on the dash: current charge and battery capacity. Capacity is the skinnier one on the right [0]. If you find one still within the warranty window below 8 bars, Nissan will even replace the battery free [1]. Also make sure you get one with a quick charge port, it's worth every penny. Other than that you really can't go wrong.

http://www.plugincars.com/sites/default/files/leaf-dash-bars... [0]

https://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/charging-range/... [1]

Not an owner, but I think those two points work against each other a bit. How much, I'm not sure, but slower charging does preserve capacity. If you have no plans for long trips where you need to charge during a meal, and will always be charging overnight or while at work, batteries that haven't had to deal with faster charging could be better.

You're not wrong however all of the studies and research out there shows the degradation is hundreds or tenths of a percentage point. In other words it's insignificant.

There's guides online for this.

Things I remember off the top of my head:

* there's generations of Leafs, and later ones are better in terms of battery management

* there's a device you can buy and an iPhone app to get better, in-depth info from the battery on a car you intend to purchase

* It was high temperatures that were the achilles heel for early Leaf's so watch out if you live somewhere like Pheonix or if you suspect the car came from somewhere similar

* make sure to check out all the various rebates available for new leafs (from state, federal and utility companies, and group buy offers) to make a fair comparison with a used model.

75% battery life on a car that has a 90 mile range? Talk about range anxiety! I'm not sure who looks at those cars, but they sure don't use cars like I do.

I don't even commute and I can't imagine the stress of driving something like that.

When the 2016 ones go off lease it should help a little: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Leaf#2016_model_year

In the Bay Area it's never really an issue because of quick charging. 30 minutes gets you an 80% charge from 0. When you realize that point-to-point the longest possible drive around here is ~40 miles, and there is guaranteed to be a quick charger within a few miles of your destination, it changes things. I admit it's a total mindset shift from driving an ICE but I love it.

> When you realize that point-to-point the longest possible drive around here is ~40 miles

o_O

It would be fine for my wife, she drives 30 miles every day, either commuting or shopping.

My parents just bought a new model (2016, one of the last ones) and it's surprisingly practical.

5k, how? I don't see any less than 8k on autotrader.

I've heard stories over the years of "plausibly desirable car X is selling for around price $Y!" - yet when I look around a bit, prices are always much higher.

unlisted private party sale; auction purchase; craigslist opportunistic purchase; etc

auto trader is typically dealer sales and paid-listing private party. the best deals won't be found there.

$75 per month for insurance? You gotta get Metromile. My payment is usually under $25 and hasn't ever gone above $30.

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