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EV recommendation?

K85 Octane

K85 Octane

People Fatigued
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I'm thinking about getting a used EV.
Maybe a Leaf. They seem to be affordable, $12-$17k. Carmax has some low mile, base model Leafs for cheap. I just need a box on wheels to get back and forth right now but I don't need a lemon if ya'll can steer me away from one :)

#1 cheap
#2 100+ mile range
#3 cheap

:D
 
K85 Octane said:
I'm thinking about getting a used EV.
Maybe a Leaf. They seem to be affordable, $12-$17k. Carmax has some low mile, base model Leafs for cheap. I just need a box on wheels to get back and forth right now but I don't need a lemon if ya'll can steer me away from one :)

#1 cheap
#2 100+ mile range
#3 cheap

:D
Click to expand...
Why EV now?
It's not like California is improving their grid and it's not keeping up right now.
 
Consider the cost of replacement parts on a USED EV - they could by far outweigh the value of the vehicle.
Look into replacing components like the charging system and battery replacement & possibly labor.
As a general rule it’s advised to only own an EV for the first few years before things get to the point where maintenance costs take over and make them unaffordable.
Besides Nissan’s quality has taken a huge dump compared to what they were years ago.

There are plenty of regular vehicles out there that get great mileage and have proven low maintenance upkeep - don’t get sucked into the selling scam of EV’s because what sounds good on paper is not a real world experience in the long run.
 
tarussell said:
Consider the cost of replacement parts on a USED EV - they could by far outweigh the value of the vehicle.
Look into replacing components like the charging system and battery replacement & possibly labor.
As a general rule it’s advised to only own an EV for the first few years before things get to the point where maintenance costs take over and make them unaffordable.
Besides Nissan’s quality has taken a huge dump compared to what they were years ago.

There are plenty of regular vehicles out there that get great mileage and have proven low maintenance upkeep - don’t get sucked into the selling scam of EV’s because what sounds good on paper is not a real world experience in the long run.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was going to suggest the volt because it's electric, you could charge it but if there's no charging it can run on gas
 
I had a 2013 Chevy Volt as a commuter. They are good cars but 40-50 miles EV range max before switching to gas. If your commute is under 50 miles and you can charge at work (4- hours on 240 VAC), it works well.
 
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the leaf battery range seem to decline, after 3-4 years exponentially. If you stay off the freeway you can actually drive them, and regenerate range. Once drove 20 miles with a beginning range of 18, arrived back at the shop with 12 mile remaining. All my Leaf experience is on model years 2010 -2017. The later years did have the best batteries.
Maintenance is low. You will most likely never have to do brakes, Tires wear very slowly, but are expensive to replace, special ev high mileage mpe tires. They have a cooling system to keep the traction motor and converter cool. If I bought one used I would flush this cooling system. A/c is high voltage electric, other than 1 recall that the techs at Nissan did poorly we never had issue. A/c doesn't hit range to badly, the heater on the other hand drains range rapidly. I would dress warm and only use the defrost as necessary. Steering wheel heater, was nice even when it wasn't needed, made the sore joints in my hands feel better. Since your in So cal you could use it all year and not be effected by weather.
if your home was solar powered, an EV could be used as battery back up ( this could be done even with out solar), charged by solar, in your area back yard wind generation might be an option.
There are apps for Apple and Android, combined with an ELM327 bluetooth device that can tell the condition of the battery before you buy. just plug into ALDL connector
 
kennyw said:
I had a 2013 Chevy Volt as a commutter. They are good cars but 40-50 miles EV range max before switching to gas. If your commute is under 50 miles and you can charge at work (4- hours on 240 VAC), it works well.
Click to expand...
1st gen volt much better car than the second gen, my biggest bitch about the volt was the crappy controls for radio and havc
 
K85 Octane said:
I'm thinking about getting a used EV.
Maybe a Leaf. They seem to be affordable, $12-$17k. Carmax has some low mile, base model Leafs for cheap. I just need a box on wheels to get back and forth right now but I don't need a lemon if ya'll can steer me away from one :)

#1 cheap
#2 100+ mile range
#3 cheap

:D
Click to expand...
After watching MANY family members and friends go down this road, I have learned a bunch of lessons second hand.

the moment you start thinking down this road about EV vehicles... you basically have 2 options:
Option 1) buy a tesla brand new -IF the tax incentives work for you, and IF you intend to put a TON of miles on it, and IF you plan toss it like a hot hand grenade after the battery warranty is up!

Option 2) ignore ALL EVs, and anything non tesla - start shopping for the nicest and lowest milage toyota camry that you can find (1999-2004ish). Be prepared to pay more than you see all the 250,000 mile cars going for - bite the bullet, pay cash for it, and treat it well. safe bet you will never have to replace the hybrid battery on it.


I've seen friends and family regret buying:

-used newer Camry hybrid (went through a "good used" replacement battery, a "new" replacement battery, and then sold with another "used replacement battery") owner regretted the purchase and had animosities towards anything hybrid


-brand new electric BMW tiny boxy car thing (owner detested the short range and long charge times. after carefully watching charge rates, this person said the electricity was much more expensive than they anticipated- after 2 years the car was sold at a loss and replaced with a used dodge cummins truck! and owner says they will NEVER do an electrical vehicle again)

-brand new Toyota Camry hybrid (this was apparently a good car for 5-6 years, and then was gifted to their daughter, and not long after it went down the same path as the used Camry mentioned above - several bad stories of expensive battery replacements, horrendously expensive tires, ultimately leaving the daughter scrambling away from it and into an older toyota Rav4)


-Used Ford Edge Hybrid (owner bought it with 150,000 miles for around 5 grand - kept it for about 5 years and had the battery go out 3 times. all of the batteries were "good" replacements - none of them lasted long. in spite of the battery problems causing him to sell it, this guy still claims it was once of the best vehicles he ever had "because it got great fuel milage @30 to 33mpg")

-his and hers toyota prius' purchased new at the same time (i was told they were great for the first 5 years - then started having battery issues and were in the shop frequently. they were sold soon after and turned into a pair of his and hers BMW 330 something something sedans)

-used prius hybrid purchased with a bunch of miles (owner drove it into the ground and junked it after about a year- now diving a 4runner)

-prius hybrid purchased new and still being driven now 7-8 years later after many many many miles and several major repairs (owner affraid to bite the bullet because of long commute. plan on running it into the ground and then not buying another hybrid or ev )



THE ONE PERSON HAPPY WITH THEIR EV: my friend bought a new base model 4 door tesla about 2 years ago? cost was around $44,000.00 and most of it was financed for 60 months. they have good credit, but I don't know what they pay in interest. He is a contractor, so he installed the 220v charge station in the driveway and dealt with all the permits, and labor was him/free to him. They took a healthy tax credit for buying the car. they installed solar on the house to negate any extra usage. I believe there was a tax credit on the house solar the first year it was installed. Him being a contractor and being able to do a lot of this stuff on his own helped keep costs down, but you and I would be in over a hundred grand for the car, accessories, and all the home upgrades. His wife loves the car, and it never goes more than 40 miles from home. they still have other vehicles to drive if they leave the area. I am waiting patiently to see how things are going over the loan term... after its paid off and the batteries are 5-6 years old?
I sat down with him over cigars, and we went over estimated cost of ownership of the life of the vehicle over 10 year period... compared to buying a good used camry, or tacoma, or even my 2004 tundra? just the difference in the base prices of the vehicles gave the gas vehicle a huuuuge leg up. and 40 or 50 grand buys a lot of gas, and at least one replacement engine and trans??
 
You want gas milage get a crx or a mid 80s civic manual trans
You can get 45 plus even with e85.
Toyota Echo manual will 40mpg easy. If you hyper mile 43ish
 
The fastest car I’ve ever been in was a Tesla S dual motor 120 when we toured the factory for work. Holy crap, you could feel the blood leave your chest and go to your arms. But for $120k I’d buy 2 good GTO’s and a crappy Nova instead.
 
Wes Harden said:
1st gen volt much better car than the second gen, my biggest bitch about the volt was the crappy controls for radio and havc
Click to expand...
I read a bunch of articles about the 1st gen volt costing gm more to build than they could sell them for? -knew a few people that loved them, and "traded up" and were disappointed in the next versions and moved along into other vehicles
 
eodcoduto said:
The fastest car I’ve ever been in was a Tesla S dual motor 120 when we toured the factory for work. Holy crap, you could feel the blood leave your chest and go to your arms. But for $120k I’d buy 2 good GTO’s and a crappy Nova instead.
Click to expand...
yup. the way my buddy drives, I always think "please lord -don't let me die in this electric coked up Sentra!"
 
Wes Harden said:
You want gas milage get a crx or a mid 80s civic manual trans
You can get 45 plus even with e85.
Toyota Echo manual will 40mpg easy. If you hyper mile 43ish
Click to expand...
Or diesel jetta, 40-50mpg, some early 2000 even reach 60 mpg.
I will not own hybrid or electric unless it's the only option left
 
yes the early small diesels can get great mpg, except used German cars normally need a ton of tlc and pampering. I will admit the Honda 3 barrel carb on the crx and civic are a special beast and hard to tame, if they need attention, but that's what makes it run clean and get good mileage. The Echo will be fuel injected, and a Toyota so the maintenance will be oil changes and brakes
 
Only time I'd even hint at electric would be brand new and sold before the warranty, or a cheap enough lease. So it's not my problem.
 
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