Used Nissan LEAF for Sale near Santa Cruz, CA

Ive owned LEAFS and plug in hybrids since 2013 and I love them. EVs have virtually no maintenance requirements beyond rotating the tires. No oil changes, no tune ups, no emissions inspections, never having to change brake pads by using regenerative braking. Its a much better choice for saving the environment and securing the future for children and grandchildren.

I love the simplicity. The hatchback makes it versatile -- easy to get my bicycle in and out. This is the ideal city runabout. Drive it, then plug it in. Easy, easy, easy.

The LEAF is luxurious compared to most compact cars. Stylish interior, comfortable seats, ample leg room, and solid construction, not a tin can that echoes and squeaks. Very quiet, like all EVs. Compared to a typical gas car at 12,000 miles/year, 30 miles per gallon and $3.00/gallon, saves 12,000 / 30 * $3 = $1,200 / year on gas. Electricity to run the car costs about 1/3 of that. We have a solar array, so driving costs us almost nothing. We charge the car in our garage 99.9% of the time, so no time wasted on gas/charging stops. Almost no maintenance: No oil changes, emission tests, tune-ups, exhaust system, radiator, transmission, etc. Ive had my 2013 LEAF for 7 years and the only repairs Ive done so far are new tires and replace worn out tie-rod ends ($70 DYI). My 2013 is 10 years old now and still has about 85% of its original battery capacity. Not all of them do this well, but Ive followed rule-of-thumb for Lithium batteries and keep it between 40% and 80% as much as possible (run it down to around 40% before recharging). The body style I would rate as OK on the 1st gen LEAF. The 2nd gen looks cooler. Fantastic car for city driving. This one only has a 90-mile range, so not convenient for long road trips. We considered a longer-range LEAF (150 or 226 miles) for our second car, but decided it was smarter to save $10,000 on a car that serves 99.9% of our needs, and rent a car for a few $hundred if/when we want to do a long road trip (which is rare). We found that we can rent a Tesla Model 3 for $39/day. So we now own two 1st gen LEAFs. Note that the LEAF battery is air-cooled, which means less cost and maintenance for us in the north, but it wont perform as well in hot climates. If you do a lot of driving on 90F/32C days, dont expect to get rated range. Many EVs have a radiator to cool the battery, so theyll perform better than the LEAF in southern India or Miami.

The leaf is loaded with the features that matter, it is fun to drive and handles well , and will efficiently get me from point a to point b. It handles well on snow and ice, low center of gravity, the heated seats and steering wheel are perfect for Colorado winters and mountain driving.

I love the car, for the price. It has limited power (though, still EV snappy) and very limited range (50-somthing miles), but as an in-town car, it cant be beat. Low price, EV, so no oil changes, no gas stations, almost no maintenance.