A not too expensive EV

Buying used is a time-honored way to save money. There is still lots of value in a 2 or 4 year old car, and its great for the planet too.

Why go used?

• Its the greener choice, reduce-reuse-recycle right
• Save money, a used 2018 Nissan leaf can be had for 22 000 $, a 2015 Nissan leaf can be had for 10 k (from https://www.autotrader.ca/), a new Tesla Model 3 runs at least 50 k (see https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/model3/).
• Build quality concerns, a two year old car has had some wear and tear, making some build issues easier to find
• Get it much faster, a used car is there on a lot waiting for you, no need to worry about chip shortages, plant stoppages etc.

What exactly do you miss out on?

It really comes down to long road trips, more specifically the distance you can comfortably cover in a day. For me that was 250 km/day in a 2015 Nissan Leaf, and 500 km/day in a 2018 Nissan Leaf, and when I was in my 20’s I did 800 km/day in a gas car. Ill discuss the math behind these numbers in a future post.

If you are considering buying a car, you need to weigh the pro’s and con’s carefully. Much depends on where you live, what chargers are available along the highways in your area? What is the climate like where you live? Do you need to spend 50k on a new car? Or does it make sense to retire a few years earlier and invest the saved money from buying used? Do keep in mind that “500 $/month” lease payment is 6 k a year or 24 k in four years.

As you might have guessed me and my family went with a used Nissan Leaf, but more and more quality used EV’s are now available from a wide variety of manufacturers. The right EV for you depends on where you live, your climate, and how you drive. More on that in a later post.

Even if a 2015 Nissan Leaf covers fewer kilometers per day than a newer EV would, you certainly can take long road trips. I took a 1000 km road trip in a 2015 Nissan leaf around the Georgian bay in Ontario Canada. Some planning, patience and a thirst for adventure is all that is required. Charge stops can be fun, Ontario Parks has electric campsites available that can charge your electric car while you recharge yourself.

Ill hope to write more about my electric adventures with the two electric cars I have owned in the hopes that it will inspire you to go green too. A used EV is certainly a lot easier on the wallet, and a great choice for the planet too.