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Comment by ProfessorLayton | Hacker News Reader

Its interesting to see new prices go up while used electric car prices are falling so incredibly rapidly, that its caused me to seriously consider one.

A barely used (20k miles) 2014 BMW i3 can be bought for ~16k, and an equally used Nissan Leaf can be bought for half of that!

My Honda only has 75K miles on it, so I really don't need to upgrade just yet, but I'd jump on these deals in a heartbeat if I was in the market.

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Electric cars have insane torque and I've really started enjoying my drive again after buying one.

That said I paid $16.5k (post credits - on lease) for a 2017 Ford Focus Electric with 110m range.

If the real range of a used electric is within your commute range then a great deal can be had but new ones can also be found with good discounts.

But they're also heavy as all hell. A lighter but sporty petrol car will still be more fun to drice

You probably haven't driven one. A discount electric is an amazingly zen drive if you can work with the range.

A sports car will have better handling, for sure, but it's really satisfying to (silently) out accelerate BMWs easily 2x the cost effortlessly when desired.

Yep, bought a 2015 Leaf with 19k miles for $8,500. Will never buy a gasoline car again.

Wow, that's cheap!

Does the mileage drop badly in very cold weather?

How long does it take to charge?

I'm in New England and I'm seeing 100 miles with a full charge in the summer, down to 85 in the winter. Mine is in a garage at night, which may make a difference.

That said, that's just what the car estimates. I can get close to that number if I stay off the highway, but I do think it's a bit optimistic. I typically come in between 5-10 miles less then the estimate.

I live in Vitoria, BC. It doesn't get that cold here, but it was below freezing I lost maybe 10% of range. It takes maybe 3 hours to change with my level 2 charger.

Awesome, thanks.

For that kind of money, I am thinking about it for a Yukon commuter car! - so nice not to have to leave it plugged in all day or let it warm up for 20mins when it's -40 !

What's the range like with 19k miles?

I'm considering one for my first car.

Unless you live somewhere really hot (Leaf only has passive battery cooling), a Leaf will make it to about 100,000km before it loses it's first bar on battery life meter. (There are 12 bars)

70-80 miles

Which is effectively the real world range it had when it was new.

The only problem I see is that there is not much experience how long these cars will last and what kind repair they will need.

Speaking about the BMW i3, they provide a standard 8 year battery + motor warranty. That basically covers what an EV is. Remaining parts are already on ICE cars with well known maintenance requirements.

Data points are beginning to appear though..

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-s-400k-km-250k-mi-7-pe...

In what ways? These were always evolutionary over hybrids which, and you could throw a rock in any direction in the bay area and hit a prius.

I think a fully electric car is quite different from a hybrid in the way the motors and transmission is set up.

There is no transmission. They should be more reliable. My leaf drivetrain has been rock solid. The batteries are the thing to worry about.

Why, what kind of drivetrain issues could you have possibly had with a regular, non-electric car in the time you owned your Leaf?

it is much simpler

Which i3? There are three of them, and they are VERY different. There is a small battery, a medium/large battery, and a range extended option (onboard ICE generator)

I can attest to this personally. I bought a Nissan Leaf with 20k miles on it this past April for $9k.

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