Sold my old Celica... now it's just the I-MIEV

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phb10186

Well-known member
Joined
May 13, 2016
Messages
325
Location
North London suburbs, UK
Just sold my 2002 Celica 2ZZGE. Suffice to say this was the second best car I ever owned (best was a 1999 Prelude 2.2 VTEC). Bought it in 2008 for £5K, sold last week for £2.8K, that was 8 years of trouble free ownership, that cost me £275 per year in depreciation in nominal terms.

Never went wrong, only ever replaced the auxiliary belt and auto tensioner, rear tailgate struts and overhauled one rear brake caliper (as well as fluids and plugs and service stuff).

It had two tiny spots of rust, at the same point on both doors where the external window rubber met the arm of the wing mirrors.

If the I-Miev can get anywhere near that, I'll be sold.

It means it would have to be worth £3,250 in 2024, and cost me (adjusted for running costs) no more than £850 a year in repairs.

Alternatively, it can last me 4.8 years and be worth nothing, if it needs no repairs or maintenance. If I got 6 trouble free years out of it, that would make it the cheapest car I ever owned.

Paid £5250 for it, and spent about £200 on bits various.

In other news, one of my friends went to a local outer London Nissan dealer and on my advice simply asked for 'the best deal you can give me on any Leaf for cash' (he thought the I-Miev was too small for his family)

The result was good - they offered a 2014 Leaf with 11,000 miles in one below top spec (that's the one with everything except the flashy wheels and leather seats) for £6750, and then offered them £6K, and settled on £6250 supplied with a J1772 5m lead for free.

That puts a used leaf in I-MIEV territory in this counrty now... not sure about elsewhere.

I had thought that a lot of the revised Leafs were coming off their 3 year lease plans now, and I had seen growing numbers in dealership lots, so speculatively, I thought it was a good idea to ask. Full Nissan dealer history too.

I know it has battery issues in hotter climates (we are not one of them), but the fit and finish of the bodywork and level of spec is superior to the I-Miev, though Im not sure about the rest of the drive train - I know it's far more integrated in the assembly, and the battery packs are like sardine tins full of flat cells - also something I am not sure about vis a vis the long term. Its also got this disgusting pure white trim, that looks like it will get filthy in about 3 minutes (I would try to get black trim if I could).

I have also chatted at length to Leaf drivers at CHAdeMO charging points and there is a general consensus that the battery degredation seems to be an issue after about year 3, and that seems to equate to a loss of about 8-10 miles over that time they tell me. Most quote me similar rage to the I, perhaps 10 miles more - so it's not game-changingly different to the I.
 
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