2012 vs 2017

[Orleans]

When I look it up in reviews, I'm seeing the 2012 with actually more range than the 2017. Is that a mistake? Or is there anything else I'm not looking at that makes those distance irrelevant (like the 2017 has a battery that doesn't degrade as fast)?

 

[MickeyS70]

Have a look at below

http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4820&p=43227&hilit=Change+battery+cell#p43227

You are correct, a 2017 car will have improved cells that should ‘age’ better and will come with a warranty, so for these factors alone I would be reluctant to choose a 2012 model. It is however possible (but unlikely) that a healthy 10 year old battery will have a better SOH compared to a bad 2017..

Range is a different topic altogether, while battery capacity is a critical aspect, it’s not the only one; how, when and where the car is driven are important factors too.

 

[wmcbrine]

It's probably just a revision in the way the range is estimated. (By the EPA?)

 

[Orleans]

Suddenly a few 2012s on the market. Any other things I should look out for that might be failing on a ten-year-old MIEV? A few I'm seeing don't have a ton of km on them. Around 40k.

 

[JoeS]

In addition to the normal mechanical things one checks when buying a ten-year-old car, especially if exposed to salt in a winter, there are a couple of things I would do:

1. Get an OBDII adapter and one of the apps which tells you what the battery capacity is, as I believe this is the overriding concern at this point in history -
http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4936

2. Find out if the Onboard Charger (OBC) has been replaced. If it hasn't and you're in North America, find out when the i-MiEV was first sold (should be with the paperwork for the car, but you can also call a Mitsu dealer and give them the VIN and ask them) as the warranty for the OBC is 120 months from date of sale. The original OBC now has a high probability of dying and which will entail spending some time and $ to repair or replace (not by Misu). The OBC replacement cost is a prohibitive ~$5000.

Also, be prepared to replace the 12v battery if it has not been replaced recently.

You might note the difference between SE and ES

We also have a fairly old thread about buying a used i-MiEV and there are also quite a few posts with queries about the same topic.

Happy hunting!