This week's EV bargain that I'm not buying

unkel

Not sure if I mentioned it, but I have a decent Leaf for sale. Low miles, taxed, fresh NCT, very clean. Cheapest Leaf in Ireland when I checked. €3,500 cash takes it

https://www.adverts.ie/car/nissan/leaf/2011-nissan-leaf/33411669

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122033705#Comment_122033705

If you hover over or click the link (not sure if you're using mobile or web) you get three options. The middle one is the default which doesn't give you a hyperlink, the third one is the card type link which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't depending on the website you're linking to (I think). The first option is hyperlink text. Looks like this.

Padre_Pio

I'm thinking a model S would be a future classic here, seeing as they're not making them in RHD anymore. What do other people think? Would it be worth picking up one and keeping it long term? Is there an easy way to upgrade or swap the battery when it reaches end of life?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122033919#Comment_122033919

There are very few Model S in Ireland and it's an iconic and desirable car, so quite likely to become a future classic. Not sure what time period you are thinking of, but batteries don't just reach end of life, they just degrade over time. A typical Model S battery has about 85-90% capacity left after 10 years.

In particular the older cars did suffer from water ingress into the battery compartment over time, leading to many of them getting a free battery replacement under warranty. The replacement packs should be better sealed, no longer suffering this issue. Tesla will gladly replace the battery out of warranty (at huge cost, I think a brand new pack is about €14k) but quite likely more and more indy companies will be able to fix battery problems for a fraction of that cost

My 7 year old Model S is still covered by battery warranty for well over another year, but I intend to keep the car and if mine ever develops a battery problem, I intend to fix it myself. Would just need access to a lift to get the battery out in back in

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122033919#Comment_122033919

I don't see how a model S will be a future classic personally. It may be a niche jolly but no it won't be a classic in the stream of classic automobiles.

Plenty of niche jollys out there though going back through the decades.

sh81722

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122034064#Comment_122034064

My opinion is that I disagree. I would go to say that in a way it's already a classic now. It will always be the first properly usable EV.

ELM327

A founders series 2012 model S from the US would be a classic. A bog standard 2014 S85 will not.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122034954#Comment_122034954

There's hundreds of thousands of them in the US. Not really a good base for becoming a classic. Same in some other countries. In the Netherlands, for many years, the Model S was the best selling EV. Outselling the humble Nissan Leaf by a huge number. Also not a good base for becoming a classic

The poster was asking about Ireland though. The Model S was only sold here between late 2017 and sometime in 2019 afaik. There are very few in the country and the number can only go down now, since Brexit stopped imports and since Tesla stopped making RHD cars back about 5 years ago

I.e there are only 2 Model S that I know of and see around in the greater Lucan / Adamstown area (about 60k population). My own car and my last car 😂

unkel

Oh and people said for years the Tesla Roadster was never going to be a classic. It is only a fairly common Lotus Elise that had a rudimentary conversion to an EV right? Yes, correct. Far less special than a Model S really, which was the first proper Tesla? Also correct.

That said, the market disagrees. The Roadsters are now worth well over €100k. Degraded battery and all. Even more than the insane amount they cost brand new back 16 years ago

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122035039#Comment_122035039

Comparing roadsters of which they made over 2k versus 250k plus model S.

Come on lad...

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122034837#Comment_122034837

It will always be the first properly usable EV.

You might find that is actually the leaf

A GM EV1 from 1997 will legally be a classic in 3 years time. If you can get your hands on one

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122035071#Comment_122035071

Not comparing them pal. I was the one saying there are hundreds of thousands of Model S in the USA and that's why it won't be a classic there*. Why do people keep twisting my words? You know full well what I meant

*That said, there were millions of R4 / Type 1 / 2CV sold, the most boggo cars that ever existed and yet all of them are now considered a classic and in good condition they are all now worth many times what they cost brand new back then. Wait long enough and anything becomes a classic

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122035152#Comment_122035152

Leaf was never really properly usable. With a motorway range (at the speed limit) of about 70-80km (less in winter). The poster who you quoted only knows that too well, trust me 😂

fafy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122035152#Comment_122035152

GM took them all back, as it was a compulsory- Lease only option, a classic, that no one, will have alas.

allthough a few, still exist apparently

k123456

Is it against forum rules to post a link to my car for sale

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122036560#Comment_122036560

Nope, lots of posters doing it. This thread has at least two in the last week or so.

k123456

Adding a link to my car for sale https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/hyundai-ioniq-2019/36787141

obi604

anyone ever deal with this lad

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/35299977

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122036653#Comment_122036653

There was somebody posted about him here. Went to look at a car that turned out not to belong to him.

witnessmenow

This is probably a me thing more than a him thing, and probably doesn't have a huge amount to do with selling of the cars, but I've seen him describe himself in previous ads as a retired engineer and he has his degree title in his name. I always find it a bit off to be throwing around a title he probably does have, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything in this context

I have a degree in electronic and computer engineering and it absolutely does not give me any authority on EV cars.

Now maybe his knowledge and experience is more relevant to EVs than mine, but I definitely wouldn't be putting my degree in any ads

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037174#Comment_122037174

is he a dealer or a private seller or something in between?

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037305#Comment_122037305

Something in between I would say.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122035181#Comment_122035181

Not usable as a motorway car, for sure that crown sits on the head of the Model S. No arguments there. For car predominantly driven along city streets though it was perfectly usable and beat the MS by a year

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122035362#Comment_122035362

Yes, a very small few still exist, there's a film director who managed to hide his EV1 from the collectors and there's the one in the Smithsonian museum that GM agreed not to disable. There are more examples but apparently they are all keeping quiet, as you say they are technically after stealing them as they were on lease at the time

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037408#Comment_122037408

Yes, officially there's only one with the drivetrain connected and drivable and that's the one in the museum as you mention. Would be interested to see if in a few years time there's an amnesty and people actually come out of the closet with them. I'd say the temptation would be massive to do so as they would be very very pricey cars if they existed. (Certainly not This week's EV bargain that I'm not buying priced!)

Who killed the electric car is a great film to watch if anyone on this forum hasnt done so.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037505#Comment_122037505

Yes, officially. There's a few in other museums around the world with drivetrains removed, in theory they could be put back in place. There's even one which was converted to petrol.

An amnesty would see these owners rake it in for sure

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037389#Comment_122037389

Couldn't agree more. I'm always the one singing the praises of the early Leaf. But not as the main family car. As a second family car that never or rarely has to go beyond its very limited range

I came close to buying a Leaf (24kWh) as our only family car in 2016, but it simply didn't cut the mustard and would be a complete pain on longer trips with the family on board. As in taking 8 hours to drive to Kerry instead of 3-4 hours. I then did buy an Ioniq a few months later. That also had a tiny battery (28kWh), but was far more efficient (particularly at motorway speeds) and could publicly charge much quicker. In a way that was the first affordable EV suitable as a family car (affordable ruling out the Model S)

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037664#Comment_122037664

My very first car was a 12 year old Ford Fiesta that had 18,000 miles up on it. Presumably an elderly person who only ever drove to mass. I used it to get to/from college in the 2010's driving maybe across Limerick City, about 20km.day. That's where a leaf 24 would have been ideal

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037798#Comment_122037798

Aye, but extremely rare use case scenario that a short range Leaf would work as someone's only car. As a second family car however, it would be fine for many, probably most, families

Somehow a cohort of people in here (not you!) have difficulty comprehending that 😂 and they keep accusing a degraded Leaf as being no good to anyone but someone like that elderly person who owned your car before you…

sh81722

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037664#Comment_122037664

Exactly my thoughts. I'm a big fan of the L24/30, and we actually ran one back in 2015-18 as the only car, including a trip to Cornwall, but it needed a lots of planning. The Model S(85) was the first car that could genuinely replace an ICE both in practicality and for long distance road trips combined with the SuC.