Nissan Leaf after 7 years (3)

In this post and this post, I discussed my ordeal of getting the battery of the Nissan Leaf replaced. This matter was resolved in September 2023, but since I have never posted an update, here it is.

To provide context for how things unfolded, here is a summary of the timeline.

• November 2016: I purchased a Nissan Leaf.
• December 2022: The battery gauge lost 4 bars. I brought the vehicle to the dealer to have the battery replaced (covered under warranty), and the dealer told me it would take 20 weeks for the battery to arrive from Japan.
• Throughout 2023: There is no response from the Nissan dealer. I called them multiple times, but they always said they were still waiting.
• July 2023: I wrote this blog post.
• August 9, 2023: I contacted Nissan USA by web form to complain that Nissan (or the dealer) is not honoring the warranty and that I was ready to take legal action.
• August 10, 2023: Nissan acknowledges my complaint and forwards it to the Consumer Affairs Specialist.
• August 24, 2023: An Arbitration Specialist contacted me and mentioned that Nissan will offer to repurchase the vehicle, citing the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
• August 31, 2023: I wrote this blog post.

The August 24 email requested that I send the bill of sale, pictures, and other documents, which I promptly did. Then on September 5, 2023, I received this repurchase offer. As mentioned in this post, I paid $42,647 for the vehicle, including everything, and the employer (UCSD) subsidized $10,000, leaving me to pay $32,647 out of pocket. Nissan offered $28,770 to repurchase this vehicle because they were either unable or unwilling to honor the battery warranty. But recall that I received $7,500 federal tax credit for purchasing an electric vehicle in 2016, so my actual cost was \(32647-7500=25147\). So, if this offer were true, it would mean I paid $25,147 for the vehicle, used it for 7 years, and sold it for $28,770.

It was crazy, but the deal was real. After carefully reviewing the contract, I signed it within a few hours, before Nissan could change their mind.

On September 28, 2023, I took the last picture of my Nissan Leaf before delivery. To be fair, it was a good car: quiet, easy to park, and with good acceleration, but the only and fatal issue was that battery degradation was too fast.

After delivering the vehicle and receiving the check, I went straight to the bank to cash it. I was delighted because this windfall temporarily alleviated my cash flow problem!