Considering the Leaf

yep. last 2 big price increases in my area was not due to oil prices, it was refinery issues

 

Cushing, OK WTI spot $38.86 on February 24, 2009 was the last time under $40.

It was $22.20 on 12/18/89

Cushing, OK WTI Spot Price FOB (Dollars per Barrel)

 

I'm sure you'd get much different answers from a Leaf forum, but if you want a strictly EV car, the Leaf isn't a bad choice. The primary purpose of a Prius is to get the best fuel economy in it's class, and it succeeds brilliantly at that. Even the Prius Plug-in isn't much of an EV car; it's a hybrid with modest EV capabilities.

 

ok, how about an opinion from an unbiased source?

What's The Best Electric Car To Buy For The Average Consumer?

 

i agree, it's either leaf or the i3, once it has fast charging.

 

I'll wait for the FT1.....

 

i3 costs quite a bit more unfortunately, and the problem with it's fast charging is most fast chargers are currently chademo not ccs (not including Tesla). I'm actually leaning strongly towards getting the SV without the fast charger. Yes, the fast charging seems to be incredibly convenient IF you use it. I know I'm not going to want to pay the $15 monthly fee to NRG evGo if I don't use it often, but then I'm definitely not going to want to spend $10.95 per session without having the membership, so I'm worried about getting the S with Quick Charge and regretting not getting the SV with the features I would like to use on a more daily basis. I don't think I'd take the Leaf on trips I knew it couldn't make it, which is the advantage of having other Prius's in the household.

 

That's essentially what we do. Leaf is #1 daily driver. Prius is the #1 weekend car to drive us to the airport but the past 2 times we took the Leaf and did a QC along the way.

Once you go with the 360d view cameras, you will never go back. I love it every time it comes on the screen. So much better than a backup camera.

As to Carwings, don't put that into your decision. Nissan is stupidly still using AT&T 2G technology that AT&T is already phasing out to re-brand as 4G LTE bands. As of December 31st, 2016 there will be no functioning AT&T 2G network and all Leaf's sold up until now will be left with no way to communicate without upgrading the hardware. I expect this is when Nissan will start charging a monthly fee for it. Upgrade your hardware, only some ridiculous amount per month...

Keep in mind the 80% in 30minutes is 0% to 80% in 30 minutes. If you start at 40%, it will only charge at the highest rate until 80% to 84%, taper off to about 92%, and then it will be dog slow to top balance. And on top of that, that is using the maximum 65KW chargers. CHAdeMO can be as low as 12KW. All the ones around me take about an hour to go from dead to 85%. Because of the high elevation lots of the highest power ones don't work. So I would check out the power ratings on ones nearby if that is a factor in your decision. Also, in more populated places, they are often blocked by ICE vehicles or broken and remain broken for months at a time.

Because Texas refuses to join CARB and even then CA itself has even stricter standards! I am glad someone is doing something!

$5K from the dealer.

DO NOT count on "No Charge to Charge". Almost nobody has been successful in getting free charge. The car usually works, and then you are billed later. Nissan doesn't know and can't help. The station operators are clueless, it is just a broken system. Don't ever count on public for-profit charging.

If you're buying, get the CHAdeMO port even if you will never use it. Good luck selling a Leaf used without one. Almost all of them sit unused and then get sold at auction and sent to Norway. And that 1 time you might need it 3 years from now for some unknown reason, will more than make up for it.

 

Well, I caved and got a black on black 2015 SV with Quick Charge. Thank you all for your comments!

 

buy or lease? if lease, what was down, distance and monthly?

 

Buy with VPP, OTD slightly under $30.3k, 0% APR for 72 months, free L2 EVSE included, No Charge to Charge (even if useless), plus $7.5k in federal tax credit and $2.5k California tax rebate. Now I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth sending HOV decal app without plates number or patiently wait a few weeks.

 

i saw the i3 for lease, 3k down and 180./mo for two years.

 

nice! what is your expected daily needs as far as distance. I lease only because my driving need is a "bit" extreme so decided years ago, I was not buying until I get a car that will do at least 135 freeway miles (enough to get me to the coast and back ) my current lease runs out Dec 2016 so the longer range LEAFs should be out in force by then.

 

I saw the same but 10,000 miles? not even close to working for me and LEAFs are going for zero down and gotta have chademo

 

what's the best leaf lease you've seen?

 

mine was $245, 3 years, no down, 15,000 miles

but I have seen MUCH better deals lately. A lot of it has to do with the fact Nissan applies the full $7500 tax credit as a down payment and their financing arm is carrying leases with a near zero interest rate. On my 3 year lease, the total finance charge (which is essentially interst) is $25.75

Saw one guy get an SV, zero down, 12,000 miles for $255

 

wow, that's a great deal. i haven't seen anything around here, but i haven't really been looking, just what i come across. 10,000 is plenty for me, and if i had the rex, would work full time. i'd have to drive both to see what i like better, but the leaf is probably a better choice based on reliability.

 

Congratulations!

 

The people in my family that will be using it during the week will mainly be using it for 40-50 daily miles. My needs are a bit more than that, since I average 90-120 miles a day during the week, so I'm sticking with my PiP. I thought about holding out for the longer range one, but with total after incentive price of about $20k (on a nicely equipped model) I figured it would cost quite a bit more when the next one comes out (at least initially), and if I lease this one then purchase the next one I'll spend more in the end.

Thanks!

 

40-50 miles is great. the LEAF should cover you well for several years. As far as the price of the longer range LEAF, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the affordability of the car when it arrives. Now, you might think you have made a mistake by not waiting but gas prices will not be staying as low as they are now for any extended period. What I would think about is trading in the PiP for the longer range LEAF and investigating workplace charging options