At what point does an EV not make $ense?

[Durandal]

People appear to classify motorcycle riders as bad citizens in general now and that attitude on the road has become pretty much self evident by the way many car drivers act when there is a motorcycle on the road with them. For some its like a bull seeing red as the expression goes.

Well, around here, a lot of them act like jerks, and the glass pack or straight pipes don't help either. Act like a pariah, and people will treat you like one. Obviously, the minority of bad actors don't mean all motorcycle riders are that way, but unless they are shunned by the rest of the motorcycle community instead of being treated as "cool" then the trend will continue.

I preferred my bike to be quiet, and I would love one of the Zero motorcycles, but I don't think I will get back on the road on a motorcycle again until the majority of the drivers out there are autonomous vehicles.

 

[sub3marathonman]

I can save even more if I don't buy the leaf and ride my bicycle.... Better yet... I can saver wear and tear on my bicycle and just walk....

Exactly.

Well, as a runner who was doing 50 to 60 miles per week, you would be surprised but that isn't true.

Running shoes used to cost me $50/pair (long ago) and you'd use them for 500 miles before they were worn out, so that is about $0.10 / mile. Now, a good running shoe is about $80 or so, and so you're paying about $0.14 / mile.

Here is some documentation I found after a five second search that coincides with what I believe, and they said it holds true for walking shoes as well: https://www.verywell.com/when-should-i-replace-my-walking-shoes-3436325

Now, you might say the sole isn't falling off and they could be worn, but after running in any kind of weather, mine usually were taken away by the guys in the hazmat suits :lol:

One thing that hasn't been focused on, and is the reason that I'd pick an EV even if gas was free, is the fact that as it is "worn out," the only thing really necessary to replace is the batteries, and you've got a "new" car again for $6K instead of $30K + $2K sales tax. Not having to deal with a dealership/(98% of them are stealerships), priceless.

 

[jkline]

Strongly diasagree with that. Yes the leaf is a reliable car, but it has as much chance needing repair as any other: bearings, calipers , drive train, etc etc.

When the miles rack up, things will go south. And in actuality, my leaf has caused me more problems than my suburban, tractor, and pickup combined in the last 5 months.

 

[RonDawg]

And in actuality, my leaf has caused me more problems than my suburban, tractor, and pickup combined in the last 5 months.

Then you got a lemon of a car. The only time I had to take my 2012 in for something not related to scheduled maintenance was for an issue I inadvertently caused (dash cam wiring).

My 2012 has easily been the most reliable car I've owned since my 1989 Toyota 4x4 which I bought new and sold after it racked up 125k miles.

 

[RockyNv]

While reliable the car still has switches. relays, bearings, ball joints, a steering rack, control arm bushings/struts/links for 4 wheel independent suspension, brakes and will suffer from fading paint, plastic part failure, etc just like any other car. While the transmission is single speed there are still bearings, gears, a differential that can require a lash adjustment along with cv shafts and seals that have a finite life span.

Some newer cars have the additional rub of using corn starch and possibly soy bean oil in the plastic parts so that they will bio degrade over time which is not that great if your one who likes to keep their cars on the road until the wheels fall off.

Plenty of stuff to wear out on the Leaf along with a steel uni-body to rust away.

 

[powersurge]

You cannot say that the leaf will cost the same in repairs as a gas car. All body and suspension parts take DECADES to deteriorate, and you would probably be on your third battery when it happens... Then you would fix it like any other car.

Also, in the meantime, you save tons of money with the lack of maintenance needed on the car. no oil, fluid, antifreeze, carburetor, starter, transmission, alternator, water pump, etc things to worry about. I own several gas cars, and do all the work on them myself. I spend ALOT of time and money keeping all the maintenance done on them, and I do not spend of mechanics costs....

The only long term issue we might face as leaf owners would be if the misfortune that Nissan drops the Leaf and its support, an expensive parts become way too expensive to make sense fixing the car. I am sure that we will see this sooner happen to Tesla owners... Anyway, I will cross that bridge when we have to cross it....

 

[johnlocke]

As a guy who routinely drives his cars into the ground, I know time and milage do take a toll on any car. I have put more than 150k on each of the last 4 cars i've owned and over 225k on one before I sold it. I've got two currently at 175k and 165k that still get driven on occasion. Bearings wear out and belts and hoses deteriorate over time. It's often the case that you could still fix them but it's not worth the effort. While it's true that the Leaf has a lot fewer moving parts, they are still subject to wear and tear. Suspension components are likely to be the weak spot on a Leaf. Ball joints and wheel bearings are subject to the same issues as any other car. I do plan on getting 150k out of my Leaf but at this point I think that it's likely that I end up getting two batteries replaced under warranty. It appears to me that Nissan was betting these cars would be getting driven less than 8k/yr and that in most climates the battery would age out of it's warranty before failing to hold the minimum charge.