BenTheRighteous
Well-known member
So my wife and I bought our Leaf new back in February. At the time, it was an experiment - we weren't sure it would meet our needs, but we needed another car and at least we still had a 2nd vehicle (ICE) that we could use if the Leaf wasn't what we hoped it would be.
Well it turns out that we totally love it. So much, in fact, that we're thinking about selling our remaining ICE vehicle in favor of buying a 2nd Leaf, and totally ditching gas forever. Especially since we're eligible for the $10K discount - if you can get a brand new car for $15K, why not get two, right?
However, I'm a little apprehensive. I'm sure 2 Leafs would cover our daily driving needs with no problem. We're especially lucky to live in Raleigh, a city that has a fairly well-developed charging infrastructure - but as soon as you leave the city limits, that infrastructure effectively disappears. Any trip to the beach (140 miles east) or mountains (280 miles west) would require renting a car, although admittedly we don't do either often. Probably once a year.
Even a trip to the next big city over, Greensboro, would require some planning (80mi interstate). A trip to visit family in Charlotte (160mi interstate) probably couldn't happen without renting.
Or, if it ever became necessary to evacuate for some reason (unlikely, but not impossible), I feel like we would be totally screwed.
So the options are:
1. Take the plunge and buy a 2nd Leaf, rent a car a few times a year, tell myself the cost is offset by gas savings
2. Buy a Volt and try to stay in EV mode, still have gas option for long distance (but we test drove one and hated it, much too small and I've never driven a borderline-subcompact that handles like a boat before)
3. Do nothing, keep 1 Leaf and 1 ICE car
I really want to like option 1, and I'd want to move on it before the $10K off promotion expires at the end of the month. But I can't shake the feeling that it's a little too crazy, even for me.
I'm purposefully excluding the option of waiting for the 2018 Leaf because I don't have details on range/capacity, and even if I did, I don't think it would meaningfully solve any problems. (There's still no destination charging at the beach or mountains, interstate trips would still require careful planning).
There's also the financial aspect - I'm not wild about having 2 cars whose values are going to plummet as time goes on, even with the discount.
Thoughts, opinions, and experiences are more than welcome. Convince me I'm not nuts. Thanks!
Well it turns out that we totally love it. So much, in fact, that we're thinking about selling our remaining ICE vehicle in favor of buying a 2nd Leaf, and totally ditching gas forever. Especially since we're eligible for the $10K discount - if you can get a brand new car for $15K, why not get two, right?
However, I'm a little apprehensive. I'm sure 2 Leafs would cover our daily driving needs with no problem. We're especially lucky to live in Raleigh, a city that has a fairly well-developed charging infrastructure - but as soon as you leave the city limits, that infrastructure effectively disappears. Any trip to the beach (140 miles east) or mountains (280 miles west) would require renting a car, although admittedly we don't do either often. Probably once a year.
Even a trip to the next big city over, Greensboro, would require some planning (80mi interstate). A trip to visit family in Charlotte (160mi interstate) probably couldn't happen without renting.
Or, if it ever became necessary to evacuate for some reason (unlikely, but not impossible), I feel like we would be totally screwed.
So the options are:
1. Take the plunge and buy a 2nd Leaf, rent a car a few times a year, tell myself the cost is offset by gas savings
2. Buy a Volt and try to stay in EV mode, still have gas option for long distance (but we test drove one and hated it, much too small and I've never driven a borderline-subcompact that handles like a boat before)
3. Do nothing, keep 1 Leaf and 1 ICE car
I really want to like option 1, and I'd want to move on it before the $10K off promotion expires at the end of the month. But I can't shake the feeling that it's a little too crazy, even for me.
I'm purposefully excluding the option of waiting for the 2018 Leaf because I don't have details on range/capacity, and even if I did, I don't think it would meaningfully solve any problems. (There's still no destination charging at the beach or mountains, interstate trips would still require careful planning).
There's also the financial aspect - I'm not wild about having 2 cars whose values are going to plummet as time goes on, even with the discount.
Thoughts, opinions, and experiences are more than welcome. Convince me I'm not nuts. Thanks!