Julie from Minnesota - got my reservation in.

[julievojo]

I got my Leaf ordered on Tuesday. I am also a Nissan Sales Consultant at a local dealership, so this will be especially exciting for me. It's going to be hard to wait for one!

JV

 

[Azrich]

Welcome Julie!! As a Nissan Sales Consultant maybe you will be able to answer some of the questions people have on this forum. The day after I went though the reservation process on Tuesday, the LEAF representative from my local Tucson Nissan dealership called me to answer questions and just be available. He said he had just taken a two-day training to be the designated LEAF rep at their dealership. He couldn't answer several of my questions because information had not been released by Nissan yet. I had asked about warranty and interior measurements.

If you ordered your LEAF, that must mean people outside the 8 cities where the LEAF is being introduced will be able to purchase one. That is one question a lot of people on the forum have.

Again, welcome.

 

[garygid]

Anybody can be on the Reservation list and will eventually be able to buy.

So, the question is WHEN one will be able to buy, not IF.

At about 5000 per month, and initial city/region sales plans, some of us will have to ... wait, possibly a year or two if demand is high. With less demand, one outside of officially-supported areas might be able to buy. But, the 3-year road service, charging stations, and vehicle service might not be available. However, to some that will not matter, even though reaching service could be awkward or time-consuming (but hopefully infrequent).

 

[AndyH]

Welcome and congrats Julie! (where in MN? I'm originally from MI UP - Keweenaw)

I also have a reservation in a 'non-initial' area - San Antonio. So yes - we certainly can order. But as Gary already said - when will our areas be added and how's the time-line look? Nail-biting and drinking coffee will only last so long... :lol:

Andy

 

[garygid]

Use mental positive energies to bring Leafs to your area sooner. (chuckle)

 

[julievojo]

I might be able to answer a few questions, but we have not had the full training yet, since we're not in an initial release area. I know Nissan has a great Customer Information phone line that can answer alot of questions - try 1-877-NO GAS EV

I believe it will be at least a year (maybe more) before we see the Leaf here. One concern is how the battery will last with the severe cold that we experience in the winter. We are also waiting for development of charging stations. I know those are already in process in some parts of the country. They will put one in at our Nissan dealership, but I would be surprised to see that happen before late fall/early winter. We do have a couple of our techs heading for EV training soon. They will go through several weeks of classes.

AndyH - I am in Southern MN.

 

[sjfotos]

Hi Julie, my wife is from St. Paul and both my sister-in-law and brother-in-law are in Northfield. Great state, super nice people.....a bit chilly

 

[garygid]

My wife is from MN also, but too cold for her.
Apparently, the state bird is the mosquito?

 

[sjfotos]

Bad Gary, bad

 

[garygid]

stfotos,
Perhaps you have never been there in the summer?

 

[LEAFfan]

My wife is from MN also, but too cold for her.
Apparently, the state bird is the mosquito?

Well, since you mentioned mosquitoes, very few people know that 1,000 mcg of B-12 (that's micrograms) will neutralize the poison. It won't keep them from biting, but the welts disappear in minutes and there is no itching. I gave it the ultimate test when I lived in Ohio and was bitten one summer night at least 25 times. It's better if you take it BEFORE you go out at night or whenever, because it takes about 15-20 mins. to work otherwise. I had all those welts on my arms and legs and in a few minutes, they were all gone and I had no itching at all. It was amazing!

 

[julievojo]

leaf fan - 1000 mg of what???

We're lucky where we live, we're on heavily wooded acres, but rarely have mosquitos because there are no lakes or other standing water around. We're pretty much surrounded by corn fields. We are very careful to make sure that water doesn't collect anywhere around our property.

Now if we go "up north", the mosquitos are a problem - so I would love to know what I need 1000 mg of.....

I know that having a Leaf living out here in the sticks could be a challange. There will be a charging station in our home of course, and I know there will be one at work (the Nissan dealership) Most of our travel is between here and our son's house in Minneapolis - about 80 miles. I'm sure that there will be charging stations in the city, so that travel between here and the kids' house won't be too much of an issue. For most winter use we will have to keep our 4 wheel drive gas vehicle in order to get in and out of our driveway when there's a lot of snow.

 

[sjfotos]

HI Gary, no I lived in MN for about 7 years.....the summers are real summers in every respect!

 

[LEAFfan]

leaf fan - 1000 mg of what???

We're lucky where we live, we're on heavily wooded acres, but rarely have mosquitos because there are no lakes or other standing water around. We're pretty much surrounded by corn fields. We are very careful to make sure that water doesn't collect anywhere around our property.

Now if we go "up north", the mosquitos are a problem - so I would love to know what I need 1000 mg of.....

I know that having a Leaf living out here in the sticks could be a challange. There will be a charging station in our home of course, and I know there will be one at work (the Nissan dealership) Most of our travel is between here and our son's house in Minneapolis - about 80 miles. I'm sure that there will be charging stations in the city, so that travel between here and the kids' house won't be too much of an issue. For most winter use we will have to keep our 4 wheel drive gas vehicle in order to get in and out of our driveway when there's a lot of snow.

Oops! Sorry Julie! I forgot the 'B-12'. It's 1,000 micrograms/mcg.(not miligrams/mg.) of vitamin B-12.

 

[julievojo]

I guess I've been busy..... I got my LEAF in late August and have been loving every minute. It's fun and easy to drive and it's awesome for all the running around that we do and for a work commuter. I live about 10 miles from work so I have no problems with range. My old car (which we still own as a back up) is an old V8 Toyota 4 Runner) so I've been saving enough in fuel costs to cover the cost of the lease payments. We've had to take a few "family emergency" trips in the past months, so we've been taking advantage of the 10 free rental days from Nissan and using one of their Altima for road trips (also much cheaper than driving the 4Runner).

Driving it in Minnesota has not been the problem that I had feared. It goes well on the snowy roads and I have no problem with it on our 1/2 mile driveway with a 9.6% grade. As long as I turn OFF the VSC it goes right up! I've been using the pre-heating function to warm the LEAF before I leave the house, so the seat heaters and heated steering wheel have been enough to keep me warm on the short trip to town. I do notice that if we're using the defrost and have the heater cranked - it does eat up quite a bit of battery power, but I don't drive that far most days anyway.

When this lease is up - I'll very likely go back for another one! And - by the way- I'm no longer working for a Nissan dealer. But I'll still stick with the LEAF!