The official "I got my Leaf" thread

[Flyct]

Got my 2015 SL with Bose premium pkg, mats, splash guards etc on Nov 2nd. The MSRP was $38,300, minus $5,000 discount and $6,000 rebate for $27,300 +++ for $31k out the door with tax, tag title.

Drove it 120 miles home on interstate at 70 mph. Stopped halfway at another Nissan dealer and added 1 1/2 hrs charge until range estimate said 80 miles and got home with 10 miles remaining.

I was told (aka "lied to") by finance guy at Sutherlin Nissana, Fort Myers, that Nissan never offers both 0% APR plus $5,000 rebate so I took the rebate. For some reason they applied $6,000 rebate on the contract. I paid off the loan 4 days later as soon as NMAC assigned a loan number.

The only tax credit available in Florida is Federal credit of $7,500 which will make the sting less.

I've ordered a level 2 charger.

I considered leasing but the numbers didn't make sense. While you can lease an "S" model for $2400 initial payment and $199/mo, a 2015 SL with a MSRP of $38k was $2400 initial and 305/mo for 36 months. With sales tax on the lease payments thats $14,132 out of pocket after 3 years, with no equity at the end of the lease.

Purchase for $31k-$7.5k tax credit = $23.5k net cost. Assuming it has a value of $12,000 after 3 years then depreciation over 3 years is only $11.500, ($23.5k-$12k). That's less of a sting than $14,132 lease cost. Of course if I didn't qualify for taking all the $7,500 tax credit then leasing would be more attractive.

 

[silverbackreef]

20151119
Bought my 2015 SL as used with 448 miles on it from the same dealer who originally sold it as new. Paid approximately 55% of the price when new.

Telling everyone I know what a great value used LEAFs can be if an EV fits with your lifestyle.

Carfax indicates the original purchasers returned the car after less than two weeks. I'm guessing they weren't prepared for life with an EV.

Options included:
- Splash guards
- Wheel locks

Plan to add:
- something (official accessory or not) to protect the top of the bumper at the hatch
- roof racks to carry my surfboard/SUP/surfski/kayak
- class 1 hitch for the bike rack
- weathertec mats
- seat covers

Ordering my L2 EVSE today

Going electric will help ease the pain of saying goodbye to my '03 Honda Element. Will miss that cavernous interior.

 

[inphoenix]

Been a lurker for some time and learned quite a bit here. Got my (new to me) Leaf today. I took over the lease of a 2014 S for the remaining 17 months. Hopefully there will be multiple EVs with 150-200 mile range in reasonable price range by the time I am ready to turn this in.

Got my L2 EVSE (JuiceBox 40) earlier this week and all set with it.

 

[BillyB]

I got my 2016 SL on Sunday! It's Deep Blue Pearl with the Premium package. I'm loving it! I traded in a 2012 Volt that I've driven for over 4 years now (purchased new) and the electric range and faster charging options made me jump over to the LEAF.

I got it from Bill Ray Nissan with a $3,500 rebate for financing through Nissan (0% APR for 72 mos). I only drive 9 miles each way to work and charge at home and work, so I had to skip a few charging sessions to get it down to 80%, and then test out a CHAdeMO session for 5 min at lunch today (Wow!). My range prediction has been around 120 to 130 miles, and it didn't dip below 100 miles until I got down to 80% today. I'm curious how accurate that prediction is with it being so new, but I'll be taking it on a 100 mile (each way) trip in a few days, so I should find out! Fortunately, Orlando and Tampa have plenty of charging options.

Speaking of charging. I saw recently that Nissan's No Charge To Charge program was expanding to new markets:

http://insideevs.com/nissan-charge-charge-bmw-chargenow-dc-fast-comparison

I was a little bummed to see that Orlando wasn't listed, but when I picked my car up on Sunday, they gave me an "EZ Charge" card. After setting the card up, I now see that there are NC "No charge" stations (3 of them - CHAdeMO stations from nrg eVgo). I haven't tried to use them yet, but it sounds like the program is getting expanded here too?

 

[Cornellio]

Jus got t my 2016 Glacier white Leaf SV yesterday. It came with the Nissan "No charge to charge card." How long does this free charge program last?

I've only driven 12 miles so far. I'm really glad to have an electric car. Goodbye gas-o-car.

The ride and acceleration is great. The only thing that's hard to adjust to is the lack of power seat. It's a rather noticeable design oversight.

At 98% charge the range is showing 117 miles. Sweet.

 

[LeafMuranoDriver]

It came with the Nissan "No charge to charge card." How long does this free charge program last?

2 years.

Congrats on the '16!! Enjoy the 100+ miles per charge!!

 

[LeftieBiker]

I only drive 9 miles each way to work and charge at home and work, so I had to skip a few charging sessions to get it down to 80%, and then test out a CHAdeMO session for 5 min at lunch today (Wow!).

I suggest you only charge at one of those places, as charging from an already high State Of Charge (SOC) to 100% isn't good for lithium batteries if done regularly.

 

[TimLee]

... It came with the Nissan "No charge to charge card." How long does this free charge program last?...

Two years of some short amounts of free charging at the charging stations that are in the program.

Read the details.

Bit of a marketing over statement to to broadly describe it as a "free charge program".

 

[Lopton]

Was in an accident with my 2011 Leaf #000857, insurance company declared it a total loss. Purchased a new 2016 SL Glacier White #300864 yesterday from Fontana Nissan for $36.3k (Total Sticker Price $38k), plus $3.5k back for 2.15% APR loan from NMAC.

2016 Thoughts:
Love the 30kW battery already.
Miss the electronic parking brake from the 2011.
Heated Seats / Steer Wheel are nice, but prefer our Volts implementation.
Steering seems touchier, ride feels stiffer.
Leather is way better than the 2011 interior.
Love the remote opening the charging port.
Heater is much better/faster/efficient than 2011.

Overall after 12 hours I am happy.

-Matt

 

[jhm614]

Was in an accident with my 2011 Leaf #000857, insurance company declared it a total loss.

Glad everybody is okay! Sorry about your '11 but Congrats on the '16!!

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

... It came with the Nissan "No charge to charge card." How long does this free charge program last?...

Two years of some short amounts of free charging at the charging stations that are in the program.

Read the details.

Bit of a marketing over statement to to broadly describe it as a "free charge program".

+1, you can filter Plugshare for the ones that participate, not many in some places, but here all the new eVgo stations are in it.

 

[Cornellio]

Good tip on Plugshare. Filtering shows only 6 free charge options around me (SF Penninsula). Limited indeed. Overall there are plenty of DCFC in my area, which is nice as I only have Level 1 power at my condo. Not sure my HOA will even allow me to install a L2.

Day 2 Impressions:

- Love the quiet ride and instant acceleration
- Zero emissions! Hello.
- The live power usage displays are cool
- Ride is a bit too bouncy at times, steering is well balanced
- There's no way to override the rear power windows when the kids go nuts with them and force them to roll up. Can be frustrating.
- Overnight charge via L1 power went faster than the estimated time
- Remote power checking/control via NissanConnect on iOS is super cool but the software is clunky and slow. No surprise there. Seems like a given that software related to cars and home stereos always has poor design. Nissan ought to open up the API and allow access by 3rd party developers.

 

[TimLee]

Was in an accident with my 2011 Leaf #000857, insurance company declared it a total loss. ...
-Matt

Sorry about your loss Matt.
I worry about a wreck in my 2011 paid for LEAF.

Even if I don't win the capacity warranty lottery, it has several years of paid for usability.

With market price being so low, it being totalled would be big financial hit or a lot of trouble finding a good used 2011.

I think you made the right choice.
A new 30 kWh 2016.
Too bad they abandoned the wonderful electric emergency / parking brake.

 

[ElectricHawkeye]

Picked up a black 2013 SV/QC with 22,910 miles on Monday night in Atlanta, drove it 250 miles home to Nashville the following day using the CHaDEMO network along I-75 and I-24. Never missed a beat the whole way, and I'm loving it so far. It's the smoothest car I've ever driven, when I take it out of ECO mode it's surprisingly quick, and handles like a go-kart. 24-hour shifts at work give me plenty of time to charge with the included EVSE, and it's actually got more useable cargo space than the Hyundai my wife and I already have. Overall it's a great car and I'm even happier with it than I thought I'd be.

 

[TimLee]

Picked up a black 2013 SV/QC with 22,910 miles on Monday night in Atlanta, drove it 250 miles home to Nashville the following day using the CHaDEMO network along I-75 and I-24. ...

Congratulations on getting LEAF.
Surprised you made it Atlanta to Nashville with just DCQC.
Few months back Chattanooga was dead in the water.
But Sears did repair theirs.
Is that what you did, go north on I75 and use Sears :?:

But as unreliable as Blinks have been and Cracker Barrel not willing to pay for repairs, I am still surprised you made Nashville only on DCQC :?:

 

[cynicl12000]

Picked up my new (to me) 2013 Leaf SV on the 13th. It came with the Premium Package and QC at a very reasonable price. Living in the Portland, OR area, and having only a 3-mile (one way) commute to work, I have yet to need to charge anywhere but on my 120v at home.

I did take it on a 50-mile round trip run today to visit family in Vancouver, WA, and it performed well, though I'm a bit nervous to try the same trip if it gets much colder here and I'm forced to use more than the seat/steering wheel heaters.

I've also grabbed a OBD 2 wifi broadcaster (I use iOS) and purchased LeafSpy Pro, decent piece of software (asthetics aside). It was nice to see that my 2 year old car still had 95% SOH remaining, and to change the lock/unlock functions on my own, I really like the app.

It's a bummer that the 2G AT&T network will be shutting down in December 2016, as I really enjoy being able to pre-heat my car on the 120v charger and then turn off climate control when I'm ready to drive and enjoy a nice temp in there without losing any range. I'm sure that Nissan will provide some alternative, but whether it's worth it or not will be up for debate once they've provided details.

I don't plan on going back from EVs, and for that reason am debating on installing a 240v circuit in my garage. It would be nice, but unnecessary to use with the Leaf, but as I only plan on keeping this for a few years, and getting something with longer range for my next EV, I think it is no rush but makes sense in the long run to put the circuit in and get a plug-in EVSE.

Anyway, I've been reading the forum all week and have to say thanks to all of you that have contributed, I've learned tons from all of you.

Tim

 

[mihird]

2016 SV (came standard with 30Kwh battery & QC).

$375/month (incl. taxes)
17.5k miles/yr. (high mileage lease)
3 year lease
$0 drive off after CA rebate.

 

[LeftieBiker]

2016 SV (came standard with 30Kwh battery & QC).

$375/month (incl. taxes)
17.5k miles/yr. (high mileage lease)
3 year lease
$0 drive off after CA rebate.

So $2500 down, courtesy of CA, right? Gives me hope that I'll find a slightly over $300 lease on Memorial Day, with more down.

I did take it on a 50-mile round trip run today to visit family in Vancouver, WA, and it performed well, though I'm a bit nervous to try the same trip if it gets much colder here and I'm forced to use more than the seat/steering wheel heaters.

As long as the temps stay above Freezing the heat will only use a bit more power than the A/C in your SV. Range doesn't really start to fall a lot until the mid to high twenties. Tip: use the floor setting, temp set to 78F, and the fan on the first or second setting. The less air volume it has to heat, the lower the power drain, and at 78 or so the air will warm your feet and rise to keep the rest of you warm enough. I keep meaning to block the rear seat heat duct, but haven't yet. That's the next thing to do. You can also block the front grille to limit cold air rushing into the motor compartment, in Winter.

 

[mihird]

2016 SV (came standard with 30Kwh battery & QC).

$375/month (incl. taxes)
17.5k miles/yr. (high mileage lease)
3 year lease
$0 drive off after CA rebate.

So $2500 down, courtesy of CA, right? Gives me hope that I'll find a slightly over $300 lease on Memorial Day, with more down.

$2500 was drive off. It included 1st month payment, 1st year registration, any doc. fees, DMV fees, sales tax etc. & leftover as down payment.

Essentially, I drove off without putting a dime & got 1st month included in that $2500.

For me, with my 2013 SV at end of lease & a 86 mile round trip commute, the 107 mile range was the need of the hour. It seems to me, it would be hard to say how the market for the 2016 30Kwh will shape up.

1. Gas prices are low - if they stay this way through summer, it will impact the EV market.
2. This Leaf is at End Of Life as far as its design is concerned.
3. The 2013-2015 lease returns are going to enter the pre owned market.
4. The 2016 Volt is a very promising proposition. My neighbor in fact returned the 2013 Leaf & opted for a 2016 Volt.

On the upside,
1. At 107 mile range, this is now the king of range among budget EVs & will most likely stay the king all through 2016 (unless the Bolt starts shopping in 2016 - highly unlikely IMO).

 

[nxflash]

Okay! Time to step across the lurking line... "I got my Leaf" on December 28th from Platt Auto in Milwaukie, Oregon. You can see my review of Platt Auto on Google Maps and at Yelp (both encourage folks to come to MNL). Our Leaf is a 2013 SV with the premium package and Quick Charge port. 13.5k miles, 92% State of Health on LeafSpy. Car was previously leased in Bend, Oregon, which as best I can tell had no Leaf dealership since there are no service records on carfax. Oh, and I want to let you know, yes, it has those "cheesy" side decals which in a sea of white Leafs is like a beauty mark as far as I'm concerned, and I'm keeping it!

Driving the 35 miles home, the folks at Platt Auto got me all "range-anxiety'd" because I had a partial charge and they wanted me to go surface streets as much as possible. But having spent since June here at mynissanleaf I'd already spent far too long being a Walter Mitty so I stayed on the freeway and found myself jumping right into hypermiling (what a rush to throw the car into Reverse while going 55mph). In "B" mode I hardly had to touch the brakes and have since become really comfortable getting into traffic and just using the cruise control for most acceleration and braking moves, sweet!

Once at home, my feet barely touched the ground before my wife, Annie was at the door ready for her first drive. Everyday since, I've found every excuse there is to go for drives with our dog, Parker. My first project was to dust off the PlugShare app and filter for "free" electricity. I'd grab a bag lunch, load my favorite kindle book, then Parker and I would head out. We have a free L2 station about a mile away and twenty minutes away is Solar World's free L3. Heading south Kookoolan Farm in Yamhill has 2 free L2 stations in a very rustic setting and about 15 minutes further McMinnville has a Nissan Leaf dealership with one lonely L2 station (and a McDonald's next door...those dollar grilled onion cheddars were calling my name!).

Even though my daily commute is only 10 miles roundtrip, the joy of driving electric has me excited for getting out more. Aerovironment has strategically spaced L2/L3 stations that make traveling to the Oregon coast possible. Spendy at $4/$7.50 per session, they do have a $20/month flat fee I am tempted to take advantage of over spring and summer. Even once a month getting to the beach would be rather inexpensive. And the closest charger is only six miles away so I could take advantage of that any time.

My wife's Subaru Outback is the alpha car, my wife only let me use the garage one night (a momentous occasion, therefore the attached picture) So the trickle charger is snaked under the garage door and provides those nice long, tiny sips that batteries love so much. I am an admitted cheapskate so most likely I will continue to sip at home, gulp at solar world and free L2 stations, and save up for a quick220 at which point I'll decide what "evse" is best suited for us. No hurry though, for now all is well!

Many thanks to MNL and all of you who so generously share your love and enthusiasm for the Leaf. Part of my daily routine is to come here and see what's happening. It's rare to not gain some new insight. Thank you all! -Nick, Annie and Parker