The official "I got my Leaf" thread

[DaveH001]

Thanks for the thought, Leftie. At this stage everything looks rosy, stay tuned.

It's weird to see that in US drivers expect their ICE vehicles to last for many more thousands of miles.

It all hangs on what one means by "many."
I think some of my perspective comes from starting to drive at a time when 160 Mm was considered an upper limit for automotive service life.
Sure, I'd be happy to get a million miles (1.6*10^3 Mm) from my Leaf, but I'm resigned to the reality that its (current) technology precludes this possibility without some major, expensive maintenance (battery replacement.) It is possible that with new and/or improved batteries and conscientious maintenance it could last to several hundred Mm. But from my experience with cars, and the amount of salt used on the roads here to keep them clear in winter, I'm just happy that it looks likely that I'll be able to economically and pleasantly use the car for the forseeable future.
I don't have an issue with the Tesla, but from what I see, there isn't the market dislocation on those cars that there is with the Leaf. I haven't seen them going for 30% or less of initial cost, more like a minimum 50% of an initial price that is perhaps triple that of the Leaf...That puts them out of my range of interest. Whether the market is right or wrong, only time will tell.

Cheers

 

[TimLee]

... After a couple of trips it was no longer remarkable that the Leaf was comfortable and quiet, but the Altima got so much louder with many irritating whirs, clatters and bangs.

Have a 2009 Altima SL too.
Except for the leather seats, the great Bose stereo, and a bit more room; everything else about it is awful compared to the LEAF :roll:

 

[GRA]

<snip>
I'm retired and don't have a commute as such. Closest I have is a fairly constant daily 11 mi round trip trek to the gym. <snip>

Okay, take the next step and , assuming you have no physical limitations that prevent it, instead of driving 11 miles daily to the gym and back, get a bicycle and do your errands and local (solo) travel on it, at least when the weather's reasonable. You can ride to the gym too, if you insist on doing that, but as the posters put up at bus stops in the Bay Area have it (showing a couple of bike riders): "My commute is my workout!" I've never understood why people would get a gym membership and then drive to it (women concerned about personal security maybe makes sense). You'll save wear and tear on your LEAF, you'll be healthier too, and you'll save even more money.

 

[DaveH001]

Okay, take the next step and , assuming you have no physical limitations that prevent it, instead of driving 11 miles daily to the gym and back, get a bicycle and do your errands and local (solo) travel on it, at least when the weather's reasonable.<snip>

But I do, and weirder-
I've had an Aerovironment Charger http://www.electric-bikes.com/bikes/charger.html e-bike for the last 10 years, a 35 year old Puch moped and a 50CC Suzuki all of which used to get used for much of my local travel. The Suzi can be interesting because it has a box I welded off the back that has been loaded with (I weighed it) 50lb of groceries. I weighed the groceries because 50lb is now an upper limit---the front wheel didn't really touch the ground much. That makes it hard to steer. And it put me and the groceries at 170% of the manufacturer's recommended maximum load capacity.
But the Leaf now gets better mileage and carries more.
The Y has a pool and weight machines which varies the exercise. Biking is good cardio, but not much else.

And then there is the fact that she who must be obeyed would object if I:

• left her at home,
• put her on the back of the moped or,
• made her pedal.

As always YMMV.

 

[GRA]

Okay, take the next step and , assuming you have no physical limitations that prevent it, instead of driving 11 miles daily to the gym and back, get a bicycle and do your errands and local (solo) travel on it, at least when the weather's reasonable.<snip>

But I do, and weirder-
<snip>I weighed the groceries because 50lb is now an upper limit---the front wheel didn't really touch the ground much. That makes it hard to steer. And it put me and the groceries at 170% of the manufacturer's recommended maximum load capacity.
But the Leaf now gets better mileage and carries more.
The Y has a pool and weight machines which varies the exercise. Biking is good cardio, but not much else.

And then there is the fact that she who must be obeyed would object if I:

• left her at home,
• put her on the back of the moped or,
• made her pedal.

As always YMMV.

Interesting on the weight limits you mention. When I was 14 I got my first ten-speed, and used to ride it weekly 8 miles RT to the Co-Op natural foods store in Berkeley, while wearing an external frame pack. Weight coming back was typically in the 30-40 lb. range, including two gallon glass jars of unfiltered apple juice. A touring bike with front-/rear panniers can handle a lot more. Nowadays, cargo bikes can carry several hundred lb. (they're often used for urban moves in places like Portland): http://bikeportland.org/2013/02/01/portland-bike-move-breaks-record-gets-national-attention-82489

and I've heard the bakfiets: https://www.google.com/search?q=bakfiets&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5gvGGqajLAhXktYMKHebrAl4Q_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=646 is sometimes referred to as an Amsterdam station wagon :lol: Cargo bikes strike me as an excellent use for e-bikes. Can't help you with the SO issues :lol:

 

[DaveH001]

Interesting on the weight limits you mention. <snip>
and I've heard the bakfiets: https://www.google.com/search?q=bakfiets&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5gvGGqajLAhXktYMKHebrAl4Q_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=646 is sometimes referred to as an Amsterdam station wagon :lol: Cargo bikes strike me as an excellent use for e-bikes. Can't help you with the SO issues :lol:

Nifty:
I've got a long history of bikes going back to 1975 when an accident and resulting intra-cranial neurosurgery made me swear off motorcycles (please ignore the Suzuki in the garage as I am a proud hypocrite.) I've built a few recliners and, before getting the Charger, a couple of less than stellar e-bikes. I had a ready supply of half horse permanent magnet (90V & 180V) DC industrial motors and hooked them up to a series of riding lawnmower flooded lead/acid batteries. They had quite a bit of pep. However, with me as passenger and another 150 lb of batteries and motor, the wheels were under sized. This was before the mountain bike movement and readily available more robust wheels. I don't think it got more than 50 miles before starting to break spokes which un-trued the wheel. Pushing a 200lb bicycle where the back wheel won't turn a couple of miles back home will move you to other projects. I knew of Aerovironment since Paul MaCready's gossamer condor days. I won't admit that my e-bike designs sucked compared to theirs even though it's true. I was limited by my frugality and the available free parts. The Charger gave me many, many commuter miles and it still works, though the controller has been switched from pedal torque sensing to a simple on/off contactor.

Bikes are fun to build on as raw material because they are essentially free at auction. As an example, the most recent local pricing I found was $35 for 9 bikes or about $4 each. I've had an intermittent inspiration to build a bathtub in the middle cargo bike since I first saw one. But the thing that keeps it from happening is no space left in the garage. One thing they don't tell you how to do on project building TV (now youtube) shows is how to get rid of the finished projects once built.

 

[GRA]

Whoops, this was the link I meant to include re Portland bike moving (rather than repeating the bakfiets link: http://bikeportland.org/2013/02/01/portland-bike-move-breaks-record-gets-national-attention-82489

I've corrected the previous post. Re garage space, modern trailers are usually light enough to hang on a wall or store in the rafters, and typically collapse somewhat to reduce space. Here's a good site which explains design choices, but googling bike trailers will bring up lots more: https://www.bikeshophub.com/trailers/bike-cargo-trailers-e-382.html

I've never had one, as I can walk to shopping now, and just used whatever backpack I had when I was young (and broke). But I do see them locally on occasion, even though we don't have anywhere near the bike culture of say San Francisco.

 

[DaveH001]

<snip> Re garage space, modern trailers are usually light enough to hang on a wall or store in the rafters, and typically collapse somewhat to reduce space. Here's a good site which explains design choices, but googling bike trailers will bring up lots more: https://www.bikeshophub.com/trailers/bike-cargo-trailers-e-382.html

I was not kidding at all regarding lack of garage space.

The bikes, along with the kayak and sailboard got moved to the ceiling because the walls were fully utilized and the floor has been gone for a decade.

To clarify:
I did not buy my Leaf out of any consideration of the planet. The planet will take care of itself. My greatest life's regret is the human instigated destruction of biodiversity, But I don't share the illusion that riding a bike to work will save the [whales, rhinos, tigers, mountain gorillas etc. etc. etc] Bikes were popular mass transit in south central Asia until the Indians got sufficiently prosperous to start driving cars. They could go back to bikes....maybe, but I bet they don't.

I've been a Malthusian since about 1969 after hearing Paul Ehrlich and studying population biology during the first wave of eco-sensitivity of the 1970s. The problem isn't that we're individually using too many resources, though I agree it is unfair that Americans consume as much as we do. It is that at some point, there are too many of us. I've got some hope in the education of women (see the reduction of live births per woman in Banglidesh) but my gut feel is that those who voluntarily control their population growth (e.g. Western Europeans and Japanese) will be replaced by those who don't. See the high estimate at the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proje...th#/media/File:World-Population-1800-2100.svg

You may now claim I am an anti brown person racist advocating genocide if you wish. I am not, but that isn't important and I don't care.
I've long held the position that a very powerful driver of human ecological destabilization is our sociability. We get along with each other so well that we can cooperate on the project of expanding into every niche on the planet. And we're getting better at it by getting along together even better. If you were really, really green and wanted to reduce carbon emissions, you'd join Al Qaeda and kill as many Americans as you could... (note to NSA listeners---- I am not advocating such an action.)

 

[GRA]

<snip> Re garage space, modern trailers are usually light enough to hang on a wall or store in the rafters, and typically collapse somewhat to reduce space. Here's a good site which explains design choices, but googling bike trailers will bring up lots more: https://www.bikeshophub.com/trailers/bike-cargo-trailers-e-382.html

I was not kidding at all regarding lack of garage space.
<snip photo>
The bikes, along with the kayak and sailboard got moved to the ceiling because the walls were fully utilized and the floor has been gone for a decade.

To clarify:
I did not buy my Leaf out of any consideration of the planet. The planet will take care of itself. My greatest life's regret is the human instigated destruction of biodiversity, But I don't share the illusion that riding a bike to work will save the [whales, rhinos, tigers, mountain gorillas etc. etc. etc] Bikes were popular mass transit in south central Asia until the Indians got sufficiently prosperous to start driving cars. They could go back to bikes....maybe, but I bet they don't.

I've been a Malthusian since about 1969 after hearing Paul Ehrlich and studying population biology during the first wave of eco-sensitivity of the 1970s. The problem isn't that we're individually using too many resources, though I agree it is unfair that Americans consume as much as we do. It is that at some point, there are too many of us. I've got some hope in the education of women (see the reduction of live births per woman in Banglidesh) but my gut feel is that those who voluntarily control their population growth (e.g. Western Europeans and Japanese) will be replaced by those who don't. See the high estimate at the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proje...th#/media/File:World-Population-1800-2100.svg

You may now claim I am an anti brown person racist advocating genocide if you wish. I am not, but that isn't important and I don't care.
I've long held the position that a very powerful driver of human ecological destabilization is our sociability. We get along with each other so well that we can cooperate on the project of expanding into every niche on the planet. And we're getting better at it by getting along together even better. If you were really, really green and wanted to reduce carbon emissions, you'd join Al Qaeda and kill as many Americans as you could... (note to NSA listeners---- I am not advocating such an action.)

No worries at all. Actually, I too came to the conclusion (due to Ehrlich et al) about the same time you did that the sheer number of us was the root cause of most environmental problems, and decided that I wouldn't contribute to the situation. Nor do I think that any individual's actions, certainly not my own, are going to save the planet, it takes mass action, and fortunately we are seeing major demographic shifts in this country that are inherently greener than our past practices, regardless of our motivations.

I do think that you may be a bit pessimistic regarding population growth - owing to the warnings of Ehrlich and others, all the developed countries as well as many of the developing ones (China most notably, owing to the now modified one-child policy) have birth rates below the replacement rate. Russia's been in demographic free-fall for decades. India isn't there yet, but is getting close as third-world birth rates can be higher and still be below the replacement rate (owing to higher infant mortality rates and shorter lifespans), and other third world countries are also making progress. The demographic bow wave will keep the world population growing for several decades, but after that (assuming many countries will continue to raise large numbers of people out of poverty) we'll start to see a decline. Won't help the damage that we've already done and the short term may be tough. I probably won't be around to see it in any case, but I am moderately hopeful for the long term. Anyway, I've led this way OT, so my apologies to all. (and I like the contents of your garage - it seems to reflect many of my own hobbies).

 

[DaveH001]

<snip>I do think that you may be a bit pessimistic regarding population growth - owing to the warnings of Ehrlich and others, all the developed countries as well as many of the developing ones (China most notably, owing to the now modified one-child policy) have birth rates below the replacement rate. Russia's been in demographic free-fall for decades. India isn't there yet, but is getting close as third-world birth rates can be higher and still be below the replacement rate (owing to higher infant mortality rates and shorter lifespans), and other third world countries are also making progress. The demographic bow wave will keep the world population growing for several decades, but after that (assuming many countries will continue to raise large numbers of people out of poverty) we'll start to see a decline. Won't help the damage that we've already done and the short term may be tough. <snip>

Sounds to me like we're mostly in violent agreement. Your clear understanding of the demographic race we're running is good to hear.
I admit I am pretty pessimistic that our 'growth is good' capitalist economy will value the web of life sufficiently before enough strands are cut to shut us down. But I value the opinions and drive shown by optimists who think it'll all work out.
Maybe if we made the poli-sci and MBA students take some elementary ecology and population biology courses they'd make more sane decisions.
Maybe not.

 

[jayl]

Got the 2016 SV wooohooo, and love it!.

 

[inphoenix]

Got the 2016 SV wooohooo, and love it!.

Congrats. Welcome to the Leaf family.

If you don't mind sharing the details of your deal, please do so. Also, it would be nice if you can update your location in your profile.

 

[jayl]

Got the 2016 SV wooohooo, and love it!.

Congrats. Welcome to the Leaf family.

If you don't mind sharing the details of your deal, please do so. Also, it would be nice if you can update your location in your profile.

sure, got the car OTR for 25400.. + Tax ( which was offset due to my trade ) . All negotiations were done before i entered the dealership.

 

[Deleted member 18481]

2016 SV (30kWh)

 

[inphoenix]

2016 SV (30kWh)

Congrats. It helps when you post the details.

Lease or Purchase?
Price paid / Lease details?
Location? (even better if you update in your profile)

 

[Deleted member 18481]

Thanks, updated location. Cost c. €25k after availing of an SEAI Grant and Nissan Scrappage Scheme (€5k and €4k respectively).

 

[xlckx]

Guys, I just took an in stock from dealer on an 2016 Base SV, How did I do?
State : CA
Metro area/city : LA

Color/trim: White SV
Options: None
Accessories: None

Total MSRP+destination charge: $35445+$595
Total quote/price accepted (excluding tax/license): $29945.
Total discount (or markup): $9800 (including 7500 fed tax credit)
Cap Cost: $19930.34
Additional fees:
Purchase or lease?: lease
Monthly $209.99 + tax
Less CA rebate $2500 = $140 /mo
Plans for home charging: 110v

 

[N1ghtrider]

Hello, I just got my 4th LEAF, a blue 2013 SV, from a nice used car dealership in Miami. The car had only 9,400 miles when I bought it last week. I paid $10,488, financed with zero down payment. It is very clean and detailed.

The blue one replaced a white 2012 SV that I just bought on Jan 18 from the same dealership, for $9,888, which was totaled by a hit and run driver on March 26th in Fort Lauderdale (no injuries).

My second LEAF was another white 2012 that I leased new that was rear-ended and totaled as my wife was driving on South Dixie Highway in Miami.

 

[Kmallory]

First Leaf, a used 2014 SL with 20.5k miles for $15k. Replaced a 2009 Altima Hybrid declared a total loss.

 

[New2EV]

Hello! My husband and I got a used 2012 Leaf SL in white with 29k miles for 7500 in Orlando, Fl.

Very excited! It is a 9 bar beauty! Here's hoping to lose one more bar before July 2017.

Took a while to get home from Orlando to Daytona. Stopped three times to quick charge. QC at Longwood Nissan, Deland NIssan, and Daytona Nissan, all were very accommodating. The guy at Daytona Nissan, who was a Leaf expert, helped us discover Eco mode, lol. They also gave us a free EZ-Charge card. No wonder we had to stop so many times. we probably would have gotten by with just one or two quick charges to get home. We also took the back roads home. We didn't dare take I-4, we probably would have been eaten up. :lol:

We love this vehicle so much! I try to find excuses to go out.