The official "I got my Leaf" thread

[sproqitman]

Seems like any time I've gotten a new cellphone or car, the manuals doubled in thickness compared to the previous one. The one exception was the iPhone. Definitely need these docs on the iPhone instead of clunking around inside the car. Otherwise, my 2020 car is going to need a trailer! :lol:

The Leaf manuals are available in PDF format at the Nissan site: Nissan LEAF manuals

 

[milanski]

That's funny I have the exact same problem! This is the first "automatic" I've ever owned. I've jumped in the LEAF several times pushing in the imaginary clutch. My trade in vehicle was a Honda Fit and my long trip car is now a 370z.

I have to ask, how does the Leaf compare to the Fit? Drivability, quality of interior, ease of use, visability, economics. From an economic standpoint, I considered getting a Fit early on.

 

[thejabrother]

That's funny I have the exact same problem! This is the first "automatic" I've ever owned. I've jumped in the LEAF several times pushing in the imaginary clutch. My trade in vehicle was a Honda Fit and my long trip car is now a 370z.

I have to ask, how does the Leaf compare to the Fit? Drivability, quality of interior, ease of use, visability, economics. From an economic standpoint, I considered getting a Fit early on.

Hi, I loved the Fit. It was the first Honda I ever owned and it was a great car. I had the "Sport" model which had some extras well worth having. It was entertaining in the twisties but had a fair amount of road noise on the highway and the mpg at freeway speeds (75-80 mph) was not impressive. I usually got between 30-32 during freeway trips but around town and lower speed highways I could see in the mid to upper 30s. I would say financially speaking it would take several years to recoup the cost of the Leaf in fuel costs vs. the Fit. Probably 5 years or more based on a "street" price of 17 grand for the Fit and 22 grand for the Leaf with all the rebates. Also my insurance is higher on the Leaf. But so far I find the fit and finish and especially the materials a lot nicer on the Leaf, the interior is overall at least a cut or two nicer and quite a bit roomier too, it rides a lot better, and it's still fun to fling around corners. Visibility is pretty good but probably give the nod to the Fit, and obviously cargo room is no contest with the "magic seats" of the Fit. The Leaf wins hands down with on board tech features. One thing about the Fit is it's MUCH better to drive with a stick. I have tried an auto and it's extremely sluggish while the manual Fit has really aggressive gearing and a classic Honda fast revving (if noisy) 4 cylinder!!

 

[tfox2069]

Picked up my Ocean Blue SL at Brown's Nissan in Dulles, VA a week ago. I've been working with them for some time and they had me in and out of the dealership in ~40 min. Awesome processing. Pretty happy after my first week of driving it. Still waiting on Dominion Power company to install the second meter so I can use 240 charging, but have been trickle charging - mostly at work - and for my 28 mile daily commute that has been OK. Even though the weather has been pretty cold (down to 18 degrees; as high as 50) the Leaf seems to perform well. I'm getting decent efficiency - 4-5 miles per kwh with climate control off. It charges outside during the day at work, and sits in our garage at home at night. On my first "long" trip with it the wife and I drove 34 miles each way - mostly on highway - and made it home with 6 miles left on the GOM. I have to admit I was a little puckered, and we left the heat off on the way home (much to her chagrin and now constant chiding). The car does require a different mindset, but overall I'm loving it.

 

[amtoro]

Picked up my Ocean Blue SL at Brown's Nissan in Dulles, VA a week ago. I've been working with them for some time and they had me in and out of the dealership in ~40 min. Awesome processing. Pretty happy after my first week of driving it. Still waiting on Dominion Power company to install the second meter so I can use 240 charging, but have been trickle charging - mostly at work - and for my 28 mile daily commute that has been OK. Even though the weather has been pretty cold (down to 18 degrees; as high as 50) the Leaf seems to perform well. I'm getting decent efficiency - 4-5 miles per kwh with climate control off. It charges outside during the day at work, and sits in our garage at home at night. On my first "long" trip with it the wife and I drove 34 miles each way - mostly on highway - and made it home with 6 miles left on the GOM. I have to admit I was a little puckered, and we left the heat off on the way home (much to her chagrin and now constant chiding). The car does require a different mindset, but overall I'm loving it.

I carry a small print of the range chart by Tony Williams, is is very accurate. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293#p101293

 

[thejabrother]

Picked up my Ocean Blue SL at Brown's Nissan in Dulles, VA a week ago. I've been working with them for some time and they had me in and out of the dealership in ~40 min. Awesome processing. Pretty happy after my first week of driving it. Still waiting on Dominion Power company to install the second meter so I can use 240 charging, but have been trickle charging - mostly at work - and for my 28 mile daily commute that has been OK. Even though the weather has been pretty cold (down to 18 degrees; as high as 50) the Leaf seems to perform well. I'm getting decent efficiency - 4-5 miles per kwh with climate control off. It charges outside during the day at work, and sits in our garage at home at night. On my first "long" trip with it the wife and I drove 34 miles each way - mostly on highway - and made it home with 6 miles left on the GOM. I have to admit I was a little puckered, and we left the heat off on the way home (much to her chagrin and now constant chiding). The car does require a different mindset, but overall I'm loving it.

I carry a small print of the range chart by Tony Williams, is is very accurate. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293#p101293

I love that chart! There is no magic, it's all math. I've learned that so far. I've driven about 650 miles so far in about 3 weeks of ownership. And it's all on 120V. I still haven't had a chance to get my upgrade done.

 

[dgpcolorado]

...So far, one of the most confusing aspects is driving an "automatic" vehicle again. It's been many years since I've owned an ICE with an automatic transmission. I'm always hunting for that clutch and gear shift. :?

That's funny I have the exact same problem! This is the first "automatic" I've ever owned. I've jumped in the LEAF several times pushing in the imaginary clutch. My trade in vehicle was a Honda Fit and my long trip car is now a 370z.

After driving the LEAF for a month I'm having the opposite problem: when I go back to my ICE car I sometimes forget to step on the clutch when starting or stopping. And I've been driving manual transmission cars since 1973...

 

[ghabel]

The wait is over! Took delivery on Thursday. Loving it! Dealer experience was great at Marlboro Nissan in ma. Jim McCall answered all my questions, very helpful.

 

[MrIanB]

Picked up a beautiful red orphan 2011SL in Austin Texas today. Now on to find a charger. My 84 year old dad drove it and was impressed a loved it too.

Ian B

 

[essaunders]

I've got mine. Drove it home in the cold Friday night. My wife took it out Saturday night. Unless my wife adopts it for her daily driver it looks like the 07 Prius will remain the main/family car and the leaf will be my commuter.

 

[abasile]

I've got mine. Drove it home in the cold Friday night. My wife took it out Saturday night. Unless my wife adopts it for her daily driver it looks like the 07 Prius will remain the main/family car and the leaf will be my commuter.

Congratulations! Glad to see you took the leap of faith and went for the LEAF! I don't think you'll regret it.

 

[NYLEAF]

I took delivery of my 2012 Ocean Blue SL from Nissan of Garden City in Hempstead, NY. I was there from 12 noon until past 7:30pm this evening. Totally the most stressful day I've had in a long time, but I've got a beautiful new car sitting on the driveway, so it's alright. The car has 25 miles on it, and I'm only averaging 2.5 mpk right now. Gonna have to work on that!

 

[jhm614]

I took delivery of my 2012 Ocean Blue SL from Nissan of Garden City in Hempstead, NY. I was there from 12 noon until past 7:30pm this evening. Totally the most stressful day I've had in a long time, but I've got a beautiful new car sitting on the driveway, so it's alright. The car has 25 miles on it, and I'm only averaging 2.5 mpk right now. Gonna have to work on that!

Congrats! Enjoy your Long Island Leaf!!!

 

[KJWL]

118 page thread, impressive. More like a rope. Here's our adventure so far. Having gotten sick of buying gasoline (about 20 years ago) we made our reservation 7/13/10, exciting! At one point we called a local Nissan dealer to find out when we might be able to see a LEAF. The person at the dealership actually said "what's that?" so we waited. You get used to being a little behind the curve in Utah, or a lot behind. Skip ahead a year & a half - I had some work in Oakland & Marin, drove my Dodge truck out there full of tools, 12/31/11. My wife came with, on winter break from her teaching job. Driving thru CA's central valley, she said "hey! We could test drive a LEAF while we're out here". I knew at that moment we'd be taking one home with us.
We test drove in Oakland and later Napa, & decided to stop in Vacaville on our way home. They were offering their demo (online) w 450 miles at about $2k discount. Nice! and It's a blue one! 5 hrs in Vacaville included maxing out a credit line at the bank and renting a U-haul car carrier (not a tow dolly)
Seemed like forever but everything worked and off we go. The old dodge likes to pull stuff. Over Donner pass and across Nevada all good untill we pull off to sleep outside of Battle Mountain. When I awoke, I'm looking at ice and white. Where did THIS come from?? White road & blizzard the rest of the trip. Painful. Worth every minute.
So I have a question, since we cancelled our reservation, and there wasn't really a space to submit a reason, (like "we already bought one!") are we just counted as a cancel by Nissan? We are far from a canceled order. We are extremely satisfied customers. We love our LEAF!! Mike L.

 

[thejabrother]

118 page thread, impressive. More like a rope. Here's our adventure so far. Having gotten sick of buying gasoline (about 20 years ago) we made our reservation 7/13/10, exciting! At one point we called a local Nissan dealer to find out when we might be able to see a LEAF. The person at the dealership actually said "what's that?" so we waited. You get used to being a little behind the curve in Utah, or a lot behind. Skip ahead a year & a half - I had some work in Oakland & Marin, drove my Dodge truck out there full of tools, 12/31/11. My wife came with, on winter break from her teaching job. Driving thru CA's central valley, she said "hey! We could test drive a LEAF while we're out here". I knew at that moment we'd be taking one home with us.
We test drove in Oakland and later Napa, & decided to stop in Vacaville on our way home. They were offering their demo (online) w 450 miles at about $2k discount. Nice! and It's a blue one! 5 hrs in Vacaville included maxing out a credit line at the bank and renting a U-haul car carrier (not a tow dolly)
Seemed like forever but everything worked and off we go. The old dodge likes to pull stuff. Over Donner pass and across Nevada all good untill we pull off to sleep outside of Battle Mountain. When I awoke, I'm looking at ice and white. Where did THIS come from?? White road & blizzard the rest of the trip. Painful. Worth every minute.
So I have a question, since we cancelled our reservation, and there wasn't really a space to submit a reason, (like "we already bought one!") are we just counted as a cancel by Nissan? We are far from a canceled order. We are extremely satisfied customers. We love our LEAF!! Mike L.

Congrats Mike! What a story! I also bought an orphan a few weeks ago and got ~2 grand off. Already up to 950 miles, and I don't even have the EVSE upgrade yet!! Hope you love it, take care!

James

 

[maevguy]

I took delivery of a 2012 Cayenne Red Leaf from Clay Nissan in Norwood, MA yesterday. It was the second Leaf delivered by this dealership. It was a good experience overall. The rep was very friendly and patient. Nice touch: he came to pick me up at work in the demo Leaf to take me to the dealership to get my car.

It's been quite a journey. I reserved it on 6/7/2010, got a quote on 9/29/11, placed the order on 9/30/11, and took delivery on 2/7/2012. The delivery date kept moving and moving.

I've had it for under 24 hours, but it's been a fun car to drive so far.

 

[Halforc]

3 weeks old owner. I am an internet and computer guy and loving this car! Although it's for the wife, I am still loving all the things related to this car: Powered only be electricity, can check it's status online, free charging at work, not needing to go to the gas station!!!!

 

[Leafboy]

It sure would be informative if everyone would include their location in the info block the the left of the messages. I for one would like to know where they are being delivered.

 

[tps]

Wow, I finally get to post to this thread! I got an email saying "It's here" from Peruzzi Nissan with an attached picture of the car on the delivery truck waiting to be unloaded at noon today. At 5:30 PM I paid a visit to the dealer, and at 7:30 PM I drove away in my new 2012 super-black LEAF! Right now my LEAF is sitting in the driveway by the garage, sipping PECO electrons from the Leviton EVSE I installed in December. I've had to pinch myself several times to be sure I wasn't dreaming!

 

[s2kysk]

Pick up 2012 glacier pearl SL from Nissan of Eastside, WA.
Yesterday, in the process of ordering glacier pearl SV, dealer said they had SL, in same color, in stock.
No wating! So, I guess it was meant to be.