Help me decide (all feedback appreciated)

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thefortunes

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2011
Messages
22
Location
Wisconsin
I am debating whether it makes sense to get a Leaf (and if we do, what vehicle(s) I would replace).

Here's my info...

Married, 3 kids (19 - in college, 17 - senior in high school, 7). We currently have 4 cars (Honda Odyssey, Toyota Prius, Mazda Miata, Zenn). In the summer when my daughter is home from school we often drive all 4 cars, in the winter we drive mainly the Odyssey and the Prius (occasionally pulling the Miata out if we really NEED 3), in the spring/fall we drive 2-3 cars daily depending on schedules.

Next year my 17 year old will also be going off to college. At that point we will really only need 2 vehicles and have to keep the Odyssey (road trip and towing vehicle) and the Miata (sentimental reasons). In addition, I fully plan to give the Prius and Miata to the older kids when they graduate from college, so the Prius stays. If I just replace the Zenn with the Leaf we still have 4 cars.

I currently drive about 70 miles roundtrip daily (much at 55mph), and I am concerned that this will NOT be doable in winter here in Wisconsin in the Leaf (I am a consultant with a long-term contract, and have not asked about charging at my client).

What probably makes the most sense (imho) is to wait until my daughter graduates and we give her the Prius (most likely May 2013). This would also allow Nissan to make any improvements to the current model (charger, battery, etc...) and allow Wisconsin to enact their tax credit (which is not in place currently).

HOWEVER, you may have seen my other thread where I have found a pretty nice deal on an orphan 2011 with cwp and qc for <$34k and I am hesitant to pass it up.

Thoughts?
 
I would of course go for the Leaf. I live in Norway and I think 70 miles should be well within the limits even i wintertime. But of course, if you could charge at your client then that will be the better option as you could charge only to 80% and give your battery an easier life.
What puzzles me more is that you have 4 cars in a 5 member family..we are 5 as well and have two cars. I mean, if you are thinking of the inviroment then it will be better to let go of at least 2 cars, get the Leaf and use it as your primary transportation tool.
Or...get more than one Ev ! :cool:

But changes take time. If you think you need them all and can afford it. Get the Leaf in addition and use it as much as possible. You will love this car so much !
(We call our gasoline BMW "the farting car")
 
Unless you can charge at your client site (even at 120 V), my guess is that there will sometimes be cold, blustery, snowy winter days on which the LEAF won't work for your commute. On most days, particularly with gentle driving, it should be fine.

However, with multiple drivers in your family, my guess is that you all will be fighting for LEAF driving privileges. I don't think you'll have to worry about it sitting unused.
 
abasile said:
Unless you can charge at your client site (even at 120 V), my guess is that there will sometimes be cold, blustery, snowy winter days on which the LEAF won't work for your commute. On most days, particularly with gentle driving, it should be fine.

However, with multiple drivers in your family, my guess is that you all will be fighting for LEAF driving privileges. I don't think you'll have to worry about it sitting unused.

Thanks for the feedback.

I started another thread in the range forum specifically about the length of the commute and its feasibility on really cold days (I agree that there will be some "weather" days that I have to take the Prius).

Since the miles put on the "other" vehicles by my wife and kids are typically <15 per day, I would prefer to use the Leaf for my commute as much as possible (maximizing the usage).
 
Sounds like a no-brainer to me. You should be able to use it to commute 80-90% of the time, and the days you can't, you can reshuffle cars. I'd do it. The only caveat I would add is that you should have a backup plan if the weather turns on you after you start out. Some location where you could stop short and grab a short charge up if you absolutely had to...maybe a dealer or a relative?
 
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