I HAVE A CHANCE TO GET A 12 LEAF

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MY12Leaf

New member
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Messages
2
HELLO, A FRIEND OF MINE ORDERED AND TOOK DELIVERY OF A 2012 LEAF. HE HAS HAD MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DRIVE. I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE HIS CAR. I HAVE HEARD OF THE HEATING PROBLEMS IN ARIZONA, I LIVE IN LAS VEGAS WHERE IT DOES NOT GET AS HOT BUT IT STILLS GETS HOT. HAS ANYONE HAD ANY PROBLEMS IN LAS VEGAS OR WITH A 2012 LEAF. ANY REPLY AND INFORMATION IS WELCOME. I REALLY LIKE THE LEAF BUT DO NOT WANT TO GET IT IF IT WILL HAVE ISSUES IN LAS VEGAS.

THANK YOU
MY12Leaf
 
all caps is not necessary

u dont give enough detailsabout your intended use of the vehicle to really be able to give u any good advice
 
Sorry, I just find it faster. Anyways by commute to work is only 10 miles one way and I will be able to charge at work I currently live in an apartment with no garage.
 
MY12Leaf said:
Sorry, I just find it faster. Anyways by commute to work is only 10 miles one way and I will be able to charge at work I currently live in an apartment with no garage.

even with degradation, you should be able to make that commute for years. how accessible is your work charger? i think you might find it difficult if you dont have a charger at home. public charging is not all that robust or reliable right now. also you want to think about use of the car away from work as well.
 
Buying instead of leasing in a hot weather area sounds risky. If you're getting a really good deal it would take some of the risk out. Of course you might not feel comfortable taking advantage of a friend who has a medical problem, but rest assured Carmax or a dealer will have no such compunction. If he has to give it away at least he might prefer giving it to someone he likes.
 
This is a tough call, because it does indeed get hot enough in Las Vegas to cause the same problems as Phoenix and Texas (there just aren't enough LEAFs there to register a trend).

On the buy decision side - honestly, range will not be a problem for you, no matter how bad the battery degrades. When gasoline goes up, you just laugh. Also, you'll be the envy of all your friends when you click on the air conditioning from your phone or Internet (or the car's timer).

Negative side - parked outside, always exposed to the heat (although some garages are hotter then the ambient air). I probably would NOT get any electric car without a place to charge at home.

I would get the LEAF, and just know that for long term ownership, you'll probably replace that battery sooner than somebody not in brutal heat. For short term ownership, you'll likely take a good hit on value with a seriously degraded battery.

My personal note: don't let somebody convince you that Nissan is going to "take care" of any battery issue in the future, unless they are backing that with a bond for the value of the battery. Nissan has recently said as recently as a few days ago that 30% + degradation in one year is "normal". They may indeed fix things, but things haven't start out well for a VERY serious, financially and usability significant problem.

Honestly, until I saw a plan and action to fix the cars (that really works, and not a patch on a bigger problem), I only recommend leasing the LEAF in hot climates.
 
With a ten mile commute and not many reasons to travel outside of Vegas, I would definitely buy the Leaf. I love my Leaf and as long as you don't have to drive 100 miles a day without charging along the way, I don't think you'll have any issues with range. Even with some leafs loosing their battery capacity in AZ etc, I am not too worried about it and I think Nissan will help those early adopters.

The leaf EV is a big beta test and an important one to help us move form a poison carbon economy to a sun and hydro powered economy and I for one am thrilled to be a part of the revolution.
 
with such a short commute it is hard to imagine that you'd have a problem with the range. Actually, your commute is so short, that I'd charge to 50% during the hot summer to try and help reduce the strain on the battery, you'd still have plenty of range for you commute. get the EVSEupgrade (.com) and use your electric dryer outlet to charge at home!
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
all caps is not necessary

u dont give enough detailsabout your intended use of the vehicle to really be able to give u any good advice
Well, as long as prose is being policed, I suggest upper case in the appropriate places adds to readability. :lol:
All lower case is rather tiresome.
 
GaslessInSeattle said:
Actually, your commute is so short, that I'd charge to 50% during the hot summer to try and help reduce the strain on the battery, you'd still have plenty of range for you commute.
+1. Keeping the battery in the 20-50% charge range seems to be a very good way of slowing degradation in the heat. You just add more charge on the occasions when you need it. Not a problem if you don't mind a little planning ahead. Driving electric is sweet!
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
Buying instead of leasing in a hot weather area sounds risky. If you're getting a really good deal it would take some of the risk out. Of course you might not feel comfortable taking advantage of a friend who has a medical problem, but rest assured Carmax or a dealer will have no such compunction. If he has to give it away at least he might prefer giving it to someone he likes.
I agree. I wouldn't buy a Leaf in Vegas. I'd lease or buy an EV/PHEV w/active battery thermal management system (e.g. Volt, Tesla, Ford Focus Electric, etc.). Having been there 3x in the summer, its gets HOT in the summer. 109 degrees in the day and IIRC, 80 to 90+ at night isn't unusual.

I agree that range won't be a problem and it'd be probably be best to keep the charge very low for that commute. If the OP buys it, I wouldn't be surprised to see them lose a capacity bar or two by this time next year. Too much loss might == problems reselling later, unless we get some great news from Nissan (re: outcome of AZ and TX capacity losses).

I don't have good advice on the friend w/medical problems issue.
 
Assuming you have no way at all to charge at home, I would be quite hesitant. This is an awfully expensive car to use only for a short commute. (Maybe, what, 4000 miles/year?) You will probably love the car, and want to use it much more than that, but the only viable alternative to work charging that I can think of with no home charging is Quick Charge, and there apparently aren't any Quick Chargers anywhere in Nevada right now. You also have to think about the chance that over time charging at work might become a problem. Could you possibly be fighting for one of two plugs with half a dozen other LEAF owners a year from now? After all, you will be a silently gliding advertisement for the car.

I think the whole balance of the equation would shift if you could find some way to charge at home, even if only at 120v. Perhaps an agreement with the apartment manager to let you use an outside or parking garage plug if you pay an extra $50/month rent? Or make a deal with someone in the neighborhood who has a business or a detached home? There is also the possibility that you might have a ground-level electric meter for your unit, and could get permission for an electrician to add a small subpanel and run a line from there to a nearby charging point, where he would put in an EVSE.

Ray
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but since your friend took delivery he's the original owner and the only person able to qualify for the $7500 tax credit.

2 cents + complimentary pick axe to poke holes.
 
sounds like the OP is getting a good deal. without details its tough to advise. driving EV has many benefits besides the tracking of nickels and dimes. but in your situation, i would find it difficult at best to justify it.

the lack of home charging and 100% relying on someone or something else is not a gamble i am willing to take. nothing lasts forever and that may include your job as well
 
MY12Leaf said:
...I REALLY LIKE THE LEAF BUT DO NOT WANT TO GET IT IF IT WILL HAVE ISSUES IN LAS VEGAS.
Given what we know at this point, I think you can assume that there will be battery degradation issues in Las Vegas. So you should probably pass.
 
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