Questions

1. Backseat room- I have a 15 year old son who is about 6' 250 lbs.. will he be able to fit in the backseat (leg room 31")?
2. I do not have a car garage, I was going to install a charger, and just charge the vehicle on my carport.. it would be exposed to the elements i.e. not covered, will this damage the batteries (Louisiana)?
3. I might drive 15-20 miles per day... normally less than that.. I would think this would be ideal for a leaf?
4. How much does normal maintainance (sp) cost per year on this vehicle?
5. Obviously the battery issue in Az is major, I would think this would be a potential problem for me as well here in South La?

Thanks in advance....

1. At that size and age, I'm not sure there will be many back seats that will be comfortable for him, especially if he continues to grow, might be better to let him ride in the front. I will say that I'm 6'2" 185# and can ride comfortably in the rear, as long as the front passengers are not all the way back. The Leaf has a lot more room in the rear than the Volt, but the Volt has more room in the front.

2. I live in Charleston, SC, and I think our climate might be similar in that most of our heat is very humid, not dry like Phoenix. Also, keeping the car in the shade will help, also a cement driveway will be cooler than asphalt. I wouldn't suspect any early degradation issues in your climate.

3. I drive 65 miles per day with no issues.

4. Only maintenance is your once per year battery check, which is free for the first 3 years.

5. See #2

Thanks so much for your reply...

On the maintenance issue. Just keep in mind that if you try to buy a Leaf, the salesman, or rather the finance manager will tell you that the car needs a ton of maintenance and will try to sell you a maintenance plan to include in your loan. Its a scam, don't fall for it. Truthfully it is almost always a scam with just about any car, but especially with the Leaf.

coach81 said:

1. Backseat room- I have a 15 year old son who is about 6' 250 lbs.. will he be able to fit in the backseat (leg room 31")?

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nothing other than a full size car/SUV at 20-30 mpg will make him comfortable. Even a Tesla S is not that big

2. I do not have a car garage, I was going to install a charger, and just charge the vehicle on my carport.. it would be exposed to the elements i.e. not covered, will this damage the batteries (Louisiana)?

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a carport with no roof? the EVSE (not charger) is weatherproof. i live in WA State. they sit out in the open here

3. I might drive 15-20 miles per day... normally less than that.. I would think this would be ideal for a leaf?

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yes it would. i recommend "manual" charging. simply keep the pack at no more than 70% SOC and plug it in for 1-2 hours a day as needed

4. How much does normal maintainance (sp) cost per year on this vehicle?

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generally speaking; about ZERO

5. Obviously the battery issue in Az is major, I would think this would be a potential problem for me as well here in South La?

Thanks in advance....

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for temps above 30C (86F) you will see issues. a general guideline is not charge if TB (temperature bars) are at 7 or higher. clarification; the rate of degradation is linear and expected to be very slight at 30C so i would not lose sleep over occasional temps in your area hitting the 90's and whatnot. for your needs, it would take years before the batteries degraded that much. using the charging patterns discussed will help a lot. use covered parking as much as possible. walk an extra 50 yards if it means you can park in the shade... its all baby steps, but like any baby, eventually it will take you somewhere

Take your son down to a dealer for a demo ride. Hey, with a LEAF, we are not talking about six or seven hour a day road trips.

Went test drove one today My son refused to join me.. but the salesman (who was very big at 6'3 280lbs) sat in the backseat.. and although his legs did not fit comfortably he still had decent head room. Again.. we are talking about 15-20 min drives typically... anyway..

Well, there's your answer. Son refused the test drive, thus forfeits the right to complain in the future :lol:

Reddy said:

Well, there's your answer. Son refused the test drive, thus forfeits the right to complain in the future :lol:

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Well said!

coach81 said:

Reddy said:

Well, there's your answer. Son refused the test drive, thus forfeits the right to complain in the future :lol:

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Well said!

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None of my business to be sure, but can only assume your son has arranged to be self sufficient for his transportation needs.

adric22 said:

On the maintenance issue. Just keep in mind that if you try to buy a Leaf, the salesman, or rather the finance manager will tell you that the car needs a ton of maintenance and will try to sell you a maintenance plan to include in your loan. Its a scam, don't fall for it. Truthfully it is almost always a scam with just about any car, but especially with the Leaf.

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Yeah, the F&I guys try to push extended warranties, maintenance packages, add-ons, etc. on any new car. Some of them are especially pushy and use psychological guilt tactics too. I experienced that when helping a friend buy an '11 Prius last year.

She'd never bought a new car before and I didn't have a chance to prep her on what she's going to be peddled. The dealer in particular definitely had the pushiest, highest pressure tactics at F&I that I'd ever experienced vs. the 3 new cars I bought before.

I've never tried this comeback before, but when being pushed extended warranties, I've heard some people say "I thought you're selling me a reliable car."