I have a Leaf, so now what?

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
LeftieBiker said:
You'd be more likely to succeed in getting a 240 volt outlet installed somewhere, so you could use a portable L-2 station with plug.
This

--
I'm curious: how much did you pay for the LEAF ?
 
SageBrush said:
LeftieBiker said:
You'd be more likely to succeed in getting a 240 volt outlet installed somewhere, so you could use a portable L-2 station with plug.
This

--
I'm curious: how much did you pay for the LEAF ?

And I have a ZenCar 240V 32A EVSE already. And yes, I'm trying to find someone who will let me charge, but so far I haven't.

The Leaf has been my most expensive car yet. It was $12,000 or so, but with the Colorado 24% used EV from-out-of-state tax credit, so a little over $9,000. My payments were $220/month, but I paid quite a bit into it the first year and have it all paid off now, about 1 year 2 months after I purchased it.

Personally I love the Leaf, but the wife and I had to make a decision on a new project/job we're both involved in that had unexpectedly moved 70 miles away from us. If it weren't for that we'd just keep the Leaf and keep loving it.

My first car was a free 1951 Plymounth Cranbrook that I never got running. Next was a $800 1984 Toyota Corolla that I let someone borrow who wrecked it. Then he gave me a 1985 BMW that had severe transmission problems, in which I swapped transmissions and still had severe transmissions problems. After that I got a $1,200 1985 Toyota Camry that also ended up losing the transmission. So I rode my bicycle for a year or two after that. Then got a $500 1984 Toyota Pickup and got married. I traded it even for a 1994 Oldsmobile that the transmission soon went out on. I sold it for $500 and got a $250 1993 Mazda 323 that I drove clear to Puerto Vallarta and back and all over the country. Eventually it ended up with engine problems, which got rebuilt, but still had severe engine problems. So I got a 1996 Buick LeSabre that soon the engine went out on, which I replaced, only for the transmission to go out on. So I went and bought a $3,000 1972 VW Beetle with a rebuilt engine that wasn't rebuild correctly and so destroyed itself after a couple hundred miles. So I bought a 1985 VW Golf diesel for $600 that a couple weeks ago lost its transmission.

And while I had both VW's I bought the Leaf and still have all three cars today, both VW's still not running.
 
IssacZachary said:
And yes, I'm trying to find someone who will let me charge, but so far I haven't.
I'm suggesting that you offer to pay for the L2 plug installation and kwh used.
 
Indeed. I managed to blow one transmission in my life, despite having driven more cars than typical (I used to buy and resell them). A crappy Borg-Warmer BW-35, IIRC. The part about the BMWs was funny, though - from a distance.

Anyway, you might try figuring out how much you can afford to pay for charging, including a portable EVSE with plug. Then place an ad in whatever alternative weekly mag or paper you have there, looking for someone with an existing dryer/welder outlet in a garage or other suitable location, to be rented out for X dollars every month. Paying for exact usage rarely works - you have to offer double or more that (estimated), as a fixed fee. That could turn someone's unused outlet into gas money for them, and a reliable charging location for you.
 
SageBrush said:
IssacZachary said:
And yes, I'm trying to find someone who will let me charge, but so far I haven't.
I'm suggesting that you offer to pay for the L2 plug installation and kwh used.

LeftieBiker said:
Indeed. I managed to blow one transmission in my life, despite having driven more cars than typical (I used to buy and resell them). A crappy Borg-Warmer BW-35, IIRC. The part about the BMWs was funny, though - from a distance.

Anyway, you might try figuring out how much you can affords to pay for charging, including a portable EVSE with plug. The place an ad in whatever alternative weekly may or paper you have there, looking for someone with an existing dryer/welder outlet in a garage or other suitable location, to be rented out for X dollars every month. Paying for exact usage rarely works - you have to offer double or more that (estimated), as a fixed fee. That could turn someone's unused outlet into gas money for them, and a reliable charging location for you.
Sounds like a good idea. I would be more than happy to pay some $50 per month, maybe more, maybe even $100 per month. That's a lot cheaper than any car payment. Time to get to the paper and perhaps CraigsList!
 
Just remember that Craigslist is populated by psychotics. I couldn't even quote the first reply I got to an ad offering a used snowblower for sale last week... ;-(
 
IssacZachary said:
powersurge said:
But if it does sell, then $30,000 (Prius Prime) - $8,000 (Leaf) - $2,500 (savings) - $4,500 (federal) - $5,000 (state) = a $10,000 loan, which can be had at $250/month payment + fuel and everything else = around $700 per month average, (about $300 more per month than what I have paid all last year, but at least it would be a running car.) I even have a money work around planed for my taxes so that I can have that money as the downpayment and then reimburse the workaround once I figure out my taxes in early 2019.

Remember that you still have to pay upfront for those rebates. Your loan would include the extra $9500. Then a year from now when you do your taxes you get it back.
 
ScottUrman said:
IssacZachary said:
powersurge said:
But if it does sell, then $30,000 (Prius Prime) - $8,000 (Leaf) - $2,500 (savings) - $4,500 (federal) - $5,000 (state) = a $10,000 loan, which can be had at $250/month payment + fuel and everything else = around $700 per month average, (about $300 more per month than what I have paid all last year, but at least it would be a running car.) I even have a money work around planed for my taxes so that I can have that money as the downpayment and then reimburse the workaround once I figure out my taxes in early 2019.

Remember that you still have to pay upfront for those rebates. Your loan would include the extra $9500. Then a year from now when you do your taxes you get it back.
Yes and thanks!

I have a plan though. If I buy in Colorado the $5,000 can now be sent directly to the dealer, so that means I only have to worry about the $4,500 unless I buy out-of-state. And I've also lowered my federal tax payments to $0, and instead am saving them. That's about $650 per month (I overpay). I don't know how long it will take to sell the Leaf but if it takes 7 months I'll have that $4,500 on hand and just break even with the IRS at the end of the year with their tax credit.

Or I can ask for a longer loan time so as to have lower payments, but pour the tax credits directly into the principal when I receive them.
 
IssacZachary said:
ScottUrman said:

I have a plan though. If I buy in Colorado the $5,000 can now be sent directly to the dealer, so that means I only have to worry about the $4,500 unless I buy out-of-state.

Interesting that's not how it works here in CA. At least I don't believe so - the 2017 model we just got was technically used (even though it only had 75 miles on it!) so the rebates had already been processed for that VIN. And you get a bigger state tax rebate too ours is $2500.
 
derkraut said:
Wow! You and transmissions just don't get along very well, eh? :roll:
The Camry had that AllTrak system that apparently was not a good system and was known for failing early on. The BMW had severe transmission leaks when I got it, and even though I kept putting gear oil in it (underneath the car) the damage had already been done. The second BMW transmission was used and apparently had suffered the same problem. The Buick, which was an automatic, had a head gasket leak, which lowered the coolant level enough to cool the engine, but the transmission cooler is high in the radiator, so going over a mountain pass the temp gauge was fine, but the transmission wasn't. This apparently is common on those Buicks. The Golf never had low gear oil, but I guess just the extremely high mileage finally caught up to it.
 
Anyhow, the Leaf is in the papers, Craig's List, Cars.com, etc. I put it at a high price thinking that whoever wants it is going to try to talk me down. But maybe it's a too bit high. $10,000. But this is what I have to go by:

Kelly Blue Book:

Trade-in
  • Range
    • Fair $5,397 - $7,860
    • Good $6,330 - $8,859
    • Very Good $6,330 - $8,859
    • Excellent $6,780 - $9,313
  • Average
    • Fair $6,629
    • Good $7,154
    • Very Good $7,595
    • Excellent $8,047
Private Party
  • Range
    • Fair $6,449 - $9,358
    • Good $6,972 - $9,933
    • Very Good $7,442 - $10,389
    • Excellent $7,922 - $10,857
  • Average
    • Fair $7,904
    • Good $8,453
    • Very Good $8,916
    • Excellent $9,390

Edmunds

Trade-in
  • Rough $4,373
  • Average $5,046
  • Clean $6,053
  • Outstanding $6,543
Private Party
  • Average $4,373
  • Average $6,396
  • Clean $7,680
  • Outstanding $8,289

NADA Guides

Trade-in
  • Rough $6,250
  • Average $7,250
  • Clean $8,075

Black Book Portals

Trade-in
  • Rough $6,525
  • Average $8,360
  • Clean $9,475

I also have now a couple adds in the papers looking for a place to charge along the route that I need to go a couple times per week. I put I'd be willing to pay $50 per month for this. I also put a request in with ChargePoint.

So now I just need to wait and see what happens. I want at the very least $7,000 for it if it sells. I'm guessing it will take several months to sell. Hopefully the Prius Prime tax credits don't run out while I'm waiting. On the other hand I love my Leaf and don't really want to sell it. But a car is for getting from point A to point B and if it doesn't do that then it's time to look at getting something else or making it do what it's supposed to do.
 
First, lower the price to $9995. That's a rookie mistake, man! ;-) If you want faster responses with lower offers, make it "Asking $9995. Reasonable offers considered." I suggest you also ask "lowballers" not to bother. (They are people who get outraged if they can't buy something for less than half of its actual value.)
 
LeftieBiker said:
First, lower the price to $9995. That's a rookie mistake, man! ;-) If you want faster responses with lower offers, make it "Asking $9995. Reasonable offers considered." I suggest you also ask "lowballers" not to bother. (They are people who get outraged if they can't buy something for less than half of its actual value.)

I already got two asking if I'd sell it for $5,000 and another wondering if I just replaced the traction battery.
 
If you buy a Prime from an east coast state with a Toyota rebate, you get the rebate AND the federal tax credit AND the Colorado tax credit.
If you do not have cash, get a loan. It is way worth it.
 
SageBrush said:
If you buy a Prime from an east coast state with a Toyota rebate, you get the rebate AND the federal tax credit AND the Colorado tax credit.
If you do not have cash, get a loan. It is way worth it.
Thanks!

Yes, I'm looking into that. I do see quite a bit of difference in price. I'll definitely try to do all three just like you've been saying. :mrgreen:
 
Prius Prime buyers are comparing notes here
https://priuschat.com/threads/2017-prius-prime-official-prices-paid-thread.174763/

If I am reading correctly, prices for the base model ("plus") have been as low as ~ $23k before state and federal tax credits for 2017 close-outs.
 
So I tried driving 65 miles in the Leaf today. But it was -15°F (-26°C) and temp bars were at 3 (which seemed like they should have been at 1 or 2). The car was doing ok, for the first 20 miles or so, as I was cycling the heat on and off just enough to keep the windshield half clear. But when I made it to the first pass the battery really dropped as I went up it, using more than double. I figured if I made it to the top with 40% I'd be able to make it up the next two mountains, but I was at 23%. Even with a 4,000ft drop after that I had serious doubts that I'd make it up that last mountain. So I chickened out and at the first (and only) spot I could get cell service I called a tow truck. This is the first time I didn't make it.
 
IssacZachary said:
So I tried driving 65 miles in the Leaf today. But it was -15°F (-26°C) and temp bars were at 3 (which seemed like they should have been at 1 or 2). The car was doing ok, for the first 20 miles or so, as I was cycling the heat on and off just enough to keep the windshield half clear. But when I made it to the first pass the battery really dropped as I went up it, using more than double. I figured if I made it to the top with 40% I'd be able to make it up the next two mountains, but I was at 23%. Even with a 4,000ft drop after that I had serious doubts that I'd make it up that last mountain. So I chickened out and at the first (and only) spot I could get cell service I called a tow truck. This is the first time I didn't make it.
IMO a Prius Prime is really your best option :)
I know you(and I) would like some sort of pusher trailer or range type extender for our Leafs, but it's NOT going to happen :( at least anytime soon. If the Prime had been available when I purchased my first Leaf I think I may have jumped on it. Heck, even the Chrysler Pacifica with its 30ish mile EV range and 30+ MPG is really appealing(as is all it's space) but the drawback of that vehicle is it's 40'ish K price :( Now with rebates and credits I suppose it might be closer to $30k?? but even that might be a bit steep. No for what I see the Prime quoted for and it's terrific HWY MPG, I think it's hard to beat(personally I just wish it had more passenger room)........
 
Back
Top