Got a Leaf!
I should start with this factoid; I did not intend to get a Leaf, but I ended up with one through a circuitous process and I love it.
The whole story starts with my motorcycle going into the shop, leaving me without a good way to get to work (60 mile round trip from Santa Clarita to Hollywood). I rented a Tesla Model 3 and fell deeply in love with it—from it's minimalist styling inside and out, its amazing speed, the beauty of the free Tesla supercharger network (free for now anyway). The thing feels like a car from the future, more spaceship than car in some ways. This sold me on EVs, or what an EV could be. Using the HOV lane all the way to work was a thing of beauty.
As the temps in California dropped (yes, I rode home on a motorcycle in 39 degree weather where I live) and as the rains came in, I really ratched up my search for my next car, despite my weak credit that I'm building back up (I was without a job for too long, despite trying).
Initially I was looking through Shift.com, where I could sort used vehicles by max cost ($20k), max mileage (40-50k), color, EV, etc. The e-Golf caught my attention, but the range on anything made before 2017 is just too short (83 miles) to cover my 60-mile round trip, considering battery degradation, heat and A/C usage, spirited driving in fast SoCal flow, etc. Also, I read that the 2015 model year wouldn't even let me use the HOV lane solo, which was most of the point of getting an EV (I've already tasted freedom here because I generally commute year-round on a motorcycle in the HOV lane).
A 2018 Nissan Leaf S popped up. Base model, yes, but it has the optional fast-charge kit installed. BINGO. 9069 miles, $20k sticker, clean Carfax, no accidents, one prior owner, external color I like (white) with my preferred interior color (black), and a 151 mile range! It's bigger than I want or need, and a little faster than the e-Golf (not that I'm buying an EV for speed). Also, there's a CHAdeMO charger about 4 miles from my place which I scouted before the purchase, so that is another good thing.
I pulled the trigger on the Leaf and well, here I am! Nice to meet all of you, and I gotta thank the e-Golf forum for urging me to get something with more range. How right they were.
Now I really want a Level 2 charger in my garage. I need recommendations for which brand and model to get, but I'll check the rest of the forum for that.