Where to Rent the leaf in L.A.?

[toasty]

what was the rate? (daily? weekend?)

 

[theaveng]

Both Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa, and Tustin Nissan rent LEAFs.

Just checked with Fontana Nissan. They do NOT rent Leafs. Oh well.

 

[91040]

Have you checked these locations with Enterprise? They all are listed for EVs.

Encino http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?cnty=US&gpbr=32EB&bid=004" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Pasadena http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?cnty=US&gpbr=32PL&bid=004" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Cerritos http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=3229&bid=004&cnty=US" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Newport Beach http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=32NX&bid=004&cnty=US&hybrid=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ontario http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=32GH&bid=004&cnty=US&hybrid=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Riverside http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=3261&bid=004&cnty=US" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Thousand Oaks http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=3291&bid=004&cnty=US&hybrid=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Torrance http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=3221&bid=004&cnty=US" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hertz also rents Leafs http://www.hertz.com/rentacar/productservice/index.jsp?targetPage=greentravelercollection.jsp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

No, I have no connection with Enterprise though I do rent cars occasionally.

 

[theaveng]

Bookmarked.
I call them this weekend. Thanks!

 

[timhebb]

I just removed my 2011 LEAF SV for rental from RelayRides.com - because I traded it in for a 2013 SV w/charger package. And had the chance to fast charge it right away with the dealer's (Glendale Nissan) brand-new DCFC unit. The coming wave of DCFC locations in the L.A. area - looks like at least 50 from the various public agencies and private enterprises installing them - should be a game changer. So. Cal is going to become a capital of EV fast charging.

When I've learned all the new features of the 2013 and tired of playing with it, I plan to post it on RelayRides for rental. In the meantime, there are still at least two LEAFs available for rent on RelayRides in metro L.A. for $32 a day. Bet that beats any rate from Enterprise, Hertz or the legacy car rental guys.

 

[JimSouCal]

So. Cal is going to become a capital of EV fast charging.

So far my QC port is virgin. Hope you are right. I've seen people driving around Santa Monica in rental LEAFs--plenty of curb rash on the tires and dents on doors like most rentals.

 

[shortcircuit]

I wanted to make sure the LEAF would have enough range to get me to work and back on a single charge (about 65 miles). Power Nissan in the South Bay let me take a used LEAF home for a day at no charge. Very cool of them to let me do this.

 

[teichholtz]

Renting an owned or leased vehicle?
Wow. Just Wow.

Every time I have EVER let anyone borrow one of my cars or my truck, something goes wrong. After many years of adhering to my 'Never lend a vehicle' policy I let my neighbor borrow my two year old Smartcar for use in a parade. It was supposed to be a very simple thing, it turned into a very complex thing and long story short, bunting on the front covered the radiator on a 90 degree day and the car overheated. Luckily the computer in the car shut down the car. After cooling down there appeared to be no damage. I did an oil change since the oil had been cooked. There was a tiny scratch at the top of the drivers door which I never fixed so it would remind me of my 'no borrow' policy.

What I do when someone asks to use my truck is tell them that they cannot use MY truck, but I will pay for a rental for them, and hand over my credit card. No one has taken me up on it yet. Even if they did, a days rental is cheaper than replacing the turbo on my 7.2 Powerstoke truck, right?

Even though my 2013 SL is leased, I still treat it as my own car.

 

[theaveng]

What I do when someone asks to use my truck is tell them that they cannot use MY truck, but I will pay for a rental for them, and hand over my credit card. No one has taken me up on it yet.

Can I borrow your credit card to rent a Leaf for a day? LOL. Nah just kidding.
The person who offers his car for rent does not own the car, so apparently he does not care if it gets damaged. It's Nissan's car and Nissan's problem.

 

[timhebb]

The person who offers his car for rent does not own the car, so apparently he does not care if it gets damaged. It's Nissan's car and Nissan's problem.

It's not that I don't care if the vehicle gets damaged while being rented (after all, I'm responsible for damage at end of lease if I don't buy). It's that the business that acts as the middleman between owners and renters, RelayRides.com, provides the insurance to cover any damage or loss that might occur, thus relieving me and my own insurance company of the liability.

When I traded in my previous LEAF, which I also rented through RelayRides, the only damage it had was a badly scuffed and scraped rear fender from an encounter with a concrete wall in a parking garage - which I had done myself.

As I've pointed out previously, peer-to-peer car sharing is a rapidly growing concept and business, which is recognized and protected by California and other state's laws. Sorry that some people just don't get it. I understand it may not be for everyone, but I don't understand the blanket disdain that some on this forum seem to have for the very concept. It's wildly popular with many younger people, and it's a very workable way to provide as-needed access to vehicles in more flexible and affordable ways than traditional rental car companies, and relieves pressure on occasional drivers to own vehicles, thus adding to traffic congestion/pollution, etc. I've rented my LEAF to a pair of Harvard instructors, to an engineer from the Bay area who has a LEAF of his own at home and likes to continue being environmentally friendly when he travels to So Cal, and assorted other interesting and responsible types. Vehicle owners have full discretion to rent, or not, to anyone who requests their vehicle. Apart from this forum, the only other concerted opposition I've found to car sharing is from auto dealers and salesmen, which is not a group I personally would be flattered to find I have much in common with.

By the way, I earned over $500 last month from renting my two vehicles on RelayRides (never at the same time ). Meanwhile, those on this thread who bemoan the lack of available LEAFs for rent continue to ignore the thriving communities of vehicle swappers who happily drive LEAFs, and just about anything else they desire, at very affordable rates whenever the notion strikes them. Like the LEAF itself, car sharing represents a paradigm shift, which some people eagerly embrace, while others not only resist change, they refuse to tolerate it.

 

[teichholtz]

I checked out the RelayRides site. Interesting concept and I am glad it is working. I'm really not afraid of new concepts and I think the idea of car sharing is a great idea. I have just been burned way too many times in the 40 years I have owned cars. Example:

My first sports car, a Fiat 850 Spyder. I was sick, had gone away to a relatives house to recover. While I was gone a friend 'borrowed the car', burned out the starter and the car sat on a city street for a month in the winter with some on my tools on the passenger seat with the passenger window down.
Another car, I let a roommate drive it, grille smashed in. 'Um, sorry', but no payment. Let a neighbor use my truck. He basically burned out the clutch in front of me trying to back up the driveway.

I know my Leaf would come back with road rash on a wheel, or a small scratch on the bumper or a small tear in the leather.

RelayRides provides 1,000,000 liability which sounds like a lot but in the case of a horrific accident involving the loss of human life it might not be enough.

 

[timhebb]

RelayRides provides 1,000,000 liability which sounds like a lot but in the case of a horrific accident involving the loss of human life it might not be enough.

You're right. In fact, there is a pending case in Massachusetts, I believe, where a renter killed or injured multiple parties (including himself, IIRC) and the liability threatens to exceed the coverage. RelayRides has pledged to make things right no matter the legal outcome, but it does suggest the need to revisit the insurance limits. It's a young industry, and there will naturally be growing pains, just like the transition to electric vehicles. I think we have quite a few speed bumps yet to navigate as EVs become more and more widely adopted, but that doesn't mean we should turn away from the revolution.

I certainly understand anyone's reluctance to let others drive their vehicle if it is pristine and they want to keep it that way. I just don't happen to be as sensitive to that, partially because I'm a somewhat "carefree" driver myself and am usually the first one to inflict scuffs, dings and curb rash on my cars. It's painful for a short while, but I soon adjust. I realized there's a reason they call them "bumpers." I wasn't always this way - it's also partially a function of age (don't ask). In any case, it just seems to me that in the grand scheme, auto paint is not a very compelling reason to be stressed out or lose sleep over. But that's just me.

 

[theaveng]

While I was gone a friend 'borrowed the car', burned out the starter and the car sat on a city street for a month in the winter with some on my tools on the passenger seat with the passenger window down.
Another car, I let a roommate drive it, grille smashed in. 'Um, sorry', but no payment. Let a neighbor use my truck. He basically burned out the clutch in front of me trying to back up the driveway.

Why on earth didn't you sue these 3 people? If they cause damage to your vehicle, they owe you money.

 

[teichholtz]

While I was gone a friend 'borrowed the car', burned out the starter and the car sat on a city street for a month in the winter with some on my tools on the passenger seat with the passenger window down.
Another car, I let a roommate drive it, grille smashed in. 'Um, sorry', but no payment. Let a neighbor use my truck. He basically burned out the clutch in front of me trying to back up the driveway.

Why on earth didn't you sue these 3 people? If they cause damage to your vehicle, they owe you money.

Sigh... Monetary damages were not worth a law suit. Burned out starter? $50 or so plus an hour cleaning the car. Grille? I think that was $50 or so also. It was a roommate who became roommate from hell, but that is a story for another forum.

 

[teichholtz]

<snip>

I certainly understand anyone's reluctance to let others drive their vehicle if it is pristine and they want to keep it that way. I just don't happen to be as sensitive to that, partially because I'm a somewhat "carefree" driver myself and am usually the first one to inflict scuffs, dings and curb rash on my cars. It's painful for a short while, but I soon adjust. I realized there's a reason they call them "bumpers." I wasn't always this way - it's also partially a function of age (don't ask). In any case, it just seems to me that in the grand scheme, auto paint is not a very compelling reason to be stressed out or lose sleep over. But that's just me.

Yes, I understand. I know many people who share that attitude. I, on the other hand, spent 10 years as a cab driver and quite often had to drive really beat up automobiles. Ever since those days I have always kept my personal cars in excellent shape and nary a scratch on them. Including my 1988 Volvo 740 wagon.

 

[teichholtz]

RelayRides provides 1,000,000 liability which sounds like a lot but in the case of a horrific accident involving the loss of human life it might not be enough.

You're right. In fact, there is a pending case in Massachusetts, I believe, where a renter killed or injured multiple parties (including himself, IIRC) and the liability threatens to exceed the coverage. RelayRides has pledged to make things right no matter the legal outcome, but it does suggest the need to revisit the insurance limits. It's a young industry, and there will naturally be growing pains, just like the transition to electric vehicles.
<snip>

I'm sure RelayRides pledges to make it right, but when a crazy jury has a verdict of millions and RelayRides realizes they will go down because of the judgement that pledge will not be worth much. And the car owners life will be hell for years.

I know that many of you reading my posts on this are thinking 'I think he needs his medication levels checked' but I know of two people who were involved in terrible accidents which had judgements exceeding insurance limits. In both cases it pretty much destroyed these people's lives for years.

 

[theaveng]

I now have a bunch of free time on my hands, and therefore ready to start renting some Leafs, teslas, et cetera for long test drives.

Any other places I should look that's not previously mentioned?

 

[KJD]

By the way, I earned over $500 last month from renting my two vehicles on RelayRides (never at the same time ). Meanwhile, those on this thread who bemoan the lack of available LEAFs for rent continue to ignore the thriving communities of vehicle swappers who happily drive LEAFs, and just about anything else they desire, at very affordable rates whenever the notion strikes them. Like the LEAF itself, car sharing represents a paradigm shift, which some people eagerly embrace, while others not only resist change, they refuse to tolerate it.

Has anyone else used RelayRides and if so what was your experience ?