Would the Leaf fit my needs?

[Klayfish]

Awesome, thanks gang. Knowing that, I'll cast a net very far and wide. I've got a spreadsheet I started. Perhaps I'll go to some of the dealers people posted about here that gave them screaming deals. If nobody local will do it, it would still be worth it even if I have to ship the car (I'll just add the shipping cost into my calculations). I'd love to find an SV or SL for under $200/month with a reasonable down payment....

 

[lion]

Hey all! I'm shopping around for a new daily driver and want to get input from Leaf owners. Without making some ridiculously long post, let me try to describe my situation in a nutshell.

First and foremost, I'm a car guy. As a family guy with 3 kids, my budget is small, so the days of wild toys are gone. I have an old Miata for a toy, which I love. My daily driver currently is an old Saab wagon, an even older Volvo wagon prior. They've served their purpose, but I'm looking for something new (or nearly new). Reliability and efficiency are tops on my list. I've always been drawn to unique/different/quirky cars. I like not seeing myself coming and going 100 times on my way to work. So as much as I love the Accord/Civic, etc…and could be very happy with one, if I can find something unique, awesome. I was following a Leaf home the other day. Until then, the thought never really crossed my mind, but the more I followed it, the more I pondered the idea.

Here's my driving situation. I live in rural PA, "cow country". My commute is exactly 25 miles each way. All country road, no highways. 85% is uncrowded two lane roads, where I cruise at 45-60mph. The other 15% is "city" type driving, with several stop lights in that part. Our climate is typical northeast. Summer can be hot, winter is cold. I'm not an AC or heat hog, but would certainly use them on really hot or cold days. The car would spend overnight in my garage, probably 10+ hours.

I've seen there are several tax incentives on these cars. $7500 from the government (haven't gone through the fine print, but I will), and PA offers a $3500 rebate. Here are my questions:

First and foremost, would the Leaf fit my lifestyle? How much would I drain the battery on my 50 mile round trip? While I have come to like luxury touches, I don't need them. Even the base S has what I'd want…auto climate control, power windows/locks, heated seats, usable stereo. Is the Leaf interesting/fun to drive...not in a "woohoo fun" sports car way, but at least an engaging experience? Reliability issues? Nissan good with warranty stuff? I'm thinking of purchase, not lease.

Unless my math is wrong, I use over $2000/year in gas currently. At home, my utility charges $.0875/kWh. The way I calculated it, the fuel savings would come fairly close to paying for my monthly car payment (after I put down my deposit I've been saving). Heck, I'm pretty sure I could plug into 120V here at work. Very tempting. The only 240 service I currently have in my house is for my dryer…which actually happens to be right next to a window that looks at our driveway. While I can hang a ceiling fan, I'm not an electrician, so any work needed I'd have a professional do.

Thanks for any input you can offer.

My commute is almost identical (same type of roads, etc, only ~21 miles vs your 25, and plenty of hills), and so far it has been working really well. I usually get down to 55% by the time I get to the office (I always try to charge to 80%), so there is plenty of battery left for the return trip. Once in a while I'll trigger the Low Battery Warning, but that's only because I had some unexpected running around to do, and didn't charge to 100%.

If you have reliable charging stations in your area (check the PlugShare app/site), then you should be a happy camper.