Considering a Leaf in NH

[DNAinaGoodWay]

The 14s are just about to come out, no price announced yet, but may be cheaper. Should be able to get a good deal on a 13 whatever happens. A good dealer will get you the color you want.

[Berlino]

What are my chances of getting it in red?

I have Red, and its shade goes very well with the black interior.

However, be warned that quality of the paint job is average at best. I managed to inflict scratches with a plastic ice-scraper. Now I'm more careful.

Apparently, the quality of the black and glacier white paint jobs is the worst. Pearl white is the best (on the LEAF scale) with red and silver being average. Not sure about blue.

[LeftieBiker]

I'm a month shy of 2 years with my LEAF in southern NH. my commute is ~15 miles round trip - so I'm not stressing the car at all - With 44 miles RT, you won't likely need to at work charging, but that lowers your risk significantly. most important for winter, really. I bought my car - mostly because I didn't want to deal with a new car in three years. My capacity (pre 3227, via leafspylite) is ~95% still.

where in the state are you?

Seacoast, Exeter area and I'm commuting up to Dover.

Based on the info above, I'm *almost* convinced I should lease. Now I just need to decide on sooner vs later. Could I get a better deal if I wait till 2014?

Also selection seems to be pretty limited in the Northeast. What are my chances of getting it in red?

I think you have to get an SL to get red, but some dealerships do have them. See if you can get exactly the car you want shipped to your local dealership. If not, contact other dealerships in the region and ask about them sending you the car, which your local dealer will still have to service. One important thing about leasing: don't go for the attractive low monthly payment (like I did!): your big down payment will likely be lost if the car is wrecked. Instead, go for zero down and "fold" all costs into your monthly payment. That way if the car is totaled you can start fresh with a new lease and no regrets.

[swaltner]

There are no restriction on what trim levels the Cayenne Red color is put on, but there may not be many of them on the dealer lots, since the dealer inventory is based off what they requested. I have a 2013 Leaf SV (Cayenne Red exterior, Black interior), but I got that by placing a "factory order".

[LeftieBiker]

That explains why I didn't see any SV or S models in red.

[larrycookjr]

Hi Fiddlegeek,

You sound like a perfect candidate. A non-highway rural commute will be fairly efficient, not as good as all city, but way better than highway. I live in the Concord area. My best full trip was to UNH and back on Rt. 4 in May in light rain. My 2012 SL made the 85 mile round trip with about 6 miles to spare. But going to Nashua or Salem at 65 mph in summer is a stretch for the 65 mile round trip so I don't even try it in the winter.

I bought mine because at the time I planned to keep it for 10+ years and the lease was $439/month. Now I would seriously consider the $199/month lease. At 20 months and 15,000 miles I have not noticed any battery degradation but a lease would eliminate that risk.

[abasile]

While I do understand the rational for leasing, I'm personally still not crazy about driving a car that I don't own, and getting into perpetual payments. My feeling is that if it's not worth buying, then it's not worth getting.

From a personal finance point of view, the only LEAF I'd consider buying would be a used vehicle with a decent battery. Someone else has already taken a big depreciation hit. You should then be able to derive enough value from the car even if replacing the battery pack ends up not being a reasonable option. And you're not automatically looking to make another trip to the dealership in three years. (Car dealers love leasers...)

By the way, with decent tires, the LEAF does great on snow and ice. The low center of gravity helps handling and road adhesion, as does the smoothness with which the electric drivetrain can deliver power.