Philadelphia and Southeastern PA

[abeloffnissan]

Abeloff Nissan in Bartonsville, Pa is thrilled to announce we will be receiving a 2011 Nissan Leaf by the end of July 2011! The vehicle will be brand new, never titled and available for test drives!

Please visit our website at http://www.abeloffnissan.com for information and our location and to contact us to schedule a test drive of the Leaf when it arrives!

[tps]

Not much going on in this thread, of late. Well, this weekend is the Drive Electric event here in Philly. I went today (Saturday 8/13/2011) and drove twice. Not too many people there when I got there (late morning). They've revamped the displays since I went to National Harbor (DC) in the spring. Now they're using production LEAFs for the test drives; there were a few California 562 pre-production LEAFs (mostly static display). Looking forward to ordering my own Black SL later this fall; no one gives a specific date yet, they just say "late 2011".

[meekjah]

Thanks for the update TPS! I was contemplating going this weekend too but since I already dragged my wife and kids to DC I was hard pressed to do it again!! Cool to hear that they're using prod. models. Can't wait for mine too.

[yeswaydude]

They had a drive event in Philly? Darn! I didn't even hear about it!?!

I did, however, find a note on-line that the Devon Nissan dealership has one now. I called them up and it sounds like you can give it a test drive, but they're not yet selling them.

The guy I talked to was supposed to find out more about deliveries and call me back, but that was last Tuesday I spoke with him, and I still haven't heard back.

I'll probably stop by and see if I can take it for a spin!

I, too, am hoping that the tax credit won't expire before I get mine!?!

Has anyone else looked into any of the other electric options: Smart, Mini-E, THINK City, Tesla?

I also found some information about an electric car club that meets in Norristown. I need to check out one of their meetings . . .

I'm glad to hear that there are others besides me who put their reservation in last April and are still waiting. Misery loves company!?!

[tps]

They had a drive event in Philly? Darn! I didn't even hear about it!?!

Apparently you weren't the only one. Maybe it was just the time I went, but I thought the "crowds" were rather light. Given Pennsylvania's Tier 4 status, I wonder how much effort Nissan is putting into selling the LEAF here and making car buyers aware of it?

I found a good way to get my hands on a LEAF for an extended drive: I rent the Hertz LEAF from NYC! This LEAF is part of the Hertz On Demand carshare program; you have to be a member, but membership is free. This LEAF is normally parked behind the Seward Park Coop on the lower east side. I've so far rented the LEAF twice for a total of over 320 miles of pure electric driving.

The latest I hear is we'll be ordering in December, which probably means April to May delivery.

[yeswaydude]

Cool! Thanks for the info!

I still have yet to stop by the dealership in Devon. Maybe one night this week . . .

[yeswaydude]

Well, I finally made it to the dealership in Devon, and -- of course -- they looked at me like I had three heads.

No LEAF.

No real idea on when they were going to get one.

In the meantime, I drove a Volt at the Greenfest down at Headhouse Square. Cruising around the city in all-electric mode was really awesome! The car makes a very satisfying whirring sounds as you take off from a dead stop.

Unfortunately, the GM guy read me a bunch of crap about why they can't make one as a biodiesel or E-85 -- apparently it doesn't share its 1.4L engine with any other U.S. GM car and they're not looking to push their costs any higher than what they already are.

And, the other guy who rode around with us on the test drive knew just about nothing about the car and bad-mouthed the LEAF as leaving you high and dry after 50 miles of driving. I guess GM doesn't quite believe in the field of dreams so they're not even trying to market the thing. Or, maybe it's just that the evil oil overlords have GM under their thumb.

So I guess I'm just back to waiting and hoping . . .

[chex]

E85!! I am a huge supporter of bio-fuels, and was wondering why the Volt engine couldn't run E85. It has the 'high octane' requirement, which ethanol fits quite nicely, being essentially a 100 octane fuel. However, ethanol is not a very stable fuel, and attracts water like a sponge. It is not a good fuel to leave lying around in the fuel tank for months and months. The best way would be to fill up with ethanol when you know your going to need it on a long trip, but when around town, just fill it with gasoline (E15, I guess.. ) . It just seems like the best way to get a holistic green approach with the electricity, and fuel source. And please spare me the lecture about ethanol not being green, I KNOW. Bio-fuels are *technically* carbon-neutral, its the source & process of the manufacture of the alcohol that is the tricky part. I just love how it can be fermented from a variety of organic sources, it all depends on how much work you want to put INTO the fermentation process to get the alcohol.

Unfortunately, the GM guy read me a bunch of crap about why they can't make one as a biodiesel or E-85 -- apparently it doesn't share its 1.4L engine with any other U.S. GM car and they're not looking to push their costs any higher than what they already are.


So I guess I'm just back to waiting and hoping . . .

[lordmoosh]

Has anyone noticed that they jacked up the prices of the 2012 Nissan Leaf? I reserved my 2011 model more than a year ago and logged in yesterday to see a significantly increased price for the car. Here are the MSRPs from edmunds.com:

2011 Nissan Leaf SV -$32,780
2012 Nissan Leaf SV -$35,200

2011 Nissan Leaf SL - $33,720
2012 Nissan Leaf SL - $37,250

Personally I was interested in the 2011 SL model but now I am not so sure. They did add features to both models but I have read articles saying that the values of what they added to not come close to the cost they've added to the MSRP. Further, I am kind of annoyed that they just switched the cost on me without contacting me. Here is an article that discusses the changes to the car (heated seats, mirrors, steering wheel, rear hvac duct, cold weather package, quickcharger for SL model, etc):
http://www.insideline.com/nissan/leaf/2 ... pment.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Personally I would rather buy the 2011 model without these options and spend a few grand less but I don't think we have a choice...

[Herm]

The Dollar dropped 15% against the Yen in just a a few months earlier this year, this has impacted any car manufactured in Japan and sold in the US. Nissan cant decontent the Leaf since it already at the minimum* so it has to increase the price. They need to start adding high profit options such as leather, but are reluctant due to marketing reasons.. beginnings are delicate times.










*note: the radio is made by Clarion for Gods sake!