Thinking of leasing a new Nissan Leaf

[user removed]

I did not drive it today, drove one a couple of years ago, after 5 miles the range was greater than when I started.

They offered me what I think is a good deal.

$5k down (my choice) and $155 a month for 1000 miles a month for 3 years.
I can buy the car at that point for $11,331.

$10,580 total cost (of the lease) to me including all the taxes (@3.5%) fees et-cetera. Window sticker is $31,475 Total discounts are $9725 (including $7500 from the Feds) plus they added some more discount I think it was around $1200 more, but I have to check that out tomorrow.

Basically I can drive 36k miles for the $10,580 not including additional electricity. We get that from Dominions nuke plant about 20 miles from my house. We drive very little at night so regular 110 charging is fine and I can charge off peak. I rarely use heat and AC and the car will be garaged.

After 3 years I can buy the car for a total of $10,580 (the lease total) and the $11,331 for a total of $21,811. I checked out their interest charges by upping the down payment, $1000 saved me $8 over 3 years.

The wife as usual says she won't drive it to work, prefers her 26-7 MPG Sorento and the higher seating position, but after a while I think she might grow fond of the potential savings in fuel. I get free charges at the dealership for the term of the lease. The car has the quick charging option but I doubt I'll ever use it as the cost of wiring the house is not included but my nephew could do that if I ever decided I needed that capability.

I'm leaning toward getting the Leaf and selling all of the motorcycles (2) and the Sentra, but I might just keepthe Sentra for the occasional tripbeyond the range of the leaf. The two bikes should net me another $2k give or take, or about 10 of the 36 lease payments.

Thoughts?

regards
mech

[Daox]

I'm going to go with Old tele man. The leaf is a very cool car IMO. I was very impressed by it when I drove one. Is it the most economical vehicle? Certainly not. A used car wins hands down every time. If you want a new vehicle that is thrifty to fuel and really shouldn't require any maintenance, the leaf is perfect.

[user removed]

I don't think of myself as a tree hugger, but some might consider me one, but certainly not hard core.

For the wife and I it would work fine. Many of my trips are short, some less than two miles. Her work commute is a 28 round trip. She averages about 8 gallons a week not including out of town trips.

I could get rid of every other vehicle I own, except the Honda 50 (maybe 200 miles a year) which does not require insurance and the taxes are not worth the stamp to send me the notice. That virtually eliminates the risk of serious injury on a bike, about 25k miles in the last 5 years or more (on bikes).

My gasoline average cost per month is right around $100. I figure it would add about $25a month to our electricity bill, which saves right at half the cost of the lease. The wife spends about $150, including the occasional trip to her two daughers homes, 75 and 160miles away. If she used it for work and errands it would cut her consumption in half, which covers the lease completely.

Geniune EV interest. I figure after 4 years in production the technology is fairly mature. All the hype about battery capacities advancing at a rapid rate has not really happened and I doubt it will happen quickly. If so then I would think Nissan would incorporate that into potential upgrades.

The wife thinks I should have kept the Fiesta, but when she falls asleep in the Sentra I have my answer about it's acceptability.

Overall the lease would leave me with ample cash reserves. I could pay for it completely by reducing my reserves to 8k, but then I would have to use home equity for additional cash. I find that when I do that (seriously deplete reserves) it seems to be an invitation for the unexpected large expense to appear at just the wrong time.

I like the idea of getting almost a third off the sticker, which will probably vanish when the Fed $7500 credit goes away and I like the idea of a 3 year test drive that, when all things are considered does not cost me that much more a month, maybe $100 over what I am spending now or just about the same asit was when I had 4 vehicles licensed and insured at the same time.

regards
mech

[Cobb]

Id rethink the charging. I believe 1 hours at 110 is like 4 miles. If you run the battery down you have to leave it plugged in for a few days 24 hours a day to fill it up.

On the other hand you can preheat or cool the car with it on electricity.

Nery on the geo forum bought a used 2012 one with 5 thousand miles for 17 g's out the door.

[NeilBlanchard]

I'd go for Level 2 charging. Check out the Juicebox, or the other reasonably priced EVSE units ($400-800).

Depending on the cost of electricity, you should pay about 2-3¢ per mile for electricity, and virtually nothing for regular maintenance.

My sister-in-law drives a 2011 Leaf, and my nephew drives a 2013 Leaf. They both love their Leafs. A lot.

[user removed]

The car comes with the upgraded onboard charger (6.6 kw) and I have a free (never used in two years) 220 outlet, but for us it would probably be fine with the 110 which I have read does some what better than you quoted Cobb. Today I drove much more than normal and still was home by 4 PM. That means at least 16 hours for charging or 64 miles at 4 miles per hour charging, plus I almost never use heat or AC unless I have to clear the windows and starting from the garage AC use would only be if the car was parked in the sun, before the return trip. Free charging at the dealership for the term of the lease with one of the wifes favorite outdoor mall shopping centers right next to the dealership.

Our electricity here is right at 9 cents per KWH calculated by dividing the bill, after the connection fee (have to pay that already) is subtracted, by the KWH used. I think Sept was 883 KWH but this fall has been very mild and we have not had the AC or heat on in a month.

regards
mech

[MetroMPG]

Has your wife ridden in/driven the Leaf?

I seem to recall it being a fairly tall vehicle -- not a vehicle you sit "down" into.

Not as tall as her Sorento, but still fairly "up there".

I found it to be a luxurious feeling car. (The quiet, the smoothness, probably.)

[user removed]

She griped about selling the Fiesta.
She griped about buying the Sentra.
She likes to gripe.
Today she griped about me taking the passengers seat and sissy bar off the GZ250. In a year she has ridden once and then just around the neighborhood.

But she gave me the green light if I want to buy the Leaf, just wants no part of it credit or payment wise which is fine, hates dealerships, doesn't want anything to do with them unless they are giving her something for free.

The depreciation on her Sorento, based on county tax assesment is 4k a year, for 3 years, or more than the lease.

She is not a planner or bean counter, won't open the front door unless I am there, and then I have to open it. It must really suck to live life that paranoid, but hey, she will put flowers on my grave 10 years after I am dead.

That's just the way it is, but she sure as hades will ride in it when I drive us around to dinner, shops, or antique malls and my best estimate is we could cover 85% of our miles in the Leaf, but I will probably keep the Sentra in case I want to go more than 50 miles in any direction.

She likes to think she can micromanage me, a shop owner operator, but all she has been for the last 30 years is a secretary and form processor for the county. Tells me there is no descrimination in her county department with 54 women and two men. It does no good to attempt to explain it rationally, so I find things more constructive to work on.

Ahhhh, the pleasures of marital bliss.

regards
mech

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

I'm leaning toward getting the Leaf and selling all of the motorcycles (2) and the Sentra, but I might just keepthe Sentra for the occasional tripbeyond the range of the leaf.

I think you don't need to keep the Sentra for longer trips if your wife is keeping the Sorento. It makes sense for 2 car families to have one of those be an electric only. Fuel and maintenance costs are much lower.

I test drove a Leaf about 2 years ago and liked it, and would likely replace one of my vehicles with an electric if they were cheaper. The most I've ever spent on a car is $17k, and that was for a sport/luxury sedan that gets good fuel economy and is very reliable. That is the most I would spend on a car ($60k annual income), and I especially wouldn't spend more on a car that has less amenities.

That said, prices on used ones should come down, especially as other manufacturers get into the game. I think it's a little early to jump into EVs due to the lack of competition and higher prices. When is Musk's next one coming, 2017? That should heat things up.

As an aside; it bothers me at how un-aerodynamic the Leaf is considering the importance of shape to a range limited vehicle. My gasser is more aero than the Leaf.

[ksa8907]

Do any of the new prius run in electric mode? Then you could still drive it like a normal vehicle if needed.