jmortstar
New member
I had to make my first post here after seeing so many other negative threads about the Leaf. I have nothing but good things to say about my Leaf and am a bit surprised to see so many negative threads.
I bought a 2013 model S in 2017 for $14,000 CAD, which became $11,000 after rebates. It had 52,000 km on it and all 12 bars. I commute 60km each way to work, and prior to buying the Leaf was paying ~$300/month on gas for my commuter. There was a free level 2 charger where I worked, which is what made me consider buying an EV. When I did the math, it seemed like a no-brainer, despite not knowing anyone at the time with an EV, and my colleagues telling me I would regret it.
7 years later, it has paid for itself many times over in fuel savings. It now has 160,000kms on it and still has 10 bars. I have only had to replace tires twice and brakes once. It has a range of ~100km, so not enough to get to and from work, but I have been lucky to live in a rural part of Canada, and start work early enough where I almost never have to compete for the public charger. My colleagues now often comment on how wrong they were to try to talk me out of buying it.
I have never read this forum so until today had no idea about weak cells, potentially not having access to the final 25% of range, etc., which is now making me nervous. But this one has been so good to me I plan to keep driving it for a few more years. The climate here on Vancouver Island is ideal for the battery and I have almost never needed to DC charge it, so hopefully it keeps going strong for a while longer.
I bought a 2013 model S in 2017 for $14,000 CAD, which became $11,000 after rebates. It had 52,000 km on it and all 12 bars. I commute 60km each way to work, and prior to buying the Leaf was paying ~$300/month on gas for my commuter. There was a free level 2 charger where I worked, which is what made me consider buying an EV. When I did the math, it seemed like a no-brainer, despite not knowing anyone at the time with an EV, and my colleagues telling me I would regret it.
7 years later, it has paid for itself many times over in fuel savings. It now has 160,000kms on it and still has 10 bars. I have only had to replace tires twice and brakes once. It has a range of ~100km, so not enough to get to and from work, but I have been lucky to live in a rural part of Canada, and start work early enough where I almost never have to compete for the public charger. My colleagues now often comment on how wrong they were to try to talk me out of buying it.
I have never read this forum so until today had no idea about weak cells, potentially not having access to the final 25% of range, etc., which is now making me nervous. But this one has been so good to me I plan to keep driving it for a few more years. The climate here on Vancouver Island is ideal for the battery and I have almost never needed to DC charge it, so hopefully it keeps going strong for a while longer.