Buying a Leaf in the EAST? Some things you should know

[cwerdna]

^^^
OP has previously posted some range complaints. See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/search.php?author_id=7289&sr=posts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

 

[dgpcolorado]

...
Nissan did put out a chart giving estimates of range in several various scenarios so I have to say that Nissan was MUCH more upfront than any other car dealer I have ever seen... well, at least in the one respect...

I think you meant "car manufacturer". As you well know, the problem with LEAF selling is that some Nissan "dealers" and their salesmen have been touting the bogus 100 mile range to potential customers. Nissan needs to re-educate them and get that stopped right away.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

...
Nissan did put out a chart giving estimates of range in several various scenarios so I have to say that Nissan was MUCH more upfront than any other car dealer I have ever seen... well, at least in the one respect...

I think you meant "car manufacturer". As you well know, the problem with LEAF selling is that some Nissan "dealers" and their salesmen have been touting the bogus 100 mile range to potential customers. Nissan needs to re-educate them and get that stopped right away.

oh wow do I ever! upfront/car dealer is a prime oxymoron candidate if there ever was one!

 

[P71VIC]

The Leaf is not a 100 mile car if you get on the hwy, its not really a hwy cruiser but because it sells well in the Land of Highways (CA) people get confused.. Nissan could have done a lot to alleviate this range anxiety issue, like limiting the top speed to 60mph.. that is way more than enough for city driving... perhaps make the dash flash red once you exceed 60.. even the motor/tranmission were optimized for much lower speeds

I would have never bought the car then. I might only drive 10 or 20 miles on the highway, as my two frequent destinations are that far away. However, I want a fully highway capability if needed during those jaunts. Not being able to even hit the speed limit of the roads near my house would have had me never buy the car.

 

[mctca]

I'm Back!!!!!!
My dealer to this day says 100miles
Salesman + mechanics both state 100miles
I never signed papers about range limitations
When I complained, their solution was to stop using the heat/ac which I never really used.
Bring the car in for an overnight test, someone was going to drive it home.
They never even brought up the EPA numbers, I found that out later.
As I have learned, there is nothing wrong with the car. I am getting the EPA range.
When I look at my sticker, I see in BIG numbers 99 106/92 which have nothing to do with how far the car wil go.
Underneath those numbers it states "on a fully charged battery, vehicle will travel 73 miles.
It was not advertised that way! We never spoke to anyone that said less than 100.
They are still advertising the BIG numbers for 2013, but the new EPA is 74
These are the numbers I see which are not range. 130/102 City/Hwy http://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[cwerdna]

My dealer to this day says 100miles
Salesman + mechanics both state 100miles

Ridiculous! This needs to stop at ALL dealers! For anyone to make such claims, they should be REQUIRED to drive a Leaf 100 miles on a charge.

Point that dumb dealer to http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=11201" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Got any current examples of Nissan dealers in your area currently advertising the Leaf as having 100 miles of range? URL? Picture of an ad from somewhere?

When I complained, their solution was to stop using the heat/ac which I never really used.
Bring the car in for an overnight test, someone was going to drive it home.

Make a Leaf salesman reset the trip odometer, average speed and efficiency (miles/kwh) on the dot matrix gauge in the cluster then have them drive 100 miles on a single charge w/o charging in the middle. Ask them how fast they could go, how comfortable they were doing it and have them note their average speed, efficiency and how many fuel bars remain at the end (not GOM values).

Too bad it's not snowing there right now, but from looking at the weather forecasts, it's at least a little chilly (50 F high, 30s or 40s for lows) so this is an ok time to have them try. I'd LOVE to have them try when it's snowing. :lol:

When I look at my sticker, I see in BIG numbers 99 106/92 which have nothing to do with how far the car wil go.
Underneath those numbers it states "on a fully charged battery, vehicle will travel 73 miles.
It was not advertised that way! We never spoke to anyone that said less than 100.
They are still advertising the BIG numbers for 2013, but the new EPA is 74
These are the numbers I see which are not range. 130/102 City/Hwy http://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

99 106/92 and 103/102 are MPGe, NOT miles of range.

Re: the sticker, perhaps you should submit feedback to the EPA. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/carlabel/420f11017.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; from http://www.epa.gov/otaq/carlabel/regulations.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has the format.

 

[TimLee]

My dealer to this day says 100miles
Salesman + mechanics both state 100miles

Dealers doing this should be ashamed of themselves. But shame seems to be sadly lacking both in politicians, car dealers, and sometimes car manufacturers these days.
I think people were unfair and inaccurate in calling mctca a troll.
Although some people are managing to drive the LEAF 70 to 80 miles per day, and a few are in the 100 mile club, that is NOT the normal for the way most Americans drive. And some that are doing this, are driving in heavy coats with no heat, making a sacrifice to use the vehicle that most americans are very unwilling to do.
That is the point that mctca is making.
He is right about that.
For most people, the LEAF is a 40 to 60 mile per day vehicle, depending on how they drive, and whether they are charging to 80% instead of 100% to minimize battery capacity degradation.
Anyone who has done even minimal reading of mynissanleaf prior to purchasing a LEAF should have known that.
And although Nissan did spend too much time in their ill advised marketing talking about the 100 mile range, if you read all of what they put out, they were pretty clear that range would be dependent on driving style and weather. They had a graphic in their print adds that showed the variability of range varying from something like <50 to >100.

 

[apvbguy]

My dealer to this day says 100miles
Salesman + mechanics both state 100miles

Dealers doing this should be ashamed of themselves. But shame seems to be sadly lacking both in politicians, car dealers, and sometimes car manufacturers these days.
I think people were unfair and inaccurate in calling mctca a troll.
Although some people are managing to drive the LEAF 70 to 80 miles per day, and a few are in the 100 mile club, that is NOT the normal for the way most Americans drive. And some that are doing this, are driving in heavy coats with no heat, making a sacrifice to use the vehicle that most americans are very unwilling to do.
That is the point that mctca is making.
He is right about that.
For most people, the LEAF is a 40 to 60 mile per day vehicle, depending on how they drive, and whether they are charging to 80% instead of 100% to minimize battery capacity degradation.
Anyone who has done even minimal reading of mynissanleaf prior to purchasing a LEAF should have known that.
And although Nissan did spend too much time in their ill advised marketing talking about the 100 mile range, if you read all of what they put out, they were pretty clear that range would be dependent on driving style and weather. They had a graphic in their print adds that showed the variability of range varying from something like <50 to >100.

to address a couple of points you and others have made, a car dealer like a politician, lawyer, salesman of any stripe cannot be trusted to tell you the truth, they will say and do anything they need to in order for them to persuade you or sell you.
as for the LEAF, it is a fine auto for what it is and what it is, is a car the is for around town, for people who have shorter commutes or lifestyles that don't require long distance driving on a regular basis. Also it is not a highway cruiser, if your entire daily driving consists of freeway type driving you can deduct almost 1/3 the expected range of the LEAF. The LEAF is far from a car for the masses and until EVs can offer 200+ mile range per charge the masses will not accept the EV car.
that said the current EVs are great cars if they fit the driver's lifestyle.

 

[mctca]

My whole point to this was how Nissan advertised the LEAF & are still doing the same. We are learning more & more about the vehicle after each charge. It's become a game to see how far we can go. I have stated in numerous posts that I love the car & the EV concept, but Nissan needs to be real about the way they sell the vehicle. Look at the Nissan advertisements which show the numbers 130/92. They have nothing to do with range, but many people would conclude that they do since there is no other range numbers on the page. As for our range, I believe I could get 100+ in flatter terrain. We have hit 77 on hilly roads & have been averaging over 70/charge for the last 1000 miles.

 

[dhanson865]

I'm Back!!!!!!
My dealer to this day says 100miles
Salesman + mechanics both state 100miles
I never signed papers about range limitations
When I complained, their solution was to stop using the heat/ac which I never really used.
Bring the car in for an overnight test, someone was going to drive it home.
They never even brought up the EPA numbers, I found that out later.
As I have learned, there is nothing wrong with the car. I am getting the EPA range.
When I look at my sticker, I see in BIG numbers 99 106/92 which have nothing to do with how far the car wil go.
Underneath those numbers it states "on a fully charged battery, vehicle will travel 73 miles.
It was not advertised that way! We never spoke to anyone that said less than 100.
They are still advertising the BIG numbers for 2013, but the new EPA is 74
These are the numbers I see which are not range. 130/102 City/Hwy http://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I totally agree with you on the point of your posts in this thread however if you click on the range tab on the site you linked to you get

http://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/charging-range/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

which says you can only get "up to 75 miles" on a fully charged battery.

 

[derkraut]

Publius said: "I am pretty certain that I did not sign a disclosure. My salesman said that my LEAF would have a full tank of gas when I picked it up, so..."

So you said "oh great! and signed the papers and drove off? :lol: :lol:

 

[mctca]

I agree, but show the 75 mile range in BIG numbers on the main page. Bottom line we have stopped complaining to the dealer & we are working with the vehicle. My hope is that by the time our lease (32 months) is up, we can upgrade to a 200+ mile LEAF

 

[apvbguy]

I agree, but show the 75 mile range in BIG numbers on the main page. Bottom line we have stopped complaining to the dealer & we are working with the vehicle. My hope is that by the time our lease (32 months) is up, we can upgrade to a 200+ mile LEAF

sir: with all due respect you need to accept the reality that you trusted a car salesman and you did not conduct your own due diligence regarding what this car is and is not capable of doing. I do hope that things work out well for you and I also hope that in a few years the technology advances to where we can have an affordable EV that can dependably give us a 200+ mile effective range.

 

[Publius]

Publius said: "I am pretty certain that I did not sign a disclosure. My salesman said that my LEAF would have a full tank of gas when I picked it up, so..."

So you said "oh great! and signed the papers and drove off? :lol: :lol:

No, I laughed and told him that would be difficult, and then signed the papers. The salesman admitted that he knew nothing about the car and they did not have one on the lot (they shipped it in from a neighboring city), which was fine with me because I didn't need the salesman to teach me about the car-- range or otherwise-- and I had previously driven it elsewhere. I would never rely on the salesman to teach me the characteristics on any car, let alone an EV. I just need the salesman to negotiate a price.