My motivation in buying a Leaf was not noble or in support of environmental improvement. It was mostly in wanting some of my tax money back. I have a 2007 Frontier PU that I love. It's getting close to 100K miles on it and I started shopping around for a replacement. I couldn't find anything I liked more than what I already have, so I decided to just to keep it and get something to drive around to keep from adding so many miles to my truck. I did some things last year that increased my tax liability. I got $2500 from my state and $7500 back on my Federal taxes on my Leaf purchase. That's $10,000 back.
Even with the $10K back, the Leaf was still a little pricey. It's kind of fun to drive though, and it works out great for something to drive back and forth to work and around town with. I figure what I save on gas and maintenance will be a wash when I have to buy a $6000 replacement battery.
It's just my luck that when I decide to buy an electric car - gas drops to $2 a gallon.
Even with the $10K back, the Leaf was still a little pricey. It's kind of fun to drive though, and it works out great for something to drive back and forth to work and around town with. I figure what I save on gas and maintenance will be a wash when I have to buy a $6000 replacement battery.
It's just my luck that when I decide to buy an electric car - gas drops to $2 a gallon.