How long will/did you keep your LEAF?

[HighDesertDriver]

I punched in 5 years for our purchased LEAF, but our norm is 12-14 years. Much will depend on where we are living at that time and if the industry has introduced a larger sedan (with the headroom of a BMW 5 series or Mercedes E350 class) with a 30-40 mile battery-only range and an engine for longer trips. The goal is to shrink the garage population to a single car that can do both local travel and longer road trips. Depending on the build-out of their supercharger stations and other public EVSE facilities, Tesla might also be a viable choice.

 

[mazdaboi]

Selected 3years, even though we got a 39 month vs 36month to get the 15k per year allowence, I know I will atleast have the car for this timeframe. If/When they release the total battery replacement cost or a 3rd party puts together a battery replacement program the overall cost of this in conjunction with the battery health at that time will be the deciding factor if I keep or replace with another EV. Very happy with the car so far and hoping the vehicle's quality and performance stays the way it is now. Normally I dont keep cars more than 4-5years, So the 39month lease is right around the time I would have new car fever. LOL

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

Didn't vote because it would be a finger in the wind. My lease is two years. I have no idea what I'll do after that, depends on if Nissan sticks to the $21,500 claimed residual of it, what else is out there, what the 2014 Leaf looks like, what Toyota has on tap, etc.

I used to keep cars for a while, bought used and kept for 5-7 years now I seem to churn through them, an obvious and unfortunate side effect of being interested in cars in general and semi-constantly looking out for new hot deals on leases

 

[thankyouOB]

it is a perfect commuter car in SoCal.
Also, too, I call it the perfect geezer car, so i am in it for the long haul.
but it could depend on how Nissan sets the replacement battery price, install, etc., though once i hit retirement, its utility as the in-town vehicle will be permanent.
i think it will serve my needs very well into retirement, so i put down 10-15 years.

our norm with the ICEs is 10 years or until the first crash.

 

[Bassman]

With the California Air Board Rebate, you have to keep it for a minimum of 3 years or pay back part of the rebate. So for me it's 3 years.

 

[jspearman]

So I return the Leaf to Nissan today with a great deal of sadness after 1 1/2 years of silent motoring. I think the Leaf is an important car in automotive history, and I'm glad we got to drive one, even if only for a short time. We really loved the car, and if the next generation is more robust in high temps we'll take another look.

Those things said, I'm glad to be done with the anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty we've suffered through these past six months. While I appreciated Andy and co. coming to Phoenix, I don't think Nissan has a ready solution to the problems here, and probably won't until the next generation comes out. I'll be curious to see how the 2013's fare in PHX, but of course we should know by July.

We take delivery of a RAV4 EV on Thursday of next week. Goodbye Leaf, *sniff, *sniff.

 

[JeremyW]

We take delivery of a RAV4 EV on Thursday of next week. Goodbye Leaf, *sniff, *sniff.

Glad to hear you are still in the EV game. It was great to meet you at the andy pandy meeting.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

well, we are now on our third Leaf in two years, it's a little hard to wrap my mind around, this is not how we usually roll. I bought a 2011 orphan without the CWP in March of 2011. within a year it was clear that the CWP was critical for northwest both in terms of function and resale. so, last year, we traded up for a few extra grand to a 2012... then the second round of summer heat range freak out happened in the south and I became very nervous about residual value, even though the permanent and rapid range loss issue wont effect us up here directly. It was clear with the 2013 coming out that the residual value of the 2012 would get squeezed both by the next round of summer heat in hot climates and the upgrades to the 2013. the 2013 does not have options on it that make worth trading up to for us, the 2012 is just fine for now. I figured it was worth checking in with my dealer to see if my loyalty would get me a good trade in value for the 12, for, well, another 12, but a Lease. I had a bit of a presidential moment when I gave the speech to the manager and sales person about why they should make an exception for me and essentially allow me to swap the car out... I reminded them of my commitment to the brand, their dealership and the fact that I felt mislead about how much Nissan had tested this car in hot climates and that being the cause for the drop in residual value rather than anything I did to the car. I don't think this would have worked if I had not already bought a Leaf two years running.

We know that the car has value to us in it's 2012 iteration for the next couple of years, enough to justify the $375 no money down lease. If we were starting over, I would have vied harder for an even lower Lease, but all considering I felt good about the parachute we were offered. We have no plans of buying the car out after the Lease runs out. we will either start over with another Leased Leaf with more upgrades or buy a new one if I'm convinced the residual value has stabalized or change brands depending on what is out there in 2015. To keep us on board for the duration, Nissan needs to do two main things: 1. truly solve the Leaf's vulnerability to high ambient heat (to protect residual value-the new warranty does very little) 2. offer an extended range Leaf with substantially greater range, say a 40 kW Leaf, with enough range to get us 100 miles on a full charge in the dead of winter at normal highway speeds and with enough wiggle room to make the car useful even after it has "gradually" lost range with age.

For now, for the next two years, we get to enjoy the 2012 without worrying so much about it's value. and it being a second car to the Tesla S, we figure we will be using it more within it's intended range ideal of 30-50 miles a day. I expect we will enjoy not having to worry so much, it's a great car for what it's designed to do.

 

[Reddy]

Voted for 21+yr. More here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=12082&start=0#p278498

At year two, I expect to reach 12,000 mi. I'm treating the battery as nicely as I can, following Stoaty's guide to efficient driving: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5508&hilit=efficiency

 

[smkettner]

I put 6 as that is the end of the loan and probably the battery for me.
Any longer will depend on battery cost or additional range capacity.

Initially at time of purchase I had thought 10 years.

 

[cwerdna]

I voted "Do not own or lease/Less than one year/Wrecked/Other" as I don't have one yet.

I plan to lease for 2 or 3 years once I start working again and wherever I work will work w/the Leaf's range. I'm concerned about depreciation, future battery and EV improvements, degradation not covered by the capacity warranty if I buy (since I don't live in Phoenix) and possible future changes to my work, living and charging situation. May not be living in a house or find it cost prohibitive to rent a house when/if I move from where I am now.

Unsure about 2 or 3 years since <3 year leases == forfeiting the $2500 CVRP.

 

[mrdcmills]

This is my first-ever lease. Kind of expensive @ $383 for 39 months when you add in the down pmt. We love the car. Buying it at the end of the lease depends on improvements in 3 years or if they don't sell owning an orphan. I believe as they age there might be an aftermarket solution to battery replacement. We'll see.

 

[MrIanB]

Mine will be going back to Nissan after 36 months. No battery cooling system has proven to lead to early battery degradation in hot weather states. Considering next a 40kw Tesla lease when available or a Volt. Already nixed the BMW and Infiniti LE.

Ian B

 

[caffeinekid]

We have two Leafs and to date, we intend to turn both of them in at the end of lease.

Reason 1: The residual is too high. I can already get another 2011 on eBay for a little under $20K and Nissan is wanting almost $16K for buyout in 1.5 years.
Reason 2: The price is too high. We do not get state subsidies in Texas or any particularly attractive offsets to justify the price point.
Reason 3: The battery issue in warmer climates, especially under major metropolitan driving conditions- notice I did not use the word "extreme" like Nissan did when addressing the Phoenix issues. This is "normal" operation in this region.

We will see what incentives Nissan offers first adopters in the next year or so to stay within the brand. Sadly, I don't see EVs getting "affordable" anytime soon. What I see is inflation going up to meet economies of scale such that the cars remain indefinitely in the = or > median USA income range without subsidies.

 

[TomT]

I would not even remotely consider doing anything but turning my Leaf in at the end of the four year lease. The vehicle at that point will only be worth a small fraction of the residual, not even taking in to account battery degradation. As all the turn-ins start hitting the market in the next year or two, I expect you'll see the resale values plummet even further. At this point, I think purchasing a Leaf is a sucker's bet...

 

[RonDawg]

I plan on turning mine in when the lease is up in 33 months. I seriously doubt it will be worth the $16,800 residual by then.

I am not against getting a used 2013 with a QC port though, especially if values continue to fall, depending on the car's battery capacity.

 

[redLEAF]

I put 11-15 years but its simply a guess as I'm still waiting on what options to the battery replacement we'll have both shorter term (~ 8 years of ownership or after the warranty) and waiting even further until when the range simply drops to the car all that useful. If indeed a battery swap will 'renew' the car fully when the time comes it could indeed be longer as long as the body holds out ... this car does get driven on salty winter roads so we'll see. This is its second winter although another one that was all but normal. My '99 Miata is 14 years old this month but it gets stored winters and only has a little less than 60K miles, still looks fine except of course the signs of age -- the '12 LEAF we have is 15 months old and we've averaged about 720 miles/month so would have close to 121K in 14 years.

 

[Valdemar]

I bought. Considering my commute doesn't change much, which is currently at ~17k miles/year, my preferred plan is to get rid of the car after 5 years of ownership while the battery is still under warranty if I will be able to get $6k or more for it. My reasoning is I paid about $27k considering sales taxes and all the incentives, considering savings on gas and maintenance the total cost of ownership will be comparable to that of a similarly priced 25mpg ICE, which I'm totally fine with.

Naturally, severe battery degradation can completely derail this plan, if that happens I will have to face a dilemma whether to take a hit and dump the car for much less or get a new battery and push for another 5 years to amortize the cost over longer time.

Another, more likely, scenario is battery degradation that makes a sale difficult but remaining capacity is still sufficient for my needs, in which case I'll keep the car for as long as it makes sense.

 

[RonDawg]

Considering my commute doesn't change much, which is currently at ~17k miles/year, my preferred plan is to get rid of the car after 5 years of ownership while the battery is still under warranty

If you're talking about Nissan's battery degradation warranty, that warranty is only good for for 5 years OR 60k miles, whichever comes first. At 17k/year, you'd be outside the battery warranty in a bit over 42 months.

 

[Valdemar]

Considering my commute doesn't change much, which is currently at ~17k miles/year, my preferred plan is to get rid of the car after 5 years of ownership while the battery is still under warranty

If you're talking about Nissan's battery degradation warranty, that warranty is only good for for 5 years OR 60k miles, whichever comes first. At 17k/year, you'd be outside the battery warranty in a bit over 42 months.

I know. I meant the original warranty 8y/100k miles, whatever it is good for, would still be a plus for the potential buyer. After 5 years and the corresponding mileage the actual remaining capacity will be a good predictor of what to expect in the future, at least in terms of further degradation, while the warranty would cover a complete battery failure.