What was your previous car before Leaf?

[DNAinaGoodWay]

2001 Ford Focus SE wagon, 186k, and range issues of the "when will it die type" so drove it less far from home than the LEAF. Bought it used from someones driveway for $2k, put $500 into it, drove for 18 months, ~15k untilit started sounding ominous, and they took it in trade for $2k as my down payment, sight unseen. They were really motivated to sell a LEAF.

 

[DaveInAvl]

Still have the '05 Corolla S (150k) which I've mentioned in threads concerning LEAF acceleration and handling. Now it's pretty much just used for out-of-town trips. Like many others here, I'm using the fuel savings to help make the LEAF's lease payment.

 

[D3Leaf]

Traded in a 1987 Dodge B250 3/4 Ton Customized Van. It was used for the family vacations and then handed down to me and I did the same, but after the kids grew up, we rarely used it and it remained parked.

I only drive the ICE car when there is a range issue or destination that I have not already scouted and each family member has a New Beetle; we have a 1998, 1999 and two 2000's.

 

[MikeD]

'68 VW Beetle.

 

[garsh]

1999 Dodge Intrepid ES with 167,000 miles. It still ran great, but wasn't going to pass inspection again without new tires & some other work.

Previous thread on this topic

 

[kubel]

2006 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
4.6L V8
17MPG avg

I was spending about $400/mo on gas alone commuting. The LEAF pays for itself.

 

[OakLeaf]

My daily commuter prior to the Leaf was a 1994 Saturn SL1, bought new and driven for 314k+ miles.

It was hard to part with, but everything was just plain wearing out. I really miss it's plastic body panels and have often wondered why they were never more widely adopted.

It also got very good mileage (for me, 35-42 mpg typically) so even after looking at the more modern high-mpg alternatives it was a hard act to follow. About one of the only alternatives to get substantially better mpg (and cost savings) was to no longer have any gallons... LOL.

 

[uwskier20]

My wife's 1999 Ford Escort LX, a hand-me-down from her parents, which was a god-awful car: the worst color of green, and the inside smelled like an old family car. Our daily driver was a 2001 Mazda Protege with close to 200,000 miles on it. Kept it for a year after getting the LEAF, and traded it in (still in great condition) for a 2012 Impreza, which we only drive a handful of times each month, as my wife and I carpool in the LEAF. With the birth of our daughter coming, and my wife going on maternity leave, the Subaru will give more local miles in soon, but will still be playing second fiddle.

 

[Jim]

2001 Toyota Tacoma. I still have it.

 

[MIKEA]

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid.
Got It new 12/10/2002
251,000 thousand miles !!!!
Same Battery still doing well .
Sold it to a friend for 700 Dollars.
I did get 47 MPH in the winter Average.
53 MPG Average summer .
I DID have to drive with a very light foot and watch the MPG METER.
I think thats way I get great MPK on the leaf over 100 miles per charge so far .

 

[ChozoGhost79]

2005 Nissan Altima 2.5S with about 160,000 miles on the odo. I still have it and use it for out-of-town trips.

 

[mbender]

1987 Mercedes 300D, that I ran on biodiesel. It had 380k on it and could (will?) possibly, eventually, join the million-mile club.

Except for MikeD above, who I'm not sure is serious about the '68 Beetle, I've got the "oldest-previous-car" record, woo-hoo!

 

[ColumbiaRiverGorge]

2000 Subaru Outback wagon, 138, 000 miles. I have now saved $8000 in costs from only using electricity vs. Gas costs to propel myself in the last three years. I sold the Subaru.

 

[Pipcecil]

2003 Pontiac Vibe - I can't remember the mileage, I think it was 140k. It was a great great car, but I could tell it was on the verge of major problems with the transmission (potentially).

 

[Publius]

I had a Toyota Yaris. It was a nice little car, but it didn't have ABS and had problems with the paint (my front bumper looked like a piece of modern art), I got sick of climbing through the car to get my daughter out of the back seat (it was a 2 door lift back), and I couldn't fit groceries and our City Mini stroller in the trunk (I imagine flying cans of soup could become quite dangerous in the event of an accident). Oh, and it also ran on something called gas.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Ron,

You need one of my bumper stickers, My other Car is a LEAF:

I'm much more interested in the image of the guy holding the assault rifle. I've been wanting to plaster the back of my car with NRA/2nd Amendment/Obummer stickers just to mess with people's minds :lol:

That can have a fun twist:

Obummer made me buy this Electric Car. Now I pay $0 for gas.

I defend my Electric Car with my 2nd amendment rights.

My Electric Car carries an AK-47 onboard.

Previous car to my first LEAF was a 2003 Chrysler minivan (140,000 miles) and a 2001 BMW 330 CIC (100,000 miles). Sold both. Now, we have our last oil car, a 39 month lease on an Infiniti G37 convertible, due to be turned in July 2014.

We drive two Rav4 EV's.

 

[JohnBike]

Traded in a 2001 PT Cruiser.
Lousy gas mileage due to undersized engine in a heavy car (3400 lbs.; our 3800 lb Quest gets better mileage with a V6.).
Ridiculous turning radius for a small car (Chrysler made the engine compartment too small for the already undersized engine, so room for the wheels to turn had to be reduced.)
AND, it was 13 years old.

 

[LeftieBiker]

And it was largely a Neon, too - the worst small car of modern times.

I miss my Civic EX, because it was fun to shift, as long as the car wasn't climbing a hill. Honda really screwed up the final ratios in order to get a high MPG rating in that era. Plus, it had that Honda Smell... My '86 Civic EX, with about 30 less HP, would blow the doors off it. Anyway, the Leaf is a nice luxury sports sedan, at lower speeds anyway.

 

[RonDawg]

And it was largely a Neon, too - the worst small car of modern times.

The Neon's replacement, the Caliber, was MUCH, MUCH worse, particularly with the CVT.

 

[TomT]

I always loved the bumper sticker: "Friends don't let friends buy a Neon!"

After my wife's experience with her Chrysler Sebring Convertible LX (two of them since they took the first one back and gave her a new one that was a model year later -- it was every bit bit as bad as the first), there will never be another Chrysler in our family!

The Neon's replacement, the Caliber, was MUCH, MUCH worse, particularly with the CVT.