Should I lease a Leaf?

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VinhFTW

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Messages
5
Location
Orange County, CA
Hi Guys,

For the past few months I’ve been debating on which car to purchase and the Leaf has really sparked my interest, but because it’s so new, I’m not sure if it is the right fit for me.

Current ride: G35 coupe
Work commute: 50-55 miles RT with lots of traffic (about 8 miles city – the rest fwy) (traffic varies, but for the most part I’m stuck in traffic) (5 South)
Location: SoCal

My workplace recently installed charging 220V charging stations that I could use and that made me contemplate leasing a Leaf. A few of my friends are iffy due to the small range the car has. They worry I’ll be stranded on the freeway or something.

As leaf owners, can you give me your honest opinion of whether I should lease an EV or not.

Thanks in advanced!
 
If you are planning to keep your ICE vehicle and can limit your annual LEAF miles to 15,000, lease for 36 months. Less than 36 will not qualify for the CA $2500 rebate. The 55 mile round trip is being done by many, but the availability of 240V charging at your work makes range a minor issue during the lease period. Leasing gives you the Fed $7500 credit immediately and removes any questions about how much you may qualify for, come April 15th.
 
You are a perfect candidate for this car with your RT mileage. Take advantage of charging at work for free, lease the vehicle for 36 months to get your potential $7500 tax deduction max, Ca $2500 rebate. After 36 months, give it back and new Leaf or other options will be available with longer range and more efficient batteries.

Let us know the outcome and good luck,

Ian B
 
VinhFTW said:
Hi Guys,

As leaf owners, can you give me your honest opinion of whether I should lease an EV or not.

Thanks in advanced!
while you should be able to make your commute without needing a recharge having the ability to recharge during the day would allow you to do things during work or after work.
so as long as you are certain about your ability to recharge, I would say go for it
 
Range should be little or no concern. I do the same RT daily with little or no freeway traffic (59 mph) and no charging option at work and have not been stranded or even close.

If the L2 charging at work is truly free, top it off each day whilst at work and then only charge to 80% at home.

If you have access to an ICE for trips beyond range, perfect setup.

Enjoy!!!
 
To the OP: Are you in Orange County? If so I'd recommend going to Frank Consoli over at Tustin Nissan. Other highly recommended dealers include Connell in Costa Mesa, and if you are willing to go a long way, Fontana Nissan who has a salesperson actively involved in this forum.

As long as you can keep your miles down as already mentioned, your situation would work fine with a Leaf, and the gas and maintenance savings from not having to drive the Infiniti to/from work would likely pay for most if not all of your lease payment. The ability to charge at work removes your range anxiety, and if for some reason that does not work, (assuming your commute is between South O.C. and LA) there are several public charging stations along the way including Quick Chargers at Tustin Nissan, Connell Nissan, Cerritos Nissan, and Mitsubishi's HQ in Cypress.

Speaking of Quick Charger, make sure what whatever Leaf you get has the Charge Package, which includes the faster on-board charger and a Quick Charge port. This package is optional on the S and SV, and standard on the SL.

HighDesertDriver said:
If you are planning to keep your ICE vehicle and can limit your annual LEAF miles to 15,000, lease for 36 months. Less than 36 will not qualify for the CA $2500 rebate. The 55 mile round trip is being done by many, but the availability of 240V charging at your work makes range a minor issue during the lease period. Leasing gives you the Fed $7500 credit immediately and removes any questions about how much you may qualify for, come April 15th.

Balance that with a couple of things though:

1. Many people, especially here in California, have managed to get superior (in terms of cents/mile) lease deals with 24 month leases rather than 36 month ones, even when you factor in the CVRP rebate.

2. The CVRP is currently out of cash, and when it does get funded there is currently a waiting list of about $10 million worth of rebates.

Whichever lease term you go with, you'll be eligible to get those white HOV exemption stickers (and there is no wait for those beyond processing time), and that will be golden when commuting to/from the O.C. The Friday evening I took my Leaf home from Tustin, I crawled northbound on I-5 at something like 20 MPH.
 
Ditto to everything said so far, except that I wouldn't worry about driving over 15k miles per year. My commute is 60 miles/day, or right at 15k per year. What has happened, though, is that the Leaf has become our go-to car nights and weekends. Extra miles on my lease cost 15 cents, but the fuel is 9 cents/mile cheaper than driving my wifes' KIA, giving an effective cost of 6 cents/mile. When I give back the car I will have about 10k extra miles on it, which I will pay for gladly. As a bonus, I will get my moneys worth for the set of tires that I am going to have to buy anyway.
 
garymelora said:
Ditto to everything said so far, except that I wouldn't worry about driving over 15k miles per year. My commute is 60 miles/day, or right at 15k per year. What has happened, though, is that the Leaf has become our go-to car nights and weekends. Extra miles on my lease cost 15 cents, but the fuel is 9 cents/mile cheaper than driving my wifes' KIA, giving an effective cost of 6 cents/mile. When I give back the car I will have about 10k extra miles on it, which I will pay for gladly. As a bonus, I will get my moneys worth for the set of tires that I am going to have to buy anyway.
OTOH, if the OP can get an 18 or 20k/yr lease for less than however many extra miles they're likely to put on the car, it might be a good idea. Depends how far over the OP is likely to go. Assuming 48 weeks a year of commuting (allowing for vacation, holidays and/or sick days; OP can adjust as necessary), 50 miles/day x 5 days/week is 250/week x 48 weeks = 12,000 miles/yr. 55 miles/day = 13,200 miles/yr. Certainly, it wouldn't pay to get _less than_ a 15k lease.
 
Thanks for all of the replies, it's really made me feel a lot better about the decision I want to make. My commute is from Anaheim/Buena Park to near Irvine Spectrum. During weekdays I don't really drive anywhere else besides work and occasionally on weekends (which I'm sure might change once I get a leaf), but I don't think I would have any problem exceeding 12k/15k miles. Worst comes to worst, I can always borrow my mom's car who isn't working at the moment.

I do plan on selling my G35 and possibly get a cheaper secondary car that I would split with my brother. Even if I do not, I have other options, such as local friends my girlfriend, or as I mentioned earlier, my mom.

If I ever do a vegas run, it'll probably be with a friend's car or a rental (I only took my G to vegas once and it was terribly uncomfortable).

As far as leasing, I don't really understand the CVRP, but according to Rondawg, I shouldn't have to worry about it anyway. I don't exactly know which model Leaf I would get, but I"m thinking the S because I don't need a lot of the bells and whistles that the other cars have.

What would be a good lease term to get (let's say) a Leaf S with the charge package?
-I would prefer 24mo unless 36mo would be more beneficial for me
 
VinhFTW said:
... What would be a good lease term to get (let's say) a Leaf S with the charge package?
Most people have been getting such better deals on a 2 year lease over three years, they have been doing 2 years and foregoing the CVRP rebate. Add onto that the CVRP is out of money right now, and won't be paying out rebates until more funding is allocated.
 
VinhFTW said:
I would prefer 24mo unless 36mo would be more beneficial for me
CVRP is $2500 and requires a 36 month lease. It is a direct check to you after the aquisition. Think of it as paying the down or paying the last year on the 3 yr lease.

Yes funding is backlogged a bit and the amount could change July 1. But funding has always been backlogged at the end of the fiscal year since LEAF began selling. It is well worth getting IMHO.
 
Can anybody tell me whether the following goal is achievable here in Southern California? (Near Cerritos, CA)

(Assuming that all tax & fees are included in the payments.)
Option 1) 2013 SV + Premium : $1,000 + (220 * 23) + 395 = $6,455
Option 2) 2013 SL (no option) : $1,000 + (290 * 23) + 395 = $8,065

I can wait till month end and go to the dealer on 6/30/2013 if that can help...

Please comment which option is more likely to be accepted by delaer...

Any comments would be greatly appreciated since this is my first lease attempt.

My Credit Score is above 750.
Also I can raise the first month payment upto $2,000 if that helps getting me the lower total cost of ownership.

Thanks a lot in advance!
 
VinhFTW said:
I don't exactly know which model Leaf I would get, but I"m thinking the S because I don't need a lot of the bells and whistles that the other cars have.

Note that the Leaf S also leaves out some features that some folks feel are essential:

1. Cruise control
2. B mode...provides more regen when activated. Some folks like it as it makes it easier to do "one pedal" driving
3. More efficient heater...the 2013 SV and SL models use an efficient heat pump system which is perfect for SoCal's mild winters. The Leaf S uses the same resistive heater as the older Leafs which uses considerably more electricity. Keep in mind that with the resistive heater, you're not going to get as much range, and some folks in cold climates actually will drive with the heater OFF to extend their driving range :eek:

Unlike with the charge package, none of these features can be added on to the Leaf S. As long as you are aware of these limitations, it's a fine choice.
 
Ron is right about the limitations of the S model, but there are also a couple of minor compensations that I really like: The radio and climate controls have real dials, instead of the nonsense of holding down a button while the numbers count up or down. That's a dial volume control and tuning control on the radio, and a dial fan speed and temperature control on the climate system. Maybe it's just because I'm an old geezer, but that seems so much more intuitive to me, and I don't even have to look away from the road to find and turn the dials.

One other limitation that Ron didn't mention: The timers for delayed charging and pre-warming or pre-cooling are much more rudimentary in the S, and harder to set. Oh, and I wanted to change the car unlock so that one button press opens all doors, instead of the default two presses. The manual says, "Sure, the navigation manual tells you how to do that." Riiight. Did Ron and I mention that there is no navigation system on the S? So no navigation manual, and no center console where you can change settings like that.

A final note, regardless of which model you decide on, is that your commute is short enough that if you have even halfway reliable charging at work you won't really need to invest in any special charging equipment at home. Try it for a while with just the 120v EVSE that comes with the car. If you find that limiting (perhaps on weekends), you can do some research here on the many options available to you, and add a 240v charging station, or portable 240v charging, later.

Ray
 
Oh, I didn't know all of that. Thanks for your input Ron and Planet.

-Cruise Control - I can be fine without cruise control, unless the difference in price per month isn't significant
-B mode - I'm not sure how significant B mode makes
-Navi - I''m fine just using imy Galaxy S4 as my navi
-Heater - I don't really get cold that often

CARWINGS and the better onboard charger is what really appeals the most to me.

I'm open to different models, but my main goal is to save money on gas (I spend about $240-$260/month currently)

What type of models/lease plans should I be looking at? Best case scenario, I would like to get the leaf by the end of the month
 
Can you update your location info via User Control Panel (near top) > Profile (left side)? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it.

As for the heater, the resistive heater is in the S trim (and the '11 and '12 Leaf) is a power hog, and slow to heat, IIRC. When it does get cold, it'll sap significant range.
 
VinhFTW said:
CARWINGS and the better onboard charger is what really appeals the most to me.

If you want CarWings, you will need to step up to the SV or SL. It is not available on the S.
 
VinhFTW said:
Oh, I didn't know all of that. Thanks for your input Ron and Planet.

-Cruise Control - I can be fine without cruise control, unless the difference in price per month isn't significant
-B mode - I'm not sure how significant B mode makes
-Navi - I''m fine just using imy Galaxy S4 as my navi
-Heater - I don't really get cold that often

CARWINGS and the better onboard charger is what really appeals the most to me.

there are not many option packages on the LEAF. In addition to step up in each model level the NAV, Premium Sound and reverse mirrors are the 3 main option packages.
you cannot delete cruise control or b mode or the heater. Carwings requires having the NAV system and the "super charger" is an upgrade option
 
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