happyelectric
New member
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- Aug 12, 2014
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I am about to buy a 2011 Nissan Leaf with about 27K miles. I have a commute of 40 miles to work each day - one way. Am I crazy to think that the Nissan can handle this range?
Can my possible new (used) Leaf make my 40 mile commute?
- Thread starter happyelectric
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bbrowncods
Well-known member
Can you charge at work all day before returning home? How many bars are left (battery condition)? What is your climate? Will you have access to a L2 charger?happyelectric said:
Updating you profile will help others with your questions.
finman100
Well-known member
yes
If it's 40 miles each way, you will definitely need charging at work.
It might be possible to do it without, but you won't be able to drive freeway speeds, and you'll get a lot of LBWs. (low battery warning). There's also a high chance you fall short.
It might be possible to do it without, but you won't be able to drive freeway speeds, and you'll get a lot of LBWs. (low battery warning). There's also a high chance you fall short.
keydiver
Well-known member
Very doubtful. An 80 mile commute is tough for a NEW Leaf, but a 2011 is going to have significantly degraded capacity. Unless your commute is 25-35 mph the whole way, or you have RELIABLE, GUARANTEED charging available at work, the Leaf is the wrong car for you. Get a Prius.
Graffi
Well-known member
Why a used Leaf. You can lease a new one, and with the rebates, not pay that much more than you are for the used one with questional battery condition.happyelectric said:
Please update your profile to show where you are, type of commute you expect, charging availability at work, etc. The more info you give us the better the advice we can give back.
Hello
I am also considering buying a Nissan Leaf, an ex-demo 2013 model with 10,000 miles on it.
My daily commute is around 50 miles return - with a mix of 30mph/40mph/and 60mph zones. Do you experienced users think this car would be suitable to my needs? I am a single woman with no children and it would be my only car. I do not doa lot of driving aside from my commute to work every day - the low running costs are attractive to me since I pay about £200 a month on petrol at the moment!
Thanks for your time
Rjmm82
I am also considering buying a Nissan Leaf, an ex-demo 2013 model with 10,000 miles on it.
My daily commute is around 50 miles return - with a mix of 30mph/40mph/and 60mph zones. Do you experienced users think this car would be suitable to my needs? I am a single woman with no children and it would be my only car. I do not doa lot of driving aside from my commute to work every day - the low running costs are attractive to me since I pay about £200 a month on petrol at the moment!
Thanks for your time
Rjmm82
rjmm82 said:
That commute is doable, mainly because of the mixed speeds. It's similar, I think, to the one I had before I retired: 43 miles round trip, with everything from 30MPH to 60MPH zones. I only worried in frigid weather (and I lowered the heat to 68) but I never fell short. On the other hand, once you lose capacity, you will have to take more substantial measures in frigid weather to extend range, if you get it. Take that into account. Make sure that car has a full 12 capacity bars, and if at all possible get it checked with one of the aftermarket apps that shows actual capacity. Buying a new 11 bar leaf isn't a great idea. I wonder if leasing at a reduced payment could be an option...?
DanCar
Well-known member
Where are you located? How much are you going to pay? Have you compared the cost to excellent leasing offers? Like LeftieBiker said, that should work for you assuming the car hasn't lost significant capacity and you don't live with extreme weather.rjmm82 said:
dhanson865
Well-known member
Graffi said:
maybe because at the end of a lease you don't own anything but at the end of a few years with a used leaf you can pay $6000 to put a new battery in it and have a like new car?! Maybe because if the commute is short enough you can keep it more than a few years and not even bother replacing the battery?!
Sorry those of us that aren't insanely rich and don't live in a state with large EV rebates have to think about the total cost of ownership. Leasing just isn't going to happen for most of us in fly over country.
apvbguy
Well-known member
without l2 charging at home and the ability to charge while at work you will not be able to make your commutehappyelectric said:
I used to think that about leasing, but consider this: if you get a decent lease deal, and then buy the car for the residual value at lease's end, you can end up paying exactly what it would have cost to buy it new, with financing - no extra cost. So what's the difference? With the lease you get the full 2-3 years to decide whether or not you really want to own that car, or if you would be better off buying or leasing a Gen III Leaf, or another vehicle entirely. If you ask people here who bought the first Leafs, instead of leasing them, if they made the right choice, about half of them will say "no", by my estimate.
kieranmullen
Well-known member
From what I read on here the Residual Value is too high for most and they dont end up buying it. Is there a poll for this? There should be. Yes and No and reply in the topic to say year, mileage, bars lost and what they gave you for value.
LeftieBiker said:
The answer to the Residual Question is "no" AND "yes". You can get a better deal price-wise in the private market, but when you consider that you "bought" and maintained the car yourself, it can be more like a "certified pre-owned car" - certified by you. If you took care of it and didn't smoke, drink or carry dogs in it, you know it's a premium value used Leaf. So if price is your primary concern, the residual is too high. If you factor in the above, then a Leaf bought off-lease can be a very good deal. And again, when you compare this to buying the car new, well, many many people wish they hadn't, because of that huge devaluation that can make a used Leaf a good deal, ironically. This is the option that gives you years to decide.
Mrelectric
Active member
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- Aug 10, 2014
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Everyone forgets about getting dinged for damages when you return the car at the end of lease. Get ready to pay a few hundred for every little scratch and ding. You can end up paying more than expected. If you own dogs, have kids, smoke or park on the street in busy urban areas the lease may be surprisingly expensive.
apvbguy
Well-known member
that's not an accurate statement, I have been leasing cars for 30 years and I have never been hit with ANY damage feesMrelectric said:
visit this site and learn EXACTLY what Nissan will and will not charge you for when the lease terminates
https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/EndOfLease/Wear_and_Use_Guide.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
DaveinOlyWA
Well-known member
happyelectric said:
i think you are crazy if you think we can give you a reliable answer with the nearly nothing of info you have given us.
check other posts for info that we need
dhanson865
Well-known member
LeftieBiker said:
which goes back to my post in another thread about the residual value
dhanson865 said:
how is the residual vs the sub $10,000 Leafs we are starting to see on the used car market? And how is the total cost of the lease vs total cost of the buy?
alcalira
Well-known member
Back to the original question: I don't see any problem driving 40 miles in a used LEAF. Then charge while at work. And drive back home. Piece of cake. 40 miles is HALF the expected range of a new one. Once a battery is so degraded that the car can't go 40 miles I'd venture to say it's time to replace the battery.
