Leasing '14 SV LED+Prem local v. Base '15 SV ~120 miles away

The in-town Nissan dealer doesn't have any Leafs in stock. 40 miles away in Columbus, GA is a dealer with a '14 SV with LED and premium package. Zero down $346 a month for 36 months 12k miles a year. The other option is to drive 100+ miles to Atlanta (Autonation). 120 to be exact. I could get a base '15 SV for Zero down $315/month right now. The options on the '14 don't really interest us, but would have to come with the car and we would have to pay for them. I do like that the dealer is within a single charge from home and I don't have to worry about stopping and charging between the dealership and home. I dread the thought of a 120 mile drive with just a couple of EVSE's between me and home, having to spend multiple hours just sitting around L2 chargers just to get it home. I'm curious to hear other's opinions, more options and much closer to home v. saving $1k with a dealer 120+ miles away. I don't really know the difference between the 14's and the 15's so that hasn't been a factor in my decision right now. Should it?

You want the '15 in my opinion based on the updated battery chemistry which could improve your battery life there in the south. See if the dealer will throw in delivery. Even if you pay $100-200 for them to get you halfway home, you're still getting a better deal.

However, don't dismiss the idea of your trip home as an EVenture. Planning charging stops and alternates can actually be kind of fun. I have found some cool new places because of charging stops. Plugshare is your friend.

AlanSqB said:

You want the '15 in my opinion based on the updated battery chemistry which could improve your battery life there in the south. See if the dealer will throw in delivery. Even if you pay $100-200 for them to get you halfway home, you're still getting a better deal.

However, don't dismiss the idea of your trip home as an EVenture. Planning charging stops and alternates can actually be kind of fun. I have found some cool new places because of charging stops. Plugshare is your friend.

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I haven't been too concerned with the battery life since it is a lease. The car will normally parked in either the garage or in a parking deck so it doesn't see as intense heat as most other cars around here would see.

Hanging out at two Nissan dealers or a kroger doesn't sound like a fun E-venture

The SV "with LED" also has the Quick Charge port as part of the package. If you're not interested in the QC capability, I also suggest going for the 2015. That is a good price on the 2014, though.

Didn't notice the QC discrepancy. IMHO you don't want one without QC. It seriously limits your use options.

Have you actually received quotes from the dealers you are comparing? I ask because I found high variation in assumptions that were made for prices shown online. Some dealers had gone out of their way to show every possible discount or tax savings as though it came off the price of the car, even though not every situation qualifies for every possible discount. I considered it rather disingenuous for them to quote as a retail price the net after $7,500 federal tax credit, even though they have no idea whether I have an income or not.

I plotted a route 4 or 5 charges away from my home to try and save a bit, but in the end decided I did not want my first experience with my new BEV to be one full of anxiety. Also found the quoted prices were not real. Internet contact resulted in a lot of offers for me to stop over and test drive it. They didn't seem to get that I'm not gonna go 350 miles for a test drive until they give me a genuine offer.

My local dealer had some on order that were not shown on the website. They allow purchasers to charge any time. The money stays local. It should arrive in a few weeks. Can't wait! I also got them to open their charge stations to anyone. Read more: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17476&p=386136#p386136. So helps me feel that my local buying power went to help the local community.

One reason for buying a BEV is that you are tired of spending $50-$100/month to subsidize the lifestyle of some Saudi prince. The money leaves the country, every month, and doesn't come back. It is often argued that the zero emission claim is just shifting the emissions to the power plant. That's another debate. But, without making any claim on emissions reductions, I can tell you I'd rather pay $15/month for electricity that is largely produced using coal mined by a tax-paying mine worker in Montana, then pay $65/month for oil (even though, with sufficient environmental destruction, there is a lot of oil in North Dakota). ...and my electricity is getting cleaner over the life of my car. So if you really demand emissions reduction, I'm giving you a single point to optimize. You aren't going to make an emissions dent using any oil-based method. Anyway, applying the same concept to your vehicle purchase, buy local. Get formal quotes from the others and make them at least match them.

Would you prefer to drive 30MPH and not have to stop to charge, or maybe charge just once for 45 minutes?? You might well be able to do that, if the route allows. I'd rather take a slow cruise over low speed roads than zoom from one EVSE to another, to park it and wait...

DeoreDX said:

The in-town Nissan dealer doesn't have any Leafs in stock. 40 miles away in Columbus, GA is a dealer with a '14 SV with LED and premium package. Zero down $346 a month for 36 months 12k miles a year. The other option is to drive 100+ miles to Atlanta (Autonation). 120 to be exact. I could get a base '15 SV for Zero down $315/month right now. The options on the '14 don't really interest us, but would have to come with the car and we would have to pay for them. I do like that the dealer is within a single charge from home and I don't have to worry about stopping and charging between the dealership and home. I dread the thought of a 120 mile drive with just a couple of EVSE's between me and home, having to spend multiple hours just sitting around L2 chargers just to get it home. I'm curious to hear other's opinions, more options and much closer to home v. saving $1k with a dealer 120+ miles away. I don't really know the difference between the 14's and the 15's so that hasn't been a factor in my decision right now. Should it?

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always go for saving the money! when I leased my LEAF from a dealership that is 90 miles from my home the dealership delivered it this way. if they can't deliver it consider renting a car carrier at Uhaul and truck it home yourself