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gmcjetpilot

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 30, 2017
Messages
130
I just bought a 2015 LEAF SV, Silver with 21K miles. I got it 8 days ago and have driven it every day. Bought it in California and had it shipped to Memphis. I do about 36 mile round trip to work. My trip to this car is as follows.

I have a 2010 VW Jetta Sportwagen (JSW) TDI (Turbo Direct Injection ) Diesel. It is under the recall and have the option now to get it fixed (emission) and plus they give me $5000, or I can sell it back to VW for blue book of Sept 2014 + $5000. So the car has 100K miles and runs like a top. Has tons of low RPM torque (peak 240 ft-lbs) just above idle starting 1700 RPM and stays there. It gets on highway +50MPG; around city 60/40 city/hwy getting about 40MPG. The car is getting older, wanted something different, torque, good economy. Hard the beat the VW JDW TDI for efficiency and utility. It has a flat back cargo floor with back seats folded, giving about 69 cu ft storage and span of about 5'8".

I saw a 2014 Tesla with 11K miles, a Model S 60, for $37,000. I was interested. One hiccup, It had a salvage title after getting flooded in 2015 at about year old. Apparently the car was not damaged but totaled never the less. Hummm, this may be true. from my research Tesla's get totaled for very little, because Tesla will not work on them or support a car that has been in an accident or totaled. That is why I passed. Tesla would not accept the car, unless I got it "re-certified", and that was a big unknown. A little more hunting you can find a 2014-2015 Model w 75 or even 85 for about $47,000 with clean title. That is way more than I wanted to spend for a second car, but if I had to have a Tesla I would do that. The fit and finish of the Model 3's is a little off, not as good as a Honda Accord or a Nissan Sentra (or LEAF), Enough on the Tesla...NOW ENTER LEAF...

The LEAF is supported by NISSAN. There are many out there. Fast, comfortable, lots of tech (no autonomous self driving but who cares). Cost? I paid less than $12K for a 2015 SV with 21K miles. That is 1/4th the price, 1/4th the tax as a Tesla, and it basically does the same mission I need. Sure 200 mile range is great, the sexy status is nice, verses sub 100 mile econ car look, but who cares. I commute 4 times a week. On my 3 days off I drive less than a charge. So I can get by with 4-5 charges a week and drive 7 days a week, and never see less than 30 miles remaining on the guess-O-meter.

I just got back from Dealer to have the three campaigns complied with, seat weight sensor, brake program and the Telematics upgrade to 3G. Well I went to the counter to pick the car up and they had "disabled 2G". I told them I wanted the upgrade, per campaign, no charge. They said it was $199. No! The 2015's the upgrade is free. I called Nissan and they gave me the campaign number. I went back to the manager and he said he was on a conference call. Went back to waiting area. 10 minutes later the manager came and apologized. They had to order part, so I have to go back. That is why I called and made the appointment a week in advance. I made sure to tell them there was no charge for 2015. Well Oh well, at least it will be free. I would really like to see the charge state on the phone. Turning on the heater might be nice when the car is still plugged in.

I bought a cheaper ($200) Level 2, 16AMP charger. I just bought a 2035 Amp Cripple Creek Charger. I am going to sell one of them. I like the cripple creek is UL listed, got it used at a good price and why I bought it. The cheaper charger is nice and works well. I doubt the 4 amps is going to make a big difference and doubt it will matter to me. I can do a full charge from a fairly low state, in about 4 hours at 16 amps. The cripple creek has 4 more amps and may be a tad faster, but it definitely has more approvals and certifications.
 
You may want to leave the 2G disabled but installed. The 3G upgrade has been pretty problematic for a lot of people, between being unreliable in operation and killing the 12 volt battery when it gets hung up.
 
LeftieBiker said:
You may want to leave the 2G disabled but installed. The 3G upgrade has been pretty problematic for a lot of people, between being unreliable in operation and killing the 12 volt battery when it gets hung up.

I disagree--it is nice to be able to use the remote features. My inconvenience has been minimal--just a couple of fuse pulls and/or DTC (diagnostic trouble code) resets using LEAF Spy since getting the free upgrade last December. I replaced the 12-volt battery that was already near its end of life after it was completely discharged, but it would have needed replacement soon even without the deep discharge.

The 2015 should be ideal for your 36-mile round trip commute with plenty of extra daily range for errands. I strongly recommend that you get a suitable OBDII adapter and LEAF Spy Pro so you have a way to read/clear DTCs and monitor the car's traction battery and other systems. Being able to clear DTCs caused by faulty public chargers has saved me from needing a trip (or tow) to the dealer more than once (on both 2011 and 2015). I also carry a compact lithium booster battery in whichever vehicle I drive because 12-volt batteries fail without warning in my desert climate (have used it with office vehicles, motorcycles, and my SUV in addition to the LEAFs).

Enjoy the ride!
 
Nice to meet another happy Leaf noob. I got mine on Oct 21 2017. On your charger (oops, EVSE), did Cripple Creek run Clipper Creek out of town? :)
 
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