Getting my new SL tomorrow

[AndyLL]

Wasn't planning on getting a Leaf.... was going to get a Prius.

My wife is a Pet sitter... lots of short trips 3-4 times a day.

Saw that Tesla won car of the year... decided to see how much a Leaf was going for and saw Nissan's lease special:

I think we're getting a good deal:

MSRP: 38780
Dealer Discout: 2150
Nissan Discount: 9775 ( includes the 7500 federal credit )

Adjusted Cap: 26855

Haven't decided on lease term but I am leaning towards 36 months/15,000 miles.
With 3000 at signing (includes taxes, 1st payment) my payment will be: $250

I will also get close to $3000 Colorado Tax rebate.

 

[AndyLL]

I did want to mention that the leaf will easily be driven 1200 miles/month and the gas savings over my Accord cover the lease payment.

Since the Accord was my commuting car my wife was using our F150 100-200 miles per week. That will now be parked and the gas savings there will easily cover our charging costs.

My guess is that overall we are making money by getting a new car.

Andy

 

[HairyCairy]

Congrats...and welcome.
I think you will be amazed at how different and how rewarding owning a leaf is. You know how the saying goes, " Happy Wife, Happy Life," My wife has not been to a gas station since we bought our leaf and tells me she forgets how to put gas in the car.
Hairy

 

[Caracalover]

You are wise to go with the 15,000 mile. You will drive this car far more than you now think possible for a "limitied range" vehicle.

You will want to get an upgraded EVSE, and so the savings will be seen more in the last years of the lease once the up front costs are forgotten/recovered.

I stopped driving a Siverado, and believe I saved about $200 a month just on the work commute. Add in the weekend trips, and it is a no brainer. Trouble with the lease is the limit on the miles, it is fun to drive, so the joy rides can eat up a lot of miles!

 

[AndyLL]

You are wise to go with the 15,000 mile. You will drive this car far more than you now think possible for a "limitied range" vehicle.

Since my wife is a pet sitter we'll use the miles up pretty easily. If so she'll just use the accord on weekends. Since it's a real business we'll likely make money on the 55.5 cent mileage credit. On the F150 we were likely losing money on the mileage credit.

I stopped driving a Siverado, and believe I saved about $200 a month just on the work commute. Add in the weekend trips, and it is a no brainer. Trouble with the lease is the limit on the miles, it is fun to drive, so the joy rides can eat up a lot of miles!

Driving the F150 to work cost me $12/day. Didn't drive it much but my wife would usually have to take 1-3 60 trips into town a week. Parking the F150 will save me the cost of the Leaf.

 

[ksnogas2112]

Welcome to Team EV. Enjoy the electric grin.

 

[Leanne]

Hi everyone, I am the wife.

Yes, I was planning on getting a prius for months. Then earlier this week Andy mentioned the leaf to me. I began reading everything I could in these forums, and I have learned a bundle.

I get my new baby today at 4pm. But I still have not decided on the color. Cayenne Red or Blue Ocean. I test drove the blue car today and absolutely fell in love with the car, the drive, the way it drives, everything. I have never seen a red leaf, but the dealer ordered one for me and it will be there at 4pm. It is upon seeing this car that I will decide which color I want.

I am excited to be a Leaf owner and can't wait until 4pm. I hardly slept at all last night, and when I did it was nightmares of running out of energy in my new Leaf. Once I get my new baby, either Andy or I will post a picture for everyone to see.

 

[MrIanB]

Congrats...and welcome.
I think you will be amazed at how different and how rewarding owning a leaf is. You know how the saying goes, " Happy Wife, Happy Life," My wife has not been to a gas station since we bought our leaf and tells me she forgets how to put gas in the car.
Hairy

Hey, that is a Volt commercial line. Lol

Congrats to OP!.

Ian B

 

[MrIanB]

You are wise to go with the 15,000 mile. You will drive this car far more than you now think possible for a "limitied range" vehicle.

You will want to get an upgraded EVSE, and so the savings will be seen more in the last years of the lease once the up front costs are forgotten/recovered.

I stopped driving a Siverado, and believe I saved about $200 a month just on the work commute. Add in the weekend trips, and it is a no brainer. Trouble with the lease is the limit on the miles, it is fun to drive, so the joy rides can eat up a lot of miles!

You can always go back to dealer and buy more miles before end of lease or passing limit.

Ian B

 

[eclecticflower]

I vote RED! You won't regret it. I used to really love the blue when I first saw a LEAF, but the red is more cranberry than anything and beautiful. Love it even after having it 5.5 months and seeing a blue on the showroom floor recently at my dealer.

 

[Leanne]

You are wise to go with the 15,000 mile. You will drive this car far more than you now think possible for a "limitied range" vehicle.

You will want to get an upgraded EVSE, and so the savings will be seen more in the last years of the lease once the up front costs are forgotten/recovered.

I stopped driving a Siverado, and believe I saved about $200 a month just on the work commute. Add in the weekend trips, and it is a no brainer. Trouble with the lease is the limit on the miles, it is fun to drive, so the joy rides can eat up a lot of miles!

You can always go back to dealer and buy more miles before end of lease or passing limit.

Ian B

Seriously? I didn't know that.

 

[Nubo]

Congrats...and welcome.
I think you will be amazed at how different and how rewarding owning a leaf is. You know how the saying goes, " Happy Wife, Happy Life," My wife has not been to a gas station since we bought our leaf and tells me she forgets how to put gas in the car.
Hairy

Not only that, I forget how to DRIVE a gasoline car. I was reminded of this yesterday when I had to drive my wife's Subaru. Doggone touchy, quirky "throttle mapping". Some spots too sensitive other spots you push and push and nothing happens until the car finally decides to downshift and roar off. No regen to gently slow me down in variable traffic so constantly working the brakes. Noisy. At a stop it's vibrating and chugging. Starting it up I feel like I'm atop the tractor in Green Acres.

It's not that the Subaru is a junker. It's in decent shape for a 3 year old car. It's just the way gasoline cars ARE. It just feels obsolete now.

 

[Leanne]

Andy and I were both shocked when we drove the Leaf today. It was so QUIET. No sound at all practically. I didn't find anything I don't like about the car. Nothing at all. I think I am going to have to fight Andy for my car, but I did offer him something tonight.

I am driving my car home from the dealer and it is about 30 miles. We have a Walgreens near our house. I suggested we stop there, give it a charge, go eat, then he could drive it home from there. He loved driving it this morning as much as I did. There was no question we were going to buy this after driving it today. None at all. I only have 2 more hours to wait, then I get my car!

 

[ksnogas2112]

hmm....red....speaking of charging at walgreens...

 

[MrIanB]

Here is a funny story for you related to how quiet the car is. My 85 year old dad and 75 year old mom bought a 2011 Leaf SL 2 weeks after I bought mine in January. They traded their paid off Lexus RX330 suv for the Leaf. They had to use one day my sister's Altima and while driving called me to tell me something was wrong with her car. I said what is the issue, they said it was making a loud sound while driving and it would quiet down when coming to a stop. I took me a second to try and figure it out and then it dawn on my it was the gas engine accelerating and decelerating. They had gotten used to the quietness of the Leaf and thought something was wrong with her car. Once I told them they were ok and we all got a good laugh. Got to love them seniors.

Enjoy your awesome ride and soon enough you may not pay attention to gas station prices while you are driving as I did 3 weeks after I bought the car. Now, I only go to the gas station to get the paper and every once in a while someone will ask me about it. Had a lady ask me about the Leaf once while charging at a Walgreens.

Ian B

 

[MrIanB]

Awesome color. Thanks for the pix. What's his/her name.

Ian B

 

[surfingslovak]

hmm....red....speaking of charging at walgreens...

Red is best, IMHO. Followed by white and blue. Silver and black don't have
the metallic component, which stands out in sunlight. I had a blue one, lots of people commented on the color, especially when the Leaf was new.

 

[Leanne]

hmm....red....speaking of charging at walgreens...

Thanks so much! That is EXACTLY what I needed to make up my mind. Cayenne red, here I come, it looks beautiful!

 

[Leanne]

Here is a funny story for you related to how quiet the car is. My 85 year old dad and 75 year old mom bought a 2011 Leaf SL 2 weeks after I bought mine in January. They traded their paid off Lexus RX330 suv for the Leaf. They had to use one day my sister's Altima and while driving called me to tell me something was wrong with her car. I said what is the issue, they said it was making a loud sound while driving and it would quiet down when coming to a stop. I took me a second to try and figure it out and then it dawn on my it was the gas engine accelerating and decelerating. They had gotten used to the quietness of the Leaf and thought something was wrong with her car. Once I told them they were ok and we all got a good laugh. Got to love them seniors.

Enjoy your awesome ride and soon enough you may not pay attention to gas station prices while you are driving as I did 3 weeks after I bought the car. Now, I only go to the gas station to get the paper and every once in a while someone will ask me about it. Had a lady ask me about the Leaf once while charging at a Walgreens.

Ian B

Gotta love that story! I think I will be asked a lot about the Leaf when I am driving around town. I have never seen one on the road here, so it is a very rare vehicle in my neck of the woods. I think I am going to call my care Eve or Eva. Because she is my first totally green car. Or maybe Alpha. I have 2 hours to decide. Oh, make that 1.5 hours. Can anyone be more excited than I am right now?

 

[ksnogas2112]

Awesome color. Thanks for the pix. What's his/her name.

Ian B

He is Prince By-Tor, Knight of Darkness, Centurion of Evil, Devil's Prince. It was just a fly by night idea to name it that way.

I had a similar experience about the quiet. I had to take my wife's Prius to Scout summer camp because it was 30-40 miles out of reach. So she drove my Leaf for 2 weeks. When I gave her the Prius back she wanted to know what I did to it because it was so noisy I must have broken it. She got her Prius 2 weeks before my Leaf and both cars were less than a month old at this point. She still complains about how loud the turn signals are.