The official "I got my Leaf" thread

[Boomer23]

I picked up my Black SL+QC today from Stadium Nissan in Orange, CA. I was a late October order and only his second order, BUT he has delivered 9 Leafs to date.. Just shows how big an issue the "order mixup is"

He says that my vehicle was "pulled from someone from Texas".. and that he has 5 other orders from Nov and Dec that don't have any info on their vehicles, so it does go to show that the squeaky wheels got their cars sooner.

Anyway, i'm loving it, going to play with it this weekend, then send my L1 in for the EVSEUpgrade on Monday.

~Dave

Great news, Dave. See you around the OC. Please consider coming to one of our meetups. As I recall, you aren't a fan of Hometown Buffet, but the monthly meetings at Cerritos Nissan are excellent. We'd love to see you and your new ride.

 

[xtremeflyer]

Great news, Dave. See you around the OC. Please consider coming to one of our meetups. As I recall, you aren't a fan of Hometown Buffet, but the monthly meetings at Cerritos Nissan are excellent. We'd love to see you and your new ride.

It is true, I'm not the biggest fan of HTB, but my bigger issue is the fact that I tend to go to the Farmers Market on Saturdays in Irvine, it only runs from 8-noon, so to get down there, then go back to Orange to drop off the produce and then to Cerritos all before you guys are done is hard. I could probably come at the beginning and then go to the Farmers after, but I know once I'm there I won't want to leave.

If I get my EVSE upgrade back by Friday, then I'll probably try and make it to Santa Ana for a few next Saturday.

 

[hategas]

Got my Leaf on 5/7/11 and couldn't be happier. One of only two people in Petaluma to have one according to North Bay Nissan at the time. Quiet, roomy and drives great! A lot of people are interested and ask questions when I drive it around town. Haven't put in the quick charger yet but had an electrician I know come by and give me an estimate that was considerably lower than AV. A lot lower! Even using the 110 outlet charging has not been an issue. The car is like any other electronic device, use during the day and plug it in at night. Just like everything else phones etc.

 

[davewill]

What a way to end my first week with the LEAF. It sure got noticed running around Carlsbad this morning. I got honked at twice, the second one waving a frantic "thumbs up" as he went past going the other way. I got another thumbs up from a motorcyclist passing me on the 101, and a friendly, "How do you like your LEAF?" from a fellow traveler, jonesin' for his LEAF to arrive in a month, in the Costco parking lot.

I can plainly see that charging to 100% on the weekends is going to be a complete necessity. I LOVE driving this car.

 

[smkettner]

Picked mine up last Tuesday, May 17. Danny sent his guy down to pick me up in OC about 10a and I was back at work just after 2p. Easy transaction at Fontana Nissan. Plenty of range to make the 60 mile drive back to work and then the 12 mile trip home. Leaf is perfect for what I need. L1 is fine right now.

 

[TimLee]

Newton Nissan of Gallatin (Justin Garza) delivered my Leaf to my house Tuesday, May 17th. Superb dealer and salesman to work with.
Haven't driven it but a few miles yet, as had other work and personal travel plans.
Goes into normal daily commuting service on Monday.

 

[OilFreedom]

... I got honked at twice, the second one waving a frantic "thumbs up" as he went past going the other way....

Hi davewill,

If that guy giving you a thumbs up today was in a gray Acura TL, that was me! I was wondering if the driver was active on this forum. I might've seen you before (or another blue Leaf) roughly a week ago heading up the hill on Carmel Country Road. Glad you're enjoying your electric ride so much! :mrgreen: Also saw silver one a couple of weeks back on Carmel Mountain Road. Not sure who that was, but I gave them a friendly greeting too.

Seems like Leaf owners should have a greeting, a hand sign, or something for the road. I'm fond of the Shaka, so maybe I'll start throwing those out. It is taken out of the Hawaiian context, but in a way does fit as "... a gesture of friendship and understanding ..." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_sign).

My wife is beginning to realize that there's quite an EV community out there, and quite a positive one at that. In fact, she has recently taken an interest in driving my Leaf when it arrives. Hmmm... Maybe we'll need two EVs!

We drove over 100 miles today, including lots of (>60 mph) freeway driving, so it would probably have been a day for the ICE CO2 machine today... At least until we get enough L3 chargers spread around San Diego County.

 

[davewill]

... I got honked at twice, the second one waving a frantic "thumbs up" as he went past going the other way....

If that guy giving you a thumbs up today was in a gray Acura TL, that was me! I was wondering if the driver was active on this forum. I might've seen you before (or another blue Leaf) roughly a week ago heading up the hill on Carmel Country Road. Glad you're enjoying your electric ride so much! :mrgreen: ...

Yep! You were mostly a smiling, waving, dark gray blur, but your description certainly fits. Your other sighting seems entirely likely to be me, too. I live right in that general area.

As far as enjoying the car, maybe an Acura driver won't see it quite the same way, but it's a fun car to drive, probably the most fun I've had since I owned a Jeep Wrangler. If it were a convertible, it might even surpass it. We have a Prius, and I like to drive it, but the good feeling comes from knowing how efficient it is, not because of the way it drives...it's rather gutless and boring in that respect. The LEAF, on the other hand, has a nice tight turning radius, and plenty of torque, if you want to play with it, and ECO mode for when you want to feel efficient.

Seems like Leaf owners should have a greeting, a hand sign, or something for the road. I'm fond of the Shaka, so maybe I'll start throwing those out. It is taken out of the Hawaiian context, but in a way does fit as "... a gesture of friendship and understanding ..." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_sign).

Hmmmm, the Shaka sign could be OK, but I thought the thumbs up was pretty effective.

We drove over 100 miles today, including lots of (>60 mph) freeway driving, so it would probably have been a day for the ICE CO2 machine today... At least until we get enough L3 chargers spread around San Diego County.

All without going home? If not, you could certainly have managed some zero emission miles! Well, we have to dream big to get anything in this world, so I'm looking forward to plenty of L3 chargers, as well.

 

[fenselau]

HOORAY! 13 months to the day, I finally got my beautiful Cayenne Red Leaf SL on Friday May 20 at North Bay Nissan! Bruce and Ron were great and helped us get out of the dealership in record time. The 89 mile drive back to Sunnyvale was our first (and hopefully last) taste of range anxiety, but we made it with 3 miles of charge left. This first weekend has been awesome discovering the car, customizing the driver interface, and accelerating faster than ever before. This time, I am not discouraging my kids from showing off

Definitely worth the wait. Thanks to Nissan, and thanks to everyone on this Forum that helped us through the process and the learning curve.

 

[houstonmobilian]

Checking in guys! After many months and anticipations, we finally got our LEAF couple days ago! Loving every single miles on it. So far, we've driven more than 100 miles already in 2 days! Looking forward to be active in this forum. Is there anyone in Houston, Texas getting their LEAF already? Would like to compare notes. My dealership told us that we are the first private owner through their dealership. And there were 2 other LEAFs for the EVgo company.

 

[kevin672]

Got mine yesterday, 5/23. What a car, and what a dealership. After all the good things said about Mossy Nissan I had high expectations when I went to pick up my LEAF. They exceeded every one. Can't say enough good things about Max at Mossy Nissan National City. The nice, shiny red LEAF looks good in my driveway. I'm definitely going to need to adjust driving habits. Got to work after about 25 miles and it said only 42 miles remaining (started at 90). Almost all uphill freeway and probably half at 65 and half at the speed of traffic, which is closer to 75. Nissan does say that will lower your range.

 

[cdub]

Wouldn't worry about it - if it was all uphill... unless your commute is uphill both ways .... you'll get alot of that back on the drive home.

 

[houstonmobilian]

Got mine yesterday, 5/23. What a car, and what a dealership. After all the good things said about Mossy Nissan I had high expectations when I went to pick up my LEAF. They exceeded every one. Can't say enough good things about Max at Mossy Nissan National City. The nice, shiny red LEAF looks good in my driveway. I'm definitely going to need to adjust driving habits. Got to work after about 25 miles and it said only 42 miles remaining (started at 90). Almost all uphill freeway and probably half at 65 and half at the speed of traffic, which is closer to 75. Nissan does say that will lower your range.

What a coincidence, I got my LEAF from Mossy Nissan too but it's the one in Houston! Kudos to those guys!

 

[kevin672]

Wouldn't worry about it - if it was all uphill... unless your commute is uphill both ways .... you'll get alot of that back on the drive home.

No kidding about that. I knew it wouldn't be nearly as bad coming back as going, but I wasn't expecting such a difference. The elevation difference is only about 700 feet over 20 miles, but it makes a difference.

 

[tbleakne]

I picked up my Black SL+QC today from Stadium Nissan in Orange, CA. I was a late October order and only his second order, BUT he has delivered 9 Leafs to date.. Just shows how big an issue the "order mixup is"

He says that my vehicle was "pulled from someone from Texas".. and that he has 5 other orders from Nov and Dec that don't have any info on their vehicles, so it does go to show that the squeaky wheels got their cars sooner.

~Dave

Congratulations on receiving your Leaf despite all the "luckyducks." Did you do any other "squeaking" besides the letter you sent in April that was never answered?

 

[spyderrs]

Finally picked up my Cayenne Red SL E on Tuesday 5-24-2011 only 353 days after reserving and 86 days after ordering, Everything went very smooth at Coulter Nissan in Glendale AZ. Whole transaction was very easy going and done in about 3 hours including another test drive. Both sales people Ron Jackson and Rich Harris were very helpful and knowledgable , as I was finishing up the paperwork they set up Carwings and Bluetooth on i phone. I then proceeded to check charging level and turn on a car A/C as I sat in the car using the app just to check it out. They mentioned they received a phone call earlier in the week from a large multi line dealership complaining because they are still discounting off MSRP which the other d EA le R ship is N ot doing H owever. Coulter also mentioned they still have a couple slots open for orders at this time.

Nice drive home, 49 miles with A/C and headlights on on primarily freeways. Probably checked my miles remaining a couple hundred times however(no paranoia here). Though when I tried to charge using my Blink it refused to till I unplugged it from the 220 outlet and replugged it in 2 times prior to recalibrating the touch screen. I love the car so far and am pleased with its features on the whole but would also look for a solution to better rear visibility due to large rear headrests.

Very good experience with the dealer, Coulter, smaller family owned business, the son Ryan did the financing as well. I would easily recommend.

 

[xtremeflyer]

I picked up my Black SL+QC today from Stadium Nissan in Orange, CA. I was a late October order and only his second order, BUT he has delivered 9 Leafs to date.. Just shows how big an issue the "order mixup is"

He says that my vehicle was "pulled from someone from Texas".. and that he has 5 other orders from Nov and Dec that don't have any info on their vehicles, so it does go to show that the squeaky wheels got their cars sooner.

~Dave

Congratulations on receiving your Leaf despite all the "luckyducks." Did you do any other "squeaking" besides the letter you sent in April that was never answered?

I called CS about every 3 days starting the day that we got the "your vehicle is delayed due to the earthquake" email.. I was put on one of their "spreadsheets".

 

[OilFreedom]

They mentioned they received a phone call earlier in the week from a large multi line dealership complaining because they are still discounting off MSRP which the other d EA le R ship is N ot doing H owever.

Congratulations on your delivered Leaf, spyderrs! It's so good when you have a great dealer nearby!

What the other dearler allegedly did, however, was bordering on price fixing which people go to jail for. Their comments to your dealer about the pricing, if true, could easily be construed as an attempt / suggestion to collude on higher prices in the market. Competitors who collude to raise prices are being very anti-competitive :evil: and are breaking federal law.

 

[Anonymous]

Finally picked up our lovely Glacier Leaf today from Gardena Nissan. FYI, Ryan is no longer there ("as of yesterday" was the ominous statement). We dealt with Mike Cope in the fleet department, he's very nice, and quickly coming up to speed on Leafs. It took 1hr 45min...could have been more but we chose to do the Carwings and bluetooth ourselves. Unlike a previous post [in a different thread on CA rebates and sticker applications], Mike did not seem to know anything about being able to expedite the registration so we could get the plate number and send out the sticker applications. But otherwise, it was a satisfying experience. We chose to buy the car, and sell our '03 Prius ourselves rather than accept the trade-in offer.

I should add that our original delivery estimate was July 2011. We ordered it October 29, and after realizing that we were one of the skipped orders (thanks to this forum for all the great information on this front), we harangued Nissan CS and they found us one in less than a week!

 

[walterbays]

I am now officially a "lucky duck" rather than just a potentially lucky duck, and I'll be updating my spreadsheet entry. First let me say I think Nissan ought to have worked harder to deliver cars in order of reservation. And when they discovered the "forgotten" orders they ought to have reassigned cars for which the VIN had not yet been communicated to the customer, like mine, to help correct the problem. The state of California ought to have reserved rebates by order of reservation, while paying them as cars were actually purchased, which would have greatly lessened the effects of Nissan's missteps.

I still think most of the order date sequencing is meaningless distinctions among people who reserved hours apart on 4/20: over 80% of reservations came in April. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=73462#p73462 I can still hope and expect that we are now seeing a flood of LEAFs being delivered which will get cars to most people in the next few weeks. But I can no longer expect that this flood of cars will let Nissan completely remedy their order sequencing mistake. Clearly it hasn't. But I won't pretend that I'm disappointed to get my car!

Mine was one of 9 or 10 LEAFs that came in today. Leon and his team at Mossy Nissan, Jason, Ali, and Lea were great! Some friendly offers (e.g. lease vs. buy) but no high pressure. Mine was one of the least dramatic drives home, only about 10 miles, mostly on the highway, some high speed and some stop and go. Despite some playing around with the power of the car, I arrived home with only 7 miles less on the range guess-o-meter. Like everyone I'm impressed by how smooth, quiet, and powerful the car is - and how fun to drive.

While sitting in traffic I may have met a future Infiniti EV customer. In my rear view mirror I saw a big grin and an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Later when we were stopped side by side, we talked a bit and he asked me if I had just bought it. He had spotted a Volt a few days earlier and really liked both cars. He was driving an Infiniti SUV with dealer plates. So much for stereotypes of SUV drivers as being EV haters. I think I see an Infiniti EV in his future.