Boourns
Well-known member
Hi from a prospective Leaf owner. My question is this: What do you wish you had known (or thought to look up) before you bought/leased your leaf?
I put the question first for the tl;dr types, but here's a little background. My name is Matt and I live in the Austin, Texas area. The lease on my current ICE vehicle ends in March 2014 and I'm researching a replacement. Currently the Leaf is at the top of my list. I think EVs are the future, and I'm tired of struggling to reach 22 mpg.
I drive 32 miles round trip to work every day on a commute that involves a little rush hour highway, a little city, and about half what I'd call country road driving, with speeds about 50 mph. My average speed on the trip is 29-31 mph. I think all things considered the Leaf would be a good choice for me, since my wife will keep her ICE small SUV. I am leaning toward a 24-month lease, since in the summer it's hotter than Hades' pantaloons here, and I see that can result in substantial battery degradation. My lease return is a Nissan product, so hopefully I can get a good deal on the Leaf lease.
I have time to thoroughly research the purchase, so I hope to be as informed as I can be about obvious issues. I suspect that the Leaf was many of your first EV, like it would be mine, so you researched things to the best of your ability before your purchase. I would appreciate your input on anything you wish you had known before you bought the car that may not be so obvious.
Thanks and I look forward to learning a lot more about the Leaf here.
I put the question first for the tl;dr types, but here's a little background. My name is Matt and I live in the Austin, Texas area. The lease on my current ICE vehicle ends in March 2014 and I'm researching a replacement. Currently the Leaf is at the top of my list. I think EVs are the future, and I'm tired of struggling to reach 22 mpg.
I drive 32 miles round trip to work every day on a commute that involves a little rush hour highway, a little city, and about half what I'd call country road driving, with speeds about 50 mph. My average speed on the trip is 29-31 mph. I think all things considered the Leaf would be a good choice for me, since my wife will keep her ICE small SUV. I am leaning toward a 24-month lease, since in the summer it's hotter than Hades' pantaloons here, and I see that can result in substantial battery degradation. My lease return is a Nissan product, so hopefully I can get a good deal on the Leaf lease.
I have time to thoroughly research the purchase, so I hope to be as informed as I can be about obvious issues. I suspect that the Leaf was many of your first EV, like it would be mine, so you researched things to the best of your ability before your purchase. I would appreciate your input on anything you wish you had known before you bought the car that may not be so obvious.
Thanks and I look forward to learning a lot more about the Leaf here.