petitefrancaise

I'm thinking about getting a Nissan Leaf, anyone got one?

mrken30

no but several work colleagues do. One also has the fiat 500 version. Nissan used to pay your electric for first 2 years. Fiat gives you car rental vouchers.

petitefrancaise

Nooooo!!
Fiat are more reliable than that surely??

mrken30

Its so you can rent a car if you want to travel more than 100 miles. Saying that, there is one person I work with drives from Seattle to Portland in a Leaf, takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours

Pulaski

Don't touch one, unless perhaps you live in California. It's a compliance car, and will likely be difficult to get spares for because there are so few of them around, outside of California.

In any case buying a high efficiency micro-car such as a Smart Car or Fiat 500 is cheaper to buy and to run. Even when gas was $4/gal economics heavily favoured a small efficient petrol powered car over an electric one, and there wouldn't be a market for any electric car if it wasn't for (i) government mandates for "zero emission" cars (which is an utter lie anyway ), and (ii) tax subsidies to make them slightly less outrageously expensive.

Oh, and it's the ugliest car this side of a Renault Megane.

mrken30

The best thing about owning an EV is front row parking in lots of place. I see a lot more Nissan Leafs than the 500e. Everyone I know that owns an electric vehicle loves it. You have to remember I live in Oregon where it takes 1/2 to put gas in your car.

lansbury

Fiat - Fix It Again Tomorrow got that nickname for a good reason.

sir_eccles

I read on jalopnik that the depreciation is insane. So bad in fact that a dealer was giving away rogue with each one and it still wouldn't make it worth it.

Pulaski

That's one of the more lucid and helpful bits of advice I have seen from you.
Which is one of several side-effects of it being a compliance car.

scrubbedexpat091

Is there any point to an electric car?

Seems the poor range isn't worth the cost to me. Once they have the range of a gas powered car, and can be charged in the same amount of time, I'll consider them a viable alternative.

And of course need a place to charge the things which at the moment when renting condos or apartments is basically impossible.


They seem to be a novelty car still to me.


Seems pricey, just priced one and with the 5,000 provincial discount for electric cars after delivery fee base model comes in at 29,000.


The above price excludes taxes and license fees, my mistake.

sir_eccles

Range isn't that bad when you consider their target market will drive them round the corner to the shops.

Here's that jalopnik link http://jalopnik.com/watch-out-for-dealerships-that-give-things-away-for-fre-1746181580

scrubbedexpat091

True, this isn't the type of market they are looking for. Commuter town with a one way average commute of 60-70km roughly.

Owen778

Your linked article says it's specifically not a compliance car.

Pulaski

It does. ..... I'll go to see if I can find another source.

ETA I would say it's only not a compliance car on a technicality - that it is sold across the US, not just in CA, and that difference, if anything makes it a worse buy, because the majority of them are sold in CA or the Pacific NW, so leaving you driving a car with no nearby supply of spares for repairs and servicing.

Leslie

Oh dear. Does this mean that you don't get to be RIGHT for 5 whole minutes?