So, I picked up a Nissan Leaf on Monday.  If you are like me, and 90%+ of your trips are less than 80mi, If you have a second car for trips over 80mi, go get one now.  Nissan Dealers have end of quarter numbers they have to meet to get a big bonus which usually puts them in the black, and the lease deals are sick right now.  Even Consumer Reports recommends the lease on these which is nearly unheard of.

I got the Leaf S, which is the lowest trim level.  I was surprised it did not include cruise control, but not a big deal for my use of car that does <80mi on a round trip anyway. There are a few other things in the SV and SL models I’d like to have, but nothing worth the extra money to me.  Overall, the S is a super nice car with plenty of niceties; certainly it has everything I really need.  If you are interested, feel free to give me a call and I can break down the options for you and probably answer most of your questions.  =)  I have been studying these for years and watching the lease deal for months, waiting to get enough equity in my Prius, and just the right timing.  It all finally came together!

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If you are interested, find some where with some 2013 still in stock and they are very likely to make you a great deal. I traded in my 2005 Prius for a Leaf S with the same monthly payment ($226/mo).  With less than $2000 in equity (trade value minus amount remaining on the loan) on the Prius, I paid absolutely $0 to the dealer up front and they cut me a check for over $1000 to cover the VT taxes.  All I had to cover is a registration fee of about $41.  After 35 payments (that’s right, they even covered the first payment), I can buy it out for about $12.5k, trade it in for something at the dealer, or pay $395 to walk away assuming no significant damages beyond normal ware and tear.  Miles over 36k is only cost $0.15 but I don’t expect to do more than 24kmi in 3 years.  (They have a 45kmi option if you need it.)  All that on a car that has an MSRP of almost $30k.

This totally cash-flow positive for me.  Same-payment, only I get to skip one.  The electricity to run it should be less than 3/4 the cost to gas a 45mpg Prius at today’s prices (we will be lucky if it only doubles in the next 5 years) and maintenance is practically nothing: rotate the tires every 7500mi (which I do myself) and get the battery checked once a year.  Full manufacturer warranty on everything else for the life of the lease, and then some on most of it.  Sure beats the expect maintenance on a Prius (which is very low relatively), not to mention the unexpected issues of a car over 8 years old (again, relatively low on a Prius, but still.)

You could pay up to $2000 to have a charger installed at home, but it can be done cheaper.  Maybe more to come on that some day, but for now, the 110v cable that comes with it is sufficient for my needs since I’m just topping off each day for the most part and the land lord at my office said it was OK to plug in there as needed too.  I do want to get something dedicated at the house though since it is becoming tedious to pull out the cable every time I get home, and then pack it up again when I leave.  It will be much nicer to have something I can just leave behind and keep the cable that came with it in the car for occasional charging at work, etc.

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Tessa finally had a chance to drive it Saturday and is pleased with it.  The basic function is pretty much the same as the Prius, so there is no learning curve to just get in it and go.  Of course, the kids love it!  Lex says, “Yeah, a brand new Nissan Leaf?  I sure would like to set the clock in that thing.”

In conclusion, As the song the kids want to hear every time we get in it says (and yes I count myself among the “kids” in that statement), happiness resides in an electric car. =)