Comment by jhowell | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jhowell | Hacker News Reader

I leased a Leaf about 3 days ago (24 not 36 months so I'm out of the $2,500 state rebate but I'd rather turn the car in, in 2 years and get another). Waiting at a Toyota charging station in Oakland, CA right now while the wife is getting a pedi. The Assistant Service Manager started to give me a hard time saying they only charge Toyota EV's, but his manager changed his mind. So far, so awesome. It's actually kind of exciting driving past gas stations.

My previous car was a sports cars (cayman) that I drove constantly over 80 MPH as a norm, and filled with 91 octane. (apx $4.15/gallon) The tires, the 60K service, brakes, etc. I just got tired of the expense and the looming expenses of owning a car like that. The Leaf is certainly a personal life change but I actually feel a bit relieved. I find myself chauffeuring my wife around more, which to be honest is kind of cool too. She feels it's too "technical" for her to feel comfortable driving, but that's just because she hasn't driven it yet.

The sports car thing must be a phase. I can't wait for the day I walk in to a dealer and drive out with an Audi R8 Spyder. And I am very non-luxurious with the rest of my expenses.

You'll grow out of it. It's really easy to grow out of $2k (slightly less) for tires. My advice is to stay clear of this sort of thing because you may fall in love.

We got rid of a late-model Jaguar S-Type to make room for the Leaf. I'm glad we did. Cheaper to run, and just as much fun in different ways. The Leaf isn't as nicely appointed, but we've learned to live without a walnut dashboard.

Why a leaf rather than a Tesla model S, which seems more Jaguar- equivalent?

I personally liked the Leaf over the Tesla because of the price tag and availability. The dealer has tons of Leafs. The Tesla has a waiting list. In 2 years, I'll turn my Leaf in for a newer model that hopefully has more range and charges more quickly. I don't even want to think about the resell value of the 2013 EV in 2015 IF the range doubles and charging times get cut in half.

At the time of purchase the Model S didn't exist. When pre-orders were being accepted I looked into putting a deposit down, but the signature editions were already sold out. Didn't feel like waiting for a lower-end model (higher-priced ones being built first), as we'd already been through the waiting game with the Leaf (I pre-ordered one on the first day Nissan took orders).

No matter, we like our Leaf and that gives us some time to see what else Tesla comes up with.

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