So would I be mad to go for a Leaf ...

NIMAN

... or mad not to?


Current situation, we have 2 cars, petrol one used mostly for the family outings which are usually quite short trips.

Other car is a diesel Focus and I am thinking of trading up a few years to keep it fresh. I mostly use this car to commute to work and I am often the only person who uses it. My commute would be 50 miles, 25 each way, 5 days per week. The 1.6 focus is fairly economical and I would guess I am getting about 50-55mpg out of it as its a mostly rural commute and I am in top gear for most of it. When I am off work and we head out as a family, we use the petrol MPV. Most of its trips are to the shops, inlaws etc and these can range from totals of 4miles to 15 miles.

I am seriously considering a 2012 Leaf when changing the Focus. I have thought long and hard about it, and I do think my car use would suit it for 99% of the time. Any time we need to head off on longer trips, we always have the petrol MPV.

So, would I be mad not to consider a Leaf?

650Ginge

NIMAN wrote: »

... or mad not to?


Current situation, we have 2 cars, petrol one used mostly for the family outings which are usually quite short trips.

Other car is a diesel Focus and I am thinking of trading up a few years to keep it fresh. I mostly use this car to commute to work and I am often the only person who uses it. My commute would be 50 miles, 25 each way, 5 days per week. The 1.6 focus is fairly economical and I would guess I am getting about 50-55mpg out of it as its a mostly rural commute and I am in top gear for most of it. When I am off work and we head out as a family, we use the petrol MPV. Most of its trips are to the shops, inlaws etc and these can range from totals of 4miles to 15 miles.

I am seriously considering a 2012 Leaf when changing the Focus. I have thought long and hard about it, and I do think my car use would suit it for 99% of the time. Any time we need to head off on longer trips, we always have the petrol MPV.

So, would I be mad not to consider a Leaf?

Go down get a test drive, they let me take one for a weekend . They are nice to drive. I really liked it.

I have parents living in NI and inlaws in Galway. I also regularly do drive beyond the range of a leaf on a single charge I wasn't prepared to add extra journey time and to hand over that amount of money . I am not really a new car sort guy. I also found the boot small compared to my Prius. It sounds perfect for your single person commute.


I still trying to talk myself into a secondhand one every now and them.

Bigus

There's an irish leaf owners face book page, Leaf owners on boards are slow to raise their head above the parapet , because of the certain barrage of ignorance, about to come anytime soon. :eek:

good luck with your choice whatever it may be.

How about the economics of sticking with the focus and having an extra holiday or two ? Afterall depreciation is probably your biggest cost , but there are better qualified people around here to do various spreadsheets.

monkeysnapper

Bigus wrote: »

Leaf owners on boards are slow to raise their head above the parapet , because of the certain barrage of ignorance, about to come anytime soon. :eek: .

its ok, ..... theyll be here soon , just be patient please..

Donnelly117

Id actually like to try an EV for a while. It would suit my 40km round trip on the weekdays perfectly! And I do quite little driving on the weekends usually. The one thing I'm not big on is the look of most EV's. The leaf is IMO the most "normal" looking EV out there that I know of, so it would be my first choice. But I guess at the same time thy have to make them stand out from the average petrol/diesel car. Im not into buying new cars though so I wont have one any time soon...

Days 298

If there is nothing wrong with your current car you'd be mad. The savings of an electric car will take years and many miles for you to break even. Get your current car a good service, valet hell even new metal pressed reg plates. Car will feel like new and look new and a lot cheaper than a Leaf. Spend your savings on something else like a holiday or as a fuel cash.

Donnelly117

Days 298 wrote: »

even new metal pressed reg plates.

You'll blend in with all the boy racers with these too

JohnBoy26

Bigus wrote: »

There's an irish leaf owners face book page, Leaf owners on boards are slow to raise their head above the parapet , because of the certain barrage of ignorance, about to come anytime soon. :eek:

good luck with your choice whatever it may be.

How about the economics of sticking with the focus and having an extra holiday or two ? Afterall depreciation is probably your biggest cost , but there are better qualified people around here to do various spreadsheets.

Give them time, they'll arrive................eventually :pac:

monkeysnapper

A thought thats run through my head over the past few years was if you say bought a 2nd hand leaf, say 2 years old , and you got a loan from credit union for around 350 euro a month,, this would more than subsidise loan on fuel savings .

Obviously this would take into account that you needed a new car anyway and wasnt buying just to save money .

Days 298

Donnelly117 wrote: »

You'll blend in with all the boy racers with these too

Not the german ones! I think the pressed metal ones add to the look of car over plastic ones with the garage holder. But that could be just me. My car looks nicer with them anyway!

NIMAN

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

First off, for those saying stick with the Focus and have a good holiday, i was planning to change up a few years anyway, I would like to keep my car fresh in terms of years, and although I like the Focus, I'd rather not hold on to it so long that it starts to age and potentially give trouble. Of course I know I could change from a car giving me no trouble to a newer one that does, but thats a chance I'll have to take.

As for the looks, kinda of agree here. I am not a big fan of the looks of the Leaf, but I am not at the stage in life where looks are not the most important thing for me in a car. Practicality and cost are main things now, and I am guessing that trading up to a 2012 Golf or Focus will cost the same as trading up to a 2012 Leaf, hence my initial thoughts.

Bigus

Well if that's the case Niman , a leaf would make sense. If I was you id be visiting as many Nissan dealers with your desirable trade in to see if you can get an amazing deal.
I'm sure Nissan have some mad incentives on these , and if you picked a country dealer who is unlikely to shift one because of location you might be pleasantly suprised, however a petrol focus mightn't go down well in those parts either.

Lutecia

NIMAN wrote: »

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

First off, for those saying stick with the Focus and have a good holiday, i was planning to change up a few years anyway, I would like to keep my car fresh in terms of years, and although I like the Focus, I'd rather not hold on to it so long that it starts to age and potentially give trouble. Of course I know I could change from a car giving me no trouble to a newer one that does, but thats a chance I'll have to take.

As for the looks, kinda of agree here. I am not a big fan of the looks of the Leaf, but I am not at the stage in life where looks are not the most important thing for me in a car. Practicality and cost are main things now, and I am guessing that trading up to a 2012 Golf or Focus will cost the same as trading up to a 2012 Leaf, hence my initial thoughts.

Your last point is critical.
A 2012 Leaf is not very expensive. Around 12000 GBP in UK (under 10K for a 2011), and there is NO VRT for this kind of cars (and road tax is at 120€). Also, charging in public points is free of charge.
Depending on what you are currently driving, it could cut down your costs really well.
It's all a matter of "can I spend that money upfront", for the rest, it's a no brainer. The Irish network of public charge point is not bad at all, and with a bit of organization, it is possible to go all around the country quite easily.

monkeysnapper

Lutecia wrote: »

Your last point is critical.
A 2012 Leaf is not very expensive. Around 12000 GBP in UK (under 10K for a 2011), and there is NO VRT for this kind of cars (and road tax is at 120€). Also, charging in public points is free of charge.
Depending on what you are currently driving, it could cut down your costs really well.
It's all a matter of "can I spend that money upfront", for the rest, it's a no brainer. The Irish network of public charge point is not bad at all, and with a bit of organization, it is possible to go all around the country quite easily.

Exactly.... And like I said, the smaller loan to buy one then would nearly pay for itself in fuel savings , I don't see a down side if it fits your day in day out needs

NIMAN

Lutecia wrote: »

Your last point is critical.
A 2012 Leaf is not very expensive. Around 12000 GBP in UK (under 10K for a 2011), and there is NO VRT for this kind of cars (and road tax is at 120€). Also, charging in public points is free of charge.
Depending on what you are currently driving, it could cut down your costs really well.
It's all a matter of "can I spend that money upfront", for the rest, it's a no brainer. The Irish network of public charge point is not bad at all, and with a bit of organization, it is possible to go all around the country quite easily.

Exactly that mindset, and the reason I am thinking about one seriously.

As I said, 99% of my driving could be done easily with a Leaf, I am rarely driving the length of the country, and if I ever need to, then there is always the 2nd car.

I had thought about heading to the UK to get one, since they are VRT exempt. My diesel Focus would raise most of the cash if sold separately, or traded in to an Irish dealership.

I think I will ask a dealership about getting a loan of one for a weekend or so, it would be nice to see how you'd live with it for a while to see if it really would suit.