|
Post by orion2185 on Jun 3, 2015 20:16:51 GMT 11
Hello
I am interested in buying a Nissan Leaf on the Gold Coast (since the bmw i3 rex is priced too high for me). Dealer has a new 2012 reduction stock and is willing to deal on the price.
have been looking online for the past month trying to figure out if the Leaf is "for me"....but there is not much info online for the Australian leaf...everything that I can find is either USA (newer year cars) or overseas
I just moved to Australia from America and still trying to get settled in my life in Australia the Leaf will be our only car (household is just myself and wife) so not 100% certain what my daily traveling needs are
but I can say that I drive daily from home to our business that we own
this daily drive is around 22k (one way) all on the Pacific Motorway from Kingscliff area to Burliegh Heads I can also do this trip 2 times a day
have been interested in a EV for sometime now..and had my heart set on the BMW i3 REX when I was still living in America...but the Aussie price for the BMW is insane (and no tax credits or incentives exist here in Australia)
so I have been looking into the Leaf or a Toyota Prius C-Itech
out of the 2 which would be my better choice? which would be the cheapest to own and operate yearly? As that's one of our main considerations...the cheaper one to run
dealer is telling me you can only charge the leaf via 15amp socket what happens if your going over to your mates place...and need a top up to make the trip back home? You can't charge at their place unless they have a 15amp?
also dealer is telling me that origin energy (who we currently are with) sell a at home charger for just a bit over $2k installed...but can't tell me or explain the benefits of this charger
are there any public charging stations on the Gold Coast that the Leaf can use? what about Brisbane? as I would need to charge if we wanted to drive to Brisbane and back on the same day...as that would be well beyond the max range dealer is telling me
what do I need to look for or request on the Leaf - should we buy? since it's really a 2012 car being sold as "new" just want to make sure car and batteries are in perfect condition and not aged from sitting around for the past few years
thanks so much!
|
|
|
Post by hieronymous on Jun 3, 2015 21:17:29 GMT 11
this daily drive is around 22k (one way) all on the Pacific Motorway from Kingscliff area to Burliegh Heads I can also do this trip 2 times a day so I have been looking into the Leaf or a Toyota Prius C-Itech out of the 2 which would be my better choice? which would be the cheapest to own and operate yearly? As that's one of our main considerations...the cheaper one to run dealer is telling me you can only charge the leaf via 15amp socket what happens if your going over to your mates place...and need a top up to make the trip back home? You can't charge at their place unless they have a 15amp? also dealer is telling me that origin energy (who we currently are with) sell a at home charger for just a bit over $2k installed...but can't tell me or explain the benefits of this charger are there any public charging stations on the Gold Coast that the Leaf can use? what about Brisbane? as I would need to charge if we wanted to drive to Brisbane and back on the same day...as that would be well beyond the max range dealer is telling me what do I need to look for or request on the Leaf - should we buy? since it's really a 2012 car being sold as "new" just want to make sure car and batteries are in perfect condition and not aged from sitting around for the past few years I own one of each so I can make a comparison. Both cars are suitable for your daily drive. Which is the cheapest to run annually depends on how long you intend to own the car before trading. The Prius C costs about 4cents/kilometre more to run, but has annual servicing, the Leaf 6-monthly (i.e. dearer annually). Insurance is much the same, but the Leaf over time is clearly going to have much worse depreciation, partly because so few EV's are sold, and partly because of battery degradation fears. Over say 5 years, the Prius is by far the best purchase. Prius's have also been around long enough to demonstrate near-unbeatable reliability and longevity; the Leaf is too new to know yet. Several 10A charging options are available - read this forum, as your Leaf dealer won't tell you about them. I use a Jaycar 15A-10A converter. Unless you need fast charging (not quick charging), overnight charging with the supplied EVSE is entirely suitable. Public charging facilities are available but it's not like going to a service station. Suitable location, time spent waiting for your vehicle to charge, whether the facility is actually working in the first place - you need a strong tolerance toward range anxiety if you want to travel any distance. Yes, the Leaf is a 3 year old car when you buy it. Apart from the HV battery, the car will probably be in as-new condition, but the dealer will not give you any meaningful battery information. The standard line is that the display shows 12 charging bars, therefore the battery is in excellent condition. It may in fact be up to 15% below a factory-new state (and therefore range), although it probably will be somewhere about 93-95%. if you are mad keen on a Leaf buy and enjoy it, but it will cost you in the short to medium term, maybe a lot. If the total cost of ownership is your thing buy the Prius, and have no range anxiety. Knowing what I do now, if I was making a choice over again it would be the Prius; it has the added bonus of being much more a driver's car than the Leaf, which is a nice highway cruiser but not the car to throw around on secondary roads.
|
|
|
Post by caskings on Jun 3, 2015 21:25:06 GMT 11
Hi Orion2185, The leaf would be the cheaper car to run of the two. The charger that comes with the Leaf has a 15 amp socket, but limits charging to 10 amps. So you can use a 15 to 10 amp adaptor from Jaycar to allow you to plug it into a 10 amp socket, which is what I and couple of other forum members do. You don't need to get the Origin charger, just use the one that came with the car, if you want a second one Clipper creek sell better priced models. Have a look at the plugshare site to get a feel for where the chargers are located around brisbane and SEQ, however things are pretty sparse around the Gold Coast. www.jaycar.com.au/p/MS4044www.plugshare.com/
|
|
|
Post by EVangelist on Jun 4, 2015 0:42:25 GMT 11
I am interested in buying a Nissan Leaf on the Gold Coast (since the bmw i3 rex is priced too high for me). this daily drive is around 22k (one way) all on the Pacific Motorway from Kingscliff area to Burliegh Heads. I can also do this trip 2 times a day so I have been looking into the Leaf or a Toyota Prius C-Itech. out of the 2 which would be my better choice? which would be the cheapest to own and operate yearly? As that's one of our main considerations...the cheaper one to run dealer is telling me you can only charge the leaf via 15amp socket what happens if your going over to your mates place...and need a top up to make the trip back home? You can't charge at their place unless they have a 15amp? Hi Orion, welcome to the forum. I can't compare running costs with a Hybrid since I've never owned one, but compared to our previous Corolla hatch (slightly smaller car than the Leaf), our Leaf "fuel" costs so far are 28% that of our Corolla over the same distance. In the first 6 months, travelling 4000 km, we spent $133 on electricity charging the Leaf. The same distance in the Corolla would have cost $480 at $1.45/litre. And we are paying top dollar for peak rate 100% green power (23.4 c/kWh) so those with off-peak rates or solar would be paying even less. Regarding servicing, I am only going for annual servicing on the Leaf, so I haven't had one yet. Our dealer said 6-month servicing wasn't necessary in a mild climate like Sydney. Apparently this advice is unique on this forum - no one else's dealer has given similar advice. After nearly 9 months of ownership now, I can't say I've noticed anything suggesting a service is required. In my experience, 90 km per day would be reasonably comfortable in the Leaf with daily charging at home to 80%, unless you drive really aggressively or have a very hilly trip. As others have advised, just used the EVSE supplied with the car. I never bothered to get a wall charger installed. It's a minor nuisance taking the EVSE out of the boot and putting it back, but it's still faster than stopping at a petrol station and filling up. We are so comfortable now with the Leaf range that sometimes we don't even bother putting the EVSE back in the car and just leave it plugged in in our garage. And if you think you might need to charge at a mate's place, use the Jaycar adaptor, it only costs $80 (http://www.jaycar.com.au/Power-Products-Electrical/Distribution-%26-Interconnect/Powerboards%2C-Adaptors-%26-Extension-Leads/Portable-RCD-with-15A-to-10A-Mains-Plug-Conversion/p/MS4044). Although the EVSE has a 15A plug, it actually only charges at just under 10A. The Jaycar adaptor is simply a safe way of plugging a 15A plug into a 10A socket. If the device draws more than 10A, the circuit breaker (RCD) in the adaptor will trip. I hope this helps.
|
|
|
Post by orion2185 on Jun 4, 2015 13:49:46 GMT 11
Jun 3, 2015 20:16:51 GMT 11 orion2185 said: I am interested in buying a Nissan Leaf on the Gold Coast (since the bmw i3 rex is priced too high for me). this daily drive is around 22k (one way) all on the Pacific Motorway from Kingscliff area to Burliegh Heads. I can also do this trip 2 times a day so I have been looking into the Leaf or a Toyota Prius C-Itech. out of the 2 which would be my better choice? which would be the cheapest to own and operate yearly? As that's one of our main considerations...the cheaper one to run dealer is telling me you can only charge the leaf via 15amp socket what happens if your going over to your mates place...and need a top up to make the trip back home? You can't charge at their place unless they have a 15amp? Hi Orion, welcome to the forum. I can't compare running costs with a Hybrid since I've never owned one, but compared to our previous Corolla hatch (slightly smaller car than the Leaf), our Leaf "fuel" costs so far are 28% that of our Corolla over the same distance. In the first 6 months, travelling 4000 km, we spent $133 on electricity charging the Leaf. The same distance in the Corolla would have cost $480 at $1.45/litre. And we are paying top dollar for peak rate 100% green power (23.4 c/kWh) so those with off-peak rates or solar would be paying even less. Regarding servicing, I am only going for annual servicing on the Leaf, so I haven't had one yet. Our dealer said 6-month servicing wasn't necessary in a mild climate like Sydney. Apparently this advice is unique on this forum - no one else's dealer has given similar advice. After nearly 9 months of ownership now, I can't say I've noticed anything suggesting a service is required. In my experience, 90 km per day would be reasonably comfortable in the Leaf with daily charging at home to 80%, unless you drive really aggressively or have a very hilly trip. As others have advised, just used the EVSE supplied with the car. I never bothered to get a wall charger installed. It's a minor nuisance taking the EVSE out of the boot and putting it back, but it's still faster than stopping at a petrol station and filling up. We are so comfortable now with the Leaf range that sometimes we don't even bother putting the EVSE back in the car and just leave it plugged in in our garage. And if you think you might need to charge at a mate's place, use the Jaycar adaptor, it only costs $80 (http://www.jaycar.com.au/Power-Products-Electrical/Distribution-%26-Interconnect/Powerboards%2C-Adaptors-%26-Extension-Leads/Portable-RCD-with-15A-to-10A-Mains-Plug-Conversion/p/MS4044). Although the EVSE has a 15A plug, it actually only charges at just under 10A. The Jaycar adaptor is simply a safe way of plugging a 15A plug into a 10A socket. If the device draws more than 10A, the circuit breaker (RCD) in the adaptor will trip. I hope this helps. thanks everyone! we were also looking at getting a Toyota Corolla Sport hatch (it was our 3r pick) so thank you for the comparison lots to think about looks like allot of people here use the jaycar adaptor - so will look into that dealer did offer me to take the car for a few days- providing I have a 15amp to charge think that we will buy the jaycar adaptor and take them up on the offer of testing out the car in normal day life thanks to everyone who replied
|
|
|
Post by orion2185 on Jun 4, 2015 13:50:44 GMT 11
whoops somehow my reply ended up in the quote my reply here thanks everyone! we were also looking at getting a Toyota Corolla Sport hatch (it was our 3r pick) so thank you for the comparison lots to think about looks like allot of people here use the jaycar adaptor - so will look into that dealer did offer me to take the car for a few days- providing I have a 15amp to charge think that we will buy the jaycar adaptor and take them up on the offer of testing out the car in normal day life thanks to everyone who replied Read more: ozleaf.proboards.com/post/new/627#ixzz3c3eoQCkT
|
|
|
Post by cr12330 on Jun 4, 2015 15:36:47 GMT 11
Hi Orion, I'm new to the forum as well, Hey you must be chatting with Benny at the moment. He was trying to sell it to me for $33K but sending up to the NT with no road cost and stamp duties or rego.
Bargain hard because a lot of people do believe this car should be worth $30K at the moment but if you can get it for $2000 less than you done yourself well.
Just make sure you get the 5 year warranty for the batteries on paper for you can use it later on so you don't have issue with it going under 9 bars.
Cheers,
Joseph
|
|
ianj
EV Tyre Kicker
Posts: 1
|
Post by ianj on Jun 4, 2015 22:54:25 GMT 11
Joseph. Hi. Are you saying that in Brisbane the dealer price is $33k? Or is that for a demonstrator model? Cheers IanJ
|
|
|
Post by cr12330 on Jun 5, 2015 10:41:08 GMT 11
Hi Ian, Here is the car in question www.carsales.com.au/bncis/details/Nissan-LEAF-2012/AGC-AD-17734673/?Cr=6Welcome to the forum. Yes the car at Nissan Gold Coast is a new car but they according to Benny they will turning it into a demo so it will sell fast. I chatted with Benny the sales rep about 5 Weeks ago and he was trying to sell it close to $40,000 but about 2 Weeks ago they had a team meeting and they changed the price to $34,990 on road cost and rego etc for QLD only but said to me since that you live in the NT we do it for $33K bar deliver, I think would of cost about $1000 or $1500 to get it sent up by road as an additional cost. I think its going to sell sooner or later, I think money will come off it if you live in QLD but just make a offer and put it on the table but just remember there will be other be thinking of getting it for a good price too as some of the forum members have paid between $40,000 to $37,000K early this year so just be aware of this. If you can't get a a cash discount, try and get them to throw in additional floor mats and other goodies like wax pack or something so its another way to walk away with something. Thanks, Joseph
|
|
|
Post by lesmando24 on Jun 5, 2015 11:15:08 GMT 11
Hi Orion2185,
I think you should try more cars in the same size category. It is good to compare them and work out what car you love to drive and what features you want (e.g. Volkswagen Golf, Hyundai i30, Honda Civic, Holden Volt and a Prius iTech). Do the price comparison at the end to see if the car you like the most, fits in your budget. Car salesmen get paid whether you are trying a car or not, so you can't waste their time.
I chose the LEAF in 2012, but not for cost. It was the awesome driving feel, lack of revving engine nose and the ability to put my mountain bike in the back and have space for my other stuff (the battery hump was useful to hold the bike up so I could put stuff underneath). I also liked that nearly everything on the LEAF was standard.
Initially I was going to purchase the Holden Volt, but I was not able to afford it. I didn't like how the Prius drove (also feel it can't go long enough on battery only). I didn't try a Mitsubishi i-MiEV as there were none at the time to try. Corolla / Golf / Hyundai / Civic were all nice cars, all with very different features locked in option packs. Made it very difficult to compare.
Les
|
|
|
Post by orion2185 on Jun 5, 2015 12:00:40 GMT 11
Hi Orion, I'm new to the forum as well, Hey you must be chatting with Benny at the moment. He was trying to sell it to me for $33K but sending up to the NT with no road cost and stamp duties or rego. Bargain hard because a lot of people do believe this car should be worth $30K at the moment but if you can get it for $2000 less than you done yourself well. Just make sure you get the 5 year warranty for the batteries on paper for you can use it later on so you don't have issue with it going under 9 bars. Cheers, Joseph yes, however the price we are talking about is lower than that thus why we feel the Leaf might be a good car for us
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Jun 5, 2015 12:18:41 GMT 11
Hi Orion and Joseph, welcome to the forum. Have you read about the few owners who have experienced premature capacity loss with their near new cars? You might want to take that into consideration when purchasing. Not to scare you away from buying, and if there is a loss it'll be around 5-10km range anyway. If it still fits your needs maybe you can mention that to bargain or work out some arrangement with the dealer if you lose your first bar after a few weeks.
|
|
|
Post by quaternary on Jun 5, 2015 15:47:18 GMT 11
Another thing to think about is what kind of sleeper you are. I slept poorly for the first three months of Leaf ownership because I was so excited about driving the Leaf the next day; it was like every night was Christmas eve. These days symptoms have lessened, instead I just go to sleep with a pleasant glow, free of the burden of CO2 anxiety ("range anxiety"! Why don't car salespeople ever talk about "CO2 anxiety"!)
|
|
|
Post by caroline on Jun 5, 2015 16:59:18 GMT 11
Hi Orion, I bought a leaf from Benny in April and paid $37k and extremely happy with it. The leaf averages 0.15 kWh per km... So assuming you charge @ off peak rates that's 2 cents per km. Servicing is every 10k but a lot cheaper than a normal car service. But it's not just about saving money for me... I love the peaceful drive, the zippy take offs but best of all that knot in my stomach I used to get driving a fuel car (co2 anxiety) has disappeared :-)
|
|
|
Post by cr12330 on Jun 6, 2015 17:39:21 GMT 11
Orion, if you don't mind and you do decide to buy it, let us know roughly the price so we can let all future leaf buyers know what to pay. I myself are either going to buy a leaf or i-miev. I totally understand the risk living up with the leaf but I have seen a leaf and a i-miev up my way already.
Good luck, you won't regret on purchasing it.
|
|
|
Post by cr12330 on Jun 8, 2015 11:26:02 GMT 11
Sold, nice who ever brought it from Nissan Gold Coast. Only 5 new Leaf available, I hope they all sell soon so the Governments can see EV are more popular and put pressure to bring more into the country.
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Jun 8, 2015 12:58:09 GMT 11
The suspense is killing me, we should have a poll to see what people think will happen next.
|
|
|
Post by caroline on Jun 8, 2015 13:22:56 GMT 11
Sold, nice who ever brought it from Nissan Gold Coast. Only 5 new Leaf available, I hope they all sell soon so the Governments can see EV are more popular and put pressure to bring more into the country. How do you know it sold?
|
|
|
Post by cr12330 on Jun 8, 2015 17:28:44 GMT 11
Sold, nice who ever brought it from Nissan Gold Coast. Only 5 new Leaf available, I hope they all sell soon so the Governments can see EV are more popular and put pressure to bring more into the country. How do you know it sold? I keep it in my save cars on carsales and got a notification Today that it was sold.
|
|
|
Post by Cachexian (Gordon) on Jun 13, 2015 8:31:55 GMT 11
I'm thinking of taking the plunge. Just have to persuade my wife that spending 40K on a new car for "her" is a good idea. :-)
From reading these forums, it seems that most of you owners are really enjoying your leafs.
Any regrets?
Any advice for an unwary buyer?
I'm not too worried about range or battery degradation. I've owned an electric bike for about 5 years and have been through several battery changes so I get that issue and our regular daily usage would barely get to 50Km so even with 70% capacity loss shouldn't be too much of an issue for me.
I noticed that many of you seem to frequent the fast charger network a lot. Is this through necessity or just the thrill of free fuel?
Hoping to be an EV driver soon.
|
|
|
Post by Phoebe on Jun 13, 2015 10:47:01 GMT 11
Hi cashexian. Welcome to the forum. Had my LEAF two and a half years and just as happy as the moment I got it. I'm nowhere near a fast charger and always charge at home on a 15amp power point.
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Jun 13, 2015 13:09:08 GMT 11
Hi cachexian, welcome to the forum. You should be able to haggle a few grand off $40k, the cheapest mentioned here is $35k. Besides the battery capacity the only other thing to keep an eye out for is exposure to weather since the car has been waiting to be sold for so long. When I bought my year old LEAF there were some stubborn stains from where the rainwater drained which the dealer didn't remove. Make sure it gets a thorough detail.
Other than that, no regrets. If the LEAF suits your needs then you'll be very happy with it! I can see you're in Sydney, send me a message if you want to see mine up close.
I've used the only fast charger in Sydney about a dozen times, only once out of necessity, the rest was just because it was there and I was passing by.
|
|
|
Post by caroline on Jun 13, 2015 14:53:16 GMT 11
I was told by my dealer Nissan are doing them for $34,900 now... And there's around 80 left in the country (new). I asked what they would do if they ran out and he said he didn't think Nissan would bother getting the newer models out and if they did they would probably be priced at $49k
|
|
|
Post by caroline on Jun 13, 2015 14:56:07 GMT 11
The only time I need a fast charger is when I'm doing the Brisbane run... I've used the veefil at Brisbane bmw in the city... 1/2 hr to 85% ...free parking while I do a spot of James st shopping :-)
|
|
|
Post by caroline on Jun 13, 2015 14:57:39 GMT 11
Though I did have the problem of the charger stopping at 85% so when I returned to my car an hour later thinking it would be at 100% it was still only 85% ... Made it home with 5km left! Had a severe case of range anxiety
|
|
|
Post by Cachexian (Gordon) on Jun 13, 2015 15:22:21 GMT 11
Thanks for all your replies.
Dealer in ACT Lennock motors will probably be able to do a new one with NSW rego for 34880 (plus 650 delivery to Sydney) plus options.
Dealership in Five Dock said they "have never sold one for less than 39990" but I didn't really try to haggle the price because my wife still hasn't driven it and the final decision will rest with her.
We are both going to drive it again in Five Dock tomorrow.
Thanks for the offer Feng. Where is the public charger in Leichhardt? I'm in Haberfield.
|
|
|
Post by Cachexian (Gordon) on Jun 13, 2015 15:22:55 GMT 11
Hi Caroline,
When did the dealer tell you there were 80 left? I got the feeling the other day that there were far fewer than that.
|
|
|
Post by Feng on Jun 13, 2015 15:28:17 GMT 11
Cr12330 said he was told five. Considering they no longer sell it in white I'm inclined to believe it's close to selling out. I hope that's the case, it's been a bit of an elephant in the room kind of thing. Maybe the FTA with Japan and lower production costs mean they can bring another batch in for a lower price? See www.plugshare.com for a list of public chargers, closest to Leichardt is Steve Jarvin in Burwood which is free and open 24/7.
|
|
|
Post by empowerrepower on Jun 13, 2015 15:39:06 GMT 11
My theory is that they would have run out of more than one colour if there were only five left, but whether the eighty is correct, who knows? Nissan has kept the numbers fairly quiet. My concern when they run out is that they may not bring in any more Leafs for several years, and then there will be a total lack of sub-$70K EVs available in the country for interested people to buy. With the EOFY sales on, this would be a good time to bargain.
|
|
|
Post by caroline on Jun 13, 2015 15:59:11 GMT 11
Hi Caroline, When did the dealer tell you there were 80 left? I got the feeling the other day that there were far fewer than that. Yesterday
|
|