nice car but wouldn't that be a LOT more expensive than a leaf?

what Och's looking for is an enclosed golf cart.

 

At least its not an enclosed weed wacker.

 

The deal fell through...

They told me they cant get the car for at least another three months, and maybe even more. I had to cancel the order b/c I needed a car before fall. I bought myself a Mazda 3 touring instead.

 

That's a safety feature for pedestrian to hear you in the parking lot. One of our neighbors has one. It is uglier than the juke Imo.

 

Lack of availability seems strange. I checked the website of one local (Seattle) Nissan store and found nine Leafs (Leaves?) available. They are everywhere around the city.

 

Congrats on the new car. Very cool. And you were clowning my beautiful 2013 Sienna limited while driving that ugly black commercial van ??? LOL.

Sorry bro. It was too easy. Congrats again. What color are you going to go with ??

 

Yea, they have them in stock in philly and nj. I also see them everywhere along with the Tesla. I guess the market or maybe infrastructure in NYC really is that different. Congrats on the Mazda though! 40mpg hwy isn't bad either.

 

I have no idea, but my local dealership just couldn't find one for me, apparently they are a pain in the *** to get here in NYC. They tried to talk me into getting another Nissan, but I took my deposit back and got the little Mazda.

 

There are about a million different Nissan dealers in the NYC metropolitan area, why would you just go to "1" dealer and take their word for it?
The fact that they tried to sell you another Nissan vehicle should tell you something
They clearly didn't want to sell you a Leaf. I would have at least contacted another dealer and/or called corporate and made some kind of complaint. Them suggesting to you that Leafs are "a pain in the *** to get here" or that it will take "at least 3 months to get" when we live in the biggest city in the US is laughable...

 

You're maybe right, but they already had my deposit, so I was kind of stuck with them. Took about one and a half weeks to even get the deposit back - they kept trying to get me into another Nissan, and at this point I needed a car pretty urgently, so I just went with the inexpensive and practical Mazda.

I'm still not giving up on the idea of electric. Hopefully in a couple of years the Fiat 500e, which appeals to me far more than the Leaf, is going to be available in NYC, so I can get that. I also have 2500 sq/ft of flat roof at my shop, and when I do get an electric, I might go with solar batteries on the roof and use them to charge the car.

 

Congrats, Och! I think you'll be a lot happier with the Mazda, although you have an almost ideal application for an EV there in New York, without a dealer willing to give you even minimal support, ownership could have turned out to be a nightmare. I understand your disappointment, but you probably dodged a big bullet with your Nissan dealer's name written all over it.

 

Thats what it boils down to ultimately, I probably went with the wrong dealer to begin with. Should've found a dealer that was actually interested in selling me the Leaf.

 

Congratulations on the Mazda3.

No, it probably won't be as cheap to run as the Leaf (or have the tax-credits), but at least you won't be range and time-limited by the need for constant recharges. And the 3 has a good reputation for both reliability and driving-dynamics....you'll appreciate its handling, for example, mush more than, say, in a Corolla.

Did you get a decent settlement from your insurance company on the vehicles you lost during Sandy (I remember we discussed some of your options back then)...or did they try and hide behind a no-flood clause?

From what I understand at Nissan shops, very few, if any, actually stock the Leaf......most, if not all, are special-ordered.

 

I like it so far. Its nothing to be excited about, and its a little cramped, but it drives well and literally sips fuel. Ideally I would have loved something sporty, like a 135is, S2000, another 335 coupe or even a Boxter than you've recently reviewed, but at this time that would put too much stress on my finances.

Speaking of sporty, while at the Mazda dealership I checked out a nicely loaded Miata. I almost got that instead of the 3, but my wife and sales people talked me out of it. They couldn't even believe I was able to fit into it to begin with. It is very cramped inside for someone my size, but it begs to be driven!

My insurance company (Allstate) did right by me. Got paid promptly for both cars, very fair settlement on both cars, so no complains here. Still miss my Lexus though.

 

Did the E350 end up having any electrical problems as a result of the storm?

And yeah, that noise maker is a safety feature. I almost got mowed down by an old lady in a Prius while I was loading groceries into my car at Wal-mart once. Part of the reason that I'm now constantly checking my surroundings no matter where I am.