Nissan Leaf

[Telco]

Yah I was kidding, that didn't happen. But I know if a minivan really went for it I'd actually have to floor it to win!

Don't be fooled by those minivans. If there's just the driver there is an excellent power to weight ratio to those suckers. Had a couple of them when my kids were at the right age for me to have one. They have to be able to meet a minimum acceleration while loaded and they carry 7 passengers, so when they are unloaded they go really well. My 96 Pontiac TransPort ran pretty well when loaded, but when it was just me and the extra seats were removed it would fly. Had either a 3.4 or a 3.8 V6, and if I remember correctly 4.56 gears in the transaxle. I swapped it for an extended cab Silverado in 2000. If anyone wanted a strong powerplant for a rear engine project, one of these powertrains would be a good consideration.

 

[Zr0]

Don't be fooled by those minivans. If there's just the driver there is an excellent power to weight ratio to those suckers. Had a couple of them when my kids were at the right age for me to have one. They have to be able to meet a minimum acceleration while loaded and they carry 7 passengers, so when they are unloaded they go really well. My 96 Pontiac TransPort ran pretty well when loaded, but when it was just me and the extra seats were removed it would fly. Had either a 3.4 or a 3.8 V6, and if I remember correctly 4.56 gears in the transaxle. I swapped it for an extended cab Silverado in 2000. If anyone wanted a strong powerplant for a rear engine project, one of these powertrains would be a good consideration.

Believe me I don't underestimate them at all, damn things are geared pretty well and accelerate without really trying.

 

[LS4me]

Hey Pops, we gonna see a pic of this "supposedly" 535 you want us all to believe you bought or not?

Pic or it didn't happen.

I bet it's Silver in color!

OK... Took a few pics this morning.....

 

[stugots]

Must be a weird feeling going from strictly LSs to that.

A three series has been on my radar, but the F10 is amazing.

 

[LS4me]

Must be a weird feeling going from strictly LSs to that.

A three series has been on my radar, but the F10 is amazing.

Sure is. Have had one exclusively since 8/2000!! The learning curve on this is incredible! It drives much better and is much, much tighter than the LS. The LS isn't in the same league as this on build quality. I hardwired in my V1 a couple of days ago and it seems BMW seems to believe why put use a plastic plug when a screw will do!! Other than the 190+ mile round trip to my MIL's house last week I've only driven it about 45 miles locally. I was even able to update the map for $50 plus a USB drive I need to buy.

 

[Telco]

OK... Took a few pics this morning.....
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Your friend has a very nice car. Now show us the Leaf you bought for yourself!!! WE ALL KNOW where your true passion lies, and it lies in the world of the Nissan LEAF!!! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAAAAA!

JK, heh heh... nice looking car. Not my cup of tea because I don't like BMWs, but nice nonethesame. Like the hood lines.

 

[LS4me]

Your friend has a very nice car. Now show us the Leaf you bought for yourself!!! WE ALL KNOW where your true passion lies, and it lies in the world of the Nissan LEAF!!! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAAAAA!

JK, heh heh... nice looking car. Not my cup of tea because I don't like BMWs, but nice nonethesame. Like the hood lines.

THANKS... When my requirements include RWD, no Chrysler, no GM and CPO my choices are limited. The Leaf is in the trunk....

Tesla aside, why do electric/hybrid (affordable) cars have to be so ugly??? The Volt is the best looking of the bunch (aside from the Tesla).

 

[eric_j]

You may never go the top speed, but so far my experience is that cars with top speeds of 150 or 200 feel a lot more stable at 100 than cars with top speeds of 120 do.
I think that the main performance complaint about the Tesla (other than range) is that the handling is a bit compromised by the weight of the batteries and how they are distributed.

You mean low and centered? They're in the best location based on physics. Do you seriously think a higher-mounted fuel tank is better?

Electric cars can be laid out to be much better than infernal combustion cars with far less effort. They're also dramatically simpler and have fewer moving parts...

It doesn't mean I don't enjoy my fossil burners, but I'm realistic. If I could convert mine to electric with the same performance at a reasonable cost, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Okay, maybe I'd leave one because manual transmissions are fun.

 

[eric_j]

Tesla aside, why do electric/hybrid (affordable) cars have to be so ugly??? The Volt is the best looking of the bunch (aside from the Tesla).

Aerodynamics/Efficiency. Since their ranges are already low and the manufacturers are aiming for maximum green cred, most electric and hybrid cars are designed to reduce drag (from the tires and body).

 

[joegr]

You mean low and centered? ...

Low is good.
In the center of the car, not so much. It makes the handling very different. In any event, the problem is that the batteries are so very heavy. When they were using the same body as a gasoline car, the gasoline car could way out handle the electric one, just because of the weight and where it was.

 

[Zr0]

You mean low and centered? They're in the best location based on physics. Do you seriously think a higher-mounted fuel tank is better?

Electric cars can be laid out to be much better than infernal combustion cars with far less effort. They're also dramatically simpler and have fewer moving parts...

It doesn't mean I don't enjoy my fossil burners, but I'm realistic. If I could convert mine to electric with the same performance at a reasonable cost, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Okay, maybe I'd leave one because manual transmissions are fun.

I'm pretty sure he means the overall weight of the vehicle, the Tesla weighs in over 4.5k pounds.

 

[eots44]

I have to agree, I think the ads vary by what you look at online. All my ads are cars.com ones, Cadillac dealerships, occasionally cruise line ads, Love cruising!!! Probably my second passion next to cars!

 

[eric_j]

I'm pretty sure he means the overall weight of the vehicle, the Tesla weighs in over 4.5k pounds.

Ahh, clearly TNSTAAFL. So the thing to watch out for in used ones, aside from battery life, will be the suspension.

Sprung weight usually makes a car ride better, though, so they do have that going for them.

 

[Telco]

Tesla aside, why do electric/hybrid (affordable) cars have to be so ugly??? The Volt is the best looking of the bunch (aside from the Tesla).

That one is simple enough to answer. The OEMs have a huge vested interest in the internal combustion engine, and do not want to invest the money to change. They also know that external appearance is very important to buyers. So, they make the car ugly, handle poorly, have low range and high recharge times and know sales will be low. When later asked why they don't make more electric cars, well hey we made them and nobody wanted them so it's the fault of our customers that we don't make them. They write off the losses, shelve the technology for future consideration, and keep on making IC powered cars.

Tesla, on the other hand, has a vested interest in seeing the electric car successful. So, they make them very attractive with a decent range, and are working on making it faster to recharge.

What I'd like to see the OEMs do is a serial hybrid with no connection between the IC engine and the rear wheels. I won't go into the long explanation but they could make cars that run better than today's cars while getting 3 figures in mileage.

 

[LS4me]

Seems like the place to put this.......

Had occasion to visit BMW service today. I haven't been to Lincoln service, but from what I've seen there is no comparison. I drive up indoors and am promptly greeted by a 20-something young thing (there are at least 4 of them!!). She asks me if I have an appointment, which I didn't. She said I could wait for an SA or make an appointment and return. I decided to wait the quoted time and sure enough, the SA talked to me within the time. We discussed my concern and I scheduled an appointment for Thursday. Apparently they need an appointment so they have a loaner car available. The waiting area was very, very nice. Again, I haven't been to a Lincoln service dept. so I don't know hoe the "new" Lincoln has changed. They were very, very attentive and addressed my concern with a "the customer is always right/first" attitude.

I'm going to like owning this car.....

 

[joegr]

I think that the BMW service experience is pretty consistent. You will love them for warranty work. You'll hate to be paying for all that for non-warranty.

The Lincoln experience has, for me, been pretty inconsistent. Some dealers are pretty much just Ford dealers that may offer you a free soft drink. Others are pretty good. The one I use gives out a loaner if it will take more than a day. If less than a day, they drop you off where you want to go and then pick you up when you and the car are ready. They often use a limo for this.

 

[eots44]

Still to this day I think the service at the Cadillac Dealership 10 years ago was much better then the service I get with my Tahoe at the Chevy Dealership now. It's not that it's bad, but there aren't any free snacks or dinks other then water and coffee, and the waiting area has this train station/bus station feel to it and always seems to have too many people in it, not exactly the place I'd like to spend an hour sitting. I end up looking at the cars on the lot though most of the time lol. At the Cadillac Dealership you drove into an indoor waiting area, much like you did, and were greeted by 40-60 year old men. The waiting are was quite nice, about the size of a bedroom, and was an actual room with a door, so it didn't feel like you just shoved in the corner. There was always free things to eat and drink, ice tea, lemonade, soda, donuts, etc. I hate to sound snobbish, but the other costumers always seemed more warm and friendly at the Caddy dealership, it was very easy to strike up conversation and they usually shared the same interest in their cars, and car in general, as I do. At the Chevy dealership, most people just sit there and glare straight ahead. A lot of the time it's a lot of people who don't care what they drive and don't care about cars, and just want to get in and then out as soon as possible.