Nissan Leaf for Teenager

carj · Feb 12, 2016

We are starting to consider car options for kids. Our oldest is 15 and our younger one is 12. They are two and a half years apart.
We have been considering a used Nissan Leaf and I was wanting to get opinions.
Our thought was the older one would drive it until college and then hopefully pass it down to his sister if it didn't meet his needs for distances in college. At that point, we would get something different for him.
I drive a 2009 Highlander and we were originally planning to pass that down but now we are having second thoughts. (We are thinking he doesn't need room for six passengers.) My husband has a company car so that's out.
The other option that we are considering is either a used Toyota Corolla or Camry. Our budget is $7,000-10,000 and we would not finance it.
I would appreciate any input, especially from current and former owners. He is on the golf team so he will need to carry his clubs 3-4 days a week, plus his trombone for band.

sksjasams · Feb 12, 2016

carj said:
We are starting to consider car options for kids. Our oldest is 15 and our younger one is 12. They are two and a half years apart.
We have been considering a used Nissan Leaf and I was wanting to get opinions.
Our thought was the older one would drive it until college and then hopefully pass it down to his sister if it didn't meet his needs for distances in college. At that point, we would get something different for him.
I drive a 2009 Highlander and we were originally planning to pass that down but now we are having second thoughts. (We are thinking he doesn't need room for six passengers.) My husband has a company car so that's out.
The other option that we are considering is either a used Toyota Corolla or Camry. Our budget is $7,000-10,000 and we would not finance it.
I would appreciate any input, especially from current and former owners. He is on the golf team so he will need to carry his clubs 3-4 days a week, plus his trombone for band.

Have you checked the safety ratings on your choices?

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings

I didn't look any of those cars up, but a big SUV sounds safer to me than a small compact. Likewise, I would think the Camry is safer than the Corolla.

kymom99 · Feb 12, 2016

My son is 16 and drives a 2002 buick, :teeth:

but I have a Nissan Altima. It is a 2012 with nearly 80k on it. I have not had one bit of trouble with it. Ever. I am sold on Nissan now.

carj · Feb 12, 2016

Thanks for that link. It looks like the 2011, 2012,2013 models for the Leaf all had good ratings. (These are the years we would be looking at, based on price.)
The 2016 had a poor rating for "small overlap front". It looks like they didn't evaluate that in the earlier models so that may be an issue for the earlier models too.

carj · Feb 12, 2016

kymom99 said:
My son is 16 and drives a 2002 buick, but I have a Nissan Altima. It is a 2012 with nearly 80k on it. I have not had one bit of trouble with it. Ever. I am sold on Nissan now.

Thanks!

adudeinblue · Feb 12, 2016

Don't do it. Had 2 seperate college friends who got one new. Resell value is terrible. And the mechanical and electrical repairs were too expensive.

a742246 · Feb 12, 2016

The Prius is a great car you may want to look into that. I have a 2010 with 169,000 miles no problems what so ever. No trans oil or radiator fluid to change, no serpentine belt to replace. Brakes last for 80,000+ miles, oil changes every 10,000 miles.

Tay N Evie's Mom · Feb 12, 2016

If you are considering a Toyota Corolla, also consider a Honda Civic. DH family has always loved Hondas and they are long lasting cars. We bought one for DS AND DD (twins) last year with 95,000 miles. DS will take it to college in the fall and we figure it will last through college with regular upkeep.

Gumbo4x4 · Feb 12, 2016

We chose DD's car based on our own needs. DW drives a full-size crossover & I have a truck. So, compact 4-cylinder became car #3. We've already put 30,000 miles on it & DD doesn't even have her permit yet LOL She's been warned that its only "her" car when Mom & Dad don't need it

Narnia_girl · Feb 12, 2016

If you can get ahold of the April issue of Consumer Reports they always list used cars to avoid AND good used cars to buy within your price range. The 2016 will come out soon (April issue). I just did a quick glance of the 2015 issue which we have in our home and the Leaf is not on the recommended list, but it's also not on the "to avoid" list.
As far as your size comparisons, I have a Toyota Camry and I can fit my daughter's cello (in a hard case) in the trunk if I fold down one side of the rear seat. I think golf clubs and a trombone would fit easily.

carj · Feb 12, 2016

adudeinblue said:
Don't do it. Had 2 seperate college friends who got one new. Resell value is terrible. And the mechanical and electrical repairs were too expensive.

Thanks for the input. I really want to hear the good and bad. My husband has a friend who has had one for a several years and loved it so much they got a second one.
In the past, I had a mini-van that was nothing but trouble so I definitely want to avoid that! I don't want to deal with something that is constantly in the shop. That's too much hassle!

carj · Feb 12, 2016

a742246 said:
The Prius is a great car you may want to look into that. I have a 2010 with 169,000 miles no problems what so ever. No trans oil or radiator fluid to change, no serpentine belt to replace. Brakes last for 80,000+ miles, oil changes every 10,000 miles.

I think a Hybrid sounds great! We will look into that more.

carj · Feb 12, 2016

Tay N Evie's Mom said:
If you are considering a Toyota Corolla, also consider a Honda Civic. DH family has always loved Hondas and they are long lasting cars. We bought one for DS AND DD (twins) last year with 95,000 miles. DS will take it to college in the fall and we figure it will last through college with regular upkeep.

The Civic is on our list also. I think that would be a good size and very reliable.

carj · Feb 12, 2016

Narnia_girl said:
If you can get ahold of the April issue of Consumer Reports they always list used cars to avoid AND good used cars to buy within your price range. The 2016 will come out soon (April issue). I just did a quick glance of the 2015 issue which we have in our home and the Leaf is not on the recommended list, but it's also not on the "to avoid" list.
As far as your size comparisons, I have a Toyota Camry and I can fit my daughter's cello (in a hard case) in the trunk if I fold down one side of the rear seat. I think golf clubs and a trombone would fit easily.

Thanks! We used to have a Corolla and it was very basic but very reliable. We considered the Camry because it was a little larger. (Of course, I think the Leaf is even smaller!)

Gumbo4x4 · Feb 12, 2016

Narnia_girl said:
If you can get ahold of the April issue of Consumer Reports they always list used cars to avoid AND good used cars to buy within your price range. The 2016 will come out soon (April issue). I just did a quick glance of the 2015 issue which we have in our home and the Leaf is not on the recommended list, but it's also not on the "to avoid" list.
As far as your size comparisons, I have a Toyota Camry and I can fit my daughter's cello (in a hard case) in the trunk if I fold down one side of the rear seat. I think golf clubs and a trombone would fit easily.

My parents bought a Camry specifically because it was the only midsize that would fit their golf clubs sideways in the trunk. Oddly enough, the Camry's trunk doesn't have any more cubic feet of space than any other mid-size, and is only equal to some compacts. But, it's the widest one & that's what they needed.

ldo · Feb 12, 2016

I bought a base model Hyundai elantra based upon getting the cheapest/safest/good warranty/cool looking new vehicle for DD16. I got the dreaded call last month-DD (now 18) was in a serious accident--weird traffic issue on the interstate and she rear ended another suddenly stopped vehicle at 40 MPH. Everyone walked away from the accident. The front was crushed in and her car was totaled. It did its job and saved her life. So, you might consider the Hyundai to compare against corolla. It has a big trunk for a small car.

MommaBerd · Feb 13, 2016

We bought a Leaf back in June. We originally were looking at it for DS. But, he needed to commute from the 'burbs to Atlanta for a couple of classes. So, instead, we handed down our Elantra, and DH uses the Leaf - and he LOVES it. And, it's zippy so it's fun to drive!

Where you live can make a big difference with the Leaf. If you live in the cold weather climate, the heater drains the battery rather quickly. Also, stop-and-go traffic can eat the battery life. Space-wise, the trunk is spacious and you can always lay the seat down. You would really need to have the special outlet (220? 240?) installed for efficient charging. Would you have a place for that? It isn't required, but definitely makes life easier with the Leaf.

The Elantra is also a *great* car. Fantastic gas mileage, safe, kinda sporty. I would highly recommend the Elantra, too.

tikilyn · Feb 13, 2016

We bought our daughter a 2015 base model nissan versa brand new for 12000.00. Shes just now getting her permit so won't be driving it until December this year. Dh is driving it to work right now. It's super cheap on gas too!

austinsmommie · Feb 13, 2016

ldo said:
I bought a base model Hyundai elantra based upon getting the cheapest/safest/good warranty/cool looking new vehicle for DD16. I got the dreaded call last month-DD (now 18) was in a serious accident--weird traffic issue on the interstate and she rear ended another suddenly stopped vehicle at 40 MPH. Everyone walked away from the accident. The front was crushed in and her car was totaled. It did its job and saved her life. So, you might consider the Hyundai to compare against corolla. It has a big trunk for a small car.

My husband just traded in his Elantra. He drove it for 10 years and it had almost 200,000 miles on it. It never needed any repairs other than "normal" repairs. It was a great car. We only got rid of it because it needed new tires and brakes which cost close to what the car was worth. He fit my sons hockey goalie bag and goalie pads in it.

DLgal · Feb 13, 2016

Look into the Honda Fit. It's a great little car. DH has one that just passed the 100k mile mark and we haven't paid for anything other than scheduled maintenance. Gets great gas mileage too and is super roomy inside for cargo when you play with the different seat folding options (all down, half down, all UP, half up, etc. You can literally fit a llama standing up in the back. Seriously. It is the prefect car for a teenager.

Nissan Leaf for Teenager

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