Shitty! Sorry to hear about that. 

Sorry to hear, pyro.

Tsx wagons are auto only, iirc... You cool with that?

Given that used leafs are like $7k, I would consider running one of those as the commuter and let your imagination run wild for a weekend car. I test drove a leaf and it wasnt bad, not fun bit enjoyable in its own right. Fairly roomy, and quiet. In the electric world, I would rather have a Volt for versatility and looks but just cant ignore the ridiculous resale of the Leaf.

Brown Venza. All I needed to see...

Sorry to hear, man...

snowphun wrote:

Looks fixable, especially if the rad stayed together. Hopefully the t belt didn't get compromised, easy enough to check.  Insurance may write it off, I hope it doesn't get scraped.

Why would the radiator matter?  That's not an expensive part really.

I stopped carrying collision on this car about 18 months ago.  With a replacement value of 2500-3000 paying for the increased cost of insurance wasn't worth it.


At the moment, I think I'm going to look at a 2014 Leaf this weekend, which I would keep until I could get Tesla 3.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory … =169957574

V60 AWD is very tempting:

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory … =167899284

Your car was an Aero...

I'll sell ya my ST 

@ sandwiches

I'll eat a sandwich tonight in honor of our fallen Saab breathren this week 

racerjim wrote:

Pyromancy5 wrote:

Why would the radiator matter?  That's not an expensive part really.

My car looked like that after I hit a deer back in the day.  The upper radiator support is a Saab-unique piece, and it was tough to get even in 2006.  Yours is toast.

Fuck.  Thanks for letting me know.  I'll probably only get a couple hundred from scrapping it. 

Pyromancy5 wrote:

Tempt me with an offer and we can eat a big ol' sandwich I come to pick it up.

Hmmm I haven't really looked into it but I think somewhere in the 17-18 range.

ikbrown wrote:

Also, if I went that direction I would really be forced to do a 4-speed swap in the Charger so I wouldn't lose my sanity being forced to only drive automatics. 

ikbrown wrote:

Pyromancy5 wrote:

Nissan Leaf - boring but electric and cheap... free "gas" at work is hard to pass up.

I have legit been thinking about an electric as a replacement for the Saabaru when the time comes for me to move on. While the Volt makes sense for just about any driver looking for a sensible commuter, the Leaf fits a very tight use case given the range limitation and battery degradation present in those cars. The Leaf doesn't have a liquid-cooled battery pack and from what I've read that has led to a faster rate of battery degradation than in electrics with a liquid-cooled battery. Given that, you would have to be OK with a car that can take you probably 70 miles (ish) on a good day. For example, my commute is 24 miles round trip so I could get away with one but not everyone has that same scenario. Granted though, they are pretty darn cheap because of this issue.

If I do go that direction, at the moment I'm leaning towards a used 2015 Volt once those come up for sale more... but I'd be interested to see what the used market for the Bolt looks like and how those hold up. Also, if I went that direction I would really be forced to do a 4-speed swap in the Charger so I wouldn't lose my sanity being forced to only drive automatics. 

Yeah, you can really find great deals on Leafs, but I'd prefer a Volt for just about any other reason.  I wouldn't discourage anyone from driving electric regardless of what car they choose.
I definitely enjoy having a stick shift fun car waiting for me when the urge arises, but you would be surprised how much fun EV's can be to drive.

ikbrown wrote:

cjaama wrote:

Yeah, you can really find great deals on Leafs, but I'd prefer a Volt for just about any other reason.  I wouldn't discourage anyone from driving electric regardless of what car they choose.
I definitely enjoy having a stick shift fun car waiting for me when the urge arises, but you would be surprised how much fun EV's can be to drive.

Yea, if I were to get a Leaf or similar lower range electric it would be good for saving on my commute but it would really be limited to that. With a Volt, the extended range could mean that my wife and I could use that for other trips instead of the Forester and save there as well. The prices for used first gen Volts seems reasonable as well - I'm interested to see how the market for these used EVs/Plug-in-Hybrids continues to change.

Pyromancy, looks like per Insta you bought a Leaf? Thoughts on it?

You are correct, sir!  I pulled the trigger on a 2014 Leaf with 35k miles on it.  paid 10,900 for  SL is the highest trim level with Bose sound, black leather interior,17" alloy wheels (that aren't as hideous as many electric/ hybrid rims) heated steering wheel and heated f/r seats.   Dealer is going to fix the rear bumper (scuffs through the paint), update the TCU from 2g to 3g network so I can get charging updates and pre-heat my car from an app.

Yesterday I ran a line and wired a 220v outlet in the garage.  I had an open slot in my breaker box, so all I had to do was change out 2 unused 20 amp breakers for a 40.  The level 2 charging station should get me from 20% to full in under 3 hours.

In town it's fun and quick.  I will miss the third pedal, but having 186ft/lb of torque from 0mph is pretty fun too.  Its a bit doggish on the interstate, but there are worse things in life than having the same high speed acceleration as a Corolla.

I have free charging at work and the city hall near my house has a rapid charger that is also free (30 minute fill up), also is next to my grocery store, so super convenient there too.

I will miss the larger cargo space and AWD of the saabaru.  It was a great car.  RIP.  if anyone wants to buy it, let me know.



On the 110v trickle charger


This oxidized aluminum cover is not the motor cover, but the big-ass inverter it uses when charging (unless you have a DC rapid charger). http://articles.sae.org/11993/

Last edited by Pyromancy5 (2017-04-03 13:13:09)