The Leaf went back to Nissan yesterday. All gone. I figured the GRMers might be interested in hearing the transition between it and the 27 year old, 300K mile Accord.
Driving the Leaf is amazing. It's ridiculously quiet. This is not as insubstantial as it seems. As a person with mechanical empathy, and a few hours of driving crap-heaps on a roadcourse in Lemons, I am always listening for noises. There is always a rattle, an odd shift, an unexpected burble, or perhaps a squeak or two to store in your brain for later processing. The Leaf just makes a whirring noise. Always. It's eerily peaceful, in a way that's more analogous to stepping into an anechoic chamber than a simple new car versus old car comparison. It's extremely satisfying and relaxing to drive.
Its handling is spirited. It will push like a dump truck when driven hard, but keep it below 5 tenths and it flat out responds. A low center of gravity, decent tires, and modern suspension work together to make it the ideal urban driving instrument.
Range anxiety has never ever been an issue for me. I got very close to being out of range a few times, and had to park it in favor of the minivan on three or four occasions, but the expected panic we're supposed to be incapable of overcoming never happened. Nissan threw in a "turtle" mode which helps you limp about after your battery is dead, which is more than I can say about gasoline engine counterparts.
Regarding the more typical modern car appointments, it was neat having a vehicle with automated A/C, bluetooth, seat heaters (which were dramatically more effective than a typical heater), and utter perfect weatherstripping. I was never uncomfortable in this car. Not once.
Enter the Accord. Cattywampus entered my life wounded and discarded. Through blood and sweat (I don't get emotional fixing stuff) it's back in serviceable condition. Though 27 years old, most everything still works. An odd intermittent EGR issue, strangely defiant cruise control, and a general sense of "well, pretty much any bushing in this thing could stand replacement" combine to make the trip more of an adventure. A five speed with the typical Honda torque curve means that I'm a bit more busy behind the wheel than before. Adding all easily available caster and re-adjusting toe has brought the steering feel into "acceptable" territory. The new 16" wheel/tire combo is pretty decent, and the brakes seem to work relatively well, though being devoid of ABS or serious effort of the rear end.
The rattles, squeaks, rumbles, and extra noises are plentiful. My ears are busy. For now, it's refreshing to know that there is a machine beneath me. When I'm exhausted and just trying to get home in the dark so I can be yelled at for being late and forgetting an errand, this may be less "interesting" and more "tiring".
The interior is a bit on the nasty side, and it doesn't have a radio yet, but it's a car. A real, reliable (so far), car. My kids love it because of the noises (custom 2 1/4" exhaust based on leftover parts from Tunatruck and a turbo muffler). Oddly enough, they loved the Leaf for the lack of noises. Strange.
Oddly enough both face a similar problem. In the first instance, the car wasn't mine. I did as little as possible to it because I had nothing to gain by an increase in resale value or sellability. In this instance, the car is basically worthless. Anything I put into it will never come back out. Poor Cattywampus is the shack on a country road. Nobody wants it anyway, adding money to suit yourself is vanity.
I have a tad under 200 miles on Cattywampus so far. She's been an interesting companion. I am not sure how long I'll keep her around, or how long she'll last, but for now I am enjoying the sharp contrast between the two cars, which were both selected for essentially the exact same job.
