diy solar

diy solar

Totaled My Leaf - Should I buy it for the battery/home storage?

When my used 2015 was totaled I moved up to a new 2019. Wow, did Nissan ever make some nice changes. More than twice the range, much better ride quality, interior sound insulation was better and the driver safety additions sure are nice.

The incentives at the time (not just Nissan) were excellent. I'm still paying on it, but I'm not in any hurry to pay off the 0% loan.
 
Just to tie this up (for now), I ended up buying it back. Because of the way my state does salvage titles, I don't even have to apply for a salvage title since the car is more than 7 years old. I just keep the one I have. Go figure that one out.

If I did decide to fix it and drive it again, my insurance company will re-insure it, just for liability only. No comp or collision. Actually, they will keep it insured liability only now if I want and not even stop the policy. Weird.

That being said I'm not 100% on what to do with it yet, but it's not costing anything in the meantime. I do have a 15 year old that will soon get his permit. That may be a good first car for him (in my mind, I'm sure he would disagree). Who knows.

For me, I'm looking at a Bolt to replace it. Started looking used, but the incentives on those are insane right now. May be too good to pass up.

Thanks to all for your input. That helped quite a bit.

Jon
 
Best first car is the one you overhaul yourself (and buy yourself).
That gives understanding of how it works, respect for the equipment, and an interest in not damaging it.
When it comes to engines and transmissions, imagine getting to handle and assemble those parts, before operating them.

You could at least have him do the body repairs to "earn" the car.
 
Just to tie this up (for now), I ended up buying it back. Because of the way my state does salvage titles, I don't even have to apply for a salvage title since the car is more than 7 years old. I just keep the one I have. Go figure that one out.

If I did decide to fix it and drive it again, my insurance company will re-insure it, just for liability only. No comp or collision. Actually, they will keep it insured liability only now if I want and not even stop the policy. Weird.

That being said I'm not 100% on what to do with it yet, but it's not costing anything in the meantime. I do have a 15 year old that will soon get his permit. That may be a good first car for him (in my mind, I'm sure he would disagree). Who knows.

For me, I'm looking at a Bolt to replace it. Started looking used, but the incentives on those are insane right now. May be too good to pass up.

Thanks to all for your input. That helped quite a bit.

Jon
I’ve been eyeing the Bolt but thinking about getting one used as the first generation start coming off of their leases. What incentives are they offering on new Bolt’s right now?

On your totaled Leaf, if you can make it drivable again without going off the deep end, that’s probably the most sensible next step. The battery will always be there to play with and in the meantime, you may want to do more research about the differences between LiFePO4 and Li-ion...
 
The Bolt I just had quoted today from Donohoo Chevrolet in AL was a pretty well equipped 2021 LT. MSRP was $39,790. Out the door with all fees and taxes was $20,585. That is with all applicable GM incentives, $3K from Costco if you were a member since at least March 1, 2021, and first responder rebate (just $400). Donohoo is widely recommended in multiple Bolt forums and appears to be a true no BS, no upsell dealer that makes their money on large selling volumes. My experience so far has been as described and they to deals out of state (I'm in Indiana, $500 more to ship the car if we don't drive down to get it). 2017 Bolts locally are running $15K to $17K depending on trim with around 25K miles. That plus they are part of the current stop sale recall on the battery so there is some uncertainty there. Once GM gets the fix out for them (rumored to be April), the used market prices should drop a good deal as the market is glutted with them and all the current Bolt owners doing buybacks.

Good point on the Leaf and the suggestion to make that his "earn it" project car.
 
The Bolt I just had quoted today from Donohoo Chevrolet in AL was a pretty well equipped 2021 LT. MSRP was $39,790. Out the door with all fees and taxes was $20,585. That is with all applicable GM incentives, $3K from Costco if you were a member since at least March 1, 2021, and first responder rebate (just $400). Donohoo is widely recommended in multiple Bolt forums and appears to be a true no BS, no upsell dealer that makes their money on large selling volumes. My experience so far has been as described and they to deals out of state (I'm in Indiana, $500 more to ship the car if we don't drive down to get it). 2017 Bolts locally are running $15K to $17K depending on trim with around 25K miles. That plus they are part of the current stop sale recall on the battery so there is some uncertainty there. Once GM gets the fix out for them (rumored to be April), the used market prices should drop a good deal as the market is glutted with them and all the current Bolt owners doing buybacks.

Good point on the Leaf and the suggestion to make that his "earn it" project car.
Wow, $20K for a new Bolt is starting to get pretty tempting.

Used 2017 Leafs can be found here in CA for under half that but between the ~40% (100mi) driving range and the fact that it’s now 4-year-old technology, I may start raising my sights.

I don’t drive enough these days to justify a new car, but I do like my toys...
 
I don’t drive enough these days to justify a new car, but I do like my toys...

Every time I do the math, just continuing to buy gasoline is cheaper than an alternative vehicle, regardless of how little it costs to operate.
Not paying sales tax and registration on new vehicle is icing on the cake.

Even when I spend $800 one year to do top-end overhaul, and another year to overhaul transmission, that breaks even in 6 months just considering what my subsidy payments to the government would otherwise have been.

Oh, on the solar topic, at least for the time being value of PV system is not added to property assessment in California. Glad I'm not paying 1.2% per year plus 2% increase every year on the six figure (before rebates) cost of my original installation.
Increases resale value? If so, increases lifetime property taxes.
 
Every time I do the math, just continuing to buy gasoline is cheaper than an alternative vehicle, regardless of how little it costs to operate.
Not paying sales tax and registration on new vehicle is icing on the cake.

Even when I spend $800 one year to do top-end overhaul, and another year to overhaul transmission, that breaks even in 6 months just considering what my subsidy payments to the government would otherwise have been.

Yeah, I’ll never have a cheaper car to drive than the gas vehicle I have now, but eventually it’s going to give out (at 12 years now).

Plus, if I never get an EV, I’ll lose any excuse to be adding more solar on the roof ;).

Oh, on the solar topic, at least for the time being value of PV system is not added to property assessment in California. Glad I'm not paying 1.2% per year plus 2% increase every year on the six figure (before rebates) cost of my original installation.
Increases resale value? If so, increases lifetime property taxes.
Six figures, Ouch!

You must use a lot of A/C and have a pretty large array.

I put a 4kW array in in 2016 for under $5K all-in (not including the effort I put into installation, but I had quotes on that job from pros for under $5K).

I’d be 100% paid-off this year if it weren’t for the change regarding non-recoverable ‘network access fees’ (and now the new TOU changes).

It’s truly astounding how much cheaper solar technology is getting every year.

I paid over $240 for 335W panels 5 years ago ($0.72/W) and just picked up 3 380W panels for $148 each ($0.39/W).

The remaining parts of the system have not decreased nearly as much, but having panels drop to the point of no longer dominating the cost of a solar system changes the math (including calculations regarding shade, for example).

By 2023, I’m guessing I’ll be able to buy 450W panels for under $140 ($0.31/W)...
 
Dollars are bigger in Silicon Valley, so imported goods like PV and inverters are a smaller percentage of our living expenses.
But I did go overboard.

17 years ago, I thought energy costs would go up considerably, taking PV panels with them (silicon, aluminum refining). We had 50% rebates and were allowed 200% of consumption. I paid $4 to $5/watt for PV panels and $0.80/watt for GT inverters. $100k for 12.5 kW, less $50k rebate. I think that has worked to about $0.20/kWh through today.

It wasn't until the last round of 3 installation I did that the terms specified not uprooting equipment and taking it elsewhere. Thought I would buy a second home in Hawaii and take half there.

I recently paid $0.35/watt for SunPower panels, can add 50% capacity within same area (no extra rack costs). Plan to re-orient for same peak production but more hours. First time, I aimed at 2:00 PM sun to get peak time of use credit. Peak is late afternoon now, so 2:00 PM and 10:00 AM are both off-peak. Just giving them more kWh in the morning should help offset peak rates in the evening. Replacement GT inverters (compatible with my battery backup) cost $0.10/watt

Yes, panels are cheap enough that I favor over-paneling to get away with smaller batteries, and to avoid being a power consumer. I think it was GXMnow who said that because utility rates were higher with net metering, his dollar savings isn't as much as you would expect from the percentage of power generated. With PV panels costing me $0.025/kWh (amortized over 10 years), I would give the utility extra power rather than buying some from them.
 
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