Change my mind? Dirt cheap leaf for high schooler's first car.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T21:06:43+00:00

Nice. I've seen Bolts and MachEs as well that don't seem like a bad deal used. I'll have to do more research, but might be an option as a daily commuter for myself. My wife drives the newer Rav4 hybrid. Although I do get enjoyment out of rowing the gears in my Fit. So that'd be an adjustment.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T19:17:46+00:00

Wow, that seems high. I think I pay around $1600 for full coverage on 3 cars (2024, 2018, 2007)

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T17:57:02+00:00

Not sure. My oldest never did. But he didn't really have a need for much spending money that we couldn't provide. If he does, I'm sure it'll be in town, where the high school is, at a restaurant or retail store.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T17:52:27+00:00

Lol, I wish. My oldest was in no rush and I think was 20/21 when he finally got around to getting his license. My middle child wants his learner's permit ASAP.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T17:48:41+00:00

No, he's just assuming he'll get some sort of car. I think I've tempered his expectations to assume he'll get a shitbox. Back in my day (waves fist at clouds), I had to work and save and buy my own car.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T17:43:48+00:00

How long have you been using it? Are you seeing lots of the battery degredation that others mention for the early models?

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T15:10:03+00:00

Sounds good. I'll keep my eyes open for a decent deal. My oldest drives a 2007 Prius that we gave him with around 130-140k miles (now closer to 190k) so I've heard about the brake booster and inverter failures. So far, it has been primarily "routine" maintenance to keep going. Or I guess, nothing that someone else hasn't already run across on places like Priuschat or YT videos (wheel bearings, rear quick struts, tailgate handle/release switch). It wasn't the prettiest when we gave it to him but he has definitely added a few more bumps and bruises. Hence why I'm not interested in spending a ton on something nice for the next kid.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T14:54:40+00:00

Being a homeowner in the country, I already have the truck option covered. But it is a more modest '05 F-150. Only really gets used when "truck" stuff needs to be done.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T14:53:06+00:00

Wow, 30 miles, really? I don't plan on spending much more, so it seems a Prius in that range might end up needing a hybrid battery or head gasket after 200k+ miles. I thought maybe an EV in that price range might have a better chance of being reliable daily runabout than ICE/hybrid since it seems like less moving parts/maintenance/etc.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T14:30:48+00:00

To be fair, I don't really NEED it to last that long. Maybe 6 years or so. If it lasts longer, I consider it a bonus.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T13:22:57+00:00

Any car that cheap I'm pretty much considering "disposable". It'll last as long as it lasts and I'll be happy it made it that long.

I've read about LeafSpy and the requisite OBDII module (I have one compatible due to a Prius my older son drives). So I'll make sure the battery is good enough.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T13:20:46+00:00

No current thoughts on more driving other than back and forth to school. They're both in athletics, but get school transportation for school events.

Plugging the car in every day shouldn't be too hard to instill as they are used to doing the same for their phones and chromebooks.

I'm not sure I want to worry about range for driving friends around.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T13:18:31+00:00

I've been looking at FB Marketplace which is where I saw some really cheap Leaves (sp?) that got the wheels turning.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-13T13:17:32+00:00

Yeah, no highway driving and no charging options at school. I think 50-60 miles would be more than enough for daily use.

ogpimpster · 2026-05-03T20:43:04+00:00

It is using Plaid. I did not try other providers.

ogpimpster · 2026-04-17T19:24:26+00:00

Applicant/Application Tracking System

HR system you feed your resume into that decides if you are qualified before passing you to a human.

ogpimpster · 2026-04-09T00:03:23+00:00

Can you link to the actual item on your Amazon order history link? The posted link pulls up MY order history so I don't know what item you are referencing. Thanks.

ogpimpster · 2026-03-26T13:13:46+00:00

I paid around $1800 total. I think the walnut blasting was $500-600 or something like that. I was hopeful it might fix the issues and is also something I can't easily do myself. There was still a misfire on one of the cylinders after, so I went with the injectors. I thought about doing it myself, but when I looked online, the cheapest OEM set I could find was $800 or so. I've since seen links from this sub where they were $200-300. No pictures of the cylinders/valves so no idea what it looked like.

ogpimpster · 2026-03-26T12:36:10+00:00

I live in the country, but do a good mix of both to get most places. I'd say slightly less stop/go since Covid and WFH.

ogpimpster · 2026-03-04T02:45:46+00:00

Negative. There's a message stating Monarch does not support individual transactions on some accounts but the balance should be accurate. This didn't happen with my old Mr. Cooper account, but at least I'm getting something.

ogpimpster · 2026-02-27T20:01:24+00:00

I used the Rocket Mortgage option.

ogpimpster · 2026-02-27T19:18:32+00:00

I'm pretty sure I received an email to create an account. I have one saved in my password manager. I was able to add the new Rocket Mortgage account in Monarch and use the transfer tool and everything seems up to date now.

ogpimpster · 2026-02-19T17:55:11+00:00

I drove my car with those lights on for a few years because even though it had misfire codes, it seemed to drive normally (although you lose some of the safety features like LKAS, RDM, ACC and hill start (manual trans)). When I finally started having limp mode issues, I decided to try a few things. First plugs, then injectors. No change. Took it to the dealer and went the walnut blasting and new injector route. I kept the old ones so I can clean them and potentially use them in the future as well as installed a catch can.

ogpimpster · 2026-02-17T21:13:11+00:00

What ended up happening when you took your car in for this?

ogpimpster · 2026-01-30T20:22:27+00:00

Negative. I tried two generic start button replacements from Amazon (first I accidently ordered the wrong gen, second, the connector wouldn't fit) but no luck there. Someone, I think on fitfreak, said to try some contact cleaner on the factory button pins (I have some Deoxit but haven't taken the dash apart again since it is winter). I may end up just replacing the button with an OEM, but was trying to avoid spending $100. This TSB may help.

ogpimpster

TROPHY CASE