2013/2014 Nissan Leaf Lease Information

[carolle]

I just started to look at this thread. I'm considering 2-yr lease of 2013 Leaf S or SV model. This is my first leasing experience, so I need to do many study.

I'm in SF Bay Area/San Jose, only commuting 12 miles/day. I've seen a number of leasing deals in San Jose area in this thread. And, I also searched a couple of dealer web sites in San Jose that have plenty of Leaf stocks.

What would be a good target for leasing of 2 years?

(1) SV + Premium (or LED+QC option): around total $7000?
(1) SV (w/o any additional packages): total $6000?
(2) S Base: total $4500?

Does it make any sense?

One of my friends made a 2-yr lease with $2000 + $85/month (w/o tax), for S base model, which I think very good deal. (I know that leasing depends on credit score. I do have a good score.)

 

[Corina1231]

Just got my first response with actual terms in New Jersey and wanted to see what I can realistically expect when I try and negotiate it.

I have not yet been into the dealership yet or pressed on pricing, simply an email inquiry as to when they will have a 2013 SL in stock, any color, and lease terms for 12k and 24 months.

The response was "on a 24 month 12,000 mile/year lease your monthly payment would be $339 monthly. This is also worked up with $0 out of pocket. The selling price of the vehicle is $34,000.00."

I plan on following up in person in next couple of days, but wanted to see what I should realistically expect to pay here. Assuming that there is a $395 disposition fee included here, but otherwise, it is simply $0 down (other than first month payment which I'm including in subsequent total) and $339/m x 24 for a total out of pocket of $8,136 plus $395 disposition fee (plus taxes, title, etc.). I'm also assuming at the "$34k" selling price, that means it is an SL with no major extras beyond maybe floor matts to the sticker price.

I do not have VPP or loyalty, so using the table helpfully provided on page 20/21 of this forum, it looks like $426/m at full sticker or $280 at VPP is the range I should be targeting. So best case is if I can get to VPP rate (which I am not qualified for), $6,720 plus tax/fees and disposition fee, vs their initial offer of $8,136 plus the same or a $1,400 difference, plus whether I can get them to drop the disposition fee or not.

So my guess is that if I can out of there at $300/m for $7200 total out of pocket plus tax/fees and let them keep the disposition fee language in there, I should be happy with the deal. Am I reading this correctly? Thanks for the advice.

Hi all - finally made it to my local dealer. Seems like a few Leafs are starting to appear in NJ.

Dealer confirmed the following deal on a 2013 Leaf SL for a 24 month lease with 12k miles with the only extra options being matts, splash guards and a first aid kit - sticker price $36,080.

$0 at drive off (all fees, registration, title, etc. rolled into the lease price)
$339/m for 24M = $8,136
$395 disposition fee which they would waive if I buy a new Nissan

There are no taxes on EVs in NJ they tell me.

Going back to EVNow's helpful numbers, looks like I"m close to the VPP range (I'm not a VPP or loyalty). I walked out without pushing on the price because we disagreed on my trade in value of my Prius. But I think its a pretty good deal already. I had hoped to get down to $300 a month under same terms or $7,200 total but would probably settle for something below the $327/m price or ~$7,800. I'm keeping the $395 disposition fee separate but know its there. Part of my rationalization centers on no NJ sales tax.

Thoughts on whether I should be pushing for a better deal than that? They are just starting to appear at a couple of NJ dealerships and haven't tried to play them off yet, but I think this seems like a pretty fair deal already given what I've seen on this board.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad opinion, but your numbers are too high, even for New Jersey. The dealer is making far too much money. Down plus total of payments PLUS Dispo fee is how we have been calculating total cost of lease, since all 3 are negotiable (see my previous posts), just so it's apples to apples. The SL model you want can be leased for $7200 in Ca for 2 years, 12k yrs. and 10,750 for 3y, 12k yr for $10,750. These prices include EVERYTHING.

I understand that NJ prices are a higher because of short supply, but I hate the fact that dealers are gouging their customers for another $1000 -$1400 per lease just because they CAN when they are already making a lot on a fairly priced lease deal. Supply will increase, sales will slow and the numbers will come down in my opinion.

 

[Corina1231]

I just started to look at this thread. I'm considering 2-yr lease of 2013 Leaf S or SV model. This is my first leasing experience, so I need to do many study.

I'm in SF Bay Area/San Jose, only commuting 12 miles/day. I've seen a number of leasing deals in San Jose area in this thread. And, I also searched a couple of dealer web sites in San Jose that have plenty of Leaf stocks.

What would be a good target for leasing of 2 years?

(1) SV + Premium (or LED+QC option): around total $7000?
(1) SV (w/o any additional packages): total $6000?
(2) S Base: total $4500?

Does it make any sense?

One of my friends made a 2-yr lease with $2000 + $85/month (w/o tax), for S base model, which I think very good deal. (I know that leasing depends on credit score. I do have a good score.)

Carolle, I'm glad you live in the Bay Area where one can always negotiate a fair deal. Our 4 local dealers in San Jose and Sunnyvale and Redwood City have close to 300 in stock.

Your numbers are very close to mine. Keep it apples to apples, including all taxes and fees.

Down plus
Total of payments plus
Dispo fee ($395 in Nissan contract)
equals true cost of lease.

My corresponding numbers are $6800, $6000 and $5000 based on average Bay Area deals in the past 30 days since supply skyrocketed. Remember, these include the $395 Dispo fee and all taxes. Sunnyvale, with their 109 in inventory has been the most consistent at giving good deals of late.

Review Pushpak's chart on p. 21 and my prior posts if you like to see where my numbers are coming from. Best of luck.

One last thing, I'm concerned you may not drive enough to make the 12k a year. It requires you to average 33 miles a day based on a 7 day week. PushPak's chart shows you a price per mile analysis. If you only plan on 10k year, you should find a cheaper corresponding lease. People who don't use their miles essentially pay too much for their lease. Never go over, either. Also, you can always turn it in a month or 2 early if you hit your miles.

Best of Luck. It is not a fun process, and requires you to ignore most of the numbers they throw at you to confuse you, and keep your eye on the ball - TOTAL COST OF LEASE.

 

[carolle]

Carolle, I'm glad you live in the Bay Area where one can always negotiate a fair deal. Our 4 local dealers in San Jose and Sunnyvale and Redwood City have close to 300 in stock.

Your numbers are very close to mine. Keep it apples to apples, including all taxes and fees.

Down plus
Total of payments plus
Dispo fee ($395 in Nissan contract)
equals true cost of lease.

My corresponding numbers are $6800, $6000 and $5000 based on average Bay Area deals in the past 30 days since supply skyrocketed. Remember, these include the $395 Dispo fee and all taxes. Sunnyvale, with their 109 in inventory has been the most consistent at giving good deals of late.

Review Pushpak's chart on p. 21 and my prior posts if you like to see where my numbers are coming from. Best of luck.

One last thing, I'm concerned you may not drive enough to make the 12k a year. It requires you to average 33 miles a day based on a 7 day week. PushPak's chart shows you a price per mile analysis. If you only plan on 10k year, you should find a cheaper corresponding lease. People who don't use their miles essentially pay too much for their lease. Never go over, either. Also, you can always turn it in a month or 2 early if you hit your miles.

Best of Luck. It is not a fun process, and requires you to ignore most of the numbers they throw at you to confuse you, and keep your eye on the ball - TOTAL COST OF LEASE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. That's really good information.

Very good advice for the milage. I try to negotiate a cheaper deal with less milage. I'm not sure whether this kind option is available. I think 8000 miles/yr is enough me. We hava an SUV for long distance driving. Maybe if we can use LEAF to go to SF (from San Jose), then mileage would increase

 

[Corina1231]

Carolle, I'm glad you live in the Bay Area where one can always negotiate a fair deal. Our 4 local dealers in San Jose and Sunnyvale and Redwood City have close to 300 in stock.

Your numbers are very close to mine. Keep it apples to apples, including all taxes and fees.

Down plus
Total of payments plus
Dispo fee ($395 in Nissan contract)
equals true cost of lease.

My corresponding numbers are $6800, $6000 and $5000 based on average Bay Area deals in the past 30 days since supply skyrocketed. Remember, these include the $395 Dispo fee and all taxes. Sunnyvale, with their 109 in inventory has been the most consistent at giving good deals of late.

Review Pushpak's chart on p. 21 and my prior posts if you like to see where my numbers are coming from. Best of luck.

One last thing, I'm concerned you may not drive enough to make the 12k a year. It requires you to average 33 miles a day based on a 7 day week. PushPak's chart shows you a price per mile analysis. If you only plan on 10k year, you should find a cheaper corresponding lease. People who don't use their miles essentially pay too much for their lease. Never go over, either. Also, you can always turn it in a month or 2 early if you hit your miles.

Best of Luck. It is not a fun process, and requires you to ignore most of the numbers they throw at you to confuse you, and keep your eye on the ball - TOTAL COST OF LEASE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. That's really good information.

Very good advice for the milage. I try to negotiate a cheaper deal with less milage. I'm not sure whether this kind option is available. I think 8000 miles/yr is enough me. We hava an SUV for long distance driving. Maybe if we can use LEAF to go to SF (from San Jose), then mileage would increase

Glad I could help. With your short commute , you can save a lot by going to the shorter 10k a year lease you AND you could get by with the S or SV base models. You can charge overnight with cheaper rates. You would likely only need the QC feature if you plan on driving the car the full 12k year which would include SF or nights and weekends for you. If you are strictly interested in the environment and economic factors (especially fuel savings, and free meter parking in San Jose, and carpool lane use) getting a 2 year, 10k lease on the S model for a total outlay of about $4800 would be a steal. You'll save half that much in gas alone.

 

[planet4ever]

Your numbers are very close to mine. Keep it apples to apples, including all taxes and fees.

Down plus
Total of payments plus
Dispo fee ($395 in Nissan contract)
equals true cost of lease.

One thing I wonder about in your advice is that you never seem to mention the $2,500 California rebate. Surely people should compare 2-year leases without counting that and 3-year leases subtracting that for a true apples-to-apples comparison.

And then divide by the months in the lease to get a cost per month.

Ray

 

[Corina1231]

Your numbers are very close to mine. Keep it apples to apples, including all taxes and fees.

Down plus
Total of payments plus
Dispo fee ($395 in Nissan contract)
equals true cost of lease.

One thing I wonder about in your advice is that you never seem to mention the $2,500 California rebate. Surely people should compare 2-year leases without counting that and 3-year leases subtracting that for a true apples-to-apples comparison.

And then divide by the months in the lease to get a cost per month.

Ray

Ray, you are absolutely right. I was only giving her advice on the 2 year lease which is what she wanted. There is no CA rebate as you know for leases less than 3 years.

However, you are probably aware from reading these threads that the 3 year leases AFTER REBATE in Ca are costing us CA residents about the same per month and per year as the 2 year! See Evnow's VPP chart on pages 20, 21 and PushPak's recent non-VPP lease a few pages back.

PushPak just leased an SL for 3 years - down plus total of payments plus Dispo fee, LESS $2500 CA rebate equaled $11,000, which comes out to about $3675 a year. Notice that it is the same amount per year we pay for 2 year lease which has no rebate!! Evnow has maintained that you get the same strange result with the VPP plan, no discount per month as there normally would be for going 3 years over 2, all other terms equal. If you go back on the early pages of these threads, people came up with various theories on why this is true (see discussions on page 7, page 14 and p.19 - many folks found that 2 year deal even better than 3 year, per month). Apples to apples.

 

[LEAFfan]

Carolle, I'm glad you live in the Bay Area where one can always negotiate a fair deal. Our 4 local dealers in San Jose and Sunnyvale and Redwood City have close to 300 in stock.

Your numbers are very close to mine. Keep it apples to apples, including all taxes and fees.

Down plus
Total of payments plus
Dispo fee ($395 in Nissan contract)
equals true cost of lease.

My corresponding numbers are $6800, $6000 and $5000 based on average Bay Area deals in the past 30 days since supply skyrocketed. Remember, these include the $395 Dispo fee and all taxes. Sunnyvale, with their 109 in inventory has been the most consistent at giving good deals of late.

Review Pushpak's chart on p. 21 and my prior posts if you like to see where my numbers are coming from. Best of luck.

One last thing, I'm concerned you may not drive enough to make the 12k a year. It requires you to average 33 miles a day based on a 7 day week. PushPak's chart shows you a price per mile analysis. If you only plan on 10k year, you should find a cheaper corresponding lease. People who don't use their miles essentially pay too much for their lease. Never go over, either. Also, you can always turn it in a month or 2 early if you hit your miles.

Best of Luck. It is not a fun process, and requires you to ignore most of the numbers they throw at you to confuse you, and keep your eye on the ball - TOTAL COST OF LEASE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. That's really good information.

Very good advice for the milage. I try to negotiate a cheaper deal with less milage. I'm not sure whether this kind option is available. I think 8000 miles/yr is enough me. We hava an SUV for long distance driving. Maybe if we can use LEAF to go to SF (from San Jose), then mileage would increase

Glad I could help. With your short commute , you can save a lot by going to the shorter 10k a year lease you AND you could get by with the S or SV base models. You can charge overnight with cheaper rates. You would likely only need the QC feature if you plan on driving the car the full 12k year which would include SF or nights and weekends for you. If you are strictly interested in the environment and economic factors (especially fuel savings, and free meter parking in San Jose, and carpool lane use) getting a 2 year, 10k lease on the S model for a total outlay of about $4800 would be a steal. You'll save half that much in gas alone.

I've never heard of anyone getting a lease for less than 12K miles, at least here in AZ. Maybe they have them in CA, but I've yet to see one person say they were able to obtain one.

 

[Corina1231]

Corina1231 responded to Carolle:
One last thing, I'm concerned you may not drive enough to make the 12k a year. It requires you to average 33 miles a day based on a 7 day week. PushPak's chart shows you a price per mile analysis. If you only plan on 10k year, you should find a cheaper corresponding lease. People who don't use their miles essentially pay too much for their lease. Never go over, either. Also, you can always turn it in a month or 2 early if you hit your miles.


LEAFfan (great name) wrote:
I've never heard of anyone getting a lease for less than 12K miles, at least here in AZ. Maybe they have them in CA, but I've yet to see one person say they were able to obtain one.[/quote]


Corina1231 responded:
Not common anymore. When I was a new car sales manager 25 years ago, our most common leases were 10k and 12k a year. I only recall business leases at 15k. Now almost all leases seem to be 12k and 15k. I've only seen 10k proposed twice on any Nissan thread. But I believe from my experience of leasing 4 cars over the years that Nissan is very flexible. When I leased my 2012 Leaf SL last October, the dealer wanted me to do the Nissan 39 month lease, which I declined and countered with 36 months (the warranty term). They agreed. Then they tried to hit me with the $395 dispo fee in the finance office which they claimed was non-negotiable. I refused until they took $11 a month off the monthly lease price to compensate. Another local dealer did the same for PushPak last week. And Kumar's friend in TX got it waived. So much for non-negotiable!

I believe a dealer would be happy to lease Carolle a car at 10k miles a year for 2 years, though probably for pretty much the same price as 12k! We are fortunate that our Nissan dealers within a 35 mile radius have 300 Leafs in stock, and they are dealing. Things haven't change much in the last 25 yrs.- same old horse trading business. If they can make money on a deal, they'll find a way to make it happen.

 

[sundancer77]

Hi All,

Stumbled upon this forum. I live in the bay area and am planning to lease a Leaf SV with QC or SL soon. What is your feedback on the following quote w VPP pricing?

2013 LEAF SV + Charger package:
$1995 down + drive off, 12K miles per year
24mo @ $127/mo + tax
36mo @ $233/mo + tax

2013 LEAF SL:
$1995 down + drive off, 12K miles per year
24mo @ $167/mo + tax
36mo @ 256/mo + tax

Appreciate the feedback.

Cheers.

 

[carolle]

Sorry for basic questions. But, it's not easy to search in this long thread.

I'm considering leasing SV + (LED+QC) for 2 years.

(1) It seems that I am eligible for VPP program, though I need to double check. If VPP applies, generally how much can I save more, in terms of the TOTAL cost for 2 years? I was trying to infer this percentage from the posted deals, but not easy to get it clearly.

(2) Since I'm considering 2-yr leasing, I believe that tax credits (e.g., $7500 federal) are not applicable to me, right?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Corina1231]

Hi All,

Stumbled upon this forum. I live in the bay area and am planning to lease a Leaf SV with QC or SL soon. What is your feedback on the following quote w VPP pricing?

2013 LEAF SV + Charger package:
$1995 down + drive off, 12K miles per year
24mo @ $127/mo + tax
36mo @ $233/mo + tax

2013 LEAF SL:
$1995 down + drive off, 12K miles per year
24mo @ $167/mo + tax
36mo @ 256/mo + tax

Appreciate the feedback.

Cheers.

Welcome to the forum. I'd love to help, but suggest you do your homework and read posts starting w/ VPP pricing (assuming you qualify) charts Evnow posted on p.20 and p.21. You have just a bunch of numbers right now and need to nail down what your Total Cost of Lease is (down, plus total of payments, plus Dispo fee, less ca rebate if you choose the 3 yr option). All taxes, TTL, other costs are rolled into these numbers. Nobody can evaluate your deal until you calculate the total cost of your leases offered. Only then can we compare your deal with recent Bay Area deals to make sure you get a great deal.

 

[planet4ever]

(2) Since I'm considering 2-yr leasing, I believe that tax credits (e.g., $7500 federal) are not applicable to me, right?

Sort of half right. Technically the federal tax credit applies only to purchase, so in that sense it does not apply to you. But if you lease, the credit is passed on to you as if you had paid down $7500 more than actually comes out of your pocket. And that applies regardless of the length of the lease.

You may be thinking of the special California case where there is a $2500 rebate offered by the state on the assumption you will keep the car for three years. If you lease for only two years they tell you not to even bother applying for that one.

Ray

 

[pgrokkos]

I've calculated some more numbers to help understand the lease better.

These are numbers without any tax etc.

FYI - reposting the great chart that was provided a while ago. I can't seem to find an easy way to jump back to it so thought for myself and other new users, it would be helpful to have it appear on a later page as well.

I'd also be interested to see what newer leasers are seeing in pricing and whether this original table still holds. I'm working on a SL lease in NJ and would love to get close to the 24 mth zero down 12k VPP pricing (even though I am not).

 

[Redjr]

Thanks to everyone for their great detailed accounts through the leasing process.
I used all of this great info to help me score a sweet deal in WI Here goes:

2013 Leaf SV black no packages just floor mats etc.
24 months 15,000 miles a year
Down payment $1767.46 includes taxes, first payment, fees etc.
23 months at $155.33 per month
Disposition fee of $155.33 (equal to 1 month payment, thought it was weird but I asked about it several times and it is in my contract, was even ready to turn down the $395 fee but I just accepted this charge)

Total cost of 24 month lease = $5,495.38

Non vpp pricing but I got a $500 bonus cash promo in the mail that they added at the last minute. I thought sweet!

Almaggy:

If I may ask, what dealer did you get this deal from?

I am in Oshkosh and am just starting to research a second lease, I would love to have this kind of deal happen for me also. My credit is perfect, not sure about VPP or customer loyality.

Thanks for your help and paving the way to a great deal in a barron Leaf State.

 

[Redjr]

I am leasing a Leaf 2013 S (no added packages) for $77/month out of pocket. $2,000 down, 24 months, 24,000 miles.
I was quoted $151/month out of pocket. Again, $2,000 down, 24 months with 24,000 miles on 2013 Leaf SV (no added packages).
I live in WI, and only the $7,500 Fed Tax Cr applies. I have phoned dealers all over the US looking for similar deals, but no luck. So, I am sure that I got a great deal.

I ordered GE 240 Level 2 Charger through Lowes for $755 plus tax.
My insurance is approx $850/yr with $250 deductible.

I was spending a little over $200/month on gas alone before I bought Leaf. For me leasing for $77 with 2,000 down made perfect sense. For my family Leaf is a great second car. My employer lets me charge at work if I am ever running low on battery.

For my last 2 cars, Altima and Leaf, I have negotiated over the phone and went down to the dealer to sign the papers and pick up the car. 99% of the dealers do not like negotiate over the phone, 'cos they are able to get more when you are on their premises.

My advice to those looking to lease/buy a 2013 Leaf. Do your research, be patient and negotiate hard? Nissan and the car dealer need your money more than you need the car.

Good Luck!

Ranjit

Ranjit:

If you don't mind, could you share the dealer that provided you that lease deal?

Thanks so much!!

 

[bobsfreeleaf]

However, you are probably aware from reading these threads that the 3 year leases AFTER REBATE in Ca are costing us CA residents about the same per month and per year as the 2 year! See Evnow's VPP chart on pages 20, 21 and PushPak's recent non-VPP lease a few pages back.

PushPak just leased an SL for 3 years - down plus total of payments plus Dispo fee, LESS $2500 CA rebate equaled $11,000, which comes out to about $3675 a year. Notice that it is the same amount per year we pay for 2 year lease which has no rebate!! Evnow has maintained that you get the same strange result with the VPP plan, no discount per month as there normally would be for going 3 years over 2, all other terms equal. If you go back on the early pages of these threads, people came up with various theories on why this is true (see discussions on page 7, page 14 and p.19 - many folks found that 2 year deal even better than 3 year, per month). Apples to apples.

I have come to the same conclusion that for some reason two year leases cost the same, or even less, than three year leases per year, even after the rebate is netted out. Not sure if the two year lease is subsidized or the three year is padded. Anyway, in California, if I had it to do over again I would start negotiating over a 24 month lease and work up to 36 IF it made sense. The longer your commute, the more I would favor the 24 month for obvious reasons. I would also not beat yourself up if you find the cost of your deal is more than someone elses if you live in a high cost urban area. But, If it bugs you too much, have the car flatbedded to you for about $500. Not sure if the lease return needs to be in the same city, tho.

 

[Pushpak]

Here's the new table. Please PM me any errors or omissions.

I have also updated my original post on page 20 of this thread, in case you'd like to evaluate the assumptions behind the numbers.

In calculating the total cost for Aat167 and Bradbissell, I added the $395 disposition fee to equalize the comparison. I realize they may not think of it as a cost.

Finally, an editorial note: A certain one-upmanship infects folks as they evaluate their upcoming expenditure. I strongly recommend that prospective Leaf lessors view these numbers as "possibles", not "probables". The minimum shouldn't become something against which to measure either your negotiating prowess or your manhood. Frankly, the only numbers I am truly confident about are mine |), because those I know include all taxes, rebates, etc. Also, deals often include special reductions such as state rebates, VPP, loyalty cash, etc., which may not apply to you. Plus, some, possibly most, costs leave out things like monthly local taxes, disposition fees, etc. As a personal matter, I believe life too short to squeeze the last possible cent out of every deal.

Not without some trepidation, I have made the underlying spreadsheet world-editable. If you wish to update it on Google Drive, click here. Add a note in the spreadsheet describing your edit and/or PM it to me. Assuming it passes muster, I'll reflect it in the next 'snapshot'.

 

[evnow]

I added a cost/month column. That is the most important metric to me - since irrespective of how many miles you drive in a month, that is what you pay (unless you go over the limit).

 

[carolle]

I added a cost/month column. That is the most important metric to me - since irrespective of how many miles you drive in a month, that is what you pay (unless you go over the limit).

Thank you so much for your efforts. That's really good for me as I'm in negotiating 2-yr leasing in CA.

The only caveat is then packages and VPP pricing. I'm not sure VPP makes a big difference in 2 or 3-year leasing.