2013/2014 Nissan Leaf Lease Information

[go0fee]

We'll I've been lurking on this forum since June and have been trying to lease a Leaf since then. I'm currently driving an 8 seater mini van that gets 19 mpg (don't laugh) which I really want to get off the road as it's a terrible gas waster. I'm usually the only one in the van after I drop off my son at school in the morning then commute 25 miles on surface streets (fwy is way too jammed in the morning) to work.

Pump gas 3 times a month at about $75 each time at So Cal prices so that's $225. Ideally the Leaf fits perfectly for my commute. Problem is I see all these these great deals everyone is getting on a Lease and the quotes I'm getting are all over the map from local dealers. Makes me want to fly to NorCal and have Corina gratiously help me out and plan a road trip back with the quick chargers along the way.

If I didn't read the forums I would've probably leased the Leaf by now (and gotten taken in the process), but seeing the wonderful deals everyone is getting made me keep searching for that elusive deal.

Sorry to be long winded, but can the SoCal members refer me to dealers and particular sales persons they worked with to get their deals? It's been months and I've just about given up on getting an outstanding lease deal and resigned myself to continue driving the minivan.

 

[RonDawg]

SoCal is a big place but if you are in Orange County, or are willing to drive there, I felt I got a fair deal from Tustin Nissan. Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa has also gotten good reviews here.

If you are in LA, Downtown LA Motors seems to get good reviews. A bit of a drive (unless you live out that way) but many members have gotten their Leafs from Fontana Nissan and one of their salespersons is somewhat active on this forum.

Unfortunately by lurking as long as you did, you may have missed out on the year's best deals. Folks leasing/trying to lease within the last couple of months have found prices have gone up due to a combination of increased money factors (interest rate) and decreased residual values and supply.

I checked Nissan's website and they are still offering the $199/month, $1999 down payment 36 month/36k mile lease on the base Leaf S with no options, so you can still get a fair deal, but perhaps not as cheap as has been obtained here 4-6 months ago.

 

[Corina1231]

SoCal is a big place but if you are in Orange County, or are willing to drive there, I felt I got a fair deal from Tustin Nissan. Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa has also gotten good reviews here.

If you are in LA, Downtown LA Motors seems to get good reviews. A bit of a drive (unless you live out that way) but many members have gotten their Leafs from Fontana Nissan and one of their salespersons is somewhat active on this forum.

Unfortunately by lurking as long as you did, you may have missed out on the year's best deals. Folks leasing/trying to lease within the last couple of months have found prices have gone up due to a combination of increased money factors (interest rate) and decreased residual values and supply.

I checked Nissan's website and they are still offering the $199/month, $1999 down payment 36 month/36k mile lease on the base Leaf S with no options, so you can still get a fair deal, but perhaps not as cheap as has been obtained here 4-6 months ago.

I'm not sure that the $199 deal is very good. Usually, national deals aren't as good as we can get normally in CA. And, of course, it's never really $199:

2013 LEAF S
Price excludes tax, title, license, options and destination charge. Dealer sets actual price. See dealer for details.

 

[bordman]

Does anyone know if the Leaf is considered on of the Qualified hybrid vehicles for the lease based 1000 tax credit in SC?

 

[RonDawg]

SoCal is a big place but if you are in Orange County, or are willing to drive there, I felt I got a fair deal from Tustin Nissan. Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa has also gotten good reviews here.

If you are in LA, Downtown LA Motors seems to get good reviews. A bit of a drive (unless you live out that way) but many members have gotten their Leafs from Fontana Nissan and one of their salespersons is somewhat active on this forum.

Unfortunately by lurking as long as you did, you may have missed out on the year's best deals. Folks leasing/trying to lease within the last couple of months have found prices have gone up due to a combination of increased money factors (interest rate) and decreased residual values and supply.

I checked Nissan's website and they are still offering the $199/month, $1999 down payment 36 month/36k mile lease on the base Leaf S with no options, so you can still get a fair deal, but perhaps not as cheap as has been obtained here 4-6 months ago.

I'm not sure that the $199 deal is very good. Usually, national deals aren't as good as we can get normally in CA. And, of course, it's never really $199:

2013 LEAF S
Price excludes tax, title, license, options and destination charge. Dealer sets actual price. See dealer for details.

It's not the best deal but if it's still being offered there is hope that you can still get a decent deal. And yes it never includes the mandatory government fees.

 

[PAsolarEV]

If I didn't read the forums I would've probably leased the Leaf by now (and gotten taken in the process), but seeing the wonderful deals everyone is getting made me keep searching for that elusive deal.

Sorry to be long winded, but can the SoCal members refer me to dealers and particular sales persons they worked with to get their deals? It's been months and I've just about given up on getting an outstanding lease deal and resigned myself to continue driving the minivan.

+1 Reading these prices have made me wait almost 2 months to buy the Leaf

I tried internet bidding with the 3 dealers in my area ... it has been hard to move the dealers off of MSRP - $500. Crazy. It is so bad, I am thinking of using a buyers service or Costco and just ignore the swarmy feeling I get when I talk to anyone at these dealerships.

 

[jjj240]

if you're in LA area and need a help, pm me.

If I didn't read the forums I would've probably leased the Leaf by now (and gotten taken in the process), but seeing the wonderful deals everyone is getting made me keep searching for that elusive deal.

Sorry to be long winded, but can the SoCal members refer me to dealers and particular sales persons they worked with to get their deals? It's been months and I've just about given up on getting an outstanding lease deal and resigned myself to continue driving the minivan.

+1 Reading these prices have made me wait almost 2 months to buy the Leaf

I tried internet bidding with the 3 dealers in my area ... it has been hard to move the dealers off of MSRP - $500. Crazy. It is so bad, I am thinking of using a buyers service or Costco and just ignore the swarmy feeling I get when I talk to anyone at these dealerships.

 

[PAsolarEV]

if you're in LA area and need a help, pm me.

Philly-Wilmington area

 

[go0fee]

Ok so I finally got my Leaf. Thank you to everyone here for all the useful insightful info.

Was deciding between the S & SV and settled on the S with charge pckg due to the higher rebate available. Also the heater isn't an issue here in So Cal...we use the AC way more. NAV (as was told by other member is about 2 generations behind) and I use my smart phone for that and also have a standalone Garmin unit. Carwings is probably cool to play with and show off but not really needed.

Bought it from Downtown LA Nissan for invoice - $600. 3yr, 12k/yr. Wish I had VPP for $1k off invoice but I did get a free home charger unit which I'm thinking is worth about $400 maybe??

And of course the usual $595 Acq. fee, $80 dealer doc, DMV, Tire fee, Disposition fee. Also tax is pretty bad here at 9%.

The residual took a nose dive from a few months back when I was looking. It's now only at 40% after 36months (wow that is pretty bad after just 3 years), but the money factor is at .00030 which is pretty low compared to .00178 before.

Now to set up the install of the free home charger.....

 

[SparkyD]

Speaking or residual value, Nissan's brand loyalty is only exceeded by 6 auto brands, but 16 auto brands exceed it for holding its value. See this chart that appeared in the Wall Street Journal this year. http://lorenzoawallace.blogspot.com/201" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... value.html

I think I paid too much, too, at Capitol City Nissan in Atlanta. You can see my actual lease here: http://lorenzoawallace.blogspot.com/201" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... lease.html

 

[RonDawg]

Was deciding between the S & SV and settled on the S with charge pckg due to the higher rebate available.

What higher rebate? All Leaf models have the same fixed government incentives: $7500 Federal tax credit, and a $2500 CA rebate if you promise to keep the car for at least 3 years.

Also the heater isn't an issue here in So Cal...we use the AC way more.

Unless you NEVER use the cabin heater and can make do with just the seat/steering wheel heaters and warm clothing, the heat pump heater is also of a benefit here. It works well down to just about any temp you can reasonably expect in SoCal except for perhaps up in the mountains.

But the A/C units of the non-heat pump cars, at least for the pre-2013 models, do work extremely well, and reportedly better than the heat pump models. I don't know if the 2013 Leaf S uses the same A/C compressor.

NAV (as was told by other member is about 2 generations behind) and I use my smart phone for that and also have a standalone Garmin unit. Carwings is probably cool to play with and show off but not really needed.

Yeah the nav isn't the greatest and most standalone GPS units and those with smartphones are far superior. CarWings does have some usefulness but it is also something one can live without. It's also not free after 3 years.

I did get a free home charger unit which I'm thinking is worth about $400 maybe??

If it's the official Nissan-branded unit made by AeroVironment, it's about $1000 at Amazon and likely more expensive if bought through the dealer. Are they throwing in installation too?

Now to set up the install of the free home charger.....

BTW the correct term is "EVSE" as the actual 120-240 volt charger resides in the car itself. It is correct to call a Quick Charge unit a "charger."

 

[go0fee]

What higher rebate? All Leaf models have the same fixed government incentives: $7500 Federal tax credit, and a $2500 CA rebate if you promise to keep the car for at least 3 years.

They were offering $7500 instant off (as usual) on the SV & SL and $8150 off of the S. Then of course there is also the $2500 from CA that I have to apply for myself. Maybe it's a new thing this month?? The pricing on Carsdirect.com reflects this higher amount for the S as well.

Unless you NEVER use the cabin heater and can make do with just the seat/steering wheel heaters and warm clothing, the heat pump heater is also of a benefit here. It works well down to just about any temp you can reasonably expect in SoCal except for perhaps up in the mountains.

I can stand the cold much more than the heat...I hate it when it's Summer but I'm ok with the mild winters we have in SoCal.

If it's the official Nissan-branded unit made by AeroVironment, it's about $1000 at Amazon and likely more expensive if bought through the dealer. Are they throwing in installation too?

Yes it's the AeroVironment one. In fact I signed up for it at the dealership and they were going to contact me for the inspection and install. They had 300 alotment and of course they told me it was almost gone to get me to commit to the purchase ASAP...found out there were 120 left. We'll 119 now I guess Here's the kicker, I assumed I had to pay install, but found out when I got there to do the paperwork that installation was included as well.

BTW the correct term is "EVSE" as the actual 120-240 volt charger resides in the car itself. It is correct to call a Quick Charge unit a "charger."

Ah...my bad, I'm still trying to get the hang of all these acronyms.

By the way, felt so different driving it. So QUIET and the pick up due to the instant torque is surprising.

 

[RonDawg]

What higher rebate? All Leaf models have the same fixed government incentives: $7500 Federal tax credit, and a $2500 CA rebate if you promise to keep the car for at least 3 years.

They were offering $7500 instant off (as usual) on the SV & SL and $8150 off of the S. Then of course there is also the $2500 from CA that I have to apply for myself. Maybe it's a new thing this month?? The pricing on Carsdirect.com reflects this higher amount for the S as well.

OK it appears then that Nissan is not offering additional lease cash on the SV/SL like they have been in the past. And the $8150 on the S is less than what I got on my 2012, which was more than $10k. But the 2012's were also more expensive as well: my SV was $36k and the SL was $2k more.

Good thing you got installation included. That with the EVSE is worth $1500-2000 overall.

 

[Corina1231]

Alternatively, you can purchase the Nissan recommended Siemens unit for $850 plus tax on Amazon, have it installed for about $250 by an electrician, and get 30% of the product AND installation cost returned to you via Federal Tax Form 8911, which Congress has so far renewed on a year to year basis. I love the unit for both my Leafs because of its durability and 20 foot cord.

Ron

 

[RonDawg]

Alternatively, you can purchase the Nissan recommended Siemens unit for $850 plus tax on Amazon, have it installed for about $250 by an electrician, and get 30% of the product AND installation cost returned to you via Federal Tax Form 8911, which Congress has so far renewed on a year to year basis. I love the unit for both my Leafs because of its durability and 20 foot cord.

Ron

Not sure who you're referring to, but go0fee got an EVSE with installation included as part of his lease deal.

 

[Corina1231]

Alternatively, you can purchase the Nissan recommended Siemens unit for $850 plus tax on Amazon, have it installed for about $250 by an electrician, and get 30% of the product AND installation cost returned to you via Federal Tax Form 8911, which Congress has so far renewed on a year to year basis. I love the unit for both my Leafs because of its durability and 20 foot cord.

Ron

Not sure who you're referring to, but go0fee got an EVSE with installation included as part of his lease deal.

That's the best deal of all. Some permits required, but that's relatively cheap. My info for the rest of the folks on the Forum who don't have access to "freebie" deals.

 

[Joyjoyusa]

My VPP Lease Quote:

36 month for 36k miles
$161 + tax monthly
$3400 drive off.

Does this seem like a good deal? The breakdown of the $3400 includes first month's lease payment. I also got a free charger in CA.

 

[RonDawg]

My VPP Lease Quote:

36 month for 36k miles
$161 + tax monthly
$3400 drive off.

Does this seem like a good deal? The breakdown of the $3400 includes first month's lease payment. I also got a free charger in CA.

I think that is a good deal overall, though the drive-off is a bit high. You should keep this as low as possible. Try to roll at least the tax on the Capitalized Cost Reduction and reg fees into the monthly payments.

The reason you want to keep drive-off low is because the way NMAC specifies insurance loss payouts in the contract, you will lose every penny of your drive-off if the car becomes an insurance write-off for any reason.

 

[jjj240]

My VPP Lease Quote:

36 month for 36k miles
$161 + tax monthly
$3400 drive off.

Does this seem like a good deal? The breakdown of the $3400 includes first month's lease payment. I also got a free charger in CA.

if it is S w/ QC, the deal looks very good.

The reason you want to keep drive-off low is because the way NMAC specifies insurance loss payouts in the contract, you will lose every penny of your drive-off if the car becomes an insurance write-off for any reason.

is it applicable to NMAC only? or any lease deal with every other automaker?

 

[NissanLeaves]

w/ QC or w/o QC? MSRP? Northern CA or Southern CA? Could you provide more details?

My VPP Lease Quote:

36 month for 36k miles
$161 + tax monthly
$3400 drive off.

Does this seem like a good deal? The breakdown of the $3400 includes first month's lease payment. I also got a free charger in CA.