How to help my Nissan dealer get started...

[tps]

When Nissan opens ordering here in Pennsylvania, in 2-3 months (I hope), I will likely be the first LEAF order for my Nissan dealer. I'd like to get everything set up with them ahead of time, so as soon as Nissan lets me, I can send them a RAQ. Any suggestions as to how I should prepare (and possibly help them prepare) so I can get the RAQ and order going the same day that Nissan "throws the switch"?

 

[Gonewild]

Start by getting them to commit to a price ( is it at MSRP or higher or lower)

Tell them you do not want any dealer add-on without asking you first!

Some dealer in CA sold the car at 1,000 below MRSP.

I got mine for $100 below invoice which is better then $1,000 below.

Find out what your doc fee going to be. If you can talk them down. In AZ the doc fee is around $399 but in WA where I got my car they charged $150 and I talk them down to $50 to match CA dealers.

 

[tps]

Start by getting them to commit to a price ( is it at MSRP or higher or lower).

As the LEAF is not available in PA yet, will they even be able to come up with a price, at this point?

I guess what I'm asking is more how I can help them get started rather than how I should get started. There are many threads about what the buyer should do...

 

[kolmstead]

Nissan provides training for the salesperson and mechanic who are going to handle LEAFs. Your dealer needs to select the people who are going to fill these positions, and make sure they attend the classes. You can't do much to help them along. I did keep my LEAF sales guy in the loop as I learned new things from MNL. I knew my car's serial number before he did, and warned him about the air conditioning / car shutdown problem well before Nissan did.

Just encourage the dealer to get his people trained!

-Karl

 

[tps]

Nissan provides training for the salesperson and mechanic who are going to handle LEAFs. Your dealer needs to select the people who are going to fill these positions, and make sure they attend the classes. You can't do much to help them along. I did keep my LEAF sales guy in the loop as I learned new things from MNL. I knew my car's serial number before he did, and warned him about the air conditioning / car shutdown problem well before Nissan did.

Just encourage the dealer to get his people trained!

-Karl

Well, the mechanic has apparently taken the training. I gave him a ride in the Hertz rental LEAF a while back. I don't know if they have designated a salesperson yet, if they have, they haven't told me yet. But I'll try to find out...

 

[kg4bec]

Hi TPS,

I'm in the same boat here in Birmingham, AL. I found my local Nissan dealer and introduced myself several weeks ago, just to start getting to know them. They had assigned two sales people for the LEAF and we started chatting. They are excited about the car, and were very happy that I came in to say hello, I guess they were wondering when the first people who reserved were going to show up.

I knew that they would not see me on their dashboard until I did the RAQ process. They were barely aware of the reservation process and when I told them I put my $99 reservation down over a year ago they could not believe it. At any rate, we did the RAQ right there on his laptop, at which point I showed up on his dashboard and he was very happy about that.

We had talked about price already -- MSRP, and they were happy to commit to that until the LEAF became more generally available. They were VERY impressed with my knowledge and I made them aware of this forum and suggested they sign up and do some reading. They're keen for me to transfer some of my knowledge to them. By the time my LEAF arrives (hopefully December), I suspect they'll know as much as I will.

My advice: find yourself a dealer that is close to your home, go in there and just get to know them. If you don't "click", go find another dealer. I'm excited about getting my car, and I can't wait. Meanwhile, I'll have to get my LEAF fix by driving their demo every now and again, or flying over to Smyrna and connecting with a bunch of LEAF owners over there...

There's LOTS of good information here in the forum and on the wiki. You'll learn more than you ever need to know about your car, and enjoy it that much more as a result.

Cheers, Bert