burtondav said:
UDPATE - the dealer FedExed us a new contract to sign.
And low and behold the lease payment is higher than what we originally signed.
We've had the Leaf for 44 days and still no valid contract!
Let me repeat my lease story here - it has similarities and may be of use to you.
We didn't have the problem of missing parts or SD card - although the dealer didn't know much about the LEAF back in November 2012 - but the lease was a problem. About a month after signing the lease I get a call asking me to sign a new document, the old one was invalid. But the new one they fedexed me was $4/more month. After a couple phone calls I tell them I'll be in the neighborhood in a few days and will drop by. They explain that they can't do the lease for the amount given because of the complicated Colorado tax rates (different rates for sales vs. lease portions, and they transposed the two ... they weren't familiar with the rates in my county). They offer me $100 to sign a 2 year deal for $4/month more, and give me an IOU for a check.
A few weeks later, wIth the temporary registration near expiration (temp period is 60 days in Colorado) I went to the DMV only to find that the dealer hadn't filed the paperwork with the state. I pay $6 to extend the temp registration a month and call the dealer. More complications - NMAC won't approve. I ask to speak to the sales manager. To his credit he calls me back in a few hours, apologizes for the screw up, says they'll cover the additional costs to make NMAC happy, pay my first month lease payment (since I was technically late - as the lease hadn't been initialized), and tear up the $100 IOU. I ended up a net gain of about $100 and all was good.
So, if the dealer needs more cash they need to rebate you in some way to get you to make a higher payment. I suspect the dealer is under time pressure from NMAC so you have leverage.
Finally, one thing I didn't know then but do know now is that NMAC will allow you to continue your lease month-to-month after it is over if you like. Given that it is better to ask the dealer to bump up the down payment (which they will cover) rather than raise the monthly fee, as that means a lower monthly payment if you choose to extend the lease.
