Lease Experience in Seattle (Eastside, Younker)

I recently leased a 2013 Nissan Leaf SL.

I went through my employer’s VPP plan and it set me up with the nearest dealership to me (Eastside Nissan in Bellevue).

I also reached out to Younker Nissan via email as well.

Dennis (internet sales guy) at Younker responded within a few hours with a list of cars and some basic pricing information (MSRP, my VPP price, monthly lease payment, etc.).

Melvin (internet sales guy?) at Eastside took a couple of days but got back to me via email except his email was along the lines of “Let me know when you can come in so that we can schedule and test drive. We’ll talk pricing then.”

By the time Eastside contacted me I had already worked out an initial deal with Younker. I emailed Eastside back to let him know that I already have a deal worked out but if he can beat it, I’ll consider it.

He asked what the deal was and I didn’t want to give him too much of my hand so I just told him “under $300/mo.” He said that he would work on it and let me know in 1-2 days.

After 1-2 days he emailed me along the lines of “Come on in and bring in a printout of your other deal and I’ll see what I can do.”

What a joke…I simply emailed him back saying that I don’t have time to go to multiple dealerships to buy a car so I’ll just buy the car at Younker, bye.

He emailed me back something like “Just to remind you we offer free charges, car washes, and 20 car rentals.”

I didn’t respond after that…obviously the guys at Eastside don’t get it. Readers of this forum are highly knowledgeable and know the options and prices better than the salesmen. We know what profits they are making and we’ll work out a good deal so that the dealer will make a reasonable profit. It’s pretty transparent so games aren’t going to work.

I bought my car from Younker the next day. Overall it was a good experience except for a couple of relatively minor things:

1) I signed and did all paperwork on Saturday. I believe that my lease started on Saturday. However, I did not get the car until Sunday. Minor point but I don’t like paying for 1 day when I don’t actually have the car.

2) The finance guy was a nice guy but just not that bright. He tried to sell me a maintenance plan for $450 and acted dumbfounded when I made him remove it from the bill. He acted like I was the stupid one for refusing it since it’s such a no-brainer.

3) My car was only 40% charged on delivery. This appears to have been an honest mistake because there was another car of similar color being charged when I arrived and the sales guy’s assistant owned up to this mistake so that was cool. I was late to my next appointment though and had to sit there waiting for 20 minutes on a quick charger before I could go (and I also had range anxiety getting home).

4) The deal was ok but there were a few misc. fees still in there. Overall I probably could have argued for another $200-$300 off if I insisted but I was overall happy with the response time and service so I let it slide.

Overall, I had a good experience with Younker and I do recommend them. However, they really need to make sure that the car is 100% charged because guys like me drove 30 miles to buy from them.

Funny enough, the Eastside guy emailed me again a few days later asking me if I got my car. I told him that I did and wished him well...I didn't hear back after that. Eastside needs to get up to date if they want more internet sales.

I bought my car from Dennis, he rocks. Super transparent, no shenanigans. Agreed that the sales people at Eastside are completely clueless.

Dennis said that he got something like 3-4 sales from people who "know" you (Carter) from here and your blog posts. He's appreciative...

RVD.

We leased a beautiful 2015 Leaf today from Jeff at Younker Nissan in Renton. Jeff and the staff were very helpful and essentially straightforward (with the usual additional services and fees offered once you get down to "brass tacks" with the final contract). There is very little maintenance, but apparently there IS a yearly, official battery check that must be done at a dealership, and is a bit pricey, so we did buy the maintenance plan.

Also, I had nearly negotiated for a cargo cover (which I think should simply come with the car), but that didn't happen because of a service I used, called "True Car", because it was attached to a Consumer Reports "dealer cost" report. Do not use True Car, because it costs the dealer over $300, and you can do your own internet search and dealer contacting easily enough without it; then you may have a small bargaining chip on your side.

We are very very happy to be driving an all-electric car for our relatively short, in-city commuting.

GoodDeal said:

There is very little maintenance, but apparently there IS a yearly, official battery check that must be done at a dealership, and is a bit pricey, so we did buy the maintenance plan.

Click to expand...

Note: the yearly battery check, while required, is NOT pricey. It should be less than $100 each time, and the first two are free, so if you have a three year lease or less you won't pay a dime for this service.

Hopefully in WA you'll be able to get a refund on that service contract.

I agree, the maintenance plan makes no sense at all. As stated, you get the first two battery checks free, so you can turn the car in at year three and have paid zero for service. OK, maybe a few dollars to get the tires rotated. You won't be neglecting anything, the car needs nothing else.

I just leased my second Leaf, this time from Younkers Nissan in Renton. My previous experience is with Rairdon's in Auburn. Their internet sales did not respond to my questions, but Gleb at Younkers was very helpful and knowledgable about the Leaf.