The official "I got my Leaf" thread

[csriram45]

As far as dealers requiring a credit app even when paying cash, I don't have a problem with this. They are merely protecting themselves in case your check is bad or the cashier's check you gave them was couterfeit or altered. If you have good credit, they have a much greater chance that your check that you just handed them will ultimately result in them actually getting paid.

While I understand what the dealer is doing to protect themselves for people giving personal check but if its from a well established financial institution I disagree. If I am buying a car from Nissan, should I saw I want to take it to a mechanic, take a few parts out so I can be satisfied that engine is good etc and sure its not a Lemon? I will put it back together just like it was new. I am sure the dealer wont agree to that. The credit check shows up on my credit report and causes me to lose some points and potential denial for a future credit when there are too many credit checks in recent past.

I guess it varies from dealer to dealer but like I said, had I known about it, I probably would have been better prepared. Interesting first post by the way in support of the dealership ;-)

 

[Beachcliffs]

Picked #1304 up at Power Nissan South Bay this afternoon. Very good experience with Tim Kling (Fleet Manager). Yes, I filled out the credit app. But before I could even ask, Tim volunteered that since I was paying by check, he would not run a report. Car was fully charged with 5.2 miles on the odometer. After about 20 miles sporting about town, I have nothing to add to what others have already said other than "this is just one bitchin' little ride"

EDIT: While sitting in car with Tim learning how to sync my cell phone, Tom of Broadway Electric called to confirm that he has us scheduled for Blink installation on Tuesday of next week.

 

[sdbonez]

can I assume the dealer will know where to put the plate (CA) on front bumper?

My front plate frame was attached when I picked up the car.

No, you cannot. Mine mounted it a bit off-center despite the TSB that says they shouldn't mount it...

 

[mgoleta]

My DB last night (midnight) said June 2011. This morning at 9 AM is said week of April 28, 2011. At 9:45 AM received an email from my PD that said my car was released from port hold this morning. At 10:45 AM if got a call my PD to tell me my car was being offloaded from the transport that just showed up with 2 LEAFs onboard and they would need 2-3 hours to prep it for delivery. I picked up my LEAF #1436 at 2:00PM from Santa Barbara Nissan. 6 mi on the odometer, 100% SOC, 109 mi est. range. The experience was excellent. Everything went very smoothly not a single hiccup. One item of interest was a notice sheet on the car that this was a LEAF lost order clearing it for delivery that was with the transport offloading instructions for the car.

Drove the car for about 29 miles this evening showing it friends. At the end of the evening showed 75% SOC and 82 mi est. range.

 

[pksd1]

My DB last night (midnight) said June 2011. This morning at 9 AM is said week of April 28, 2011. At 9:45 AM received an email from my PD that said my car was released from port hold this morning. At 10:45 AM if got a call my PD to tell me my car was being offloaded from the transport that just showed up with 2 LEAFs onboard and they would need 2-3 hours to prep it for delivery. I picked up my LEAF #1436 at 2:00PM from Santa Barbara Nissan. 6 mi on the odometer, 100% SOC, 109 mi est. range. The experience was excellent. Everything went very smoothly not a single hiccup. One item of interest was a notice sheet on the car that this was a LEAF lost order clearing it for delivery that was with the transport offloading instructions for the car.

Drove the car for about 29 miles this evening showing it friends. At the end of the evening showed 75% SOC and 82 mi est. range.

After reading this, I just checked my dashboard, what do you know, it now says April 27th, finally some movement. Hey I might get a LEAF too. There is still hope.

 

[rv6abob]

As far as dealers requiring a credit app even when paying cash, I don't have a problem with this. They are merely protecting themselves in case your check is bad or the cashier's check you gave them was couterfeit or altered. If you have good credit, they have a much greater chance that your check that you just handed them will ultimately result in them actually getting paid.

While I understand what the dealer is doing to protect themselves for people giving personal check but if its from a well established financial institution I disagree. If I am buying a car from Nissan, should I saw I want to take it to a mechanic, take a few parts out so I can be satisfied that engine is good etc and sure its not a Lemon? I will put it back together just like it was new. I am sure the dealer wont agree to that. The credit check shows up on my credit report and causes me to lose some points and potential denial for a future credit when there are too many credit checks in recent past.

I guess it varies from dealer to dealer but like I said, had I known about it, I probably would have been better prepared. Interesting first post by the way in support of the dealership ;-)

Your points are well taken. This wasn't a car you just walked in off the street and picked up. You ordered and waited months for it. There shouldn't be any last minute "surprises".

The auto industry seems to thrive on information hiding. Modern autos have a myriad of information stored in them on their status. That information should be freely available to the owner or potential buyer. You would hope that the paradigm shift of an EV might push the auto industry to be more open. Sadly, it doesn't appear to be that way.

 

[BrendanDolan]

As far as dealers requiring a credit app even when paying cash, I don't have a problem with this. They are merely protecting themselves in case your check is bad or the cashier's check you gave them was couterfeit or altered. If you have good credit, they have a much greater chance that your check that you just handed them will ultimately result in them actually getting paid.

While I understand what the dealer is doing to protect themselves for people giving personal check but if its from a well established financial institution I disagree. If I am buying a car from Nissan, should I saw I want to take it to a mechanic, take a few parts out so I can be satisfied that engine is good etc and sure its not a Lemon? I will put it back together just like it was new. I am sure the dealer wont agree to that. The credit check shows up on my credit report and causes me to lose some points and potential denial for a future credit when there are too many credit checks in recent past.

I guess it varies from dealer to dealer but like I said, had I known about it, I probably would have been better prepared. Interesting first post by the way in support of the dealership ;-)

Like I said in person, it's a cover our arses policy, as this world is full of all kinds, and as a business we have to be cautious. My regret is that the sales team didn't make you aware of this before hand, as we could have used the PDI time to verify the wire transfer, and with funds in our account, all we would have needed was an OFAC to verify identity. Again, like I said in person, we don't have a credit fetish.

Enjoy your LEAF!

 

[csriram45]

As far as dealers requiring a credit app even when paying cash, I don't have a problem with this. They are merely protecting themselves in case your check is bad or the cashier's check you gave them was couterfeit or altered. If you have good credit, they have a much greater chance that your check that you just handed them will ultimately result in them actually getting paid.

While I understand what the dealer is doing to protect themselves for people giving personal check but if its from a well established financial institution I disagree. If I am buying a car from Nissan, should I saw I want to take it to a mechanic, take a few parts out so I can be satisfied that engine is good etc and sure its not a Lemon? I will put it back together just like it was new. I am sure the dealer wont agree to that. The credit check shows up on my credit report and causes me to lose some points and potential denial for a future credit when there are too many credit checks in recent past.

I guess it varies from dealer to dealer but like I said, had I known about it, I probably would have been better prepared. Interesting first post by the way in support of the dealership ;-)

Like I said in person, it's a cover our arses policy, as this world is full of all kinds, and as a business we have to be cautious. My regret is that the sales team didn't make you aware of this before hand, as we could have used the PDI time to verify the wire transfer, and with funds in our account, all we would have needed was an OFAC to verify identity. Again, like I said in person, we don't have a credit fetish.

Enjoy your LEAF!

Brendan,

Nothing personal against you. I throughly appreciate all that you had done since Susan left till the car arrived. It was one of the reasons I even recommended your dealership to my friend as well. Like you said, someone could have taken the time to let me know what is required. I had the cheque from PenFed for more than a month in hand as I was anticipating the delivery about a month back. Had I known, I would have made sure I can do the needful to wire the money. I highly suggest, for future orders you let the customers know that if they plan to purchase and write a personal cheque or do their own financing then they wire the money before hand. This will save them a lot of agony and a pleasant experience.

My point here was only to let people know of my experience and how I felt. I had arrived at the dealership with a very different idea of the buying experience.

 

[earther]

Leaf #922 left Boardwalk Nissan this afternoon and is now charging up in my garage!! I saw at least two other couples picking up their Leaf from the dealership while I was there (one Red, another Black). Sadly, Brendan wasn't available while I was there (he was out on assignment, taking photos of auto inventory), so they had another sales person handle my case. (I made specific mention to the manager though that I thought Brendan should receive credit for the sale, and hopefully he will get the lion's share of it).

I walked into the dealership fully intending to purchase outright with what must surely have been the fattest wallet in recorded history: $35,000+ in cash stuffed into my billfold, all in crisp benjamins. Once there though, I actually got talked into leasing. I opted for the 90day lease +$300 buyout plan in order to get the $7500 rebate immediately. a win-win situation as far as I'm concerned: Nissan earns a tad bit more interest plus an extra $300, whereas I get the full $7500 right away as opposed to only ~$6000 off next April (since my personal fed tax liability is below the full credit amount). Barring any unexpected personal financial disasters, I fully intend to purchase the Leaf at the end of the 3 months, provided all the numbers work out as they should. (so far, the only real discrepancy I could discern has been the $850 destination fee, as opposed to the $820 figure I'd been quoted up until pickup. Meh, no biggie).

Anyhoo, made it home safe and sound with my Leaf. I'm pretty impressed with the range on my maiden voyage: 63 mile trip, nearly all at highway speeds with lights/radio/AC... made it home with 4 bars SoC remaining (and dash claiming another 38 miles in range, though I'm a tad skeptical on that). Had a bit of a technical snafu once arriving though: although my Leaf recognized it was being plugged in, my Blink didn't and wouldn't begin the charging! After checking the obvious (Leaf fully turned off, everything properly connected) and the somewhat less obvious (no scheduling timers set for either the vehicle or EVSE), I ended up calling Blink customer service. Their suggestion: unplug the Blink then plug it back in to do a hard reboot. It worked. (the theory is that the device went into some sort of "hibernation" after being powered on for so long without ever being used. /shrug). In the end, got back to full charge in under 4hrs. The only sad part is that I'm not going to get to drive my new baby for a week -- going out of town for vacation (to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so I can't complain! )

-Steve

 

[sdbonez]

congrats!

 

[aries]

"to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so I can't complain!"

LOL

 

[jcesare]

The credit check shows up on my credit report and causes me to lose some points and potential denial for a future credit when there are too many credit checks in recent past.

Unless your credit is in terrible shape, the impact is negligible.
http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/creditinquiries.aspx

 

[linkim]

Leaf #922 left Boardwalk Nissan this afternoon and is now charging up in my garage!! I saw at least two other couples picking up their Leaf from the dealership while I was there (one Red, another Black). Sadly, Brendan wasn't available while I was there (he was out on assignment, taking photos of auto inventory), so they had another sales person handle my case. (I made specific mention to the manager though that I thought Brendan should receive credit for the sale, and hopefully he will get the lion's share of it).

I walked into the dealership fully intending to purchase outright with what must surely have been the fattest wallet in recorded history: $35,000+ in cash stuffed into my billfold, all in crisp benjamins. Once there though, I actually got talked into leasing. I opted for the 90day lease +$300 buyout plan in order to get the $7500 rebate immediately. a win-win situation as far as I'm concerned: Nissan earns a tad bit more interest plus an extra $300, whereas I get the full $7500 right away as opposed to only ~$6000 off next April (since my personal fed tax liability is below the full credit amount). Barring any unexpected personal financial disasters, I fully intend to purchase the Leaf at the end of the 3 months, provided all the numbers work out as they should. (so far, the only real discrepancy I could discern has been the $850 destination fee, as opposed to the $820 figure I'd been quoted up until pickup. Meh, no biggie).

Anyhoo, made it home safe and sound with my Leaf. I'm pretty impressed with the range on my maiden voyage: 63 mile trip, nearly all at highway speeds with lights/radio/AC... made it home with 4 bars SoC remaining (and dash claiming another 38 miles in range, though I'm a tad skeptical on that). Had a bit of a technical snafu once arriving though: although my Leaf recognized it was being plugged in, my Blink didn't and wouldn't begin the charging! After checking the obvious (Leaf fully turned off, everything properly connected) and the somewhat less obvious (no scheduling timers set for either the vehicle or EVSE), I ended up calling Blink customer service. Their suggestion: unplug the Blink then plug it back in to do a hard reboot. It worked. (the theory is that the device went into some sort of "hibernation" after being powered on for so long without ever being used. /shrug). In the end, got back to full charge in under 4hrs. The only sad part is that I'm not going to get to drive my new baby for a week -- going out of town for vacation (to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so I can't complain! )

-Steve

Great news Steve and congratulations, especially about carrying so much money without incident. Wouldn't it be easier to have a check? If I could I would have used my credit cards to collect the 1% credit, that would have been great.

After all this discussion about us having the same VIN 922, the situation was finally resolved to our satisfaction, perhaps later than we wished. The destination fee was also changed from $820 to 850 when I picked up my LEAF, however the dealer only charged me the lower amount (after pointing out that the contract stated the destination fee was included in the contract price). The $30 is a small amount, given the overall price, but I thought there was no harm in asking. Certainly not a deal breaker for me.

Hope to see you and your LEAF at the next meeting.

 

[thankyouOB]

The credit check shows up on my credit report and causes me to lose some points and potential denial for a future credit when there are too many credit checks in recent past.

Unless your credit is in terrible shape, the impact is negligible.
http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/creditinquiries.aspx

there is no need for many buyers to forgo the full tax credit because of low tax liability.
In your case (assuming you have an IRA), you could transfer 1500 to a ROTH, and that would make your tax liability 7500.

*(STOP. SEE fix below. My early morning math was fuzzy. but the concept works.)

 

[LEAFer]

there is no need for many buyers to forgo the full tax credit because of low tax liability.
In your case (assuming you have an IRA), you could transfer 1500 to a ROTH, and that would make your tax liability 7500.

Are you saying he's in the 100% tax bracket :lol: ?

Leaf #922 left Boardwalk Nissan this afternoon ...

I walked into the dealership fully intending to purchase outright ... Once there though, I actually got talked into leasing. ... I get the full $7500 right away as opposed to only ~$6000 off next April (since my personal fed tax liability is below the full credit amount).

 

[thankyouOB]

there is no need for many buyers to forgo the full tax credit because of low tax liability.
In your case (assuming you have an IRA), you could transfer 1500 to a ROTH, and that would make your tax liability 7500.

Are you saying he's in the 100% tax bracket :lol: ?

Leaf #922 left Boardwalk Nissan this afternoon ...

I walked into the dealership fully intending to purchase outright ... Once there though, I actually got talked into leasing. ... I get the full $7500 right away as opposed to only ~$6000 off next April (since my personal fed tax liability is below the full credit amount).

Ooops.
Right, you are.
You have to transfer the amount that creates the 1500 liability.
so if you are in the 25% tax bracket--which is 68k for joint filers this year-- you would transfer 6k from the IRA to the Roth to create an additional 1500 in taxes. If you are in the 15% bracket, then 10k. A few other numbers will change, such as the multipliers in the schedule A stuff, but the totals are about right.
It, of course, impacts your state taxes, too, which has no tax credit.
I plan to do that this year in December, if I ever get my Leaf.

 

[gascant]

While I understand what the dealer is doing to protect themselves for people giving personal check but if its from a well established financial institution I disagree. If I am buying a car from Nissan, should I saw I want to take it to a mechanic, take a few parts out so I can be satisfied that engine is good etc and sure its not a Lemon? I will put it back together just like it was new. I am sure the dealer wont agree to that. The credit check shows up on my credit report and causes me to lose some points and potential denial for a future credit when there are too many credit checks in recent past.

I guess it varies from dealer to dealer but like I said, had I known about it, I probably would have been better prepared. Interesting first post by the way in support of the dealership ;-)

I have bought 3 new cars in the last 4 years and all three after having locked my credit so that everyone is denied access. Two of these cars were Nissans, and both times they attempted to run a credit check despite my advice telling them they'd get nothing. They gladly accepted a cashier's check (after a very long pitch about the add-ons). At Toyota, I had them all prepped ahead of time and showed up with the cashier's check. They didn't even send me to the Finance Department! I'm hopeful of (but not expecting) having the Toyota experience when I pick up my LEAF next month as it's a different Nissan Dealer this time.

 

[pksd1]

Well, my turn to pick up finally came on Friday, and good thing it did, as in eight more days, I was going to put a deposit down for a Cooper Countryman. I called my dealer to let them know that order date was changed from March 28th and April 27th so the car might be on its way, they said nothing yet. But two hours later they said that car is here and ready for pick up.

When we drove up-to the dealership, even from the street I could see with bright blue LEAF, and my heart sunk. I could see the "Zero Emission" stickers on it, Nissan had screwed me AGAIN with leaving the eco-package on, even though it was officially taken off my order five months ago. At this point I was still very angry at Nissan for the way they handled my (and many others) delivery process. But very quickly James Smaller and Matt Alexander put my mind to ease and said they will contact Nissan and have the eco-package removed. I was there at the dealership with little more than 3 hours and overall it was a good experience.

One thing I noticed, even though I placed my order with Leon Kamins, looks like James Smaller got the final commission(Maybe my order was with Poway Mossy and Leon has now moved to Kearny Mesa). Which makes sense as Leon has not been very helpful in the past few months. His answers to my questions became shorter and shorter. When I asked for further clarification, I got ignored, it was like I was allowed one answer a month. Not very good customer service, especially after I have given him the business of 4 LEAFs. I am not the type that called him every day, mostly I sent him an email every 3-4 weeks. James on the other hand provided me more info in last 2 weeks than Leon has in past six months.

We spent just about the whole day in our LEAF yesterday, it truly is a remarkable car. We got approached by 10-15 people in the parking lots in just one day and my kids really enjoyed all the attention they were getting. We finished our day with nice a sunset drive along the coast in Del Mar. Drove 60 miles with 22 miles left on the range, A/C was on most of the day and at times I was driving at 70mph on 56.

 

[gjohnson]

I picked up my silver Leaf, Saturday April 23, from Santa Cruz Nissan, Vin #940. Interesting that the sales person I have emailed with over the past months was not available as his email from a few days earlier had indicated and anther sales person helped with my transaction. The day before, Friday, I had called the dealer and talked with the sales manager (my sales person was not working on Friday) and we went over most of the needed sales information via the phone. This was good as I had to look up some of the information that I would not normally have taken with me. I also brought with me a print out of an email note that detailed the cost and agreed to terms and agreement from Oct. 2010 with my sales person.
I am doing a 3 year lease with an option to purchase at the end. This is the same terms as I did with my Rav4 EV in 2002. The idea being that I would trade in the car at the end of the lease for a newer EV. As it turned out in 2005 there was nothing better than the Rav4 EV so I purchased the car. Will be selling it in a month or so now.
The manager took my note and returned in a few minutes and introduced me to sales person Scott to finalize the transaction per the terms in my note. (The note was a big help and saved me some time, money, and frustration).
As I was by the car waiting for sales person Scott a man came into the dealership asking if they had a Leaf he could look at. The dealer asked me if it was ok if he looked at and sat in mine as it was the only one on the lot. I said ok and talked with the guy a bit about electric cars. I think my Leaf was the 5th one that Santa Cruz Nissan has sold.
I brought the car home and charged it up over night. Everything worked fine. Ready now for the next chapter of EV adventures.
George.

 

[Stoaty]

I have bought 3 new cars in the last 4 years and all three after having locked my credit so that everyone is denied access.

It is just as easy to unlock your credit for that specific dealer for a fee of $10 to temporarily lift the security freeze. That's what I plan to do to avoid any problems with the sale.