Shopping for A 2018 Leaf

[LeftieBiker]

Is there really no topic on this? I just finished "buying" (leasing) my 2018 SL, but we obviously need a topic in which to compare deals, dealerships, and salespeople. I'm going to recommend, for the Upstate NY Capital District and surrounding areas, Lia Nissan in Colonie/Schenectady.

I'm especially going to recommend David Seacord, who didn't just surprise me with his diligence, helpfulness and general great manners - he amazed me. He even went to far as to get me a further discount after I had agreed to lease my car. He was the only salesperson willing to handle negotiations over email, and he did it very well: he is as easy to correspond with as he is to talk with. I met him in person for the first time this evening, when I picked the car up. The Sales Manager there, whose name I have forgotten but will add later, was also great: no pressure to buy add-ons, and once he was free I was in and out of his office in about 15 minutes.

On the flip side, I'd like to suggest that Leaf shoppers avoid Destination Nissan in Albany NY. I leased my 2013 SV there, and got a fantastic deal, but times change, and entire dealership staffing along with it - several times in this case. When I approached them to order a 2018 Leaf, they arranged a test drive readily enough, but then the Sales Manager informed me, rather snippily, that they didn't "do" factory orders, and that if I wanted a Leaf I'd have to choose from the (three, IIRC) cars they had in stock. The salesperson I dealt with for the test drive was fine, but dealership policy trumps individual salespeople...

[powersurge]

I agree that we need to get people's tips on buying Leafs from dealers... I have often left posts about this but never see replies... I guess people think their deals are private?

Anyway, the first question I have for 2018 shoppers is... Should you shop each dealer, intending to buy ONLY what they have in stock? (For the best price)?

I imagine that if you want a particular color of trim type, and they need to trade with another dealer, then the dealer that gets you the car you want will not have a reason to discount your car.... I think this is especially important on a Leaf, which is not in dealers with any great numbers...

[WetEV]

I agree that we need to get people's tips on buying Leafs from dealers... I have often left posts about this but never see replies... I guess people think their deals are private?

Anyway, the first question I have for 2018 shoppers is... Should you shop each dealer, intending to buy ONLY what they have in stock? (For the best price)?

I imagine that if you want a particular color of trim type, and they need to trade with another dealer, then the dealer that gets you the car you want will not have a reason to discount your car.... I think this is especially important on a Leaf, which is not in dealers with any great numbers...

Different places, of course. Leaf stock at the dealer I bought at is currently 40 new, mostly SVs. However, you do have a point. If you want a specific model and color your choices will be smaller and you will likely pay more.

[LeftieBiker]

I don't think I paid more (although because of limited area stock I didn't get the exact combination of features I wanted) even though my car was brought up from Connecticut. I'm not sure if it was a demo, though, or if it was driven every time it was moved, because it had about 190 miles on it last night. Anyway, it seems like they'd rather move cars around to sell them (Destination Nissan excepted) than charge more for the ones that get swapped. Your best bet to make a deal, though is indeed usually to bargain for the car they have in stock that isn't moving.

[like2bike]

Did you find out anything new about the $7500 tax credit when leasing?

[LeftieBiker]

Did you find out anything new about the $7500 tax credit when leasing?

It's as I wrote in the topic about that: you don't get the $7500 credit passed on from NMAC anymore if you lease an SV or SL. Instead, you get a varying amount of lease cash from Nissan (I think I got about $3k) plus whatever local credits are available. I got about $4800 total, I think, counting a NY rebate of $2k. They also raise the residual a thousand or two to make the lease payment more tolerable. My residual is $17,388, while a month or two ago it would have been about $1k less. That makes my SL just about affordable to buy off lease, in the unlikely event the battery holds up well.

[jake14mw]

So Leftie,

What is your opinion on what a good lease deal is these days for a Leaf?

[LeftieBiker]

It's going to vary a lot by where you are and what model you want. I'd say, for an SL, that $350 a month with $2k down would be a "good" deal. (I was offered that, but went with more down and less a month, in case I extend the lease.) That's without tax in states that charge it.

[dewaynel]

So I assume, then, that my SV offer of $2k down for 36 months/15k miles/yr @ $405 is a, um, bit high??

[LeftieBiker]

So I assume, then, that my SV offer of $2k down for 36 months/15k miles/yr @ $405 is a, um, bit high??

Yes. I suggest you write down whatever lease terms Nissan is currently offering on their website for an SV equipped as you want, and take that to the dealer. They have to honor those offers, AFAIK. That was what I started with in my email negotiations, and it's what we had to do when my housemate leased her 2013 Prius PHEV.