Canadian Nissan dealer price cut?

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darandon

Active member
Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
37
Hey guys.

Do dealers in Canada have the ability to cut the prices down if one were to negotiate with them the same way as they do in the states?
For some reason our prices for the leaf here are much higher (i am not well informed as to why) but dealers here seem to be pretty tight when it comes to giving discounts on leafs where as in the states you have the people getting deals for up to $1000 or more in some cases. Nissan gives a $500 new grad discount to EVERY car even the GT-R but not the leaf... :(

Has any one in Canada managed to get such a deal? Im in the Toronto area.

Few weeks ago my local nissan dealer told me that they cant slash the price by a lot. He offered me their demo 2011 leaf with 5000 KM on it for $1000 less than a brand new 2012. I dont c that being a good deal since he told me that every 1 in the store likes to drive it around and people do test drives on it so i dont think the condition of it is worth the $1000 off.

Any insight would be appreciated :)
 
I heard dealers are getting a fairly slim margin here in Canada. And given the limited number of dealers selling the Leaf, you won't get a lot of room to negotiate. Things will probably change when the Tennessee plant comes online later this year.
 
Well the dealer that I was talking with said that they dont have them in stock but if I wanted one/placed an order at that time (friday) i would b able to come and pick it up on monday.

This wowed me. They apparently had a bunch in the storage in Vancouver as well as there might be some in Mississauga Ontario. He said that the only thing that depends was what accessories, what model and what colour I wanted.

So I dont think supply is an issue. There has to be something. Also he told me that here they have sold 5 cars only :? and i dont see why so little. Charging infrastructure here has been a pain tho so that might be the answer... Any 1 have any other opinion?

They allocated $80 mil for the "new charging network" but so far there are only 4-5 charging stations in toronto :cry: I look on the charging network of the states and you can barely see the map of the states from the plug icons when zoomed out. In Canada on the other hand the whole map can be clearly seen :(
 
I find it hard to believe there is a demo Leaf with 5000kms on it!
Be very careful because to get the $8500 government of Ontario rebate the car has to have less than 2000kms on it. So that dealer screwed themselves because the car is now worth $8500 less. I know that Avenue rd Nissan has some 2011 models in stock. I personally would wait for a 2013 model with the upgraded heater and upgraded charger.

Peter
 
darandon said:
Well the dealer that I was talking with said that they dont have them in stock but if I wanted one/placed an order at that time (friday) i would b able to come and pick it up on monday.

This wowed me. They apparently had a bunch in the storage in Vancouver as well as there might be some in Mississauga Ontario. He said that the only thing that depends was what accessories, what model and what colour I wanted.

So I dont think supply is an issue.

Me neither. If I remember correctly, Nissan allocated 600 LEAFs allocated for Canada in 2012 so there's still a long way to go to hit that number. What i meant to say was that I expect the price to drop once they get volume out of Smyrna, particularly with the hundreds of thousands of battery packs they plan to build there each year.
 
Heynow999 said:
I find it hard to believe there is a demo Leaf with 5000kms on it!
Be very careful because to get the $8500 government of Ontario rebate the car has to have less than 2000kms on it. So that dealer screwed themselves because the car is now worth $8500 less. I know that Avenue rd Nissan has some 2011 models in stock. I personally would wait for a 2013 model with the upgraded heater and upgraded charger.

Peter


Yea well this one has been driven quite a lot. Employees have been taking it to borrow it for a weekend etc. too plus you have all the randoms that wanna drive an EV including me that test drove it. And its an awesome car but i am sure that almost every one that has been in it has floored it to see how it goes and has not driven it the way that I would say a car that you want to last should be driven :p

For our weather I think an improved heater that is more efficient is a good call and the faster charger is a nice little handy thing to have :D I just hope the price at least here drops as much as its in the states with the new features. I hate it when people in California complain that after the incentives the price of upper 20K is too high for the leaf where our price is almost double that for the same car. I feel like we are always screwed when it comes to availability and features. I would expect quickcharge to be standard like its in the states and not have to pay extra $900 on top of the price for the SL.

2013 model is gonna be the one I guess :) To me if the defogger is not high on energy and the car has heated seats i am gonna b one happy camper. I dont need a heater to keep the car warm :)
 
darandon said:
Well the dealer that I was talking with said that they dont have them in stock but if I wanted one/placed an order at that time (friday) i would b able to come and pick it up on monday.

This wowed me. They apparently had a bunch in the storage in Vancouver as well as there might be some in Mississauga Ontario. He said that the only thing that depends was what accessories, what model and what colour I wanted.

So I dont think supply is an issue. There has to be something. Also he told me that here they have sold 5 cars only :? and i dont see why so little. Charging infrastructure here has been a pain tho so that might be the answer... Any 1 have any other opinion?

Nissan has said they plan to deliver 600 Leafs to Canada in 2012. For the first three months of the year only 68 have been sold. At this rate they won't even sell 300 for the 2012 year. Why? Very simply, it is too expensive. In Ontario and Quebec the all-in cost (taxes, fees, rebate...) is about 40k. In provinces without rebates... well I'm guessing they aren't selling at all. The dealers in Canada will not budge off MSRP and that just turns buyers off. I'm planning on importing one from south of the border but will wait for the 2013 model. Since it will be made in the US it won't be hit with the 6% duty and it's supposed to come with a more efficient heating system.

As for the charging infrastructure, personally it make no difference to me. All the infrastructure I need is already in my garage.
 
muus said:
darandon said:
Well the dealer that I was talking with said that they dont have them in stock but if I wanted one/placed an order at that time (friday) i would b able to come and pick it up on monday.

This wowed me. They apparently had a bunch in the storage in Vancouver as well as there might be some in Mississauga Ontario. He said that the only thing that depends was what accessories, what model and what colour I wanted.

So I dont think supply is an issue. There has to be something. Also he told me that here they have sold 5 cars only :? and i dont see why so little. Charging infrastructure here has been a pain tho so that might be the answer... Any 1 have any other opinion?

Nissan has said they plan to deliver 600 Leafs to Canada in 2012. For the first three months of the year only 68 have been sold. At this rate they won't even sell 300 for the 2012 year. Why? Very simply, it is too expensive. In Ontario and Quebec the all-in cost (taxes, fees, rebate...) is about 40k. In provinces without rebates... well I'm guessing they aren't selling at all. The dealers in Canada will not budge off MSRP and that just turns buyers off. I'm planning on importing one from south of the border but will wait for the 2013 model. Since it will be made in the US it won't be hit with the 6% duty and it's supposed to come with a more efficient heating system.

As for the charging infrastructure, personally it make no difference to me. All the infrastructure I need is already in my garage.


Very nice analogy I think you got the nail on the head. How is it worth for nissan to lower the prices for the states and not here? Its not like they have to install anything special to the vehicles... They even remove the quick charge port on the SL models and try to sell it to us for $900 more where in the states its all standard for it.

Whats the cost for bringing one over the boarder from the states? Have you done the math to see if its worth it even though you wont get the $8500 rebate? I think you have to pay the %13 at the boarder tax, no emissions tax :) and the paperwork which i have heard is roughly $100 (not 100% sure thats why I'm asking) because if its cheaper that way and once the 2013s are made in the states then there is no import fees slapped on it if its bought there correct?
 
For more info on importing a Leaf see here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=8369

Here are the important points:
- For the warranty to be transferable, the car has to be registered in the US for at least 6 months (Nissans rule)
- You will have to enable Daytime Running Lights (see here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=6134)
- You will have to pay Federal and Provincial taxes plus 6% duty since the car is made in Japan
- I'm pretty sure there will be no way to get Carwings to work (you'd have to research this)
- 205$ precessing fee and 100$ A/C fee

For Ontario and Quebec you roughly add 20% to the purchase price (when the dollar is at parity).

If you are seriously considering this I suggest you read the following: http://www.monsieurmaggot.com/Autoimporthome.html

To me the biggest impediment to sales of the Leaf is the dealers. They are uneducated about the product and don't seem to actually want to sell the Leaf. Since they don't have an inventory of cars on the lot they don't have that drive to move them. I'm in Ottawa and I went in to the only dealer able to sell the Leaf but the one "Leaf certified" salesmen wasn't there. They gave me his card so I called him and left a voice message. He never called me back. So tell me, how do they expect to sell this car????

If we look south of the border especially in California, dealers are giving up to $2000 rebates on the Leaf (Fontana Nissan) So why are sales of the Leaf in California so hot??? People want to feel like they are getting a deal. Getting $1000 to $2000 off MSRP certainly fells like a deal. Here in Canada, nada, no deal. It's MSRP or nothing. Well then Nissan, don't wonder why you aren't selling any Leafs.
 
muus said:
To me the biggest impediment to sales of the Leaf is the dealers. They are uneducated about the product and don't seem to actually want to sell the Leaf. Since they don't have an inventory of cars on the lot they don't have that drive to move them. I'm in Ottawa and I went in to the only dealer able to sell the Leaf but the one "Leaf certified" salesmen wasn't there. They gave me his card so I called him and left a voice message. He never called me back. So tell me, how do they expect to sell this car????

If we look south of the border especially in California, dealers are giving up to $2000 rebates on the Leaf (Fontana Nissan) So why are sales of the Leaf in California so hot??? People want to feel like they are getting a deal. Getting $1000 to $2000 off MSRP certainly fells like a deal. Here in Canada, nada, no deal. It's MSRP or nothing. Well then Nissan, don't wonder why you aren't selling any Leafs.

I live in Southern California in the San Diego area, I did not get $2000 off MSRP, nor $1000, but after driving 8000 miles since June of last year am very satisfied that I bought the Leaf. 40% of the 11000 cars sold in the U.S. have been sold in California, that is about 4400. Not all cars have been sold at a discount. In fact when things were hot last year, and some people who made a reservation canceled their orders, some dealers were selling these "Orphans" at greater than MSRP.

Now I am very happy I bought the car, but I still "sweated" the purchase. It was the first time that I have ever purchased a brand new car. I did do a lot of comparison between purchasing vs leasing.

It is funny, but last year I noticed someone on this forum from Canada that had purchased a Leaf was also in a side business of selling maple syrup. I decided to order a bottle of their small business/home made product from a fellow Leafer as a gift for my wife. Even though the cost to have it mailed here was high, the bottle and lable was very nicely done and my wife loved it. It was worth it.

When the time is right you will make your decision, whether it is this year or next year. And you will enjoy your Leaf - no doubt.
 
Good morning everyone ! I am reaching out to a valued client that I see has posted on here from the Ottawa Canada area. I understand you've been in to look at our product and you haven't been contacted ? I do apologize for this as I am the representative for our beloved Leaf. If you'd like you may contact me at your convenience so I may address any concerns or needs you may have ! Again I do apologize for the inconvenience we've created ! My name is Curtis Munro and I may be reached at 613-521-6262 or [email protected]. Thank you !
 
muus said:
For more info on importing a Leaf see here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=8369

Here are the important points:
- For the warranty to be transferable, the car has to be registered in the US for at least 6 months (Nissans rule)
- You will have to enable Daytime Running Lights (see here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=6134)
- You will have to pay Federal and Provincial taxes plus 6% duty since the car is made in Japan
- I'm pretty sure there will be no way to get Carwings to work (you'd have to research this)
- 205$ precessing fee and 100$ A/C fee

For Ontario and Quebec you roughly add 20% to the purchase price (when the dollar is at parity).

If you are seriously considering this I suggest you read the following: http://www.monsieurmaggot.com/Autoimporthome.html

To me the biggest impediment to sales of the Leaf is the dealers. They are uneducated about the product and don't seem to actually want to sell the Leaf. Since they don't have an inventory of cars on the lot they don't have that drive to move them. I'm in Ottawa and I went in to the only dealer able to sell the Leaf but the one "Leaf certified" salesmen wasn't there. They gave me his card so I called him and left a voice message. He never called me back. So tell me, how do they expect to sell this car????

If we look south of the border especially in California, dealers are giving up to $2000 rebates on the Leaf (Fontana Nissan) So why are sales of the Leaf in California so hot??? People want to feel like they are getting a deal. Getting $1000 to $2000 off MSRP certainly fells like a deal. Here in Canada, nada, no deal. It's MSRP or nothing. Well then Nissan, don't wonder why you aren't selling any Leafs.


Thank you so much for the info. Based on the taxes and all the fees and hassles it is not worth importing it then :( I think I will need to find it for under $30K in order to get it over here. I feel your pain as for the lack of dealers to sell it. I used to live at Moodie and Robertson in Kanata and huntclub were the only guys that are selling them there.

You seem to be good at this. It is true that the dealers dont have that many cars. But they dont seem to order that many to have on the lot. I know that when I first went to look for a leaf just to try it the dealership i went to didnt have any so they were pushing the versa on me left right and center... giving me up to $3500 discount off the msrp on the thing, free accessories and all the stuff... when i went for the leaf they said that even if I were to lease it the interest wont go lower than the nissan's 6% or the 6.5% for financing where as on the other hand toyota was giving 3% (negotiable) financing on the Prius C... I think whoever is in charge at Nissan Canada has to change the gameplan here in order for this car to sell well and to make that investment that nissan did in the new plant in the states worth it. Im surprised that they havent done anything about it yet. I know the dealers are not to reveal why they dont stock it but I think it might be because the price that they pay to have it on their lot is much higher than the gas cars so their profit margin is mich smaller (not cool from headquarters if you were to ask me) I think if they allow them to have a few out there people will see them and get more interested so that sales reps will have potential customart to push the cars. If there are no cars out on display I dont think the average joe will go to this forum by accident to see what the leaf is unless you know your stuff. There clearly is a reason why people are buying it in the states and not here. I know we have higher taxes and all but I dont think it should mean that a good car such as the leaf should be in the same price class as a Mercedes or other luxury cars here making it difficult to afford by many of us here north. You said it right $40K after the government discounts is a bit too steep for an awesome car such as the leaf and makes the payback period a bit more challenging to justify when you have the Prius C with 50mpg for $19K
 
lkkms2 said:
I live in Southern California in the San Diego area, I did not get $2000 off MSRP, nor $1000, but after driving 8000 miles since June of last year am very satisfied that I bought the Leaf. 40% of the 11000 cars sold in the U.S. have been sold in California, that is about 4400. Not all cars have been sold at a discount. In fact when things were hot last year, and some people who made a reservation canceled their orders, some dealers were selling these "Orphans" at greater than MSRP.

Yes the early adopters are often willing to pay full MSRP or even above MSRP to be the first on the block with the latest and greatest. When the Dodge Challenger came out, some dealers were asking $5000 above MSRP and Chevy dealers also did this with the Volt. Thankfully Nissan gave the power to the potential owners by given them the allocation, so not many Leafs were sold above MSRP (only some orphans). But now those early adopters have their cars and for the Leaf to appeal to a wider audience, Nissan and the dealers will have to start working at selling the Leaf. Forty grand for a limited range car is not going to appeal to a wide audience. (I can get a Prius out the door for under 30).

Now I ask you lkkms2, did you not apply for the California EV rebate? Did you get $5,000 or "only" $2,500? What was your all-in price? I'm sure you didn't pay 40 grand for your car (after the California rebate and Federal tax deductions...).
 
Cmunrohcn said:
Good morning everyone ! I am reaching out to a valued client that I see has posted on here from the Ottawa Canada area. I understand you've been in to look at our product and you haven't been contacted ? I do apologize for this as I am the representative for our beloved Leaf. If you'd like you may contact me at your convenience so I may address any concerns or needs you may have ! Again I do apologize for the inconvenience we've created ! My name is Curtis Munro and I may be reached at 613-521-6262 or [email protected]. Thank you !

Well that's refreshing, having a dealer actually trying to sell a car. Thank you Curtis for reaching out to me. Posting your info here may attract potential clients into your dealership. Unfortunately, the 16 year old car I was driving (and trying to keep alive until I could get an EV) died and had to be replaced ASAP. I've never purchased a new car but the Leaf was to be my first. I was in a crunch and 40 grand was a little rich for my blood. I bought an other used car which should last quite a few years. If my wife and I are still employed in 2013-2014 (we both work for the Federal Government, my fellow Canadians know what I'm talking about) then maybe I'll go see you Curtis.
 
darandon said:
Thank you so much for the info. Based on the taxes and all the fees and hassles it is not worth importing it then :( I think I will need to find it for under $30K in order to get it over here. I feel your pain as for the lack of dealers to sell it. I used to live at Moodie and Robertson in Kanata and huntclub were the only guys that are selling them there.

You seem to be good at this. It is true that the dealers dont have that many cars. But they dont seem to order that many to have on the lot. I know that when I first went to look for a leaf just to try it the dealership i went to didnt have any so they were pushing the versa on me left right and center... giving me up to $3500 discount off the msrp on the thing, free accessories and all the stuff... when i went for the leaf they said that even if I were to lease it the interest wont go lower than the nissan's 6% or the 6.5% for financing where as on the other hand toyota was giving 3% (negotiable) financing on the Prius C... I think whoever is in charge at Nissan Canada has to change the gameplan here in order for this car to sell well and to make that investment that nissan did in the new plant in the states worth it. Im surprised that they havent done anything about it yet. I know the dealers are not to reveal why they dont stock it but I think it might be because the price that they pay to have it on their lot is much higher than the gas cars so their profit margin is mich smaller (not cool from headquarters if you were to ask me) I think if they allow them to have a few out there people will see them and get more interested so that sales reps will have potential customart to push the cars. If there are no cars out on display I dont think the average joe will go to this forum by accident to see what the leaf is unless you know your stuff. There clearly is a reason why people are buying it in the states and not here. I know we have higher taxes and all but I dont think it should mean that a good car such as the leaf should be in the same price class as a Mercedes or other luxury cars here making it difficult to afford by many of us here north. You said it right $40K after the government discounts is a bit too steep for an awesome car such as the leaf and makes the payback period a bit more challenging to justify when you have the Prius C with 50mpg for $19K

Yes in order for the deal to make sense you have to find a used Leaf for under 30k. I was told that Leafs have been posted on Craigslist for as little as $25,000.

You are absolutely right darandon. What I think is happening is that the factory in Japan is very constrained in terms of how many Leafs it can produce per month. Maybe the bottleneck is due to the manufacturing of the batteries, I don't know. Also, the Yen is currently very strong against our currency so maybe Nissan is loosing a lot of money on every Leaf they sell here. They aren't pushing it here cause they'd rather sell them in their domestic market where they make more money. That should change when they start making them in the US. Nissan has already started making public that the 2013 Leaf will have many "upgrades". They wouldn't do this if they wanted to sell the current model. I think they want to slow the sales of the made in Japan Leaf and stoke the demand for the US made Leaf.
 
muus said:
lkkms2 said:
I live in Southern California in the San Diego area, I did not get $2000 off MSRP, nor $1000, but after driving 8000 miles since June of last year am very satisfied that I bought the Leaf. 40% of the 11000 cars sold in the U.S. have been sold in California, that is about 4400. Not all cars have been sold at a discount. In fact when things were hot last year, and some people who made a reservation canceled their orders, some dealers were selling these "Orphans" at greater than MSRP.

Yes the early adopters are often willing to pay full MSRP or even above MSRP to be the first on the block with the latest and greatest. When the Dodge Challenger came out, some dealers were asking $5000 above MSRP and Chevy dealers also did this with the Volt. Thankfully Nissan gave the power to the potential owners by given them the allocation, so not many Leafs were sold above MSRP (only some orphans). But now those early adopters have their cars and for the Leaf to appeal to a wider audience, Nissan and the dealers will have to start working at selling the Leaf. Forty grand for a limited range car is not going to appeal to a wide audience. (I can get a Prius out the door for under 30).

Now I ask you lkkms2, did you not apply for the California EV rebate? Did you get $5,000 or "only" $2,500? What was your all-in price? I'm sure you didn't pay 40 grand for your car (after the California rebate and Federal tax deductions...).

Muus,

Sorry I did not get back to you earlier. Read your older car died and you purchased a good used car that will last you a few years. (Perfect, now you can wait to see what the 2013 or later models will bring as far as upgraded feature, such as more efficient heating and faster charging.)

I was not saying don't look for a good deal, just that expecting $2000 off MSRP might be a bit much when there are not that many being sold in your area. It helps to have enough cars being sold in your area for the dealers to be competing for you dollars, then it is easier to get a discount. It never hurts to push/ask for a discount.
E
In fact I was able to get about $400 off MSRP from my dealer once I asked him to match a similar offer from another dealer. Unfortunately, I did miss the $5000 California Rebate, but got $2500 about 5 months later after the State Budget passed and the paper work was processed. I am still waiting for my tax credit back from the IRS. Wouldn't you know it, first time I am expecting a big return there was a glitch in the TurboTax software I was using and the IRS put a hold on my refund. In fact I believed they shifted my case over to their "Exams and Audit" department. I am still waiting for them to assign someone to work on my case :cry:

Anyway, if I lived in Canada (where it gets colder than San Diego) I might likely wait for a more efficient heating system too. Hope you still have your job in a few years and will be able to consider purchasing a Leaf with all the latest upgrades. At that time you may really be able to negotiate a good price and have "Inner Peace" like the Dali Lama visiting here in San Diego. :D
 
Sorry to hear that TurboTax caused you to have issues with the IRS.

So do you figure you are going to get the full $7500 back? If so, that's a total reduction of $10,400 ($2500 from California, $7500 Federal, $400 dealer). In Canada the province of Ontario gives $8500, Quebec $8000 and British-Columbia, $5000. The Federal government doesn't give anything so anyone living in the other Provinces or Territories get nothing.

But don't forget, the MSRP for the Leaf SL (with quick charge port) in Canada is $40895 compared to $37250 in the US. That's a full $3645 more for exactly the same car, and our taxes here are quite a bit higher (13% in Ontario). No wonder the Leaf isn't selling well in Canada.
 
I put the difference in price between Canada and the US at $4800 when you add in PDI and delivery ($1800 in Canada only $850 in the US) I wrote to Nissan Canada about this and all I got back was that the Canadian leaf has the winter package. I then pointed out to them that the US Leaf has the same package and I haven't heard back from them.

I had an interesting conversation with a Nissan rep at the Vancouver car show. He said they knew they were only getting the early adopters now, but they were after the people like me that want an electric car but live on more normal budgets. I am hoping all the good things we are hearing about the 2013 Leaf and how they expect higher sales this September will translate into a lower price or maybe a lower price with a leased battery.

Having said all this, I still think the vehicle could be considered some what affordable. I have done up a spreadsheet with the numbers of continuing to own my 1994 Protégé vs the Leaf and I would save $200 a month with the Leaf, that savings plus another $200 a month for a total of $400 would pay for the vehicle in 10 years. The variables of taking so long to pay are what are the interest rates going to do over 10 years (I used 5%) and how much life will the battery have in 10 years. I am not too worried about the battery as I figure by then I will be looking at a battery with at least twice the capacity to slip in my 10 year old Leaf. Using this scheme means an additional outlay over my current operating costs of only $20,000 over 10 years.
 
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