Sounds like the dealer had the right idea about putting their Leaf in plain view. Hooked you right off the street!
You don't say if the Leaf you saw was an orphan (a car which was ordered by an individual, but ultimately not purchased) or their demo car. It is probably safe to say that very few orphans go for less than MSRP, so if it is an orphan and is what you want at MSRP, lock it up now. In California, some of the more competitive dealers sell their occasional orphans at MSRP, but MSRP +1000, +3000, and +5000 are not uncommon. I can't find the exact thread, but I believe one person even posted a picture of a +9000 car at one location. Ordered Leafs are not uncommon at MSRP-1000, -1500, and even -5%. Some percent discounts apply to just the MSRP, others to options also, so it pays to ask.
Since Leaf orders only recently opened in your state -- and for 2012 models, not 2011 -- I'm guessing that you saw their demo vehicle. I haven't closely followed the sales info in the newer Tier 2 states, but from the Board Index you can find local threads. Check there for reports on prices from dealers in your area and adjacent states. You can always choose to have your car delivered from one of these other dealers if the cost savings outweigh the additional transportation costs and inconvenience. Unlike every other car for sale today, YOU order the car from Nissan and then have dealers "bid" to deliver it to you. Most people work the deal with the dealer before sending the Request A Quote (RAQ) from the website, but you can always switch dealers at the marginal penalty of moving back the end of the line. How far back obviously depends on how long you have been in line, and less obviously on things like color (Blues used to take longer) and options which Nissan may group together in production. Deliveries seem to be taking around 3 months lately.
As for the Federal tax credit, leasing gives you the ability to benefit from it immediately instead of at the end of the tax year. Further, for people without enough tax liability to take the whole credit in a single year (it does not carry over), this may be their best choice. For our car, we went with the lease (a first for us) precisely because of the tax issue and plan to buy it out at the beginning of 2012. Whether one can buy it out immediately or after 3 months seems to be a point of contention on this Board, so you might want to ask your dealer for their opinion if this is important to you. In exchange for getting the whole tax credit, you will likely give up an "Acquisition Fee" on a lease, plus be doing the lease at 4.99% (money factor of .00204) or more instead of much lower finance rates available through Nissan or your local banks or credit unions. Have your dealer give you complete (down to the gnat's eyelash in detail) on every cost before accepting the RAQ and actually getting in the delivery line.
Good luck with your adventure. Be advised that if you press the "Accept RAQ" button you will be condemned to months of MyNissanLeaf reading -- often many times a day -- and ultimately the indignity of tracking ships form Japan and trains across the continent, all in the vain attempt to divine the precise delivery date of your own car. "
Beyond Here There Be Dragons!" We're glad we made the decision.
