Choosing my Nissan Dealer

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Azrich

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
533
Location
Tucson, AZ
There are two Nissan Dealers in my city, both are about the same distance from where I live. One dealer's representative phoned me the on April 21, the day after I submitted my reservation. He wanted to make himself available to answer questions, yet he couldn't answer very much yet because he hadn't learned very many details at his LEAF training. I have learned a lot more here on this forum.

Today, I decided I would go introduce myself to the Nissan LEAF representatives at both dealers, ask questions, and actually interview them as my potential dealership. I want a positive experience buying and maintaining this vehicle, so they will need to win my approval and my business.

So I'm thinking of some questions to ask their LEAF representatives. Here are a couple:

What will your dealership do to make my purchase of a LEAF pleasant, problem free, and a good experience?

Why should I choose your dealership over the other one in town?

BUT, I would like a couple of good questions that would show me their knowledge level about the LEAF.
Any suggestions of questions to ask?????
 
I would ask them to go over the pros and cons of purchase vs lease. There are still some pieces of data for the lease that they haven't mentioned, such as the interest rate, the residual value after three years, how many miles you get per year on the lease, etc.

In addition to that, you can ask if they are planning in selling the car at MSRP. That is a key item in my book.

Finally, maybe they could tell you some information about the prioritization process for delivery, etc. Will the public get cars in December or will it be next year?

There's probably more, but that came to mind now...

Randy
 
Randy's questions would be great ones to have answers to, but doubt seriously if any dealers would know any more about them than we do. I thought Richard was asking about questions he could ask as a little test - questions he already knows the answer to, and a knowledgeable dealership should as well, yet tough enough that he doesn't end up sounding stupid. Something like:

"I've heard that it is really bad for lithium batteries to be completely drained. Does this mean I shouldn't ever try to go 100 miles in my Leaf?"

There are many ways the dealer can win points on this one:
"It could be really bad, but not like exploding, or anything. It just reduces their life."
"But the Leaf never lets its batteries go completely dead. It stops using them first."
"Surprisingly, it never charges them to 100%, either. That also reduces the lifetime."
"Not to worry, though, the advertised range is based on using only what the engineers call Depth of Discharge, the range between charged and discharged that can be used without hurting the battery."
"You don't want to put too much weight on the 100 mile number. In some situations you can go further than that, in others not as far."
"That 100 number comes from a standard test, called LA6, that is used to measure fuel efficiency."
 
I chatted a little with a salesman at our Nissan dealer. He hadn't seen the web site, and seemed only mildly interested in the whole thing.

For the most part you can assume that selling cars is just a job for these guys. They make their living pushing out 300 Altimas a month on financing deals. I would assume that the Leaf is just an annoyance to them, like when your manager tells you to update your performance goals or annual EO training.
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
I would assume that the Leaf is just an annoyance to them, like when your manager tells you to update your performance goals or annual EO training.

Not so sure. It is one of those cars that sells itself & the dealer gets a cut. Whats not to like ?
 
All organizations have a range of competencies and the not so competent. The dealer I visited last week had both a Sales Manager and a sales person who were interested, pretty well informed, and going for training within the month. They are not EV enthusiasts, but they want to sell cars and seemed interested in selling this one as well!
 
evnow said:
LTLFTcomposite said:
I would assume that the Leaf is just an annoyance to them, like when your manager tells you to update your performance goals or annual EO training.

Not so sure. It is one of those cars that sells itself & the dealer gets a cut. Whats not to like ?

They have a sales force trained to do high pressure sales on the masses, asking classic questions like "Which color do you like", "what do you want your payment to be", and "what do we have to do to earn your business". Get the customer "in the box", then apply more pressure to sell them on extended warranties, gap insurance, and other items of dubious value. Repeat that process many times a day.

The Leaf and the sophisticated/educated consumers it will attract only serve to distract from their main line business.

(caveat: I don't really know what I'm talking about)
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
The Leaf and the sophisticated/educated consumers it will attract only serve to distract from their main line business.

All the more reason why the dealer should only be the vessel for providing delivery. My opinion is that we should be dealing directly with Nissan for this particular car.

I haven't even heard from the 3 dealers I chose to contact me after I placed my reservation. I was thinking of going to at least the closest one this next weekend to introduce myself to their "Leaf Specialist".
 
mwalsh said:
All the more reason why the dealer should only be the vessel for providing delivery. My opinion is that we should be dealing directly with Nissan for this particular car.

I think there are state laws that prohibit that - Classic American "free market" principle of screwing the customer.

I haven't even heard from the 3 dealers I chose to contact me after I placed my reservation. I was thinking of going to at least the closest one this next weekend to introduce myself to their "Leaf Specialist".

Nissan should get special EV dealers - there was an article recently on this.
 
evnow said:
mwalsh said:
All the more reason why the dealer should only be the vessel for providing delivery. My opinion is that we should be dealing directly with Nissan for this particular car.

I think there are state laws that prohibit that - Classic American "free market" principle of screwing the customer.

I haven't even heard from the 3 dealers I chose to contact me after I placed my reservation. I was thinking of going to at least the closest one this next weekend to introduce myself to their "Leaf Specialist".

Nissan should get special EV dealers - there was an article recently on this.

The folks on the Leaf chat line were quick to point out that "federal law" prohibits sales from mfrs directly to customers. (What's that old adage about any time you see a situation you don't understand, look for the profit motive)

I also talked to another guy in the service dept to see if they had been getting any training. I wouldn't be able to reconstruct his response, it was something about hybrids and how they can't service them in the same building as the other cars.

At the risk of coming across as some kind of intellectual snob, I have to say the people at car dealers aren't exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer. Very good at keeping a market locked up and milking a very nice living out of it though.

As for having special leaf dealers, isn't the availability of an in-place nationwide sales and service network something they want to leverage?
 
Wow, those are some very bad reports on dealers. I walked into my local dealer last week and the first guy, sitting at the desk in front of the door was the Sales Manager. I think he was sitting in for the receptionist as it was the lunch hour. My question did not phase him at all and he called over his sales specialist for the Leaf and they both talked about the fact they were both going to training next month. While they were not experts, they clearly had read up on the introduction.

As for Federal Law----yes, there are federal laws that regulate the relationship between dealers and the vehicle manufacturers. They were put in place to protect the dealers, who were worried that the manufacturers would screw them at every turn. This was was reason why the GM Bankruptcy had some utility in discussions with dealers because bankruptcy rips up all agreements (except those you make with Uncle Sam!). There are also more general laws that prohibit wholesalers/manufacturers from setting retail prices. This is why the Manufacturer has a SUGGESTED retail price.

Dealers have earned an especially bad reputation, especially the domestic ones, but their existence is not as profitable as it used to be and the profit per car is not great. One problem for all of them is that there are way too many dealers (Toyota has, I think, 1/3 the number of GM) and the dealer agreements make it expensive to get rid of them. In the old days, when 25 miles was a real drive, you stayed home and bought there. Today, that is not the case and you have many 'stranded' dealers.
 
One of the dealers I spoke to - before the 20th reservation but after the prices had been announced was "interesting".

He said they have a "list" already - and taking $500. That was the "only" way anyone couls get a Leaf.

I pointed out that Nissan was going to start reservations on 20th. He was surprised. He didn't even know Leaf price had been announced - even though it was all over the news. They are also the dealership who refused to promise not to overcharge. Worse, they now spam me with their gas guzzler "deals".

Obviously, I'm going with a different dealer ...
 
evnow said:
One of the dealers I spoke to - before the 20th reservation but after the prices had been announced was "interesting".

He said they have a "list" already - and taking $500. That was the "only" way anyone couls get a Leaf.

I pointed out that Nissan was going to start reservations on 20th. He was surprised. He didn't even know Leaf price had been announced - even though it was all over the news. They are also the dealership who refused to promise not to overcharge. Worse, they now spam me with their gas guzzler "deals".

Obviously, I'm going with a different dealer ...

I visited my two local dealers before the 20th reservation window opened. Both started the registration form to take a deposit (one lower manager, one 'regular' salesman). Both processes stopped when they got their sales manager to sign-off on the form. The sales managers knew that they couldn't take a 'regular' deposit on this car and wouldn't let the process continue.

I wasn't surprised that the sales folks automatically rolled into 'let's take a deposit' mode - they do this with other cars so this is their 'routine'. It was good to see that someone in both dealerships at least knew that there was something different about the Leaf process.

They'll get it figured out.

Andy
 
For people who live in Tucson, they know that Jim Click is the automobile sales czar. He owns about ten different dealerships including Ford, Mazda, Hyundai, Chrysler, Suzuki, Kia, and of course, Nissan. He has to be one of the wealthiest people in Tucson and also helps many groups, schools, and agencies. During the past few months I have seen him at several events or restaurants and since he is a very out going person, he has often spoken to me.

This evening we went to dinner at a favorite restaurant and after we finished our meal, I saw Mr. Click and his wife come in. I told my partner, now is my chance to go ask him about the LEAF and the MSRP. Soon after they sat down I went up and introduced myself and reminded him we had met several times before. I told him that I was one of the first people in Tucson to reserve a Nissan LEAF and would probably be one of the first to receive my LEAF in December. He knew about the reservation process online. I told him that the day after I had reserved my LEAF, his LEAF specialist called me to introduce himself and answer questions. He knew the sales consultant I mentioned and reminded his wife that the salesman's father had worked for him for years. I told him briefly about my meeting with the salesman and that after of 30 minutes of sharing my excitement about the LEAF, he told me he was going home to reserve his own LEAF. I told Mr. Click, "I think I might have sold a LEAF for you!" He laughed and shook my hand.

I also told him about this forum and repeated the URL several times. His wife repeated it back to me. I told them that many people around the country are very excited about this new EV and anxiously waiting the time when we get to order our LEAF and have them delivered in December. We spoke briefly about the home charger and being asked by the EV Project to be considered for a free charger. This seemed to be new information to him. I explained how the EV Project will connect to my charger in my garage, via satellite, to keep track of my charging patterns and miles of travel per charge. He seemed truly amazed. I was bubbling over with excitement about the LEAF and he could sense it.

Then I told him that us people who have reserved a LEAF are hoping that it will be sold for the MSRP. I asked him if he knew yet if this would happen. He said the price would probably be set by Nissan. I restated that we would really like to buy this vehicle at the MSRP and not over. He laughed and shook my hand again. I said, "So is this a deal?" He laughed again. I thanked him for his time and allowed him to begin his meal with the beer and appetizer that had just been delivered to his table.

My partner said I should write him a letter and remind him of our brief conversation at the restaurant. I could restate our concern about he price and tell him about this forum again. I'll work on that tomorrow. I know Mr. Click could definitely feel my excitement about this new Nissan project. He liked hearing about it. I'll keep you all informed what happens!

We have known the Mayor of Tucson and his wife for years - long before he ran for office almost 12 years ago. My partner said that when our LEAF arrives we will contact the news media, Mr. Click, and the Nissan dealership as I give the mayor a ride in the new EV. Our mayor tried to have some old, gas-guzzling city vehicles replaced with a fleet of about 8 Priuses. People complained that they had the pricey GPS system in them and that they were not American made. They were returned to the Toyota dealer. He and his wife own a Prius themselves. He'll get a kick out of this new EV.
 
Even though I bought my Hyundai in Phoenix, I've had all the service done on it at his Hyundai dealership. They have always been on time and fair. I've never had to take the car back to have repairs repaired. I've had very few things done on it since I got it in 2003. Recently it was time for new brakes. Click's dealerships are part of a program called, "Tucson Values Teachers". With my discount card I saved 25% on labor and 15% on parts. This amounted to $80. I don't plan an a lot of service with the LEAF.
 
How about how long will it take before you see your reserved leaf?
Azrich said:
There are two Nissan Dealers in my city, both are about the same distance from where I live. One dealer's representative phoned me the on April 21, the day after I submitted my reservation. He wanted to make himself available to answer questions, yet he couldn't answer very much yet because he hadn't learned very many details at his LEAF training. I have learned a lot more here on this forum.

Today, I decided I would go introduce myself to the Nissan LEAF representatives at both dealers, ask questions, and actually interview them as my potential dealership. I want a positive experience buying and maintaining this vehicle, so they will need to win my approval and my business.

So I'm thinking of some questions to ask their LEAF representatives. Here are a couple:

What will your dealership do to make my purchase of a LEAF pleasant, problem free, and a good experience?

Why should I choose your dealership over the other one in town?

BUT, I would like a couple of good questions that would show me their knowledge level about the LEAF.
Any suggestions of questions to ask?????
 
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