Nubo said:
I plan on leasing another LEAF. Should I talk to the salesman before I schedule the inspection? Or is it a matter of having the inspection in-hand and negotiating/waiving some items?
Here's how the nice lady at NMAC told me this would go down:
You can schedule your inspection up to 90 days prior to turning in the vehicle. At that point we should get a feel for how picky they will be. It wasn't clear how they account for additional wear or damage that might happen after the inspection; but there was some language about that, presumably if you try to turn in the car in noticeably worse shape than the inspection reflects the dealer will raise a red flag.
About 60 days after you turn in the car they will generate a "financial liability statement" to show what you owe to close out the account. Included in that statement is a form where you indicate if you bought or leased another new Nissan. If you did, the $399 lease termination fee and up to $500 of excess wear is subtracted from whatever you owe.
Now none of the above applies if the dealer is actually buying the car, ie taking it on a trade, in that case it's like any other car that has a loan against it, they can pay it off and it's up to the dealer to decide what condition it is in and if it's worth what they are allowing you for it. Be aware though, your Leaf is almost certainly not worth what is owed on the lease (the residual), so any dealer that tells you they are getting you out of it is just tacking the negative onto the next purchase or lease. This is not in your best interest; since the lease basically gives you the right to give it back to NMAC, the fact that it isn't worth the lease payoff amount is their loss. Don't let them try to put it back on you with higher payments on a new car.
Sooooo, if you can live without replacing the car right away you have a little time to decide on what to get next. I may take a few weeks to decide, that time frame should take me through NAIS in January.
If I said anything here that doesn't sound right please correct me.