According to a care salesperson, a customer got 20% off the price of their electric vehicle. Here’s how they did it.
In a viral video, a local Nissan dealership explained how one of their customers “outsmarted” the dealership “and maybe even Nissan.”
“Someone leased a car with no intention of making payments,” the text overlay on @puyallupnissan’s video read.
The car salesperson explained that a customer came in to lease a Nissan Ariya but had no intention of actually keeping the lease. Now, the Nissan Ariya is a fully electric vehicle seemingly trying to rival Tesla. However, some critics think that at its $40,000 starting price point, it doesn’t have many advantages over the Tesla Model Y.
However, Car and Driver rates the Nissan Ariya at an 8 out of 10 and the Tesla Model Y below it at a 7.5.
The car salesperson explained that in Washington state, you can get over $12,000 in rebates on a leased vehicle, but those savings aren’t available when you buy a car. The Daily Dot couldn’t confirm this information through information available online, so if you try this, call your local dealership to confirm.
The customer @puyallupnissan was working with knew two important details: That the leased cars had a hefty rebate and that Nissan lets you buy them out of a lease at any moment.
Instead of just buying a new Nissan, the person leased one—taking advantage of the $12,000 discount—and paid the bank out for the lease.
@puyallupnissan #nissanariya #smartbuyer #leasevspurchase #nmaclease ♬ original sound – Puyallup Nissan
Based on what the salesperson showed, the car cost about $63,000, so the $12,000 off is about a 20% discount.
“What this person did was brilliant,” the salesperson said.
If this exact offer isn’t available in your area, you may still be able to reap some financial benefits. Through the electric vehicle tax credit, you can get a $7,500 tax break for buying a new electric vehicle and $4,000 for a used one, NerdWallet reported.
As of this year, you can choose between claiming the credit on your tax return or transferring the credit to your dealership to lower the cost of the vehicle upfront. However, the catch is that it must be an eligible dealership and a vehicle that meets IRS specifications. You can find this info directly on the IRS’s site.
People in the comments section had mixed reactions.
“Why would you not buy a model y for that price,” a top comment read.
“63k for a nissan? Ur jokin right,” another wrote.
“Yeah and now Nissan and even the dealers are gonna put an end to that,” another commented.
The Daily Dot reached out to the Nissan dealership for comment via email.
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