I’ve narrowed down dealer quotes to a few options; however, they are just that - quotes scribbled in an email or provided verbally over the phone.
That said, when it is appropriate to ask for a draft contract or something more formal to review prior to stepping foot in the dealer? I’d like to have my apples to apples documentation up front before deciding where to physically go and close the deal.
Thinking of some version of the lease worksheet that all leases are memorialized as in one way shape or form.
Not sure how well the dealer will react to that. They’ll almost certainly see that request as a sign that you will shop around their #'s. I’ve even gotten some pushback when asking them to transcribe their offers into an e-mail for the same reason. But agree with @iac that they will be less inclined to think the worst if you have a good faith deposit down.
If you’re ready to move asking for a deal breakdown/worksheet ahead of coming in (“so I’m not missing anything”) is reasonable. I’ll often schedule the time to come in as a sign of good faith.
Without it you might waste a lot of time. Theirs and yours.
It’s all about transparency. I always ask and insist on getting the following, via email, BEFORE I sign the lease agreement…
Completed lease contract.
Any lease contract addenda.
Dealer lease calculation worksheet (sent to fund provider)
Customer incentive acknowledgement form.
Factory window sticker
All Non-factory add-ons (dealer installed accessories)
Repair policy shortly after purchase
Odometer disclosure
Most dealers comply. I vet all data and make sure that it matches all data in my final lease proposal to which the dealer has already agreed. The only time I go to the dealership is when I sign docs and take delivery of the vehicle.
Geez… how would I know? Never gave it a thought. You’d have to ask the dealer. The dealer just emails me the contract for my review prior to coming into the dealership to sign and take delivery.
You can ask to put deposit but need a buyers order before to review. That usually includes all the necessary details of the deal like VIN, monthly payment, due at signing, miles, terms, etc. If you have agreed to price, don’t really need breakdown of MF, Discount, etc
I’d say it’s totally cool to ask for a draft contract or some official documentation to review first. It’s all about making sure you have all your ducks in a row and making an informed decision. Maybe they can hook you up with a lease worksheet or something similar to compare all the deets.
As @IAC mentioned, it is appropriate when you come to an agreement on the deal and want to double-check everything before signing. If you are just shopping around, then I don’t believe any FI manager is going to waste their time drafting contracts and paperwork since most complain about paperwork when there is a real, actual deal to be billed out.
Otherwise, I would suggest emailing/texting the salesperson after a phone conversation. Just “Thanks for talking with me today. Just to confirm, we are at $300/mo with $3k DAS including taxes/fees on X model”. I did that when leasing my wife’s car, which saved us a lot of trouble when the FI manager tried the ole “How are you going to pay sales tax, 1st payment, and fees” line.
