I’ve been searching for a lease for months now, but it feels like Missouri has zero good options. Every time I see a great deal, it’s in places like Colorado or California. My best offer so far with $0 down is a Tesla Model 3, and that’s directly from Tesla’s website.
I’ve contacted multiple dealers, but none of them are anywhere near the deals I see posted here. Am I missing something? Any tips on how to approach leasing in Missouri, or should I be looking to ship a deal from another state?
EDIT: Has anyone in the Midwest actually been able to land one of those pre-negotiated deals listed on the site?
What offers are you making and on which makes/models? How are you engaging dealers (asking for quotes or making offers?) How many dealerships have you tried, and have you tried looking outside of the state and considered transport?
it’s always nice to see someone from a massively under-dealered location act surprised that nobody will come remotely close to replicating any deal from the coasts.
When it comes to EVs, I wondered out here in fly-over country, isn’t the pool of potential EV buyers small enough and the EV supply high enough it would dictate more aggressive deals.
In my experience (midwest here), it’s a mixed bag. Most places don’t get quite enough inventory to have an over-supply problem, so the prices are still high. I’ve gotten four new EVs over the years (and one used). The new ones came from:
Purchased locally - I didn’t know what I was doing, but was able to get it for MSRP during the COVID years by chance. Sold it back for a profit a bit later (it was crazy times back then)
Purchased from a coast and had it shipped - best deal available after emailing dozens of dealers
Leased locally - saw a great deal advertised nationally and convinced my local dealer to (reluctantly) give it to me at the end of the month (they had three of this car)
Leased from the next state over - finally, after finding LH, sent offers to all dealers nationwide who had the spec I wanted and the best deal happened to be in a neighboring state; drove to pick it up
Each deal got better each time. Based on all this, I will never go back to trying to negotiate in a showroom. From now on, I’m only creating and sending offers (or working with a broker if no dealers will make a deal) because the results speak for themselves.
Mostly EVs. I’ve been requesting quotes through dealer sites and negotiating over email, but everything I’m seeing is way over the 1% rule and drive-offs aren’t just first month/fees. Reached out to ~6–7 MO dealers with no luck
This is all of your problems summed up in one statement.
Stop asking dealers how much they want you to pay. You need to work out a target deal (which in no way ever involves nonsensical things like 1% of msrp) and make the dealers offers.
If you want only first month and fees as your das, then tell then your offer should say the number das that is first month and fees.
If you don’t want the process to be frustrating, you have to stop asking the dealer to frustrate you.
Yeah that’s for suckers when it comes to EVs. Don’t be one.
And think about it, why would a forum have any popularity if the solution was so simple? Why would anyone come here if all they needed to know boiled down to such a simple rule of MSRP x 1%?
