Nissan Car Lease Sold to nissan dealer but we canceled the transaction

Hey everyone! This is my first post here, so please bear with me :blush:. I’m in New York City and I have a 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport lease that was supposed to end on 07/19/2025. As of 01/19/2025, I had 6 payments left, each for $454.93. its a very low milage 10,500, The buyout price at the end of the lease was $18,022.

To get out of the lease early, I had to pay around $3,200. I was planning to sell the car to CarMax, but I didn’t realize that no one besides Nissan dealers could take over the lease. I also couldn’t buy the car and sell it because it had negative equity, making it not worth the hassle. My broker told me no one would touch the car because of the negative equity, so my only option was to return it early and pay off the remaining payments, which would save me on insurance costs.

I started reaching out to Nissan dealers, and one in Queens was willing to take the car off my hands for just $2,000. This would save me around $2,000 after factoring in the insurance difference. We spoke on 01/18/2025, and he asked me to bring the car in on 01/20/2025. I told him about the auto payment scheduled for 01/19/2025, and he told me to cancel it, assuring me he’d handle the rest.

I went to the dealership on 01/20/2025, and he charged my credit card $2,060, took the plates, and gave me a receipt that basically said I dropped off the car. It also mentioned I would get a bill from Nissan Finance if there were any remaining balances. I wasn’t happy with this, so I asked for something in writing confirming I wouldn’t owe anything else. The dealer wrote on the receipt that I wouldn’t be billed any additional amounts.

Since it was a holiday and Nissan Finance was closed, I called my broker and sent him the receipt. He said the dealer needed to provide a letter on their letterhead confirming I wouldn’t owe anything. The dealer (an Italian guy :sweat_smile:) then told me he had actually purchased the car and, if I didn’t want to proceed with the deal, he would cancel everything. So, I asked him to cancel it, he refunded the money, put the plates back on, and I left.

The next day, I called Nissan Finance to explain the situation and make my payment, which I did. They then informed me the dealer had purchased my car, so he wasn’t lying. I texted the dealer, and he said he was no longer interested in the deal. A few days later, I logged into my Nissan Finance account and saw that my account was marked as closed. I called Nissan, and they confirmed the lease was paid in full, and there was a “Paid in Full” letter available to download.

I texted the dealer again, and he said he would reverse the transaction and that everything would go back to how it was in a few days. But it’s been a week now, and my account is still closed. I’ve spoken to a another Nissan dealer, and he find the whole situation odd, but he warned me it could potentially hurt my credit.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Any advice on what I should do next? I’d really appreciate any help!

Thank you!

Wow you have a free car without a title lol.

Honestly, drop off the car at the dealer and tell them this is their business to deal with?

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All I can say is, from experience, a Nissan dealer can unground a lease and reopen a closed account, but it’s a slow process and could take a few weeks. I’m not sure why you are unwinding this, sounds like this dealer was doing you a solid.

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Maybe I am miss understanding but you wanted to get out of the lease and only pay $2k. The dealer bought it off you and you were essentially $2k upside down so you had to pay the difference.

Isn’t that exactly what you were wanting? Its better that they bought it from you vs returning to Nissan because you would avoid disposition fee and any potential damage charges. Sounds like a win.

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This was my first lease, and the broker really worried me when he said I was essentially giving him $2K as a gift, which made me anxious that I’d pay that and still have to make regular payments. i guess it want not meant to be, so I’ve decided to stick with the Nissan until the lease is up.

My wife’s old 2004 RX330 had a lot of issues, and I didn’t want to spend the money to fix it. So, she ended up taking the Nissan since she drives a lot for work (about 45 minutes each way). I got a Tesla Y in December, but then my wife ended up taking it due to the long commute. I figured I’d get rid of the Nissan and maybe switch to a Cadillac Lyriq.

Someone offered me a loaner for $419/month with zero down, a 24-month lease, but I think I’ll hold off for now and see if something better comes along, maybe the new Tesla Y. if the price will go down after Lounch

I just got worried ? i dont want to ruin my credit, When a bank sends a paid-off notice,can they legally undo it?. as ahash suggested, i was thinking to drop off the car at the Nissan dealer, but I’m not sure I want to deal with any extra problems right now.

But aren’t you the one who asked to cancel the deal?

Did you use a broker advertising on LH? I’m a bit confused by your story, but I feel like your broker was giving you some odd information.

Brooklyn broker?

I tought i explained the situation in detail, he refused to provide a letter stating that inwill not get any bills from nissan finance, The receipt he gave me only stated that I surrendered the car. Logically, I believe I was right to ask for a letter confirming the purchase, but I didn’t ask to cancel the agreement. I simply insisted on getting a letter, and he said the receipt was the only thing he could give me. He also mentioned that if I didn’t agree, he could cancel the agreement.

Now, my question is about the status of my lease. Not what happend between me and the dealer, thats done l, My lease is marked as closed, but my next payment is due on 02/19/25. What will happen if my account remains closed after that date? I just dont want any issues

I am from long island i think he also live in long island , so i dont know if he operate in brooklyn, i dont know him that well , i just leased the car 2.5 years ago thats all

I have no idea ,

In the legal world, “any”, “all”, “never” are too broad terms companies rarely agree to. The dealer can’t guarantee anything on behalf of a lender, they can only guarantee what is in their control, which is the vehicle and fees related to condition. If the account was in default, outstanding balances, vehicle purchase fee, these are NMACs domain. You should have requested the guarantee from them for that.

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Sounds like that guy ate nicely when he put you in a $450 rogue sport, too.

Unfortunately, you’re asking for something that no one would ever provide, for one simple reason. A dealer cannot GUARANTEE a third party will not bill you for something unbeknownst to them. Maybe you had some outstanding balance with them, or some other random issue, why would the dealer subject themselves to agreeing to pay contractual agreements that are between you and NMAC?

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As I mentioned in my original post, the Nissan was my first lease, and I was learning as I went. At the time, it seemed logical to ask for the letter, and the broker suggested I do so, so I assumed I was being taken advantage of. Looking back, I realize I was wrong, but the situation can’t be undone.

Now, my main concern is about my account being closed. If anyone has useful info I’d appreciate it.

also If anyone has useful advice on how I can end the lease without losing too much money, I’d appreciate it as well (of course i need to see what’s going on with my lease with nissan finance) :pray:

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At that time, he offered me the best lease deal I could find. Back in June 2022, there were issues with car availability due to the chip shortage after COVID, so new cars were harder to come by. While that car might be worth less than $200 a month now, I don’t think he took advantage of me."

Update
The dealer text me asking if nissan finance called me , i told him that no one called me, he text that they trying to contact me regarding the car , i open a chat with nissan finance asking if somone called me, she didnt know what i was talking about , i explained her the situation, she stated , that in thire end the car was paid in full and the acount is closed, i was insisting again , asking her is there is any request to undo the purchase , she replied “the information that was discussed with you and the dealership. At this time the account is shown as paid in full and the payment remains on the account. The account shows as closed. Lisa” i text the delaer the screenshot of the chat , he didnt rellied, i called him and left message , that was yesterday, he did not got back to me, i came home and saw a refund check for last paymwnt i made , what should i do ? This is reallly crazy , is the delaer knows what he is doing ?

You’re not going to get anywhere with NMAC chat. You need to call in and immediately ask for an escalation manager. Everyone else at NMAC is just a script reader. Tell the manager you’re working to unground your lease with your Nissan dealer. This takes a bit of co-ordination between the dealer and NMAC, it took me multiple weeks. If they call you, do not miss the call, as it’s hard to get the same manager every time.

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It is up to the dealer to get his money back from NMAC. I would be more interested on whether NMAC has sent the dealer a lien release assuming he now owns the vehicle. Does NMAC believe the vehicle was purchased by the dealer? If so, you are no longer the lessee and are in possession of a vehicle that is not properly registered or titled.

I think we can safely assume the dealer did not complete any title work on the car, otherwise they would not have returned it. It sounds like they grounded the lease and are now trying to reverse it, which is possible. If any payments get missed during the process, that’s another story.

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i asked her about the title and she told me that they sent the title to the payee , the one that paid for the car which is the dealer