12.3" touch screen with wireless CarPlay/AndroidAuto.
19" aluminum-alloy wheels.
Bose speakers.
Adaptive cruise control with lane centering (almost like a Tesla).
360-degree camera (the quality is bad though).
Remote engine start (great for summer time).
At this price point, what I think it can do better:
No start-stop system, only automatic brake hold.
No auto-dimming mirrors.
No ambient light at all. I don’t ask for fancy color-changing ambient light (which is optional for Altima), but this car has zero interior light that cabin feels too dark to see anything.
THE DEALER
Cerritos Nissan. I spoke with the General Sales Manager directly. We agreed on the selling price over the phone in less than fifteen seconds. Then I asked for a text message to confirm the selling price in writing. I also filled out the online credit application before heading over. The staff are friendly and professional.
The total time I spent in the dealership was about 90 minutes. My personal Leases Done Quick record was about 30 minutes back in 2018 at Audi Pasadena.
IN THE END
Big thanks to this community. Wish everyone the best.
Your total out of pocket is $315 X 18 which is about your total monthly payments. I think you meant to call total out of pocket as total cost of ownership. Usually total out of pocket is the Due At Signing amount.
Yeah, a bit confusing with pre-one pay monthly listed in title, and one pay effective monthly being a bit less. @winnie_the_pooh this is one pay, right?
My original goal was a one-pay lease. However, the dealership refused to do so because “the system doesn’t allow them to process it.” Some other dealerships also refused to do a one-pay lease.
I did spend hours browsing inventories and making calls before this one. I called at least ten dealerships. Most of them wanted to sell at MSRP only. A few of them had counter offers, like $1000 off MSRP.
My strategies are:
Be simple. Only negotiate on the selling price. No need to mention monthly payments.
Be flexible. No strong preference for color or trim.
Be patient. Keep calling around. If this week doesn’t work, try next week.
Be fast. Tell the dealer that I can be there today if we can agree on the number.
Be nice. If a dealer gives me a bad deal, I thank them for their time and hope to make a deal with them in the future.
I prefer emails to phone calls. But sometimes, finding the right email address for the dealership is hard. The phone numbers are always listed on their website.
