[bro1999]

So it seems that quietly, Volt lease offers actually improved this month across the board. Numbers for an LT are below.

The lease offer for CARB states had been $299/month, $500 down for several months; now it is $261/month, $500 down, first payment waived ($10,418 total OOP over 3 years)

Non-CARB states had been $299/month, ~$3k down.....now it's $299/month, $1,569 down ($12,333 OOP over 3 years).

http://www.carsdirect.com/2017/chevrolet/volt/prices-deals

edit: WHOOPS, post in the wrong forum. Could a mod move this to the Buy/LEase forum? Thanks.

 

[DonC]

Thanks for the monthly update. Always helpful.

 

[Zoder]

I assume those deals prices are before things like personal incentives (PO, farm bureau, etc...) and negotiating a better dealer discount are factored in. Am I correct?

 

[bro1999]

Yeah, these are the base offers before any incentives OR additional dealer discounting.
But before any fees/taxes.

 

[VoltFish]

Do you know what the lease breakdown is for these deals? Such as the money factor and residual being used? Is the price based on paying full MSRP? I ask because the last update I saw the money factor for an LT was .0004 with 50% residual at 12k miles a year and $4610 bonus cash from GM. Curious how the deals you posted might impact a deal I'm currently negotiating based on those other numbers.

 

[Bacardi]

I assume those deals prices are before things like personal incentives (PO, farm bureau, etc...) and negotiating a better dealer discount are factored in. Am I correct?

Correct but also before TTL and dealer fees, they can also increase the MF and it's been reported by one person, can increase the acquisition fee...Awesome deals can be had if the dealer is willing to discount, though...

 

[Brjohnso]

I think that big incentives from GM are on the way. The local GM dealer (here in Washington State) has a ton of Volts on the lot, but they are not moving. Mostly Premieres. I don't know if many people will want to buy a Volt for the winter, it's hardly a snow cat.

 

[kubel]

How are they getting to these numbers? Higher CCR? Lower MF? I'm not seeing anything solid unless they are building these lease figures assuming dealer contribution is going up?

 

[acarney]

I think that big incentives from GM are on the way. The local GM dealer (here in Washington State) has a ton of Volts on the lot, but they are not moving. Mostly Premieres. I don't know if many people will want to buy a Volt for the winter, it's hardly a snow cat.

Vote to pass that carbon tax bill that's being pushed right now then. I don't get the feeling GM is going to do crap with the Volt unless you're a CARB state. The cold is going to really make people think twice also while gas is cheap. It's expensive on battery power. I'm already seeing reduced range and it's only been in the 50s. When things get down to ~30s and lower over night you're going to really really want to make use of all 20 minutes of preconditioning to get your battery coolant and cabin as warm as possible before heading off. Here'a the kicker though, the heaters in the car can pull way more kW then the charger can supply so even while plugged in you'll go out to a car that isn't fully charged unless you balance a precondition and then wait period to charge before leaving. Honestly it won't ruin the car but if you're thinking of buying and you see that battery start dropping fairly quick while doing a "simple" test drive and because the dealer pre-warmed the car for you thinking it's a selling point, it might make people think twice. Even more so if that engine kicks on to help with the warming

I suspect Dec to mid Feb I'll see ~40 miles range on the battery (but in comfort, and yes I have heated seats). For comparison in August even with AC on I was able to get range to climb up to about 61 miles.

(Also, even if you're fine jumping into an ice cold car like you've been used to with gas burners, the Volt will warm its battery on its own to keep it in a happy range. Fun fact, your coolant temps in this car usually are only a few degrees above ambient temperature. It's so odd to see after watching a normal car get up to ~200 degrees even in the dead of winter...)

 

[bro1999]

How are they getting to these numbers? Higher CCR? Lower MF? I'm not seeing anything solid unless they are building these lease figures assuming dealer contribution is going up?

Not 100% sure. From what I've seen, the MF and CCR have not changed. Carsdirect usually spits out the official national lease offers though.

Interestingly enough, when I punch my zip code in on Chevy.com to look at lease offers in MD, nothing shows up for the Volt. Tried other zip codes in other CARB states, and no dice. But then I tried a zip in Florida, and I see the offer I posted above:

Lease

Chevrolet National Lease Offers

Lease for Qualified Lessees
$299/month for 39 months. $1,569 due at signing (after all offers).

$1,069 due at signing for Current Lessees of GM vehicles (after all offers)*.

Tax, title, license, and dealer fees extra. $0 security deposit.
Mileage charge of $0.25/mile over 48,750 miles at participating dealers.

 

[Brjohnso]

Vote to pass that carbon tax bill that's being pushed right now then. I don't get the feeling GM is going to do crap with the Volt unless you're a CARB state. The cold is going to really make people think twice also while gas is cheap. It's expensive on battery power. I'm already seeing reduced range and it's only been in the 50s. When things get down to ~30s and lower over night you're going to really really want to make use of all 20 minutes of preconditioning to get your battery coolant and cabin as warm as possible before heading off. Here'a the kicker though, the heaters in the car can pull way more kW then the charger can supply so even while plugged in you'll go out to a car that isn't fully charged unless you balance a precondition and then wait period to charge before leaving. Honestly it won't ruin the car but if you're thinking of buying and you see that battery start dropping fairly quick while doing a "simple" test drive and because the dealer pre-warmed the car for you thinking it's a selling point, it might make people think twice. Even more so if that engine kicks on to help with the warming

I suspect Dec to mid Feb I'll see ~40 miles range on the battery (but in comfort, and yes I have heated seats). For comparison in August even with AC on I was able to get range to climb up to about 61 miles.

(Also, even if you're fine jumping into an ice cold car like you've been used to with gas burners, the Volt will warm its battery on its own to keep it in a happy range. Fun fact, your coolant temps in this car usually are only a few degrees above ambient temperature. It's so odd to see after watching a normal car get up to ~200 degrees even in the dead of winter...)

That carbon tax is going to fail. It's polling well under 50%, and the undecided voters always go against.

I checked another dealer, and I'm seeing the same thing. There are currently more Volts on the lot than any other car, except the 1500 Silverado pickup. That makes sense, since winter is approaching. For example, one dealer has 43 1/2 ton pickups, 33 volts, 25 Cruzes, 17 Camaros, 11 Malibus.... What are they going to do with all these Volts?

 

[VoltFish]

Does anybody know the full breakdown of this deal? I talked to a dealer today who claims that the offer is assuming GM employee pricing, which I think is total BS from the dealer but I'm still curious as to how they get to the advertised numbers.

 

[acarney]

That carbon tax is going to fail. It's polling well under 50%, and the undecided voters always go against.

I checked another dealer, and I'm seeing the same thing. There are currently more Volts on the lot than any other car, except the 1500 Silverado pickup. That makes sense, since winter is approaching. For example, one dealer has 43 1/2 ton pickups, 33 volts, 25 Cruzes, 17 Camaros, 11 Malibus.... What are they going to do with all these Volts?

Probably let them sit on the lot and wonder why they aren't selling them. Are they actively advertising the Washington State sales and motor vehicle use exemption on those Volts? Either in local print/TV ads or on their site or when you chat with them and ask why someone would want a Volt compared to a normal car? I know it's "fairly" new for the Volt (2016/17 Volts were just added to the list of eligible cars on July 1st of this year) but I would be telling every person that walked in the door if I had a bunch of cars that were basically tax free on my lot compared to everything else. While it isn't a direct reduction on the invoice or MSRP price of the car, it'll save the buyer 8 to 9% (About ~$2700 savings, you only pay tax on the amount above $32k so maybe ~$160 total tax cost on a base LT with no discounts) that doesn't need to be added to the financed amount or roughly ~$20/month off the lease amount.


I honestly don't know why they're not trying to move these cars. I don't know why GM doesn't try to make these the hottest selling cars while there are still benefits and exemptions at the state and federal level. Drop the prices and make it up in volume sales. They just aren't though... I don't think they really care.

Also, curious how long those have been on the lot, when I started looking back in June for my Volt I looked a little at options on the other side of the state (near Seattle area etc) and most dealers had 20+ Volts and no great deals or discounts, MAYBE $500 off MSRP, but most weren't even that. So even though my local dealer only had 1 Volt on the lot for me to work with, it wasn't worth my time trying to head across the state to get one from a better stocked dealer.

 

[Brjohnso]

At a high level, it makes sense to ship Volts to Washington State. There is cheap electricity in many parts of the state. However, when you run the numbers, the Volt is a hard sell without incentives. Gas is cheap, and there are many places in the state (especially King county) where power is not cheap at all. Luxury will sell here, I see many Teslas on the road. But to many customers, the Volt is just an electric version of the Chevy Cruze at twice the price. The Cruze is high teens low 20's, the the volt is 35-40k. If you're affluent enough to get the full tax credit, with the state sales tax exemption, you save about 10k. That still puts the Volt about $5k over the price of the Chevy Cruz. You won't save nearly that much in gas over the life of the car. GM seems intent in pricing the Volt as a premium car, but most consumers see the Chevy badge and see it as a Electric value compact car. I think that they car needs to be about $5k cheaper than it currently is. The features, interior quality, projected reliability, and resale do not justify the current pricing.

I think the lease residuals and lease cash incentives are indicative of the problem. The current lease offers tell me that lease companies expect this car to be worth only $13k-17k in three years. Thats a ton of expected depreciation.

 

[Bacardi]

Does anybody know the full breakdown of this deal? I talked to a dealer today who claims that the offer is assuming GM employee pricing, which I think is total BS from the dealer but I'm still curious as to how they get to the advertised numbers.

Move on to another dealer...An easy way to go about this is to go to a Costco dealer, get a written offer which should be under invoice and have a few local dealers compete...Far easier then dealing with "assuming employee pricing" BS...

 

[VoltFish]

Move on to another dealer...An easy way to go about this is to go to a Costco dealer, get a written offer which should be under invoice and have a few local dealers compete...Far easier then dealing with "assuming employee pricing" BS...

Can you elaborate on going to the Costco dealer? How do I find a Costco dealer and do they just email out a written offer or something without any negotiating? I am a Costco member already. Thanks!

 

[Kraven]

Can you elaborate on going to the Costco dealer? How do I find a Costco dealer and do they just email out a written offer or something without any negotiating? I am a Costco member already. Thanks!

Just head to CostcoAuto.com, enter your zip and get started...

 

[Bacardi]

Can you elaborate on going to the Costco dealer? How do I find a Costco dealer and do they just email out a written offer or something without any negotiating? I am a Costco member already. Thanks!

You'll need a Costco number but it doesn't have to be your own...Just start reaching out to friends and family (assuming you don't have a membership nor want one)

With the number, go where Kraven said, select your zip/make/model/contact details and you'll see local dealers...You will have to go in person to get pricing, which is fixed by dealership yet can still vary from dealer to dealer, Costco recommends a price and dealers can still choose whatever price they want, yet for the Volt it's almost always been under invoice...Once you get the paperwork, dangle it in front of other dealers and tell them to beat it...Alternatively you can do the same thing with Truecar without a Costco membership but prices tend to be higher...I'll just add, if you don't already know, research how to buy a car...Deal with fleet/internet managers only, do the haggling over email only...