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Can't afford a Nissan GT-R? Lease it!
Click above for a high-res gallery of the U.S.-spec Nissan GT-R.
Nissan's upcoming supercar, the 2009 GT-R, has a base price of $69,850. It's a relative bargain when you consider the 911 Turbo, offering the same level of all-wheel-drive performance, will cost you at least $126,200. However, it's still far bit steeper than the average sales price of a new car in the United States (hovering just under $30,000 this year), not to mention the insane dealer markups that will likely put the sale price into the stratosphere. To help ease the financial burden, and put one of these turbocharged 473-hp monsters in your garage, Nissan North America has indicated that they will be offering a lease option on the all-new GT-R.
Don't print out your credit score and jog down to your local Nissan dealer just yet. There are about 1,400 Nissan dealerships in the States, and only 691 of them have begun to take pre-orders. Total sales volume allocated to the United States the first year will be just 1,500 units (to put that into perspective, consider that Nissan sold 284,762 Altimas last year).
While a lease program will be in place, Nissan expects most consumers to buy the vehicles. Purchase or lease, with high demand and low sales volumes you can be sure that each and every one of the GT-Rs will be fought over.
Gallery: Nissan GT-R (US-spec)
[Source: Inside Line]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Allan 8:11AM (2/18/2008)
Oh... yay. B/c now I'd have a chance... right.
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mark 8:48AM (2/18/2008)
I still say this is one butt-ugly performance car. I just don't see the attraction.
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Andrew 9:11AM (2/18/2008)
Good idea on Nissan's part. They can charge too much for the lease, and then charge too much for the pre-owned sale, profit on the same car twice.
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pitranger 11:02AM (2/18/2008)
"Can't afford it? Rent it!" It's the American way to 'have' something you should'nt. Didn't a whole bunch of people just loose their houses this way? So, let's see now,,, after I pay the minimum on my fourteen credit cards, re-finance my second mortgage, and count in my comming "economic stimules package", I have $46.20 a month left over! Hell yes, I can get one of these!!
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DIRETTORE 7:02PM (2/18/2008)
* Pit my friend, sorry to say that you hit the nail right on the head!
Not only are we still discovering how deep this mortgage situation really is, the credit crisis goes across mulitiple platforms such as other loans including vehicle financing.
There must be some middle ground somewhere. Too little credit, the economy comes to a halt, too much & we're in the situation we're in.
Tsunami Racer 11:14AM (2/18/2008)
keep in mind that you can't amortize the "dealer markup" as part of a lease. but the GT-R should, in theory, residualize pretty good and should, in theory, have a good lease.
remember how many cars Infiniti leases in a year!!
leasing is a fantastic way to get behind the wheel of a car for many people, but it's not for everyone, and it's not for every car (ie low residual value = higher payments)
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macdoc 11:22AM (2/18/2008)
"the 911 Turbo, offering the same level of all-wheel-drive performance."
Same level?? You are kidding right??
And I agree with Mark, It's Fugly!!
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Nathan 12:24PM (2/18/2008)
It's been said from the beginning that Nissan was aiming for 911 turbo performance, and based on all reports so far it looks like they certainly achieved that goal. It may not be beautiful or luxurious, but it can still take on some pricy competition on the likes of the Nurburgring as most people, except you apparently, have seen.
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993C4S 2:04PM (2/18/2008)
I think Nissan has made a pretty good attempt at competing with Porsche in the GT-R. Hower, I'm not sure that the same level of performance has been proven yet.
The 911 has been around for over 30 years and is a classic from every aspect including design and performance. It remains to be seen how the GT-R will do over the long haul and in real world situations.
To the best of my knowledge there is still considerable debate as to how the GT-R will really stack up against the 911 in an unbiased test. Check this out to see what I mean.
http://993c4s.com/wordpress/?p=71
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AZhitman 10:47PM (2/18/2008)
Pretty standard ops for all automakers, it's the nature of a lease. For now, the buzz on the GTR is positive, with the exception of warranty and price gouging issues.
Extensive discussion of both matters at www.gtrclub.org
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