I'm hoping to lease a Clarity next month. I live in a non-ZEV, non-CARB state and, as such, the few dealers in my state (and the adjoining states) that have the Clarity available have 2018 old-new stock as they are not receiving the 2019.
The four closest Honda dealerships (within 90 miles of my home) say that they are "unable" to provide me with a Clarity as they are not interested in selling/leasing this vehicle (although the very closest - 2 blocks away - said they were able to service a Clarity if I found one).
Yesterday I visited a Honda dealership 120 miles away, in the next state, that had two 2018 Claritys on the lot. The Clarity in the trim and color I want was built in 11/18 and has been sitting on the lot for nearly eight months. The gauge indicated that the SOC was at two bars and the salesperson verified that it had not been charged or driven since April, 2019, when it was moved from the old dealership site to the new, current location. (the charging cable was still sealed in its original packaging).
I was told that Honda's current discount on leftover 2018 models lowered the MSRP by about $5K USD but that there were no current deals or incentives available for the Clarity. Although my credit rating is about as high as it can be (yes, bragging) and Honda Financial approved my credit to finance or lease their most expensive vehicle with $0 down this seemed to have no bearing. After an hour of watching the SM and GM on the phone with Honda, they were unable to get a lease rate for a 2018.
The best they could do was to offer me the current non-incentivised full lease rate - which amounted to dividing the purchase price of the vehicle by 36. So, at the end of such a lease one would have paid within a few thousand dollars of the purchase price. They were unable to provide an end-of-lease purchase price and their recommendation was for me to wait until next month to see if anything changes.
Has anyone here leased a Clarity in a non-ZEV, non-CARB state? Is my experience consistent with or the exception to the way this process is supposed to play-out?
The four closest Honda dealerships (within 90 miles of my home) say that they are "unable" to provide me with a Clarity as they are not interested in selling/leasing this vehicle (although the very closest - 2 blocks away - said they were able to service a Clarity if I found one).
Yesterday I visited a Honda dealership 120 miles away, in the next state, that had two 2018 Claritys on the lot. The Clarity in the trim and color I want was built in 11/18 and has been sitting on the lot for nearly eight months. The gauge indicated that the SOC was at two bars and the salesperson verified that it had not been charged or driven since April, 2019, when it was moved from the old dealership site to the new, current location. (the charging cable was still sealed in its original packaging).
I was told that Honda's current discount on leftover 2018 models lowered the MSRP by about $5K USD but that there were no current deals or incentives available for the Clarity. Although my credit rating is about as high as it can be (yes, bragging) and Honda Financial approved my credit to finance or lease their most expensive vehicle with $0 down this seemed to have no bearing. After an hour of watching the SM and GM on the phone with Honda, they were unable to get a lease rate for a 2018.
The best they could do was to offer me the current non-incentivised full lease rate - which amounted to dividing the purchase price of the vehicle by 36. So, at the end of such a lease one would have paid within a few thousand dollars of the purchase price. They were unable to provide an end-of-lease purchase price and their recommendation was for me to wait until next month to see if anything changes.
Has anyone here leased a Clarity in a non-ZEV, non-CARB state? Is my experience consistent with or the exception to the way this process is supposed to play-out?
