Lease buyout $3k incentive: Dealership shenanigans?
Hi everyone,
I've been leasing a '23 iD.4 Pro that I love but the lease is coming to an end. I'm spot on on the miles (36k), all recalls done, and I've been babying the battery so range has not decreased at all.
The residual was above market value ($24.1k) and I was considering just extending the lease. But now VW has the $3k incentive to buy, which would bring it just below market, so I decided to pull the trigger. Since the deal requires dealership participation I went to mine to start the process.
They started giving me a song and dance about some CPO iD.4 they had in stock, for $23k. But I have no idea about that car. The long term mi/kWh said 2.1 which looks really low to me (i don't know if it's the battery or just the way the old owner drove). I know exactly what is wrong with the one I drive, which is nothing at all.
When I insisted on buying mine they said that in order to apply the $3k they would have to "re-certify" the car (for $600 plus whatever repairs they find). It's also gonna need tires (I knew that) but they said these alone would run up to $2k (I can have OEM tires installed for $1k a block away from my house). They even mentioned doing the 30k mile inspection, which is already done! So they're really pushing the CPO on me, insisting that buying mine would be more expensive than just getting their CPO.
I've already talked to VW finance and they've washed their hands, saying that whatever conditions the dealer puts are what it is. It looks to me like the dealership is trying to claw back as much as possible of that $3k for themselves. I don't need the car certified, I just want to buy it as-is.
My question is, does this look like dealership shenanigans? Are they using this re-certification condition to hold the $3k hostage? And most importantly: do you think all dealerships are doing this, or can I shop around to see who will just sell me the car as-is?