No Versa for me. Hello NISSAN. Can you hear me???

[canada_versa]

After having an excellent test drive session on Oct 14, and deciding to order a Versa and put our deposit down, we have not heard a peep from our dealer, even after we have repeatedly pestered them for information. We just recently found out that they have not factory ordered because they were still hopeful that they would find one quicker than factory ordered. So, the day we found out that they had not yet ordered the car, we requested that they do so asap! It has been another week and we still have not received any confirmation that they have actually ordered one for us. So, that's enough of this crap for me. Yes, I like the Versa a lot, but with a bad experience from the dealer, it makes the whole thing go sour. you need to find a good dealer that you can have a comfortable and somewhat trusting relationship with. We are getting our money back, and until we actually see a White/Charcoal SL sitting on a dealers lot here, I am willing to wait this out.

[AZhitman]

Wow, not cool.

Have you touched base with Nissan North America?

[campersand]

Have you tried another dealer or is this the only one near you?

[Link3]

Yes, I like the Versa a lot, but with a bad experience from the dealer, it makes the whole thing go sour. you need to find a good dealer that you can have a comfortable and somewhat trusting relationship with.

I whole heartily agree - a Good or Bad experience with a dealer can make or break a deal. I live in the greater Chicago, IL area and purchased my Versa SL from dealer "W" that was not the closet to me, but who had the car that I wanted and treated me fairly.

Subsequently a friend was looking for a Versa S, dealer "W" did not have the color he wanted, so he was pursuing a car at a different dealer "J". However, this other dealer started to play games with him, plus wanted to charge him an additional $700 for some unexplainable item(s). Suffice to say, that deal went sour and if that had been his only recourse, would have shed a bad image on Nissan. Instead he ended up back at dealer "W" and picked up an S model in his second choice of colors.

Now I know of a third person shopping for a Versa, and she is dealing with the same dealer "W" & sales person that the two of us purchased Versas from. At least so far dealer "W" has been honest and fair with us. Dealer "J" on the other hand is on my/our Black List and won't ever hear from us again.
Modified by Link3 at 4:00 PM 11/15/2006

[canada_versa]

I have contacted another dealer in the area, and he claims that he will not be able to provide me with a delivery date either, except to day that it is typically 8-10 weeks from the factory, but for some reason Eastern Canada is getting priority. He also indicated that they do not anticipate higher availability in the spring. So, that worries me even more as if I were to wait for a Versa, what happens if I need servicing and need parts? Does that mean I am waiting again? Maybe the dealers are tired up hearing complaints when it is really a NISSAN problem?? Perhaps?? The dealers say these cars are very popular, but I honestly am not seeing many on the road.

[proxim2020]

If you were to need your vehicle service and a replacement part was needed, one would be ordered like in most cases. Pretty much no dealer holds every part for a car. They normally keep the parts that are replaced often onsite and order in others when needed. Just because you don't see many V's around doesn't mean there's a scarcity of parts. The cars are very popular, but since millions aren't being made, it may be hard to find them. But as soon as these cars roll off the truck, if they haven't been spoken for, then they are sold within a matter of hours. 8-10 weeks is about right for the turn around time when requesting a specific configuration from the factory.

I think it's pathetic that the dealer didn't order the vehicle when you asked. You asked for the vehicle to be submitted to the factory immediately, not when they got tired of trying to find one around time. Work with a new dealer to get your car included in their next allocation.

[Jemdawg]

I think it's pathetic too, he could have made a sale, but, instead, he waited and lost out.

[canada_versa]

So, the second dealer in the area here says they cannot factory order from NISSAN. They have to wait to see what comes out on a weeks basis and snag the car they want for their customers. Both dealers I spoke to are extremely frustrated with NISSAN - they won't actually come out and say this, but you can certainly hear it in the way they talk. They claim that due to demand, NISSAN is pumping out a variety of cars and are running in full production mode, and for this reason they are not taking factory orders.

Keeps getting stranger than fiction I tell yah!

[proxim2020]

Well there's no such thing as a factory order or special order in actuality. In theory there is. Each dealer has an allocation period. During this time, Nissan says "You have 3 Versas, 2 Armadas, and 4 Maximas you're allowed to receive. Please submit the configurations you would like." The dealer can take what whatever the manufacturer sends their way or they can put in a request for a certain configuration. This is where your "order" comes in. They have the ability to include your vehicle configuration in their allocation. If the configuration isn't acceptable (i.e SL with ABS and Sunroof only), Nissan will reject the submission. The vehicle will only be sent if it's available during the allocation period. Allocation are controlled normally at corporate, county, regional, sometimes state, and sometime local levels. Here in the States, dealers aren't being restricted from making requests in their allocations.

This may be a case to where Nissan has so many requests now that they are restricting requests from certain markets. You are the first to actually speak to 2 separate dealers with the same story. Most others have said their dealer said this, but it's normally when they are trying to come up with a lie to why the vehicle was never ordered.

[ilusha55]

... but for some reason Eastern Canada is getting priority

That would be because 2/3 of Canada is living in two eastern provinces.

[Ever Victorious]

That would be because 2/3 of Canada is living in two eastern provinces.

Let's not forget that Nissan went all weird when doing their initial allocations.

I found out that 12% of the first batch of Versas was sent to WA state as a "test market", shorting the rest of the country... and now we're getting payback, because you can't find anything here but an S automatic, where other parts of the country are finally starting to see a good amount of SL's coming in.

In general, for this thread, it is also well known that Nissan graveley underestimated the demand for the Versa at first. The first month's sales, of almost 4,000 units, was thought to be enough by Nissan for the first TWO months. They are continuing to produce about 4000 per month, which right now, seems to be their maximum capacity.

Nissan is also ramping up for the introduction of the Sedan model, and I lay you odds there won't be a shortage of those when they come up. Nissan originally was going to build 60% sedans and 40% hatchbacks, but are rethinking that strategy. In the meantime, with a January due date for the sedans, there is no doubt that some of their total Versa production capacity is currently cranking out Sedans. Nissan has apparently looked into expanding Versa production into its 2nd Mexico factory, to increase production.

With how much interior room and cargo space, combined with fuel economy, the Versa gets... you have a large number of people who previously bought/owned SUV's that are jumping ship, which is something ELSE that Nissan apparently didn't take into account.

If you're in desperate need of a car, I can't really say anything. You need what you need when you need it. But if you can hold off, I can promise you the Versa is FAR better than its competitors, despite the glitches and production vs demand shortfalls we are currently experiencing.