Best Car Rebates for December

December 14, 2009

car-rebate-deals Car sales in December are typically slow. So car manufacturers and dealers try to do the things that help improve sales during this period. One of those things is a factory-to-customer rebate incentive.

Rebates come from car manufacturers as a way of reducing vehicle purchase prices, which helps increase sales. When a customer buys a car, the rebate is deducted from the price that the customer has already negotiated with his dealer. For customers who have little or no down payment money, a rebate can serve that purpose.

December is also a time when most 2010 models have already been introduced but dealers still have leftover inventory of 2009 models that must be sold. Therefore, we can expect to see higher rebates on 2009 models than on 2010 models, although that is not always the case.

Some of the best new-car rebates currently being offered are:

Chrylser – Up to $4000 rebate on 2009 Chrysler 300, and up to $3000 on 2010 Chrysler 300, PT Cruiser, Sebring, and Town & Country

Dodge – Up to $5500 on 2009 Dodge Ram and Charger, and up to $2500 on Dodge Dakota, Journey, Avenger, Charger, Nitro, and Grand Caravan

Jeep – Up to $4000 rebate on 2010 Jeep Commander, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Libery, and Patriot

Ford – Up to $4000 on 2009 Ford F-250, F-350, and F-450, and $3000 on Ford Mustang, F-150, and Explorer — and up to $3000 on 2010 Ford F-250 and F-450, and up to $2500 on 2010 Ford Escape, Explorer Sport Trac, and Ranger

Chevrolet – Up to $4000 rebate on 2009 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Corvette, Silverado 2500/3500 and up to $3500 on 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, Impala, Trailblazer, Traverse, and Silverado 1500 — and up to $2000 on 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe, Silverado 1500/2500/3500.

Hummer – Up to $6000 rebate on 2009 Hummer H3, H3T, H2, and H2 SUT

Saturn – Up to $4000 on 2009 Saturn Aura, Outlook, Sky, and Vue

Kia – Up to $5000 rebate on 2009 Kia Sorento, Spectra, and $3000 on 2009 Kia Amanti and Borrego

Mazda – Up to $5000 on 2009 Mazda RX8 and Tribute

Mitsubishi – Up to $3500 rebate on 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Galant, and Raider — and up to $3500 on 2010 Mitsubishi Endeavor and Lancer

Nissan – Up to $5000 rebate on 2009 Nissan Titan and $3750 on 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid and Quest — and up to $5000 on 2010 Nissan Armada and Titan and $3000 on 2010 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Subaru – Up to $3200 on 2009 Subaru Legacy, Outback, and Tribeca

Suzuki – Up to $4000 rebate on 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara and XL7

Toyota – Up to $3000 on 2010 Toyota Tundra

As a reminder, since these December rebates come directly from car companies and not out of dealers’ pockets, you should always negotiate additional price discounts with your dealer. The sum of a discount and a manufacturer’s rebate can add up to a great deal.

You can get free dealer price quotes on any of the above new vehicles from Edmunds.com. The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.