Chrysler

The new Chrysler incentives are in the form of direct factory-to-customer rebates, zero-percent loans, low-interest loans, and “hidden” factory-to-dealer rebates that are usually applied as price discounts.

The Chrysler company has announced no special lease deals because it is no longer directly offering car leases. However, Chrysler dealers now use GMAC for lease financing and GMAC is offering lease deals. Furthermore, Chrysler is offering several cash bonuses on some models to customers who choose to lease. So if you are thinking about leasing, ask your dealer about the GMAC deals and bonuses. Also visit our sister web site, LeaseGuide.com, for important tips and advice about car leasing. 

Here are some examples of current Chrysler deals for December:

2010 Chrysler 300 – $3000 customer rebate or 0% APR loan for 36/48/60 months, 1.9% for 72 months

2009 Chrysler 300 – $4000 rebarte or 0% APR loan for 36/48/60/72 months

2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser – $2000 rebate or 0% interest loan for 36/48 months, 1.9% for 60 months, 3.9% for 72 months — plus $1000 factory-to-dealer cash

2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser – $3000 factory-to-dealer cash

2008 Chrysler Pacifica – Note this is a leftover 2008 model – $5000 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Chrysler Sebring – $2000 rabate or 0% APR loan for 36/48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

2009 Chrysler Sebring – $3000 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Chrysler Town and Country – $1500 rebate or 0% APR loan rate for 36/48 months, 2.9% for 60 months — plus $1500 bonus cash to customers who lease

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

Many current incentive programs expire November 30 but a number of car makers (Ford, BMW, Acura, Honda, and others) announced programs at the beginning of November to extend through December until January 4, 2010. Read previously posted article on this web site for more details.

Incentives come in the form of rebates, 0% APR loans, low-interest loans, and factory-to-dealer cash. December incentives will include not only new 2010 models but also leftover 2009 models, which will be the source of some of the best deals, especially if dealers have a lot of inventory of these models.

Believe it or not, many dealers still have leftover 2008 models. They are desperate to get rid of them. These are brand new cars that have never been titled and in many cases are only slightly different than the newer 2010 versions of the same car. Some car manufacturers don’t change styling and designs every year, so you can drive a car that is 2 years old in model years but still look the same as this years model — for a lot less money.

The downside is that you might not have many choices of colors or styles if your dealer only has a few of the older models left on his lot.

December is always a good month to buy cars and get great deals. Why? Because it is traditionally a slow sales period for car dealers as customers are too busy Christmas shopping. Furthermore, dealers want to meet sales quotas for the month and year and are willing to make good deals. In many states, dealers must pay inventory tax on the cars sitting on their lot on January 1st. They would like to avoid this cost if at all possible by selling the cars before that date.

As always, we will let you know about December car incentives and deals as soon as we learn about them. Typically, car companies announce new incentives in the first few days after the old incentives expire. They don’t even tell their dealers about the new incentives until the day the new programs become active.

The special deal is on the 2008 Jaguar XK model for which there is a $5000 factory-to-customer cash rebate. This is a beautiful automobile with lots of luxury and power.

 $5000 is a great rebate but that’s not the best news.

In addition to the cash-back rebate, Jaguar dealers are getting a secret $13,000 factory-to-dealer rebate that most dealers are passing along to customers, in whole or part.  Combined, the combination of these two rebates makes for one of the most incredible deals on Jaguar that we have ever seen.

What’s the catch, you might ask.

The catch is that this is the 2008 model being promoted, not the 2009, which doesn’t make for a real difference because they are essentially the same with only minor differences. However, these are brand-new cars, not used cars, and have never been titled.

This means that you might not have a great number of cars to choose from. Some dealers may have a number of XKs still left in inventory, while others may have none at all. You might have to visit a number of dealers, even in other cities, to get exactly the car you want. You’ll have better success if you are more flexible in your choices.

Hyundai

The current rebates are significant enough that, if you have been considering a Hyundai, this could be a good time to buy. These are some of the best deals out there right now. For example, the highly rated Hyundai Genesis now has a $1250 rebate, making it a good buy.

Let’s take a look at the current Hyundai deals:

$1000 rebate – Hyundai Tucson, Azera, and 2010 Genesis

$1250 rebate – 2009 Hyundai Genesis

$1500 rebate – Hyundai Accent, Elantra Touring

$2000 rebate – Hyundai Elantra, Santa Fe, Sonata

If you can find dealers who still have left over 2008 models, you can get even larger rebates. For example, a $4000 rebate comes with the 2008 Hyundai Entourage and Hyundai Veracruz, $3500 on the 2008 Santa Fe, and $3000 on the 2008 Tiburon and Sonata, and $2500 on the 2008 Azera.

Be reminded that these rebates come from manufacturer, not out of a dealer’s pocket. Regardless of the rebate, you can still negotiate additional price discounts, called “dealer contribution.”

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

This means that manufacturers have heaped some pretty incredible deals on those types of vehicles to help boost sales, and clear out old inventory. Deals are even better on left over 2008 trucks and SUVs.

If this is the kind of vehicle you need or want, now is an excellent time to buy.

Most of the deals end on April 30, 2009 and, as we always remind, some deals are not available in some parts of the country.

Here is a sample of some of the best cash-back rebate deals on large trucks and SUVs (2009 and 2008 models):

• 2009 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 – $3500
• 2009 Ford F-250/350/450 – $3500
• 2009 Ford Ranger – $4000
• 2009 Lincoln Navigator – $4000
• 2009 Nissan Armada – $6000
• 2009 Nissan Titan – $5500
• 2008 Nissan Titan – $6000
• 2008 Ford F-150 – $7000
• 2008 Ford Expedition – $5000
• 2008 Ford Explorer – $5000
• 2008 Ford Ranger – $4500
• 2008 Ford F-250/350/450 – $8000
• 2008 Lincoln Navigator – $7000
• 2008 Cadillac Escalade – $8500
• 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer – $7250
• 2008 Chevrolet Silverado – $7000
• 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe – $6000
• 2008 GMC Sierra – $7000
• 2008 Hummer H2 – $8000
• 2008 Hummer H3 – $7000
• 2008 Toyota Tundra – $6000

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

Plus , there’s an additional $750 rebate if you finance through the dealer’s “captive finance company, Hyundai Motor Finance Company.

All these deals expire 3/31/2009 but will likely be replaced after April 1 with other good deals. However, we can never know if the new deals will be better than the old deals.

There is also a $239 a month special lease deal on the Hyundai Elantra Touring model.

Even the new “Car of the Year” 2010 Hyundai Genesis, which competes with BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes (at a much lower price) is being offered with a good lease deal ranging from $329 a month to $399 a month, depending on specific model. These are 36 month leases, 12K miles per year, and no security deposit. However, there is a modest down payment required to get these deals.

If you want a 2008 model, you can get $4000 cash-back on the Hyundai Veracruz and Entourage, $3500 on the Santa Fe Limited, $3000 on the Tiburon and Sonata, and $2500 on the Tucson and Azera. What’s the catch?  None, except that dealers might not have the exact car you want since these are leftover new models and supply might be limited. But if you are flexible, you might just find a great deal.

Get more details about Hyundai deals, get specifications, and owner reviews at Edmunds.com.

As a result, there are some tremendous bargains to be had. In many cases there are few if any differences between the 2008 and 2009 models, so you don’t sacrifice anything by paying a much lower price for a one-year old model that is still a brand new car.

Dealers have to get last year’s models off their lots to make room for new models — and have money to buy new models. Manufacturers must keep factories operating and must keep shipping cars to dealers to stay alive.  They can’t keep shipping cars to dealers who already have too many cars, many of which are last year’s models.

Here’s the reasons why 2008 models are so cheap right now:

1. Carmakers are offering heavy incentives (rebates, low-interest loans, and lease deals) directly to customers to incent them to buy or lease the older models. The incentives on the 2008 models are larger than on 2009 models. 

2. Carmakers are giving dealers cash (marketing support) to use as they like to help move remaining 2008 models. Dealer’s can buy advertising or give all or part of the money to customers as price discounts.

3. Dealers are offering their own added discounts on top of manufacturer incentives because the longer a 2008 car sits on the lot, the more money they pay in loan interest, insurance, upkeep, and taxes.

So, with the combination of factory-to-customer incentives, factory-to-dealer cash, and dealer discounts, there are outstanding bargains out there waiting to be taken, no negotiation required.

Here are some examples of  the juicy factory-to-dealer cash that helps reduce prices on 2008 models:

Land Rover Range Rover – $12,000 per vehicle

Land Rover LR3 – $8000 – $11,000 per vehicle

Lexus LX460 - $7000 per vehicle

Honda Civic Hybrid – $2000 per vehicle

Jaguar XJ Series – $13,000 – $15,000 per vehicle

Infiniti EX35, M35, M45 – $5000 – $7000 per vehicle

Models, rebate amounts, and conditions may change depending on how many 2008 vehicles still remain in manufactuer and dealer inventories.

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