Some manufacturers are also offering cash-back rebates but, as you may already know, you generally must choose between the rebates and the special low-interest (or no interest) loans. You can’t take both.

Usually, rebates are a better deal, especially if you need down payment money (rebates can be used as down payment cash). However, in many cases, you don’t have a choice when only a rebate, or only a low-interest loan is being offered. See our article, 0% APR Car Deals – Good Deal or Not? for more details.

Here are some of the current (July 2010) car makes and models with 0% APR loan deals. Note that the 0% APR rate usually only applies for shorter-term loans — 24, 36, or 48 month loans — and may not apply to all styles within a model line. Many apply to both 2011/2010 and 2009 models, but some only apply to leftover 2009 models. Conditions can vary by car company. 

Following are some of the current 0% ARP loan deals. Chrysler (Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep) is the currently the winner in offering the most 0% deals on nearly its entire 2010 line of vehicles.

• Chrysler 300
• Chrysler Town & Country minivan
• Chrysler PT Cruiser
• Chrysler Sebring
• Chevrolet (most 2009 models)
• Dodge Charger
• Dodge Grand Caravan minivan
• Dodge Journey
• Dodge Avenger
• Dodge Dakota
• Dodge Nitro
• Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Jeep Compass
• Jeep Commander
• Jeep Patriot
• Ford Mustang
• Ford Flex
• Ford Explorer
• Ford Ranger
• Ford Edge
• Ford Fusion
• Ford Taurus
• Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, and F-450 trucks
• Ford Escape
• Ford Taurus X
• Ford Explorer Sport Trac
• Ford Focus
• Ford Expedition
• Ford Econoline
• Lexus ES350/IS250/IS350 (2009)
• Lincoln MKX
• Lincoln MKS
• Lincoln MKZ
• Mercury Mountaineer
• Mercury Milan
• Mercury Grand Marquis
• General Motors brands (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Hummer, GMC, Saab) – 2010 models
• Honda Civic
• Kia Forte
• Kia Soul
• Mazda CX-8/CX-7/CX-9
• Mazda Mazda3
• Mazda Mazda6
• Mitsubishi – All 2009/2010 models
• Infiniti EX35/FX35/FX50/M35/M45/QX56
• Nissan – Most 2010 models
• Suzuki XL7
• Suzuki Equator
• Suzuki Grand Vitara
• Suzuki SX-4
• Suzuki Kizashi
• Toyota – All 2010 models and 2011 Camry, including Hybrid
• Volkswagen – most 2010 models except Jetta TDI sedan
• Audi – 2009 A3, A8, Q7, TT, TTS, A4, A6
• Volvo – S80, XC70, C30, C70, S40, V50, V70

Of course, the best deals result from having both a 0% loan and a good price discount. Many car buyers are so happy to get a great loan deal that they overlook the fact that they should also be getting a price discount (not rebate) from their dealers. Shop for or negotiate your best price, even when you are getting a zero-percent loan. Don’t let dealers try to tell you that you can’t have both.

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.

Like always, car manufacturers never, ever announce new incentives until old incentives expire. In the case of the current June 2010 programs, most expire on July 6, 2010, right after the July 4th holiday. They don’t even announce new incentives to their dealers any earlier. That way, they can keep the old programs alive up to the last day.

How can we know if the July incentives, rebates, 0% APR interest loans, and special lease deals are going to be as good, or better than the old incentives? We can’t. However, we can make some good educated guesses based on our experience and knowledge of what drives incentives.

We know, for example, that car sales nearly always slow down in summer. People are taking vacation, the kids are out of school, the weather is hot, and gas prices go up due to heavier demand. Although sales are slow, which would ordinarily imply that car makers would throw incentive programs our way, it is not necessarily the case for the Summer season. Sales are going to be slow regardless of the availability of incentives and rebates.

Therefore, we think that, overall, incentives for July 2010 are not going to be any better than those for June. And in many cases, the incentives will not be as good. If you are thinking about buying or leasing a car now, and you can get a good deal now, don’t hold out hoping for July will be better. If you wait, it’ll be too late.

In fact, we think that incentives won’t start to perk up until about September, the traditional Fall buying season when many manufacturers bring out their new models. Fall and Winter are always good car-buying times.

There may be some exceptions, however. Toyota is still recovering from bad press over some of their problems of the last few months. They want to let people know they have solved the problems and that you can now get good deals on Toyota vehicles. Incentives will continue to be good.

Also watch for good deals on discontinued or sold-off brands such as Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, Volvo, Mercury. And there are still many 2009 leftover (and some 2010 leftover) models still in dealers’ inventory that will have good incentives.

We’ll all have to wait until after July 6th to see if we’re right about these predictions. Most new programs will not be announced until about July 8th or later.

You may or may not know that Chrylser Corporation has had some tough times for the last couple of years. Incentives have been rare and small. They even got completely out of the leasing business. And then their finance company, Chrysler Credit Corp. (later Chrysler Finance) had even more serious problems such that Chrysler loans and leases are now provided by GMAC.

However, the company seems to be making a comeback. The June 2010 incentives are some of the best in the industry as they attempt to recover from their problems. They particularly want to keep returning lease customers.

Although we’re looking here at Jeep deals, keep in mind that similar deals are available on Chrysler and Dodge vehicles as well.

Here are some of the current Jeep deals:

2010 Jeep Commander – $4000 rebate, $500 regional (NE U.S.) bonus, $1500 allowance for returning lease customers  — or 0% APR for 36/48/60 months, 1.9% for 72 months

2010 Jeep Compass – $1500 rebate, $1500 allowance for returning lease customers — or 0% APR for 36/48/60 months, 1.9% for 72 months

2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee – $4000 rebate, $1000 regional (NE U.S.) bonus, $2000 lease bonus cash, $1500 allowance for returning lease customers — or 0% APR for 36/48/60 months, 1.9% for 72 months

2010 Jeep Liberty – $2000 rebate, $1000 regional (NE U.S.) bonus, $2000 lease bonus cash, $1500 allowance for returning lease customers — or 0% APR for 36/48/60 months, 1.9% for 72 months

2010 Jeep Patriot – $1500 rebate,  $1500 allowance for returning lease customers — or 0% APR for 36/48/60 months, 1.9% for 72 months

2010 Jeep Wrangler – $500 lease bonus cash, $1500 allowance for returning lease customers.

Although current Chrysler Corp. leases are nothing to write home about, it is significant that they are back in the leasing business albeit in a small way. The current lease deals are based on a reduced capitalized cost due to lease bonuses (see above). However it appears that there is little if any money factor reduction nor boosted residual values. (See LeaseGuide.com if this doesn’t make sense to you). Therefore, you would pay more for the lease of a Jeep than you would for, say, a Honda or Toyota of the same price.

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

All the Cadillac zero-percent interest loans are for 36 months, 48 months, and 60 months.  Zero-percent loans mean you pay nothing in finance charges for the entire term of the loan, which can save you thousands of dollars in the long term, and lower your monthly payment in the short term.

In short, 0% loans are good deals, and are well worth your consideration.

If you want a longer loan (72 months), you can’t get 0% but you still get a very low interest rate, such as 1.9% or 2.9% depending on model.

Currently, the special loan deals are on selected styles of the following 2010 models:

Cadillac CTS

Cadillac DTS

Cadillac Escalade

Cadillac STS

Additionally, Cadillac is offering dealers a special form of factory-to-dealer rebate, sometimes called dealer cash. This is “secret” money given the dealer to help promote, advertise, and discount his vehicles to help improve sales. Normally, most, if not all, of this money ends up in customers’ pockets as a price discount. The amount of the dealer cash on the affected models are in the range of $2000-$3000 per vehicle.

As we read it, there are no restrictions on the dealer cash incentive being used in combination with the 0% APR loans (and low-interest loans) discussed above. In other words, you should be able to get both.

In addition to the dealer cash that comes from the manufacturer (General Motors), you should also be able to negotiate some additional price concessions from the dealer himself.  All combined, low interest rates, dealer cash, and dealer discounts should make June a good month to buy a Cadillac.

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

BMW

The low-interest loans are structured a little odd but are nevertheless interesting and worth considering. For example, on the BMW 335i xDrive, you can get 0.9% APR for 24 months or 2.9% APR for 72 months – or 1.9% APR for 72 months if you have owned/leased a BMW vehicle in the last 12 months. Similar low-interest rates are available on many other models and styles.

Many 2010 BMW models get special lease deals. These include the 1-Series, 3-Series, 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, X3, X5, X6, and Z4. Note that there are no special leases being offered on new 2011 models. However, you can negotiate your own lease deal — if you understand how leasing works. If not, we recommend you visit LeaseGuide.com.

The BMW special car leases are genuinely good deals. The company has reduced the price (capitalized cost) on which the lease is based, has reduced the interest rate (money factor), and boosted the lease-end residual value. When combined, these factors create a low monthly lease payment for that vehicle. You would not be able to negotiate the same terms on your own.

BMW is also offering “Owner Loyalty Bonus Cash” on selected models, for customers who have previously leased a BMW and now want to lease again. The amount is typically $1500.

Finally, BMW the manufacturer, is providing dealers a form of factory-to-dealer rebate that they call “Build-Out Cash” on many models and styles. This money can be used by dealers to promote sales or provide price discounts to customers — which is typically what happens. When you accept one of those nice lease deals, for example, one of the reasons for the low monthly payment is that the lease price has been reduced by the “build-out cash.” Or if you are buying and it looks like the dealer is giving you the shirt off his back, he’s only passing along his “build-out cash” to you. 

Build-out cash can be very significant, especially on higher priced BMW models. For example, the 2010 BMW Z4 gets $3500. The 2010 BMW 5-Series gets $6000.  And the 2010 BMW 6-Series gets a whopping $10,000! That’s a nice price discount on a nice car.

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

It also appears that GM wants to take advantage of Toyota’s recent problems, hoping they can convince some Toyota and Lexus owners/leasers to switch over. For most models, they are offering a $1000 bonus rebate to switchers.

Let’s take a look at some of the best Chevrolet deals for June. All the deals are for 2010 model cars except where noted otherwise, and the deals expire on June 30, 2010.

Chevrolet Impala – $3000 customer rebate + $1000 bonus for current Toyota/Lexus owners/leasers — and 3.9% APR loan rate that can be combined with the rebates — or 0% APR loan rate that cannot be combined with the rebates — or $199 a month special lease, 39 months, 10K miles per year, $2119 due at signing — or $299 a month lease, 39 months, 12K miles per year, $2869 due at signing

Chevrolet Cobalt coupe – $3000 customer rebate + $1000 for customers who finance through GMAC at standard rates + $1000 for current Toyota/Lexus owners/leasers — and 3.9% APR loan rate that can be combined with $3000 rebate — or 0% APR loan rate than cannot be combined with $3000 rebate — or $179 a month special lease, $2469 due at signing, 39 months, 12K miles per year . Other styles of the Cobalt get $3000 factory-to-dealer cash (which typically is given back to customers as a price discount) + $1000 for financing through GMAC at standard loan rates.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 – $4500-$5000 customer rebate + $1000 to current Toyota/Lexus owners/leasers — or 0% APR loan rate for 36/48/60/72 months — or $299 a month lease (Reg Cab 2WD), $2199 due at signing, 39 months

Chevrolet Traverse - $2000 customer rebate + $1000 to current Toyota/Lexus owners/leasers — or 0% APR loan rate for 36/48/60 months — or $299 a month lease (LS model), $3449 due at signing, 39 months

Chevrolet Aveo – $2500 customer rebate + $1000 to current Toyota/Lexus owners/leasers – or 3.9% APR loan rate for 36/48/60 months. Some Aveo styles get the above $2500 rebate but other styles get a $2500 factory-to-dealer rebate, which typically is given back to the customer as a price discount.

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

The deals are in the form of low-interest loans (although no 0% loans this month), a few special low-payment lease deals, and some healthy factory-to-dealer cash incentives (that usually end up being given back to customers as price discounts).

Honda’s incentives are all for 2010 model cars, except where noted, and the deals expire on July 6, 2010. All lease deals are for 36 months, 36K miles.

Before we list the current Honda deals we remind you that the lease deals listed below are all genuinely good deals. Typically, they only offer these special deals on a selected few models and styles. But if you like any of those models and styles,you can get a great deal. We also want to remind you that if you don’t understand how leasing works and how to determine if leasing is right for you, you should visit LeaseGuide.com to learn. 

Here are the Honda deals for June 2010:

Honda Accord – 0.9% APR loan for 24/36 months, 1.9% for 60 months — or $199 a month lease (LX sedan), $1999 due at signing — or $219 a month (LX coupe), $2599 due at signing — and $1200 factory-to-dealer cash

Honda Civic – 0.9% APR loan for 24/36 months, 1.9% for 60 months — or $169 a month lease (LX sedan), $1799 due at signing — or $159 a month (DX-VP model), $1399 due at signing — and $1000 factory-to-dealer cash

Honda CR-V – 1.9% APR loan for 24/36 months, 2.9% for 60 months — or $249 a month lease (LX model), $1999 due at signing

Honda Odyssey – 1.9% APR loan for 24/36 months, 2.9% for 60 months — or $249 a month lease (LX model), $1999 due at signing — and $1500 factory-to-dealer cash

Honda Fit – $149 a month lease, $2399 due at signing

2011 Honda Pilot – 1.9% APR loan for 24/36 months, 2.9% for 60 months — or $309 a month lease, $2999 due at signing

Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

You can get free price quotes on any of the above Honda vehicles from

We don’t have a crystal ball and car manufacturers don’t pre-announce upcoming car programs and incentives but we can make some pretty good guesses based on our experience in the business.

As you might know, the current round of May 2010 incentives ends on June 1. That means any new programs will be announced sometime after that date. Nobody knows just what new programs will be announced. Car manufacturers don’t even tell their dealers in advance.

Our guess is that June 2010 incentives will not be as good as some of the more recent programs. Most car makers blew it out in March and April, which created a couple of the best car sales months in years. However, they backed off in May and we expect to see some additional reductions in June. In fact, we may not see any more outstanding incentives until the fall buying season.

Does that mean we won’t see any good deals at all in June and during the summer? Of course not. There will always be some great deals being offered. It just won’t be on as many models and styles. And some manufacturers will be more agreessive than others.

Look for Toyota to continue offering attractive incentives just as it has for the last few months as it attempts to pull out of the sales slump created by its recent technical problems.

Also look for Toyota’s competitors to be actively attempting to get some of those customers  —  Honda, Nissan, and Mazda in particular.

Look for special lease deals to be plentiful in June. Car leasing is coming back strong after a two-year slump, particularly with non-American car brands.

Although rebates won’t be as large in June for this year’s models, look for especially heavy rebates on leftover 2009 models.

Finally, 0% APR loans will be more popular than rebates with car makers this summer. The reason is that with a rebate, they lose money immediately but with a 0% loan they lose money more slowly.

In summary, June 2010 car deals won’t be quite as good, overall, as in the last three months, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get a good deal. You’ll have to watch for deals a little more closely and maybe hone up on your negotiating skills.

The answer: almost everywhere. Nearly every car manufacturer is currently offering some great special lease deals on at least a few of their models and styles.  With the exception of some General Motors leases, nearly all the lease deals now being offered come from non-American car makers.

These deals come and go. Some months are better than others. If you are looking to lease a Honda, for example, you missed the big $0-$0-$0-$0 promotion in March and April. However, the current Honda deals are almost as good.

Nearly all manufacturer-backed car lease deals are actually good deals and well worth considering if you like the models and styles being promoted. Most of the deals require some money up front (due at lease inception) but if you don’t have the cash, you would have to pay about $20-$30 more per month for every $1000 you can’t pay. It doesn’t change the fact that the lease is a good deal — it simply means you pay more per month to get the deal..

Most of the cheapest promotional lease deals are in the $200 range, more or less. These are generally 36 month leases, 12K miles per year, and usually require some down payment cash (as discussed above) and your first month’s payment.

Here are examples of some of the best lease deals going right now: 

• Honda Civic – $159 a month, $1399 up front
• Hyundai Sonata – $199 a month, $2399 up front
• Hyundai Elantra – $159 a month, $1399 up front
• Kia Sorento – $209 a month, $2669 up front
• Kia Soul – $129 a month, $2279 up front
• Mazda3 – $239 a month, $0 up front
• Nissan Cube – $199 a month, $2449 up front
• Nissan Altima – $199 a month, $2999 up front
• Scion xD – $187 a month, $837 up front
• 2011 Toyota Camry – $189 a month, $1999 up front
• Toyota Matrix – $149 a month, $2949 up front.

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

Why?

Because most car manufacturers are trying to get potential buyers’ attention by offer high factory-to-customer rebates, as well as other incentives. Rebates of $5000 or more are available on some brand and models. Rebates are especially heavy on leftover 2009 models.

Although we continue to highlight specific car brands and models that have good incentives, we thought it might be useful to look at those with the highest and best rebates right now.

Before we show you our list, let us remind you that rebates can sometimes vary depending on the area of the U.S. you live in and the rebates are limited-time promotional deals that will expire at the end of the month.

Here are the vehicles that currently have the highest customer rebates ($4000 or higher). All are for 2010 models unless specified otherwise.

• 2011 BMW 3-Series and X5 - up to $4500 rebate on selected styles
• Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee – $4000 rebate
• Ford F-450 Super Duty, F-350 super Duty, F-250 Super Duty – $4000 – $5000 rebate
• 2009 Ford F-250, F-350, F-450 Super Duty – $5000 rebate
• Buick Lucerne – $4000 rebate
• Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500 Hybrid, Silverado 2500/3500 HD – $5000 rebate
• Chevrolet HHR, Silverado 1500 – up to $5000 rebate
• GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid, Sierra 2500/3500 HD – $5000 rebate
• GMC Sierra 1500 – $4500 – $5000 rebate
• 2009 Buick Lucerne – $4500 rebate
• 2009 Buick Enclave, LaCrosse – up to $4000 rebate
• 2009 Chevrolet Corvette – up to $5000 rebate
• 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche – $4500 rebate
• 2009 Chevrolet HHR, Silverado 2500/3500 HD (and related GMC models) – up to $4500 rebate
• 2009 Hummer H2, H2 SUT, H3 – $5000 rebate
• 2009 Hummer H3T -$4000 rebate
• 2009 Saab – up to $9000 rebate on selected models
• 2009 Kia Sorento, Spectra – up to $5000
• Nissan Titan – $4000 – $5000 rebate
• Nissan Armada – $4000 rebate
• Nissan Altima Hybrid – up to $4000 rebate
• 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid – up to $4750 rebate

If you are looking for the best rebates currently available on 2009 and 2010 (and some 2011), consider the above list. With these kind of high rebates, it’s not difficult to buy a brand new vehicle for less than a used vehicle of the same model that’s a year or two old.

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

Mazda

Some of the deals even have $0 down and first month’s payment made for you. And no security deposit. This means you pay nothing up front (except for some possible official tag and registration fees that vary according to where you live).

Here are examples of some of the good Mazda leases available now:

2010 Mazda3 i Touring sedan – $270 a month, 42 months, 42K miles allowance, 0$ due at signing, $0 first month’s payment 

2010 Mazda3 i Sport sedan – $239 a month, 42 months, 42K miles allowance, 0$ due at signing, $0 first month’s payment

2010 Mazda6 i Touring sedan – $288 a month, 42 months, 42K miles allowance, 0$ due at signing, $0 first month’s payment

2010 Mazda6 i Sport sedan – $269 a month, 42 months, 42K miles allowance, 0$ due at signing, $0 first month’s payment

2010 Mazda5 Touring minivan- $317 a month, 36 months, 36K miles allowance, $2912 due at signing

2010 Mazda5 Sport minivan- $299 a month, 36 months, 36K miles allowance, $2894 due at signing

2010 RX-8 Sports coupe – $339 a month, 36 months, 36K miles allowance, $3434 due at signing

2010 Tribute i Sport SUV – $329 a month, 36 months, 36K miles allowance, $2924 due at signing

These special promotional Mazda lease deals have discounted prices, low money factors, and high lease-end residuals, which all together makes for low monthly payments — much lower than normal. If you have been thinking about a Mazda, now is a good time to lease.

If you don’t understand how car leasing works, you should. We recommend LeaseGuide.com as a good resource to learn about leasing and to determine if you are a good leasing candidate. Everybody isn’t.

The May Toyota deals end on June 1, 2010.

The extended deals do not include much in the way of direct factory-to-customer rebates but have very hefty factory-to-dealer cash (“marketing support”) which translates into customer price discounts.

There are 0% APR loan deals on eight different Toyota models, which is much better than paying the normal interest rate of 6.96% (Bankrate.com) and saves thousands of dollars in finance costs. Customers must choose between the special loan deals and discounted prices.

Toyota is also offering excellent lease deals on many models and styles. These deals are based on discounted prices, low money factors (finance charges), and high lease-end residuals. All these factors result in a lower than normal monthly payment. If you don’t understand leasing, we recommend that you take a few minutes to learn about it at LeaseGuide.com.

Additionally, Toyota is providing 2 years of free scheduled maintenance, up to 25,000 miles, which is a big money-saver in itself.

The company is trying hard to restore customer confidence in its vehicles after the unfortunate events of the last few months. Toyota has a reputation for building some of the highest quality, most reliable vehicles in the industry. We have no doubt that the recent isolated problems will make their products and service even better than before.

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.

For example, the Toyota Corolla LE with lots of extra equipment and options is being offered for $149 a month. This is a 36 month lease, 36,000 total miles allowed, and $1999 is due at lease signing. The $1999 includes a $1200 down payment, first month’s payment (standard in leasing), and a $650 acquisition fee (standard in leasing).

If you cannot afford the $1200 down payment, you can pay less but, of course, the monthly payment amount goes up. For example, if you can only afford $500 down, the payment goes to $169. If you can afford no down payment (but still pay the first month’s payment and the acquisition fee), the monthly payment goes to $182.

How can Toyota offer such great lease deals?

First, the price of the car has been discounted about $2000. Second, the lease-end residual value has been set much higher than normal, and finally, the lease money factor is .00002, which is equivalent to a very low 0.5% APR interest rate. The combination of these three things makes for a very low monthly lease  payment for this excellent automobile. It just doesn’t get much better.

If this explanation doesn’t make sense to you and you don’t understand car leasing, we recommend strongly that you learn how leasing works before you decide to lease. We suggest LeaseGuide.com, one of our sister web sites.

How many times have you bought a car and, after all the haggling and price juggling, wondered later if you actually got a good deal or not?

An incredible new online tool is now available from TrueCar (www.truecar.com) that provides average prices that automotive consumers are actually paying for their new cars, including fees, rebates, and discounts.

This is the tool we’ve always wished we had, and now here it is. And best of all it’s online and easy to use — and it’s free. It just doesn’t get any better.

TrueCar collects sale price transaction data from all over the country for cars of all makes, models, features, and options. Then they calculate averages for prices paid by buyers in a national, regional, and local area.

Users simply plug in their ZIP code, select the car make, model, and other specifics and, voila, you’re given a full report and chart that shows you the “TrueAverage” price for that car, as well as the Sticker Price, Factory Invoice, and “TrueCost” (actual dealer cost). Additionally, they show you a “Good Price” range, a “Great Price” range, and an “Over Priced” range.

This new tool could change the way people shop for and buy cars. Nobody wants to pay more than the next guy. And it’s always good to know what range of prices represent the best deals — or the worst deals — so you know your negotiating limits. Give it a try, even if you’re not in the market for a new car right now.

Most current incentive programs expire either April 30 or May 3, depending on manufacturer. New deals won’t be announced until a few days after the old deals expire.

However, based on our experience, we can see directions and trends that give us a pretty good idea of what is going to happen.

First, the Toyota situation is affecting not only what Toyota does, but what many other manufacturers are doing with regard to incentives. Toyota will continue offering great deals such as the large rebates, 0% APR loans, and special lease deals that it has been offering in April. They also offer 2 years of free maintenance. These deals will not only continue but will even get better as Toyota works to restore customer confidence in it’s brand.

Other manufacturers, want to take advantage of Toyota’s situation and take business away from them. Therefore, we’re going to see even more aggressive incentive programs in May 2010 and beyond that will try to move customers to buy now.

When we look at today’s overall car buying opportunities, it is one of the best of all time for automotive consumers. There have never been so many 0% APR loan deals, so high rebates and dealer cash, or any better lease deals. Some companies are being very aggressive with special deals. Honda comes to mind, as does Hyundai-Kia, and Ford. Most other companies, except for some luxury car makers, are also pushing hard with good incentives.

Not only are deals better than ever, but vehicle quality, reliability, styling, fuel economy, and safety have improved to new highs in the last couple of years. You get better cars, at better values, than ever before. It’s just a great time to buy a new car.

Should you wait a while longer to see if the May 2010 deals get any better? Maybe. But consider this:  Many manufacturers are already offering 0% loans, huge rebates, large factory-to-dealer rebates, and special lease deals with super-high residuals, big price discounts, and almost-zero money factors. You just can’t get lower than 0%. You can’t give rebates that totally eliminate any profit that you have to stay in business, you can’t expect dealers to sell cars for less than they buy them for and still be around the next time you need a car. The point is that the current deals are just about as good as they can get.

Then, of course, we all have our own unique likes, dislikes, priorities, and needs. For some, cost is most important. For others it might be safety or reliability, or comfort, or style, or performance.

But for many people, a car is simply a way to get from point A to point B. These people are simply looking for the best vehicle to do the job at the lowest cost.

We can recommend  a few cars that we feel are the best overall — best combination of value, reliability, safety, perforamnce, style, and economy of operation. Even if you don’t particularly like our recommendations, you can use our vehicles as a basis of comparison for any other vehicle you might prefer more. For example, if you need more passenger space than our vehicles, what do you have to give up, if anything, to get that space? What if you need an SUV instead of a car? Is the possible reduction in fuel economy important to you?

Here are recommended vehicles. If you have no particular preferences and simply want a good vehicle for good money, you should consider these first.

Compact Car Recommendations

Honda Civic – This car is one of our perennial favorites. It has classic Honda quality and reliability at relatively low cost. It comes in various styles, all of which look good and perform well.

Ford Focus – This is an overall great little car. Ford has come a long way in building cars with quality and reliability comparable with Honda and Toyota, usually for less money. The Focus has outstanding safety ratings.

Toyota Corolla – This impressive little Toyota sedan has great looks, quality, performance, and safety. It looks good, is comfortable, and roomy inside. It doesn’t get much better.

Mazda3 – This is another of our all-time favorites because it has a great balance of everything you want from a car, plus it’s really fun to drive.

Mid-Size Car Recommendations

Honda Accord – If you need a little more room and a little more performance, the Accord has the same Honda characteristics as the Civic. Honda provides standard luxury features for which you would have to pay thousands more in other brands. 

Hyundai Sonata – The new Sonata is one of the new breed of overall great cars. It has style, performance, and all the other basics you would expect from a good car. The best news is the cost. You won’t find many other cars that give you the quality and features of the Sonata at the price.

Ford Fusion – The Fusion is another example of Ford’s achievements in quality and reliability improvement. It’s right in there with Honda and Toyota. In fact, the Fusion was selected by Motor Trend magazine as the 2010 Car of the Year.

Toyota Camry – This car has been the most popular car in America for years — for good reasons. You just can’t buy a better car for the money. It has a near-perfect balance of style, comfort, performance, and handling.

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.

Why?

Two reasons.

First, General Motors has announced that it is officially terminating the Hummer brand, and that it has only 2200 of them left.

Second, General Motors has put extremely attractive incentives on all remaining Hummers to help them sell. The deals would have been thought unbelievable a couple of years ago.

For example, customers can get $6000 rebate on 2009 models of the Hummer H2 and H3. 

If you like the H3T truck, you can get a $5000 rebate on the 2009 model and $4000 on the 2010 model.

You can alternatively get 0% APR loan deals on all models for up to 72 months. Of course, you have to choose the rebate or the 0% loan, but not both.

So what is the downside of these incredible deals?

First, your choices will be slim. You have to choose from the styles, colors, and equipment that dealers currently have in stock. Therefore you’ll have to be a little flexible if you want one of the good deals.

Second, resale and trade values on Hummers won’t be good anytime in the near future. If you plan to take advantage of one of the great deals, you should also plan to drive the vehicle for many years, or possibly lose money on a future sale or trade. If you take a long-term view, Hummers could easily become valuable collectibles in 25 years or more.

Volkswagen

Additionally, other models that don’t get 0% APR loans, do get low-interest (typically 1.9%) loan deals. Not all styles get such deals.

The above mentioned lease rebates (typically in the $500-$1500 range) only apply if the customer leases through Volkswagen’s captive finance company, VCI. The lease deals include reduced money factors (finance rates) and improved lease-end residual values to create low monthly payments.

If you don’t understand how car leasing works, we recommend that you read the Lease Guide at LeaseGuide.com.

Here are a few examples of current Volkswagen lease deals:

2010 Volkswagen Jetta – $199 a month, 36 months, 36K miles total allowance, $1999 due at signing

2010 Volkswagen Routan S - $289 a month, 36 months, 36K miles total allowance, $2499 due at signing 

2010 Volkswagen New Beetle – $199 a month, 36 months, 36K miles total allowance, $1999 due at signing 

2010 Volkswagen GTI – $279 a month, 36 months, 36K miles total allowance, $2299 due at signing 

2010 Volkswagen Golf – $199 a month, 36 months, 36K miles total allowance, $1999 due at signing

Nissan

The Nissan deals are all for 2010 model vehicles and all deals end on 4/30/2010. And of course, as usual, you can take either the low interest loan deal or the rebate, but not both.

These Nissan incentives are fairly agressive and are genuinely good deals if you are in the market for one of their vehicles.

Here is a summary of the current Nissan deals being offered for April:

Nissan Altima – $1000 rebate or 0% APR for 12-36 months, 1.9% for 48-60 months

Nissan Armada – $4000 rebate or 0% APR for 12-60 months

Nissan Frontier – $2000 rebate or 0% APR for 12-36 months, 0.9% for 48-60 months

Nissan Maxima – $2500 rebate or 0% APR for 12-60 months

Nissan Murano – $1250 rebate or 0% APR for 12-36 months, 0.9% for 48-60 months

Nissan Pathfinder – $2500 rebate or 0% APR for 12-36 months, 0.9% for 48-60 months

Nissan Rogue – $1250 rebate or 0% APR for 12-36 months, 0.9% for 48-60 months

Nissan Sentra – $2000 rebate or 0% APR for 12-60 months, 1.9% for 72 months

Nissan Titan -  $4000 rebate or 0% APR for 12-36 months, 0.9% for 48-60 months

Nissan Versa – $1500 rebate or 0% APR for 12-36 months, 0.9% for 48-60 months

Nissan Xterra – $2250 rebate or 0% APR for 12-60 months

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.

Most of the current incentives end on March 31, 2010, which means the absolute earliest we’ll hear about any new incentives will be April 1. However, most manufacturers wait a few days into the month before announcing new deals. This allows them to analyze the results of last month’s plan, which helps them figure out what to do with this month’s plan. If they see some things that worked, they’ll continue or improve them. Things that didn’t work or were too expensive will get discarded.

[ UPDATE 4/6/2010: As of this date, major car makers have not yet announced incentives for April 2010. Are they waiting to see what the other guys, like Toyota, are going to do first? Somebody has to make the first move. On the other hand, sales in March were much improved, which might mean fewer incentives this month. But, again, nobody knows for sure. ]

[ UPDATE 4/7/2010: Toyota announced today that they will continue most March incentives, including 2 years free maintenance,  through April. ]

Unfortunately, there is no “secret” source of information about new monthly incentive programs. Car makers don’t even tell their dealers until the day the programs become effective. We will know when the dealers know. Keep watching this web site for new announcements. We’ll tell you which programs are worth considering and which are not.

As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, we expect some excellent incentives this year (and we’ve already seen some good examples) because new car sales still haven’t recovered from the dismal situation in 2009. Although a recovery seems to be taking place, it’s happening very slowly and car manufacturers will surely want to help it along with an offering of incentives.

The frustrating part for automotive consumers is whether to accept from among the current deals and buy (or lease) now — or is it better to wait and hope the deals will get better sometime later. There is no clear answer to that question. Since we don’t know exactly what future deals (if any) will look like, it’s best to make your decisions on what you do know — what you know now. If you are in the market for a new car now and can get a good deal now, go for it and don’t worry about the future.  Enjoy your new car while others are still waiting and hoping.