Everywhere.

Nearly every car company is currently offering incentives of some kind. Deals are actually not hard to find if you know where to look.

Some of these deals are outstanding, some very good, and others only so-so.

Luxury Brands

High-end luxury car companies, such as Porsche, Audi, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Mercedes, don’t normally offer common incentives for fear of looking like a discount car brand. When they do, it’s in the form of “bonuses” or “allowances” but not “rebates.” Or it might be in the form of special leases, where the “discounting” is not so obvious.

For example, at the time of this writing, Mercedes is offering a number of very attractive lease deals across its model lines. They are also offering 1.9% APR loan deals but in these days of record-low finance rates, 1.9% is good but not really an outstanding deal, especially when it’s limited to 24-36 month loans. The lease deals are better.

Same for Infiniti, who is currently (January 2012) offering a number of very good lease deals (all $0 cash due at signing) on all 2012 models except hybrids, and 1.9% APR loans for up to 60 months (better than Mercedes). Depending on where you live, there may be deals on left-over 2011 models.

Audi currently has no incentives for January (at the time of this writing) but even those for December 2011 were not very interesting – a few mediocre lease deals in which they make the first month’s payment and waive the security deposit (who doesn’t). Not much to get excited about.

BMW actually has some outstanding lease deals going on at this time (see New BMW Lease Offers for January) and some factory-to-dealer cash on a few models that translate into purchase price discounts.

Acura offers good lease deals on one selected style within each of its model lines. These are of the $0-$0-$0 variety ($0 down, $0 first payment, $0 security deposit) and are genuinely good deals.

Lexus has no deals worth mentioning, except possibly on a few left-over last-year’s models, or certified used cars.

Land Rover has lease deals on the Ranger Rover Sport and LR4 that are only rated Good by LeaseGuide.com, as well as 1.9% APR loan rates for only 36 months. Nothing here to jump up and down about.

Non-Luxury Brands

The very best deals in 2012 will come from American car brands such as Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, GMC, and Ram. They offered some of the best incentives in the business in 2011 and are expected to do the same or better in 2012.

The most recent deals from these American companies include generous rebates, 0% APR loans (and other low-interest loans), special lease deals (although usually not as good as foreign car brands), and factory-to-dealer cash that dealers use to discount prices. Cadillac is offering a number of good $0 down leases. Left-over 2011 models are especially good deals right now.

At this time, Honda and Toyota are offering a few good deals, especially on leases, but you’ll have to wait until they’ve fully recovered from last years disasters in Japan before you see the best deals. Honda continues to offer their popular “$0 due at signing“ leases. These are genuinely good lease deals — much better than customers could negoitate for themselves.

Hyundai is coming on strong with some great deals on selected models. Their award-winning Elantra model is now being offered with a special lease deal (see Car of the Year for Only $179).

Nissan has 0% APR loan rates — for up to 60 months — on nearly every model, including 2012 and left-over 2011 models.

Subaru’s current incentives include 42-month lease deals on one style of each of its models or 1.9% APR loan rates. However, we don’t recommend 42-month leases on vehicles that only have 36-month warranties. You’re exposed for 6 months to paying for expensive out-of-warranty repairs near the end of the lease.

Mazda currently has a whole variety of new incentives including a number of moderately attractive 36 month leases with relatively low down payment requirements, a few 1.9% APR loan deals for up to 60 months, and a number of 0.0% APR loan deals that are combined with up to $1000 customer cash (rebate).

Mitsubishi is offering outstanding 24-month leases on its 2012 Lancer ES and SE ($189/month) and Lancer Sportback ES ($196/month). There are also 0% APR loan deals for up to 36 months on 2012 models and up to 60 months on 2011 models. Also available are rebates of up to $3500 on 2011 models and customer loyalty bonuses of $500. All in all, a nice set of deals from Mitsubishi.

Volkswagen usually has a nice selection of special lease deals across its model line. These are nearly always good deals and are better than customers could negotiate for themselves. They also offer a number of 0% APR loans for up to 72 months, which is a bit unusual.

Saab, the car company, has filed bankruptcy but dealers still have left-over vehicles at low, low prices.

Fiat has announced new $0 down leases its 500 and 500c models.

Deals Can Change

As you probably already know, car deals and incentives can (and usually do) change month-to-month, and sometimes week-to-week. Deals can vary depending on the region of the country you live in and can differ by dealer.

One of the best ways to know exactly what deals are best in your area is to use an online service such as TrueCar that not only shows you what local people are paying for specific car makes and models, but also the lowest price you should expect to pay, factoring in all current incentives. It’s free and they give you a guaranteed price quote that will be honored at local dealers.

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That’s $0 due at lease signing — not even the first month’s payment.

Honda and Acura lead the pack with no-money-down leases, followed by Cadillac.

Honda and Acura actually offer their leases both ways — with a down payment, which makes for a lower monthly payment, and without a down payment.

Actually, almost any car lease can be had with or without a down payment, but you may not be able to get special promotional deals without money down unless the deal specifically makes that offer. All the promotional deals listed below do make the offer.

Making no down payment doesn’t change the value of the deal. However, since you are not pre-paying some of your financed lease amount, your payments will be a bit higher.

All these lease deals allow 10,000 miles per year with the exception of those from Honda and Infiniti which allow 12,000 per year.

Honda and Acura incentives expire on February 29, 2012. All others expire on January 31, 2012.

Here are all the current (January 2012) $0 down lease deals, listed in alphabetical order:

YEAR	MAKE	MODEL	MONTHS	PMT
2012	Acura	MDX	35	570
2012	Acura	TL	35	420
2012	Acura	TSX	35	350
2012	Acura	ZDX	35	570
2012	Cadillac	CTS sedan	36	399
2012	Cadillac	CTS coupe	36	429
2012	Cadillac	Escalade	36	747
2012	Cadillac	SRX	36	499
2012	FIAT	500	42	199
2012	FIAT	500c	42	299
2012	Honda	Accord sedan	35	250
2011	Honda	CR-V	35	270
2012	Honda	Civic sedan	35	230
2012	Honda	Crosstour	35	340
2012	Honda	Odyssey	35	350
2012	Honda	Pilot 2wd	35	340
2012	Honda	Pilot 4wd	35	350
2012	Infiniti	G25 Journey Sedan	39	389
2012	Infiniti	G37 Journey Sedan	39	429
2012	Infiniti	G37 Journey Coupe	39	479
2012	Infiniti	G37 Convertible	39	619
2012	Infiniti	M37 Sedan	39	639
2012	Infiniti	M56 Sedan	39	849
2012	Infiniti	EX35 Journey RWD	39	569
2012	Infiniti	EX35 Journey AWD	39	579
2012	Infiniti	FX35 RWD	39	619
2012	Infiniti	FX35 AWD	39	629
2012	Infiniti	FX50 AWD	39	809
2012	Infiniti	QX56 2WD	39	899
2012	Infiniti	QX56 AWD	39	949

If you don’t understand how car leasing works, or how to determine if you are a good leasing candidate, please visit our sister web site, LeaseGuide.com. You will find all the information, advice, calculators, and tips you’ll need to be able to lease a car with full confidence.

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However, only one style within each model line gets the good deals.

One of the special options with each lease offer is that you can choose either nothing due at signing (sign-and-drive) or choose to make a down payment (cap cost reduction) for a lower monthly payment. Nice option in our opinion.

You won’t see this “$0 down lease” option on many other car company’s promotional leases.

All the Acura leases are for 36 months and allow 30,000 miles total. The deals end on October 31.

Here are the current Acura lease deals for October 2011. PMT is monthly payment and DUE is the amount due at signing.

You may already know that when a car manufacturer offers these kinds of special lease deals they require customers to be “highly qualified.” This means they want customers to have a high credit score. If you don’t know your credit score, we suggest you get it before you approach a dealer for one of these lease offers. You can get your free credit score with a simple enrollment at FreeCreditScore.com.

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

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General Motors  announced incentives in July that are good through August 2011. The company’s brands, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC,   have deals on most of their vehicles, many on new 2012 models. However, the best deals are on 2011 models. All GM incentives expire on September 6, 2011. 

Here are some of the best GM car deals on 2011 models: 

Buick Lucerne – $2500 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Buick Enclave – $2000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Buick LaCrosse – $1500 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Cadillac DTS and STS – $7000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Cadillac Escalade – $3500 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Cadillac CTS – $2000 rebate or 0% APR financing

 

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 – $4000-$4500 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Chevrolet Avalance – $4000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Chevrolet HHR (selected styles) – $3500 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD – $3000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe – $3000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Chevrolet Impala (selected styles) – $3000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Chevrolet Malibu – $2500 rebate or 0% APR financing 

GMC Sierra 1500 – $4000-$4500 rebate or 0% APR financing 

GMC Sierra 2500/3500HD – $3000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

GMC Yukon – $3000 rebate or 0% APR financing 

Furthermore, there are good factory-to-dealer cash incentives available on a few 2011 GM vehicles for August 2011: 

Buick Regal – $1000 

Chevrolet HHR and Impala – up to $4000 

Chevrolet Corvette – $3000 

Chevrolet Aveo – up to $1500 

Chevrolet Malibu – up to $1000 

Honda, Acura, Volkswagen, Audi, and Volvo are other companies whose July incentives extend through August. 

Honda (most models) and Acura (selected models) are offering low-interest loan rates (0.9%-1.9% APR) on both 2012 and 2011 models.  Volkswagen offers 0% APR loan rate on the 2012 CC and Eos, 0% APR on the 2011 Eos, Routan, CC, and Tiguan, and low interest rates (1.9%-4.9%) on other 2011 models. Audi offers low interest rates (0.9%-3.5% APR) on 2012 models and 0.9%-2.9% on 2011 models. Volvo offers low interest rates on the 2012 S60 (0.9%-1.9%) and 0.9%-2.49% on all 2011 models. 

Other incentives worth considering in August are as follows:

BMW is offering lower interest rates on most its 2011 models, including 0.9% APR on the Z4 and 1.9% APR on the 3-Series and M3.

Ford and Lincoln have 0% APR loan deals on nearly every 2011 and 2012 model. Other models have very low interest rates. The company also offers rebates on most models as well, ranging from $500-$3000. Of course you much select either the rebate or the low interest loan, not both.

Kia has good rebate offers and low interest loans on most models, including $3000 rebate on the 2011 Kia Sedona and $2500 on the 2012 model.

Jaguar offers 0% APR loans on the 2011 Jaguar XF, XJ, and XK.

Mitsubishi stands out with 0% APR loans or nice large rebates on all models, including a $4500 rebate on the 2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor and $3500 on the 2011 Galant.

Nissan comes on strong in August with 0% APR loan deals on nearly every model including 2012 versions of the Altima and Sentra. Alternatively you can select from some very attractive rebates on most models including up to $5250 on the 2011 Titan, up to $4000 for the 2011 Altima Hybrid, $3500 on the 2011 Armada, and up to $3000 on the 2011 Frontier and Maxima.

Suzuki  also has 0% ARP loans or rebates starting at $1000 up to $2000 on the 2011 Equator.

Toyota has 0% APR loan deals on the 2011 Tundra, Camry, Avalon, Highlander, Sienna, Venza, and Corolla.

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.

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These have slightly higher monthly payments than the same deals with a down payment.  Whether you make a down payment or not doesn’t change the value of the deal. A good deal is still a good deal with or without a down payment.

The car companies with the $0 down lease deals are Honda, Acura, BMW on selected models/styles, and Volvo (only on C70 model). The deals are offered both with a down payment and without.

However, these deals are a little different in how they are implemented.

For example, Volvo, Honda and Acura offer their special leases as $0-$0-$0 ($0 down, $0 first month’s payment, and $0 security deposit). This means that you owe nothing at lease signing except the usual official tag and registration fees specific to your home location. Not having to pay the customary first month’s payment means you only make 35 payments on a 36 month lease.

BMW’s $0 down leases simply means you pay no down payment (cap cost reduction) but you still pay the first month’s payment, plus possible security deposit, plus any official tag and registration fees at the time of lease signing.

What’s the catch with these special limited-time leases? Nothing except that not all models and styles are offered with the special deals. If you like the models being offered, fine. If not, you’ll have to settle for a non-promotional normal lease deal.

All of the special lease deals being offered by Honda, Acura, BMW, and Volvo have been rated “Good” or “Excellent” by LeaseGuide.com.

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Because of shortages of both vehicles and parts created by the recent Japanese earthquake, automakers are not offering nearly the number of great incentives in June that we were seeing in the first months of 2011.

However lets take a look at where you can still find some good deals. Most of the deals expire on June 30, 2011. A few expire on July 5, 2011.

BMW is offering low APR interest rates (1.9%-3.9%) on the 2012 1-Series, 7-Series, X5, and X6 models. The company is also offering 0.9%-3.9% APR loan rates on 2011 models of the 3-Series, X5, Z4 7-Series, M3, 5-Series, 1-Series M, and X3. There is also a $3500 “Eco Credit” on some diesel models including the 2011 335d sedan, as well as special “Option Credits” available on many models (BMW doesn’t like to call them “rebates” — it sounds too cheap). Up to $2000 in factory-to-dealer cash is available on selected 7-Series models. Additionally, BMW is offering many excellent promotional lease deals in nearly every model line.

Chrysler has announced a few rebates and a number of low-interest loans, including 0% APR rates, across its 2011 model lines. These deals expire on August 1, 2011. Up to $1500 rebate or 0% APR loan is available on the Chrysler 200, 300, and Town & Country. 0% APR is also available on the Dodge Grand Caravan, Nitro, Avenger, Caliber, Journey, Dakota, Jeep Liberty, Compass, Patriot, and Ram trucks. Jeep Liberty has a $3000 rebate offer. Up to $3000 is also available on the Dodge Grand Caravan, Nitro, Avenger, Caliber, and Journey. There is a nice $4500 factory-to-dealer rebate on the Dodge Dakota.

Ford also has a number of 0% APR loan rates — on the 2011 Ford Ranger, Super Duty trucks, E-Series, Fiesta, Flex, Focus, Mustang, Fusion, and Taurus. Lincoln has 0% APR rate offers on the Lincoln Town Car, Navigator, MKS, MKZ, and MKT. Rebates up to $3000 are offered on the F-150 and Lincoln Town Car. Smaller rebates are offered on many other models. Large factory-to-dealer rebates are offered on the Mercury Grand Marquis ($5500), as well as the Mariner, and Milan (up to $3500).

Honda, which was seriously affected by the earthquakes in Japan is only offering a few low interest rate loans on some 2011 Acura and Honda models. The company is also offering a number of special lease deals on certain models and styles, such as the Honda Crosstour, Accord Sedan, CR-V, Odyssey, and Pilot. As you may know from reading this web site in the past, Honda lease deals are always great deals, if you like the model and style being offered. The 2011 Acura ZDX gets $2000 in factory-to-dealer cash. 

Hyundai/Kia is also in the 0% APR loan rate game with zero-percent deals on nearly every model, including both 2011 and 2010 models. In addition, there are a number of attractive rebates — $1000 on the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe and $2500 on the 2010 Hyundai Sonata. Smaller rebates are available on other models.

Jaguar has 0% APR loan deals on the 2011 Jaguar XF, XJ, and XK.

Mitsubishi has 0% APR rates on nearly every model, including the 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eclipse Spider.

Saab is offering 0% APR rates on the 2010 and 2011 Saab 9-3 and 9-5. In addition, the 2011 9-3 and 9-5 get $3000-$4000 factory-to-dealer cash.

Toyota, also hit hard by the Japanese earthquakes, has 0% APR deals on the 2011 Toyota Camry, Tundra, Corolla, Venza, Avalon, Highlander, and Sienna. A $2500 rebate is offered on the Toyota Tundra truck, as well as up to $2500 in factory-to-dealer cash.

Volkswagen/Audi has low-interest rate deals, including a few 0% APR rates, on nearly every 2011 Audi and Volkswagen model, and the 2012 Audi A7, Volkswagen CC, and Eos.  Leftover Audi 2010 models get some very large factory-to-dealer cash, up to $9500 but averaging about $4000-$5000.

Volvo has 0% APR deals on the 2012 S60 and most 2011 models except the XC70 and XC-90 (which have 2.9% rates).

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.

Dealers usually pass along the factory-to-dealer cash to customers as a price discount.

The effect is the same as a direct customer rebate, but is a bit more discrete. Actually, direct rebates are subject to sales tax while price discounts are not.

This kind of “hidden rebate” is often used by “luxury” car makers such as Acura who do not want to appear as a “discount” car brand.

Acura is currently giving dealers cash for selected models and styles until February 28, 2011, as follows. Both 2011 and 2010 models are included but the heaviest incentives are on leftover 2010 models.

2010 Acura RL and ZDX – $4000

2010 Acura TL – $2500 to $3000

2010 Acura TSX – $1250 to $2000

2011 Acura  RL – $2500

2011 Acura TL – $1500 to $2000

2011 Acura RDX – $500

2011 Acura ZDX – $1000

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

Therefore, it is very useful to know which makes and models currently receive marketing support from the manufacturer. Prices on those vehicles will be lower than normal without having to do hard negotiating. If the dealer also adds his own discount, the deals can be even sweeter.

Actually, getting this kind of discount from a dealer is preferable to getting a direct-to-customer rebate. A rebate is not the same as a price discount. Sales tax on a new car is calculated on the selling price, after discounts are subtracted, but before rebates are deducted. A discount is a real price reduction, while a rebate is more like down payment money coming from the manufacturer’s pocket, not yours.

For example, if you buy a $12,000 car with a $2000 rebate, you pay sales tax on $12,000, although you only pay $10,000 of your own money for the car. On the other hand, if you buy a $12,000 car and you receive a $2000 discount, you only pay sales tax on $10,000.

Here are some of the best current (December 2010) factory-to-dealer rebates, all ending on January 3, 2011:

• 2010 BMW 6 Series, M6 – $10,000-$12,500
• 2010 Chrysler 300, PT Cruiser, Sebring – $1000
• 2010 Dodge Avenger – $1000
• 2010 Ford Flex, Taurus – $2000-$3000 (ends December 31, 2010)
• 2011 Cadillac CTS, DTS, STS, Escalade, Escalade ESV - $2000-$5000
• 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT – $3000
• 2010 Acura RL, TL – $2500-$4000
• 2010 Acura MDX, RDX, TSX, ZDX – $750-$2500
• 2010 Honda Civic – $1500-$2500
• 2010 Honda Insight, Ridgeline – $1500
• 2010 Honda Accord, Crosstour – $1200
• 2010 Honda CR-V, Odyssey – $1000
• 2010 Land Rover LR2, Range rover – $2000-$4000
• 2011 Infiniti FX35, FX50, G37 – $3000
• 2011 Toyota Tundra – $2500
• 2011 Toyota Camry – $1500
• 2011 Toyota RAV4 – $1000
• 2011 Toyota Highlander – $500
• 2011 Volvo C30, C70, C80 – $500

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.

However, there is one kind of incentive that is not advertised, at least not directly. We often call it a “hidden rebate” or “secret rebate.” In the auto industry it’s called marketing support or factory-to-dealer cash.

The rebate is “hidden” because it flows directly from the car company to dealers. It is provided to dealers as a way of helping them sell or lease cars. The rebate is not a constant and is not offered on all makes and models. It’s offered on a month by month basis, the same as direct customer rebates. It might be offered one month, and not another. The amount of the “hidden” rebate can vary widely, depending on how badly the manufacturer wants to help sell a particular model vehicle.

Dealers can use marketing support money almost any way they want if it helps sell cars. They could use it to pay for advertising, tent sales, or special promotions. However, most if not all of the money is given to customers as a price discount. When a dealer kicks in his own discount, added to the marketing support discount, customers can walk away with a terrific deal. This is how dealers can sell cars at “below invoice price.”

At the time of this writing, the following manufacturers are providing “hidden rebates” to dealers. These rebates may not apply to all models or styles and often require that the customer finance their purchase or lease through the manufacturer’s finance company (example: Ford Motor Credit).

• 2010 BMW M6, 6-Series, X3 – $4000-$$12,500
• 2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser, Sebring – $1000
• 2010 Jeep Wrangler – $750
• 2011 Cadillac CTS, DTS, STS – $3500
• 2011 Cadillac Escalade – $2000
• 2011 Chevrolet Aveo, Corvette, HHR, Impala – up to $4000
• 2010 Chevrolet Aveo, Cobalt, HHR, Impala – up to $5000
• 2010 Pontiac Vibe – $3000
• 2010 Acura RL, TL, ZDX – $2000-$4000
• 2010 Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline, Civic Hybrid – $1500
• 2010 Honda Accord, Crosstour, Civic, Insight – up to $1200
• 2011 Mazda Tribute – $1500
• 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata, RX-8, Tribute – $3000-$3500
• 2010 Mazda CX-7, CX-9, Mazda5, Mazda6 – $1500-$2000
• 2010 Mercedes CL, CLS, R-Class, S-Class, SLK – up to $10,000
• 2010 Mercedes C-Class, E-Class, GL, GLK, M-Class – $1500-$5000
• 2010 Saab 9-5 – $2000
• 2010 Subaru Impreza – $1000
• 2011 Toyota Camry – $1500
• 2010 Toyota Tundra – $4000
• 2010 Toyota Avalon, Camry – $2000
• 2010 Toyota Corolla, Highlander, RAV4 – $1500
• 2010 Volvo  C70, S80, V70, XC70, XC90 – $1000-$5500
• 2010 Volvo C30, S40, V50, XC60 – $1000-$1500

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 cars from

Instead, we typically see more subtle forms of incentives such as low-interest loans (rarely 0%), leases on certain models and styles, and hidden factory-to-dealer rebates on some models. Factory-to-dealer cash rebates are almost always used by dealers to discount prices to customers.

Here are a summary of the current Acura incentives for November and December 2009 (ending 1/04/2010):

2009 Acura MDX – $2000 factory-to-dealer cash, low-interest loans (1.9% APR for 24/36 months, 2.9% for 60 months), and a special lease deal on the Base model — $469 a month, 36 months, 10K miles per year, and $3299 due at lease signing.

2010 Acura RDX – Special lease deal on Base model — $399 a month, $3599 due at signing

2010 Acura RL – $2000 factory-to-dealer cash, and a special lease deal on the Base model — $569 a month, $3999 due at signing

2010 Acura TL – Special lease deal on Base model — $399 a month, $3299 due at lease signing

2009 Acura TL – $1500-$2000 factory-to-dealer cash, depending on style,

2010 Acura TSX – $1500 factory-to-dealer cash (on certain styles), and a special lease deal — $299 a month, $3599 due at signing

You may already know that you must have a good credit rating to get the low interest rates or the special lease deals. If you think you might want to lease, make sure you understanding how car leasing works first. We recommend reading the free Lease Guide at LeaseGuide.com.

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

Acura

The incentives include low-interest loans, special lease deals, and factory-to-dealer cash that dealers can pass along to customers as price discounts. Acura, like most other luxury car makers, doesn’t want to be viewed as a “discount” brand. Therefore, they offer no direct factory-to-customer rebates but, instead, offer other ways of creating attractive deals.

The new Acura incentives are a little out of the ordinary in a couple of ways. First, the factory-to-dealer cash is only offered on 2009 models that the dealer already had in inventory as late as September 9, 2009. The cash rebates, therefore, provide incentive for dealers to to get rid of “old” cars that have been sitting on the lot for a month or more — by using the rebate as a price discount for customers.

The second way in which the new Acura incentives are different is that customers can combine the factory-to-dealer cash with low-interest loans. Such combinations are not usually allowed.

Here is a summary of the new Acura deals. All apply to 2009 models unless otherwise indicated.

Acura MDX – $2000 conditional factory-to-dealer cash rebate (see above discussion of special conditions of this rebate), and 1.9% APR loan rate for 24/36 months and 2.9% for 60 months. A special lease deal is available for the Base model: $469 a month, 36 months, 10K mileage allowance, and $3299 due at signing, which includes the first month’s payment, a down payment (cap cost reduction), and a bank fee (acquisition fee).

 Acura RDX – $1500 conditional dealer cash (see above discussion). For the 2010 RDX Base model, a special lease deal is available: $399 a month, $3599 due at signing.

Acura RL – $3000 conditional dealer cash. For the 2010 RL, $2000 dealer cash and a special lease deal:  $569 a month, $3999 due at signing.

Acura TL – $2000 conditional dealer cash and low interest loan rates: 1.9% APR for 24/36 months and 2.9% for 60 months. The same low APR rates also apply to the 2010 TL but not the dealer cash.

Acura TSX – $1250 conditional dealer cash. For the 2010 TSX, two special lease deals are offered for October. For the 2010 TSX Base 2.4L 4-cylinder auto transmission, $299 a month, $3599 due at signing. For the 2010 TSX Base 3.5L 6-cylinder auto transmission, $359 a month, $3799 due at signing.

If you don’t understand how car leasing works and would like to learn, we suggest LeaseGuide.com. The site contains a free guide to car leasing and payment calculators.

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

Acura

The Acura incentives for August 2009 come in the form of low interest loans, special lease deals, and factory-to-dealer cash. If you have read article on this site before, you know that hidden factory-to-dealer cash is a way for a car company to offer price discounts without being so obvious. Dealers give back the money to customers in the form of price discounts.

Here are some example of some of the best Acura deals. All the current deals and incentives are good through August and end on September 8, 2009.

2009 Acura MDX SUV – Low-interest loans (2.9%/2.9%/3.9% for 24/36/60 months), $2000 factory-to-dealer cash, and special $499 lease on the base model. The $2000 factory-to-dealer rebate can be combined with either the special lease or low interest loans.

2009 Acura RDX – $1500 factory-to-dealer rebate and a special $389 lease on the base model.

2010 Acura RL – $2000 factory-to-dealer rebate, and a $569 a month special lease deal for the base model.

2009 Acura TL – $2000 factory-to-dealer cash, and low APR loans (2.9%/2.9% for 24/60 months).

2010 Acura TSX – Special lease deals ($319 for base model, and $379 for base + Technology Package)

2009 Acura TSX – Low APR loans (2.9%/2.9%/3.9% for 24/36/60 months) and special lease deals ($399 for 60 month lease with a “cash for clunkers” rebate).

If you are in the market for an Acura, these deals are well worth considering.

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