General Motors

Deals are especially good on 2009 models, which GM apparently still has plenty of inventory. Don’t expect to see outstanding deals on 2010 models until most of the 2009 models are gone. In many cases, there is very little difference between 2009 and 2010 models. Therefore you can save a lot of money by going with last year’s leftovers. The catch is that you might not be able to get exactly the style, trim level, and color that you want. You are limited to the cars that dealers have in stock.

2010 Models

Let’s look at some of the best General Motors deals on 2010 models first.

 The best rebates of about $2000 are available on a wide range of makes and models, including the Buick Enclave and Lucerne; Chevrolet Avalanche, Cobalt, Impala, Malibu, Suburban, and Tahoe;  all GMC models except Savana and Terrain; and Pontiac Vibe ($3000).

Zero percent (0% APR) loans are available for the Buick Enclave and Lucerne, Chevrolet Avalanche, Cobalt, Impala, Malibu, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Sierra, Acadia, Canyon, and Pontiac Vibe.

2009 Models

Now, let’s look at some even better General Motors deals on leftover 2009 models.

Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne – up to $4500 rebate

Chevrolet Avalanche, Impala, Suburban, Tahoe, Trailblazer, Silverado - up to $4000 rebate

Chevrolet Corvette – up to $4000 rebate

Chevrolet Cobalt, Traverse – up to $3500 rebate

GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Sierra – up to $4000 rebate

Hummer H3 – $6000 rebate, H3T – $5000 rebate

Pontiac (all models) – up to $3000 rebate

Saab 9-3, 9-5, 9-7X – up to $8000 rebate

Saturn Aura, Outlook, Sky, Vue – up to $4000 rebate

Dealer Cash

Furthermore, General Motors is offering some hefty factory-to-dealer cash on some models. These direct-to-dealer rebates typically are passed along to customers in the form of additional price discounts.

2010 Cadillac CTS, DTS, STS, and Escalade – up to $2500 dealer cash

2010 Hummer H3, H3T – up to $3000 dealer cash

2009 Cadillac XLR, XLR-V, Escalade – up to $7000 dealer cash

2009 Cadillac CTS-V, DTS, STS, STS-V – up to $6000 dealer cash

2009 Cadillac CTS, SRX – up to $5000 dealer cash

2009 Hummer H2, H2 SUT – $5000 dealer cash

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.

General Motors

The GM deals are in the form of direct customer cash rebates and low-interest loans, with a number of 0% APR loan deals as well. All the current January incentives end on 2/1/2010.

Here are some of the best General Motors deals at this time:

2010 Buick  Lucern $2000 rebate

2010 Chevrolet Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe, Cobalt, Impala – $2000 rebate

2010 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Sierra – $2000 rebate

2010 Pontiac Vibe – $4000 rebate

2009 Buick Lucerne – $4500 rebate 

2009 Buick Lacrosse – $4000 rebate

2009 Cadillac XLR, XLR-V – $10,000 rebate

2009 Cadillac Escalade – $6000 rebate

2009 Cadillac CTS-V, DTS, STS, STS-V - $5000 rebate

2009 Cadillac SRX – $4000 rebate

2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, Impala, Tahoe – $3500 rebate

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt – $3000 rebate

2009 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL – $4000 rebate

2009 GMC Envoy – $3500 rebate

2009 Hummer H3 – $6000 rebate

2009 Pontiac (most models) – $4000 rebate

2009 Saturn (most models) – $4000 rebate

Furthermore, low-interest loans are available on all the above 2010 models and 0% APR deals available on all the 2009 models above. Of course, you know that you can accept either the rebates or low interest loans, but not both. With these GM rebates being so large, it is usually better to accept the rebate instead of the loan deal, especially if you need down payment money (rebates count towards your down payment).

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

General Motors

This is a brand new idea in the automotive sales business and is obviously aimed at customers who may have lost confidence in GM’s products. It amounts to a kind of try-and-buy program.

The company is clearly taking a risk but feels that customers will like the cars and not return them.

Here’s the way the program works.

You buy a GM vehicle, drive it for at least 30 days for less than 4000 miles. Then if you don’t like it, you return it before 60 days have expired and you get all your money back.

There are some restrictions. We mentioned the 4000 mile limit. If you exceed 4000, the vehicle loses it’s qualification for the program. Also, if the vehicle has more than $200 in damages or has been involved in an accident, it will be disqualified. Normal wear and tear is okay.

Leased vehicles do not qualify for the program. Vehicles purchased by businesses do not qualify.

It’s also important to know that if you traded an old vehicle and you decide to return your new vehicle, you do not get your old vehicle back.

The GM 60-day Satisfaction Guarantee Program ends November 30, 2009.

UPDATE: For October, GM is offering a $500 factory-to-customer rebate if the customer is willing to waive the 60-day satisfaction guarantee. Unless you are absolutely, positively certain that you will not want to return the car, we don’t advise taking the rebate offer.