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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Cadillac

Cadillac’s lease deals are interesting in that they are a bit wishy-washy on details. For example, Cadillac states that “dealer sets own price” and “example [of the deal] based on survey” and “lease-end purchase price [residual value] set at time of lease signing” and “your payments may vary.” Normally, when a car company offers special leases, it provides all the specifics and detailed figures in the small print accompanying the advertisement. Not so with Cadillac this month.

We will show you the currently offered Cadillac lease deals, all of which are excellent deals and well worth considering. However, you may find that when you visit your local Cadillac dealer, you may not be able to get exactly the same deal. In that case, you can evaluate the deal, or any lease deal, using this Car Lease Calculator  from LeaseGuide.com. It’ll tell you just how good, or bad, the deal is.

Here are the latest Cadillac special lease deals, already evaluated and rated by LeaseGuide.com.

2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe – $429/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 30K miles (Score: 95 Outstanding)

2012 Cadillac CTS Sedan – $399/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 30K miles (Score: 98 Outstanding)

2012 Cadillac Escalade- $747/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 36K miles (Score: 88 Excellent)

2012 Cadillac SRX w/1SB – $499/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 30K miles (Score: 84 Excellent)

Notice that all but the Escalade lease have a 30,000 mile allowance. For 36 months, this translates to only 833 miles per month (1000 miles per month for the Escalade). This is a relatively small mileage allowance and is part of the reason these are such good deals if you only look at the monthly payment and the fact that you pay no cash at lease signing (except for normal taxes and official fees).

Although all the leases rate Excellent or higher the 2012 Cadillac CTS Sedan is the best deal of the group.

So, before you go visit your dealer to accept one of these Cadillac deals, make sure you can live within the mileage allowance. Otherwise, you’ll pay a relatively hefty $0.25 per mile if you exceed the allowance. Also make sure you know your credit score before you go too. The deals are only available to customers with good credit. You can easily see your most recent credit score online from web sites such as FreeCreditScore.com with a quick sign-on.

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Fortunately, a number of car makers announced deals at the beginning of November that are good through December 2011. At the time of this writing, we expect to know about deals from all the car companies during the first week of December.

General Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC) in particular has a number of good $0-down lease deals on selected models good until 1/3/2012. Actually, it’s even better; it’s zero cash due at lease signing — sign and drive — which means no down payment, no security deposit, and no first month’s payment — on most but not all of the lease deals. There are also a few 0% APR loan deals.

Of the companies who have already announced new-car incentives that we’ve previously discussed on this web site are:

BMW (http://best-car-deals.buyerreports.org/bmw-offers-outstanding-leases-november-and-december)

Chevrolet (http://best-car-deals.buyerreports.org/new-chevrolet-deals-for-november-and-december-2011)

Honda (http://best-car-deals.buyerreports.org/special-honda-leases-for-november-and-december)

Other December car deals are available as follows:

2012 Buick Regal w/LEA – Special lease: $313/month, 39 months, 39K miles, $0 due at lease signing

2012 Buick Regal w/LHU – Special lease: $337/month, 39 months, 39K miles, $0 due at lease signing

2012 Buick Lacrosse - Special lease: $331/month, 39 months, 39K miles, $0 due at lease signing

2012 Buick Enclave – 0% APR loan rate for up to 60 months

2011 Buick Lucerne – 0% APR loan rate for up to 60 months

2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe – Special lease: $419/month, 36 months, 30K miles, 0$ due at lease signing

2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe – 0% APR loan rate for up to 36 months

2012 Cadillac Escalade – Special lease: $749/month, 36 months, 30K miles, $0 due at signing

2012 Cadillac Escalade – 0% APR loan rate for up to 36 months

2012 Cadillac SRX – Special lease: $479/month, 36 months, 30K miles, $0 due at signing

2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe – Special lease: $288/month, 39 months, 39K miles, $0 due at lease signing

2012 Chevrolet Corvette – Special lease: $559/month, 39 months, 39K miles

2012 Chevrolet Cruze – Special lease: $199/month, 39 months, 39k miles

2012 Chevrolet Impala – Special lease: $299/month, 39 months, 39K miles

2012 Chevrolet Impala – 0% APR loan rate for up to 60 months

2012 Chevrolet Malibu – Special lease: $229/month, 39 months, 39K miles, $0 due at lease signing

2012 Chevrolet Malibu – 0% APR loan rate for up to 60 months

Similar deals are also available on selected 2012 GMC models. Toyota and Volkswagen have a few current 0% APR loans deals on selected models that are good through December, but we expect more incentives to be announced in the first week of December.

As we always remind our readers, car deals and incentives sometimes vary from region to region.

We also remind that special lease deals and zero-percent loan rates are only available to “qualified” customers, which means customers who have a good credit score. It’s always a good idea to know your current credit score before you visit a dealer to get any special deal. Fortunately, you can get your most recent credit score online at web sites such as FreeCreditScore.comwhere you can see your score immediately with a simple sign on.

Stay tuned as we announce more new-car incentives later.

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November brings a number of large rebates, especially on left-over 2011 models.

Typically, rebates only apply to selected models and styles, and only for a limited time.

Dealers apply rebates at the time of purchase. Rebates act as a down payment and reduce the amount a customer pays.

Rebate amounts can vary, depending on how strongly the manufacturer wants to promote that particular model.  

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest and most attractive rebate offers for November 2011:

2012 Jeep Liberty – $3000

2011 Chrysler 200 – $4000

2011 Ford Flex – $3000

2011 Lincoln Town Car – $3000

2012 Chevrolet Impala – $3000

2011 Buick Lucerne – $4000

2011 Buick LaCrosse, Regal – $3000

2011 Cadillac Excalade EXT – $4000

2011 Chevrolet Silverado – up to $4500

2011 Chevrolet Avalanche – $4500

2011 Chevrolet Impala – $4000

2011 Chevrolet HHR – $3500

2011 Chevrolet Corvette, Malibu – $3000

2011 GMC Sierra 1500 – up to $4500

2011 GMC Yukon – $3500

2011 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 3500HD – $3000

2012 Mitsubishi Galant – $3000

2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor – $4500

2011 Mitsubishi Galant – $3500

2012 Nissan Titan – up to $3000

2011 Nissan Titan – up to $5250

2011 Nissan Armada – $4000

2011 Nissan Frontier – up to $3000

2011 Suzuki Equator – $3000

Since car companies are the ones funding rebates, customers should dealers to also contribute with an additional price discount funded from his own pockets. Dealer discounts on top of manufacturers’ rebates make for some very sweet deals.

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

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Dealers are allowed to use the “secret” cash almost any way they want, but the intent is that most, if not all, of it goes into price discounts for customers. This can mean some great car deals.

If a particular vehicle has factory-to-dealer cash and rebates or low interest lows, all the better. In most cases, but not always, dealers are allowed to combine the incentives.  Then, of course, dealers can kick in some discount out their own pockets to sweeten the deals even further.

This month, September 2011, we find some of the best factory-to-dealer cash incentives (sometimes called “marketing support”) to be the following. All of these deals are on 2011 and 2012 models. We previously reported on some really outstanding deals on leftover 2010 models in our article, Incentives on Leftover 2010 Vehicles.

2011 Ford Focus – $2000

2011 Ford Mustang – $1500-$2000

2011 Mercury Grand Marquis – $5500

2011 Mercury Mariner and Milan – $3500

2011 Mercury Mariner Hybrid and Milan Hybrid – $1500

2012 Chevrolet Impala – up to $4000

2012 Chevrolet Corvette – $1500

2012 Chevrolet Colorado – up to $1000

2011 Cadillac STS – $9000

2011 Cadillac DTS – $7000

2011 Chevrolet Impala – up to $4500

2011 Chevrolet HHR – up to $4000 

2011 Chevrolet Aveo and Camaro – up to $1500

2011 Land Rover Range Rover – $2000

2011 Infiniti FX50 – $3000

2011 Infiniti EX35 and FX35 – $2000

2011 Nissan 370Z – $1500

2011 Saab 9-3 – $4000-$5000

2011 Saab 9-5 – $3500

2011 Saab 9-4X – $1500

2011 Subaru Legacy – up to $1250

2011 Tribeca and Forester – up to $1000

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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Factory-to-dealer cash, sometimes called “marketing support”, is a form of cash rebate from car companies to dealers to help promote the sale of certain vehicles. Dealers can use the cash in almost any way they like — TV advertising, tent sales, mailings — but most, if not all of the money usually is given back to customers in the form of price discounts.

Factory-to-dealer cash incentives are offered on a month-to-month basis, as needed, and expire at the end of the month. A particular vehicle model might have an incentive one month but not the next.

The largest factory-to-dealer cash incentives are offered on slow-selling vehicles, leftover previous year’s models, models with large inventory, or models that will soon be eliminated or replaced.

Here are some of the best factory-to-dealer incentives being offered for May 2011, ending on May 31:

2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 – $2000

2011 Dodge Dakota – $4500

2011 Mercury Grand Marquis – $5500

2011 Cadillac DTS, STS – $7000

2011 Chevrolet Corvette, HHR, Impala (selected styles) – $4000

2011 Land Rover Range Rover – $2000

2010 Mercedes CL, S-Class (selected styles) – $10,000

2010 Mercedes C-Class, CLS, R-Class, SLK (selected styles) – $5000

2011 Infiniti FX50 – $3000

2011 Saab 9-3, 9-5 – $3000 – $4000

2010 Audi A6, A8, Q7, S6, TT, TTS (selected styles) – $9700

These incentives can be combined with any available customer rebates, low interest rates, and additional dealer contribution (dealer-provided price discount).

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.

Cadillac

All the current Cadillac leases require $0 — zero cash — due at signing (other than tag, registration, and other official fees). Each deal is for a 36 month term, 10K miles per year, and does not include sales tax, which varies by state, county, and city.

Here are the special leases being offered by Cadillac for March and April:

2011 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M) – $399/month, $0 down, $0 first payment

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe 2dr Coupe (3.6L 6cyl 6A) – $399/month, $0 down, $0 first payment

2011 Cadillac SRX Luxury 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 6A) – $489/month, $0 down, $0 first payment

2011 Cadillac Escalade 4dr SUV (6.2L 8cyl 6A) – $729/month, $0 down, $0 first payment

2011 Cadillac STS V6 Luxury 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 6A) – $817/month, $0 down, $0 first payment

2011 Cadillac DTS Luxury 4dr Sedan (4.6L 8cyl 4A) – $824/month, $0 down, $0 first payment

2011 Cadillac Escalade Luxury 4dr SUV AWD (6.2L 8cyl 6A) – $877/month, $0 down, $0 first payment

All the above car lease deals have been rated “Excellent” by LeaseGuide.com. This is made possible because Cadillac has reduced the lease price, lowered the lease money factor (finance charge), and raised the lease-end residual. In fact, these are deals that you would not be able to negotiate on your own.

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Cadillac

The Cadillac lease deals are good for January and February 2011, ending on February 28. All are for 2011 models, 39 months, 10,000 miles/year, and require a down payment.

Here are the current Cadillac lease incentives:

2011 Cadillac CTS Sedan – $349/month, $1949 due at signing

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe – $349/month, $1949 due at signing

2011 Cadillac DTS Luxury Sedan – $649/month, $4824 due at signing

2011 Cadillac Escalade – $599/month, $4474 due at signing

2011 Cadillac Escalade Luxury AWD – $699/month, $5774 due at signing

2011 Cadillac SRX Luxury – $429/month, $1929 due at signing

2011 Cadillac STS V6 Luxury – $639/month, $4764 due at signing

All of the above deals are rated “Excellent” by the Lease Evaluator in the Lease Kit from LeaseGuide.com .

If you need to learn more about car leasing and how to determine if leasing is right for you, we suggest that you visit LeaseGuide.com where you’ll find a free Lease Guide, lease calculators, and other resources.

General Motors

The deals apply to most new 2011 models as well as leftover 2010 models. All deals expire on February 28, 2011.

Following are examples of some of the best current GM new-car deals:

2011 Buick Lucern – $4000 rebate or low interest rate loans

2011 Buick Enclave – $2000 rebate, or 0% APR loan rate up to 60 months — $399/month, 39 months lease deal

2011 Buick Lacrosse CX - $309/month, 39 months lease deal

2011 Buick Regal CXL – $249/month, 39 months lease deal

2011 Cadillac (most models/styles) – 1.9%-4.9% loan rates — $7000 factory-to-dealer cash on DTS and STS models

2011 Chevrolet – rebates $1500 to $3500, or 0% APR loans on most models — up to $5000 factory-to-dealer cash on Corvette, Impala, HHR (up to $2000 on Aero, Colorado, Malibu)

2011 GMC – rebates $1500-$2500 on most models, or low-interest loans (including some 0% APR) on many models

2010 Buick Lucern – $4500 rebate, or low-interest loan rates

2010 Buick Enclave, Lacrosse – $2000 rebate, or 0% APR loan

2010 Chevrolet trucks – $5000 on most models

2010 Chevrolet Corvette, HHR, Impala – up to $4000 rebate or 0% APR loan rate

2010 GMC – up to $5000 rebate or 0% APR loan rate on most models

2010 Cadillac DTS, STS – $10,000 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Cadillac Escalade – $8000 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Cadillac Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, and CTS – up to $7000 factory-to-dealer cash

These are excellent deals being offered by General Motors for January 2011, as well as for February.

You can get free price quotes on any of the above General Motors 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

Most dealers now have large incentives on leftover 2010 models where 2011 models are already out.  Ford even has some big deals on leftover 2009 models, where available. The deals are outstanding but you might not have a big choice in colors or styles. Being flexible is the key to getting the best deals.

However, this doesn’t mean that good deals can’t be had on new models too.

For example, we’re seeing some great incentives and rebates on 2011 models from Chrysler and General Motors. These deals expire on November 1, 2010.

Chrysler currently has rebates in the range of $1000-$2000 on the 2011 Dodge Dakota and Nitro, Jeep Liberty, and Ram 1500,2500, and 3500. Chrysler also is offering low-interest loans on these 2011 models.

General Motors has rebates of up to $2500 on Buick Lucerne, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Malibu, Traverse, Impala, Colorado, Aveo, and Cruze. Reabtes up to $2500 are also available on GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon and Canyon.

In addition, General Motors also has “hidden” factory-to-dealer” rebates on the 2011 Cadillac CTS, DTS, STS ($3500), Cadillac Escalade ($2000), and Chevrolet Aveo, Corvette, HHR, and Impala ($4000).

General Motors is also offering low-interest loans, including 0% APR rates, on most of the above 2011 models.

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.

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.

Generally, the better deals are on 2009 models where both 2009 and 2010 models are available.

General Motors — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Hummer, Saturn, Saab, and Pontiac — has announced a slew of low APR loans, including many 0% deals, and customer rebates on many models. There are no special lease deals in the mix, however.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the GM deals:

Chevrolet – Cash rebates of $1500 are offered on the Chevrolet Cobalt, Aveo, and Tahoe. The Traverse gets you $2000 rebate, and the Equinox, Impala, and Equinox get you $2500. The Trailblazer has the highest rebate at $3500. Additionally, 0% APR loans are offered on nearly all models.

Hummer – Incentives on the Hummer come only in the form of factory-to-dealer cash, sometimes called “marketing support.” As you may know, this is money that a dealer can use in any way he chooses but he usually gives it to customers in the form of price discounts. The Hummer H3T gets $3500, the H2 gets $5000, and the H3 gets $6000. This could make for some nice discounts.

Pontiac – Incentives for Pontiac for September come in the form of customer rebates for all models ($2500, except for the G6 with $3500), $500 factory-to-dealer cash (possible extra price discount), and low-interest loans (2.9% for 12/36/48/60 months).

Saab – The only incentives on Saab models are in the form of high factory-to-dealer cash — $5000 for the Saab 9-3, $7000 for the 9-5, and $8000 for the 9-7X.

Saturn – In keeping with Saturn being known as a “fixed price” brand, there are no direct customer rebates but there are hidden factory-to-dealer cash that ends up being price discounts. Dealers get $3000-$3500 depending on model. 

GMC – Customer rebates are being offered on most models, such as $1500 on the GMC Canyon and Yukon, and $2000 on the Acadia. 0% loans are available on many models as well. For example, the Yukon gets 0% for 12/36/48/60 months.

Cadillac – Most Cadillac models now have some excellent rebates in the range of $2000-$3500 (the Cadillac XLR gets a whopping $10,000 rebate). Most also have alternative 0% APR loan offers for 12/36/48/60/72 months.

Buick – Buick models get direct customer rebates for September, as well as 0% APR loans on the Buick Enclave (LaCrosse and Lucerne get 4.9% APR loans).

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

General Motors

However, keep in mind that current incentives can change at any time, even in the middle of the month. So keep a watch here on this web site for later improvements. Chrysler is expected to announce some agressive incentives this week and GM might possibly be waiting to see what it looks like before making any further moves.

The incentives apply to all vehicles in the General Motors stable — Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Hummer, GMC, and Cadillac — and expire on June 1, 2009. All are for 2009 model vehicles.

In general (no pun intended), GM’s incentives are in the form of modest cash-back rebates and semi-low APR loans.

The rebates come in the range of $750 (Saturn) to $1000 and $15000, to $2000 for some models such as the Cadillac DTS.  A couple of exceptions: $7000 cash back on the Chevrolet Suburban and $5000 cash back on the Hummer H3.

There are also some “hidden” rebates that apply if you want to lease. GMAC no longer leases, but most dealers have alternative lease companies (large national banks) through which they can lease. The bank lease deals are not that great, so GM is sweetening the deal with the hidden rebates, which reduces lease prices, which lowers monthly payments and makes for some decent, although not great,  lease deals.

The “low” APR loan deals are not so low — only 6.9%. It’s certainly better than the near 8% normal rate (depending on the customer’s credit score) but nothing to write home about. There are some 0% offers on some selected models in some parts of the country however.

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

Although these deals are not exceptional, they certainly make buying a Cadillac easier if that’s what you have in mind. All these deals end 4/30/2009 and require that you take delivery of your vehicle by that date. My guess is that the deals will get better later, depending on the outcome of the current bailout situation, but for now here’s a summary:

$4500 cash back, or 6.9% for 60 months – Cadillac XLR and XLR-V

$4000 cash back, or 0% for 60 months – Cadillac  DTS

$2500 cash back, or 0% for 48 or 60 months – Cadillac Escalade and Escalade Hybrid, and Cadillac CTS

$2000 cash back, or 0% for 60 months – Cadillac ESV and Cadillac EXT

$1500 cash back, or 6.9% for 60 months – Cadillac SRX

$1000 cash back, or 6.9% for 60 months AND $1500 bonus cash – Cadillac STS and STS-V

Note that some of these deals may be regional offers and may be different or non-existent in your area of the country.

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.