Dealer cash is  ”secret” money given to dealers by car manufacturers to help them sell cars. Dealers can use the money for advertising, sales promotions, or, more commonly, as price discounts to customers. In other words, the money usually flows from the factory to dealer to customer on the sale of specific vehicles.

It’s sometimes called “factory-to-dealer rebates” or “marketing support.” These incentives are time-limited and expire on a specified date. For example, the most of the current February dealer cash incentives expire on 3/1/2010.

So what vehicles are getting the best and biggest dealer cash incentives for February? Let’s take a look.

The 2010 BMW 6-Series and M6 are getting a whopping $10,000-$12,500 dealer cash, the largest we’ve seen.

The 2010 BMW 5-Series and M5 gets $7500 dealer cash.

The 2009 BMW 6-Series, M6, and 7-Series get $7,500-$10,000

Many 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models get $3000-$7000 dealer cash

The 2009 Cadillac XLR and XLR-V gets $10,000 dealer cash. Other Cadillac models get $4000-$7000.

The 2009 Land Rover Range Rover gets $8000-$9000 dealer cash.

The 2010 Infiniti FX50, M45, and QX56 gets $2000-$6000 dealer cash (expires March 31, 2010)

The 2009 Infiniti FX35, FX50, and M45 gets $5000-$6000 dealer cash (expires March 31, 2010)

The 2010 Volvo  C70, S80, V70, XC70 gets $3000-$6000 dealer cash.

The 2009 Volvo C70, S60, S80, V70, and XC70 gets $4000-$6000 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.

Mercedes

As you know, Mercedes likes to be viewed as a luxury brand and rarely offers direct rebates or explicit price discounts. However, by offering special lease deals, which is a more subtle way of providing discounts, they keep their luxury-brand image intact. These deals are based on discounted prices, low money factor (interest rate), and high lease-end residuals — all of which results in a low monthly payment.

Here are the current (February) Mercedes lease deals. All deals are based on 36 months and 10K miles per year (30K miles total).

Mercedes C300 Sport – $379 a month, $4924 due at signing

Mercedes C300 Sport  4MATIC – $399 a month, $4944 due at signing

Mercedes C350 Sport – $479 a month, $5024 due at signing

Mercedes E350 – $699 a month, $3744 due at signing

Mercedes E350 4MATIC – $729 a month, $3674 due at signing

Mercedes CLS550 – $1099 a month, $5889 due at signing

Mercedes CLK350 – $469 a month, $5014 due at signing

Mercedes GLK350 4MATIC - $489 a month, $5034 due at signing

Mercedes GL450 4MATIC – $749 a month, $6543 due at signing

Mercedes ML350 – $549 a month, $5094 due at signing

Mercedes ML350 4MATIC – $569 a month, $5114 due at signing

Mercedes R350 – $659 a month, $5453 due at signing

Mercedes S400 – $1259 a month, $7053 due at signing

Mercedes S550 – $1399 a month, $7193 due at signing

Mercedes S550 4MATIC – $1449 a month, $7243 due at signing

Even though these are good deals, if you don’t understand leasing, you should either take the time to learn, or not lease. Leasing works very well for many people, but not for everyone. We recommend LeaseGuide.com as a good source of car leasing advice and information.

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.

Ford

As usual, if you like one of the Ford deals, you must choose either the rebate, or the low-interest loan, but not both. However, Ford is doing something a little different in that they are offering conventional rebates (which cannot be combined with low interest rates) with a special “Promotional Bonus” of $1000 which can be combined with low interest rates.

Here are the current Ford deals. Keep in mind that, in addition to the rebates shown below, there is the $1000 promotional bonus cash mentioned above on each of the vehicles. These deals are all for 2010 model vehicles.

Ford Edge – $2000 customer rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36/48/60 months

Ford Escape – $1000 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36/48/60 months

Ford Expedition – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36 months, 0.9% for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

Ford Explorer – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36 months, 0.9% for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

Ford F-150 – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36 months, 3.9% for 48 months, 4.9% for 60 months

Ford Flex – $1500 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36/48/60 months

Ford Focus – $1500 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36 months, 4.9% for 48 months, 5.9% for 60 months

Ford Fusion – $1500 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36 months, 2.9% for 48 months, 3.9% for 60 months

Ford Mustang – $500 rebate, 0% APR loan for 36/48/60 months

Ford Ranger – $2500 rebate, 0.9% for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

Ford Taurus – no rebate (but $1000 promo bonus cash), 0% APR loan for 36 months, 2.9% for 48 months, 3.9% for 60 months

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

Land Rover

This is a great way to be able to drive a Land Rover luxury vehicle but, unless you understand how car leasing works, we advise taking the time to learn before you decide to go with one of these deals.

Leasing works well for many people, but not for others. See LeaseGuide.com for car leasing advice and information.

Here are the current special lease incentives from Land Rover. All are for 2010 models, 36 month lease term, and 10K miles per year (30K miles total).

Land Rover LR4 – $679 a month, $3995 due at signing

Land Rover Range Rover – $1535 a month, $5995 due at signing

Land Rover Range Rover Sport – $1099 a month, $3995 due at signing

These deals include a reduced lease price, a low lease money factor, and a boosted residual, which makes for a lower monthly payment.

If you are in the market for a Land Rover, this is a good time to consider a lease.

Suzuki

Some of the deals are on 2009 models, where you’ll find the best deals. But the 2010 model deals aren’t bad either.

Here are the current Suzuki deals for February (until 2/28/2010):

2009 Suzuki Equator – $2500 rebate, or 0% APR loan rate for 48/60 months

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara – $2000 rebate plus $500 loyalty bonus rebate for Suzuki owners, or 2.9% loan for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

2009 Suzuki SX4 – $2500 rebate plus $500 loyalty rebate, or 0% APR loan for 48/60 months

2009 Suzuki XL7 – $4000 rebate plus $500 loyalty rebate, or 0% APR loan for 48/60 months

2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara – $1500 rebate plus $500 loyalty rebate, or 2.9% loan for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

2010 Suzuki Kizashi – $500 loyalty bonus, 3.9% loan for 60 months

2010 Suzuki SX4 – $1000 rebate plus $500 loyalty bonus, or 2.9% loan for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

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.

Honda

February 2010 is no exception.

In fact, Honda is offering more deals this month than usual. Typically, they only have special leases on one style within each of its model lines. It’s usually the low-end LX versions. However, for February (until 3/1/2010) they have also added some high-end EX models as well.

Honda leases are always genuinely good deals. They not only reduce vehicle lease price, but reduce money factor (finance charge), and raise lease-end residuals. Combined, these factors add up to a low monthly payment.

All the 2010 Honda leases listed below are for 36 months and 12K annual miles (36K miles total). All require cash due at signing. The cash covers the first month’s payment as well (in most cases) a capitalized cost reduction (down payment).

If you don’t understand how car leasing works, we strongly advise you to take the time to learn. Leasing works very well for many people, but not for everyone. We recommend LeaseGuide.com for a good, easy to understand guide to car leasing. 

Here are the current Honda lease programs:

Honda Accord LX Sedan – $199/month, $2199 due at signing

Honda Accord EX 6-cyl Sedan – $269/month, $2199 due at signing

Honda Accord EX 4-cyl Sedan – $219/month, $2599 due at signing

Honda CrossTour EX-L AWD – $429/month, $429 due at signing OR $369/month, $2499 due at signing

Honda CrossTour EX 2WD – $379/month, $379 due at signing OR $329/month, $2299 due at signing

Honda CR-V LX 2WD – $249/month, $2099 due at signing

Honda Civic LX 4-cyl Sedan – $179/month, $1799 due at signing

Honda Civic EX Sedan – $199/month, $1899 due at signing

Honda Civic DX-VP Sedan – $159/month, $1399 due at signing

Honda Fit – no lease deals but $500 dealer cash

Honda Insight LX – $199/month, $1799 due at signing

Honda Odyssey LX – $299/month, $2499 due at signing

Honda Pilot LX 2WD – $349/month, $2699 due at signing

And we tell them the same thing every month.

Car manufacturers never announce a new month’s incentives (rebates, low-interest loans, lease deals) until the old incentives expire. They don’t even tell their dealers until the day of the announcement to the public. They want to be able to analyze the success of the last incentive program so that they can fine-tune it or replace it with something that’s going to work better.

Some manufacturers announce muti-month programs. For example, BMW now has incentives that are good during January and February 2010. Infiniti’s current program goes all the way through March. See other articles here on this web site for details.

What can we expect for the coming months?

Of course, car sales are still in a slump as they have been for many, many months. Therefore, until sales are significantly better, we’ll continue to see good incentive programs from nearly all car companies. Sometimes the deals will be better than last month’s — sometimes not as good. There is no way to tell in advance what we’ll get.

It’s very unusual to see continuing month-to-month incentives as good as we’ve seen in the last year or so. In the “old days” a car manufacturer might only have incentive programs a couple or three times a year, not every month as it is now. And some companies never had incentives. Not now. Now is one of the best times ever to buy a new car. The deals have never been better.

Right now, and for the next few months, the best new car deals will be on remaining 2009 models, particularly on brands that have been discontinued or sold by their manufacturer. These include Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, and Saturn. If you like the brand and the price is right, there’s no reason not to buy. The manufacturer will still honor it’s warranties, you will still be able to get parts and service, and in a few years your car could be considered a “classic.”

As always, we will let you know when the new February car deals and incentives are announced. Check back here often because all new programs are not announced at the same time.

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

However, BMW offers “back door” price discounts by giving dealers money (“dealer cash” or “marketing support”) in the form of factory-to-dealer rebates on certain models during a promotion period. Dealers can use the money for advertising or sales events but most, if not all, of the money goes back to customers in the form of price discounts.

Currently, BMW is offering some incredibly large factory-to-dealer incentives, good during January and February 2010, ending on March 1, 2010.

Let’s look at some of the BMW dealer rebates:

2010 BMW M6 – $12,000 dealer cash

2010 BMW 6-Series – $10,000 dealer cash

2010 BMW 5-Series and M5 – $7500 dealer cash

2009 BMW 6-Series and M6 – $10,000 dealer cash

2009 BMW 7-Series – $7500 dealer cash

2009 BMW X5 and X6 – up to $5500 dealer cash

2009 BMW Z4 – $5000 dealer cash

2009 BMW 3-Series and M3 – up to $4500 dealer cash

2009 BMW X3 – $3500 dealer cash

2009 BMW 1-Series – up to $3500 dealer cash

You can get free dealer 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.

Infiniti

As always, Infiniti doesn’t want to be viewed as a “discount brand” and doesn’t offer direct customer rebates. But it does offer dealer cash, which are  ”hidden” rebates from the manufacturer to the dealer. The dealer then gives most or all of the money as a price discount to customers.

Infiniti is also offering some generous 0% APR loan rates on all of it’s models for January, February, and March. 

Here are the current deals being offered by Infiniti: 

2010 Infiniti EX35 – $3000 dealer cash, or 0% APR loans for 12/24/36 months, 1.9% for 48/60 months

2010 Infiniti FX35 – $4000 dealer cash, or 0% APR loans for 12/24/36 months, 1.9% for 48/60 months

2010 Infiniti FX50 – $5000 dealer cash, or 0% APR loans for 12/24/36 months, 1.9% for 48/60 months

2010 Infiniti M35 – $5000 dealer cash, or 0% APR loans for 12/24/36 months, 0.9% for 48/60 months

2010 Infiniti M45 – $6000 dealer cash, or 0% APR loans for 12/24/36 months, 0.9% for 48/60 months

2010 Infiniti QX56 – $6000 dealer cash, or 0% APR loans for 12/24/36 months, 0.9% for 48/60 months

2009 Infiniti G37 – $3000 dealer cash, or 0% APR loans for 12/24/36 months, 1.9% for 48/60 months

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