2011 will go down in automaker history as the toughest car selling season since 9/11, and the 2011 Model Year End can’t come soon enough for many dealers.
Many car makers have already started shipping 2012 models, in the hopes of spurring new interest in their cars, while capturing some much needed tax breaks and CAFE allowances. As gas prices have started to ease again, big trucks like the Dodge Ram 1500, Ford F150, 250 and the Chevy Silverado are finally rolling off the lots with record rebates of up to $6000.00, on non-diesel models*.
Seven passenger SUV’s: Dodge Durango, Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Denali, Lexus LX470, MB GL450, Escalade, are slowly resurfacing but deals are scarce as the premier product: Hybrid, 4wd, leather, moon-roof, navigation, Bose, are still limited availability. Get color-blind and flexible if you want a deal on a 2011 in this category. FORGET stealing an Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne or Acura MDX, inventory is almost nil, and your best bet is custom ordering what you want, the deal on these is NOT paying OVER MSRP.
CARS are another story. The Tsunami wiped out and entire country and with it the summer selling season of every Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti dealership. The annual Toyota Sale-a-thon will be a whimper, and all these brands are holding for full sticker, with limited incentives, other than a low interest rate for VERY GOOD (OVER 720) credit-worthy clients.
Your best bet on these lots is to again, order what you want and hope by the time your 2013 Camry, Altima, TL, ES350 or Accord shows up, they will have reinstated some decent lease deals. BEWARE, the automakers are still advertising like everything is back to normal. This is to keep you coming into the dealership, where the salespeople HOPE they can offer you a nice pre-owned model. To their credit a certified pre-owned vehicle with a factory backed warranty and low interest rate may appeal to you, AND be more realistic for those with credit challenges, but if you want brand new… 2012 may be your model year of choice, and getting an END of the MODEL YEAR close-out deal, will be next summer, if you can wait that long.
HOWEVER, CONSIDER THIS… Your trade-in has never been worth so much money, almost a years worth of depreciation not lost= a gain, so consider any discount, incentive or rebate plus top buck for your trade-in…that is the play of the day.
WHERE would you get this triple 777 ? Try Hyundai or Kia.
The OPTIMA is a home-run winner and the Hybrid rivals the Turbo for driving pleasure vs. fuel economy. Kia Soul, Forte, Sportage and Sorento top out the list of great deals, outstanding warranty, and aggressive incentives from dealers with a reasonable stock of both 2011 and 2012 model.
On the Hyundai side, you will find only 2012 models as their 2011’s are gone, but great lease offers on the Sonata and Genesis are the way to go here. Don’t expect any discount off the Hyundai MSRP of a 2012, dealers are quite proud of this product, so your only “deal” in buying or financing a 2012 Hyundai is the lease or factory incentive. Stick to the KIA if possible. Better deal, better looking (IMHO) and more flexibility in inventory selection and prices.
Mid-Size SUV’s, again check out the Sorento and Sportage from KIA or the Hyundai Tucson, Chevy Equinox or Traverse, Dodge Journey or Jeep Compass. You should be able to get a reasonable discount, plus all the factory incentives, rebates or low financing on remaining 2011’s.
Compact and mid-size Cars. If you forget the Japanese, the Chevy Cruze, Kia Forte, Dodge Caliber, are probably your best bets for a 2011 deal. ON the slightly larger size, the Chrysler 200 failed it’s sales projections miserably so they will be thrilled to deal on one of these, followed by the Dodge Charger and Challenger, both of these models are in dire need of a new body. The Chrysler 300 is NOT part of the model year-end give-away, as inventory is limited and as a new model, they aren’t anxious to discount them heavily. The Buick Regal has some deals, as does the LaCross and it’s sister the Chevy Malibu.
So there you have it… Expect rebates to include loyalty, competitive brand and consumer cash of up to $1000- 2000 on most cars, small-mid-size suv’s and half ton trucks.
The larger more expensive models graduate from $2500 to $6000 depending on the make, model and price.
Start your shopping now, don’t wait for Labor Day! By then you’ll have plenty of places to park on the lot, because everyone got there before you.
Next post: using the Internet to car shop for the best price.
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Sarah Lee is an automotive writer, personal car concierge and commercial fleet manager. If you need free advice on your car problem, question, issue, contact her at sarahlee@mycarlady.com,mvides422@gmail.com,carlady@cox.net for a confidential conversation.
She has over 22+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects.
MyCarlady offers private, auto-related services to help you maintain your personal or commercial vehicles. Call Sarah Lee for more information: 702-521-7546
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