Auto Trends

Christmas Car, originally uploaded by See El Photo

The automotive experts have spoken again, and guess what they have said? Yup, this holiday season could be the very last of the really great car deals that have been floating around for the past few months. They have been saying this since the end of Cash For Clunkers, clear back at the end of August this year.

Well, this time they really mean it, and here is their reasoning. The surplus of 2009 vehicles is finally tapering down to manageable numbers. Nowhere more is this true than with the extinct Pontiac franchise, who has seen many of their popular vehicles dwindle to the hundreds over the past couple months.

With that said, there are some pretty good deals heading up the holiday season that would look awfully nice in your driveway come Christmas morning. Let’s take a look at these deals from manufacturer to manufacturer:

Audi
Scrooged.

BMW
Throughout the 2009 holiday season BMW will be offering holiday finance credit for those who qualify, up to $2,500. The deal will be covered by most models, offering a minimum of $1,500 credit, lasting through January 5th, 2010.

Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab
Nothing much has changed here. Still just the same old 0% APR financing we have come to expect. They just might have something else up their sleeve come December, as the current financing incentives are set to diminish at the end of November (11/30/90).

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep
Chrysler is planning on a running start to their 5-year plan this month, ramping up deals just in time for Thanksgiving shoppers. They have increased consumer cashback, anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500, over top of existing incentives. This means if a vehicle was already $1,500 off the sticker price, you can go ahead and pull up to an additional $1,500, for a grand total of $3,000 off. They are also offering 0% financing (60 months), lease discounts on minivans (up to $1,000), and cut rate financing for all 2008 and 2009 Dodge Vipers. Deals are set to last through January 4^th, 2010.

Honda
Honda gets in the holiday spirit with 1.9% APR financing up to 36 months on select models through January 4^th, 2010.

Ford, Lincoln, Mercury
Ford continues to pull new customers through their doors despite the economy, and shows no signs of stopping with its current holiday incentives. Through January 4^th, they will be celebrating their “Year End Sales Event”, which translates to $1,000 cashback on most models, and 0% APR financing.

Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes is offering 2.9% APR financing for up to 36 months on select models through January 4^th, 2010.

Toyota
Toyota has scrooged out a bit, pulling back from its prior 0% APR financing, now only offering a 2.9% APR through the magical date of January 4^th, 2010. They do however redeem themselves slightly with cashback offers up to $2,000 on a very select few models, varying from region to region.

Mazda
Scrooged.

Volkswagen
Scrooged again!

You only have until the beginning of January for most of these deals, so its best to get out there… while the gettin’s still good!

Sources: Auto News and U.S. News

MSN Autos released some interesting statistic recently, looking at the most popular vehicles driven in the various areas around the US. Let’s breakdown these findings, and explain what makes these vehicles so popular in their areas.

Boulder, Colorado Loves their Subaru Outback
The Subaru is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll… a little bit Toyota Land Cruiser and a little cit Toyota Camry. The folks in Boulder Colorado aren’t exactly roughing it, but they do live around the mountains, and they do see their fair share of snow. Coloradoans in general like their SUV’s, with the Toyota Land Cruiser being one of the more popular in the mountain towns, but they also consider themselves pro-environment, which makes these big gas guzzlers a bit of a deterrent in some areas.

Henderson, Nevada Prefers their Toyota Camry LE
Toyota Camry’s are popular nearly everywhere in the US, but particularly in Henderson, Nevada, just a few hops away from Las Vegas. The Camry offers just the right amount of flash, with more importantly, an even greater amount of affordability, practicality, and dependability. Despite all the fancy vehicles you see in downtown Las Vegas, there are also a predominant amount of Toyota Camry’s, often taking the local folks to their favorite hot spots in the Sin City. While Vegas may exude money and flash, those in Henderson are the typical working folks, trying to keep it together one day at a time.

Glendale, Arizona Says they Need their Ford F-150 Platinum
The folks in Glendale are a down-home, all-American, country bunch, who also like to have a little comfort and class mixed in with their vehicles. The F-150 Platinum offers the typical functionality of moderate sized truck, with the extra touches of comfort that you would normally find in a mid-line luxury vehicle. In an area that is considered much more country than city, the folks around these parts occasionally need to  haul ranch supplies (farm, animals, etc.), toys (motorcycles, boats, etc.), and yard equipment (year-round growing season).

Santa Monica Prefers the Emission Conscious Toyota Prius
Santa Monica is a haven of environmentally friendly folks who recycle, reduce, and reuse, while driving their Toyota Prius in the process. It is not uncommon for resident consumers to wait on long lists before getting their Prius, especially considering its worldwide demand. Drivers of the Prius also receive a free car-pool-lane pass, which is reason enough for many long-distance daily commuters. Interestingly, 51 miles South, the residents of Newport Beach much prefer their Mercedes-Benz E350, which offers a more luxurious image for those who prefer to be seen, rather than drive efficiently.

Source: MSN Autos

[Photos via woodleywonderworks, PanMike1, Stradablog, Pete’s Photo Magic, and Kathleen_A]

2009JUL010758, originally uploaded by bootload

The Big Clash of the Clunkers battle was fought and lost last month by many dealerships, and now as they wait out the rest of September to receive their government refund, you can expect the following four things:

One, a lot of car lots will be relatively barren, due to the magnitude of vehicles that were sold. Two, a lot of folks in the market for a new vehicle have already purchased, so new customers should be almost as barren as the available vehicles themselves. Three, the big clunker deals that emptied many car lots, will most certainly keep many new customers at bay, as they wait for the inventories to rebuild. Four, all of the above scenarios stands to produce some pretty desperate dealerships, who will be willing to make some pretty good deals this month, especially on select vehicles.

But to get in on the good deals, the September customer needs to be aware of a few things. Last month depleted a lot of gas sipping economy vehicles, but the big SUV’s and luxury vehicles remained rather untouched. This will result in some great deals for anyone who is currently in the market for one of these vehicles. The September customer also needs to be aware that just because a dealership lot is empty, certainly doesn’t mean that they cannot go in and order a vehicle at a great price. Manufacturers are busy building vehicles to replenish the depleted lots, don’t you worry about that.

In addition, if you have a trade-in vehicle, you might find that dealerships will covet its worth (in certain circumstances) just a little more than usual, since most of last months Clunker trade-ins are already rusting away in some junkyard. Not only are new car lots empty, but many of their used lots are also a bit sparse. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the highlights for the month of September 2009:

Audi
Nope, don’t come a knocking here if you are looking to deal.

BMW
The big news this month at BMW is the 2009 BMW M3, which is currently being unloaded at a very reasonable 0.9% APR financing for 36 months. This is of course in preparation of its 2010 brothers and sisters to take its place at the helm of the showroom floor. There are better deals to be had out there, but for a world class luxury sports cars, this is about as good as it is going to get. Offers last through the end of September 2009.

Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab
These eight brands are obviously ready to deal. This month you will find a multitude of various discounts and cash-backs offers which are so varied by state to state, I can’t even begin to list them out. However, many areas will have 0% financing available for those who qualify, but keep in mind that all these various discounts cannot be combined, so you will have to choose wisely. These deals will be in effect through the end of September 2009.

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep
Chrysler didn’t have quite the turnout they had hoped though Cash For Clunkers, but they aren’t about to be left in the dust this month. You can expect to find deals on many popular models in the form of rebates of up to $4,500. 0% financing will also be a popular draw for some consumers, but the offers once again vary greatly from state to state, so check with your local dealer to see just how desperate they are. Offers set to run through the end of September 2009.

Ford, Lincoln, Mercury
Ford has been kicking some sizable butt this year, and they aren’t letting up anytime soon it would appear. This month you can find various rebates up to $5,000 on various 2009 models, and you can also count on 0 % APR financing for up to 60 months (as long as you qualify, that is). These deals are set to run through October 5^th, 2009.

Mercedes-Benz
Down from the 1.9% APR financing Mercedes was offering just a few months ago, you can still get a 2.9% APR for 36 months through the end of September on most models. Nothing to get too excited over, but if you are just jumping out of your skin to slip in a new Mercedes, this may not be a bad month, as their deals appear to be slipping by the wayside faster than the dodo bird.

Toyota
Toyota is holding their National Clearance Event this month, which means cash-back rebates as much as $4,000, and 0% APR financing with no limits on the loan term (36, 48, 60, 72, take your pick). Once again, Toyota has not announced an expiration date for these deals, so you’ll at least have through the end of September, barring any unforeseen Toyota tragedy.

Mazda
Not much here.

Volkswagen
Not much here either.

You only have until the end of September for many of these deals, so its best to get out there… while the gettin’s still good!

Source:
U.S. News & World Report: Best Car Deals, September 2009