Best new car deals - American style

The Detroit 3 automakers find themselves in desperate straits. And while the pleas of their CEOs for emergency federal aid—and their travel modes—have made headlines, a spate of dramatic sales incentives designed to stimulate devastatingly sluggish automotive sales have gone largely unnoticed. Potential new vehicle buyers who are actively shopping in anticipation of a purchase within the next few weeks can choose from several heavily "incentivized" Consumer Reports-recommended GM and Ford vehicles (including related Saab and Volvo models) to meet their needs; there are no CR-recommended Chrysler-made cars.

For example, combined dealer and customer incentives of $6,750, plus dealer holdback, bring the Consumer Reports Bottom Line Price (the effective price the dealer pays GM for the vehicle) for the 2008 Buick Lucerne CXS to $27,132. That’s a whopping 28% off the sticker price (MSRP plus destination charges) of $37,795! Once you allow for a reasonable dealer profit of, say, three percent, the vehicle price climbs to only $27,946: a savings well over $10,000 versus sticker.

If a pickup truck better suits your needs, you can find savings of nearly 18% off sticker on a 2008 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew.  Significant savings can also be found on other CR-recommended pickups such as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500.

Here’s a complete look at the current domestic best deals in cars, trucks, and SUVs.

Brand name	Model name	Version name	Expires	MSRP	Invoice price	Customer rebate	Dealer incentive	Bottom Line Price	Potential savings below MSRP
Buick	Lucerne	5XL CXL	1/5/2009	$35,770	$33,803	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	20%+
Buick	Lucerne	CXS	1/5/2009	$37,030	$34,993	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	25%+
Cadillac	DTS	Standard	1/5/2009	$45,400	$42,449	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Cadillac	DTS	V8	1/5/2009	$43,175	$40,369	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	25%+
Chevrolet	Avalanche	4WD Avalanche LT1	1/5/2009	$38,880	$35,575	Yes	No	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Chevrolet	Avalanche	4WD Avalanche w/1LT	1/5/2009	$37,355	$34,180	Yes	No	Bottom Line Price	25%+
Chevrolet	Malibu	1LT	1/5/2009	$21,185	$20,020	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	25%+
Chevrolet	Malibu	1LT	1/5/2009	$22,505	$21,267	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	20%+
Chevrolet	Malibu	LTZ	1/5/2009	$27,095	$25,605	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	25%+
Chevrolet	Malibu	LTZ	1/5/2009	$26,880	$25,402	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	20%+
Chevrolet	Silverado 1500	1LT 4x4 Crew Cab	1/5/2009	$32,720	$29,939	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	25%+
Chevrolet	Silverado 1500	1LT 4x4 Crew Cab	1/5/2009	$33,495	$30,648	Yes	No	Bottom Line Price	20%+
Ford	F-150	XLT 4x4 SuperCrew 150-in	1/5/2009	$33,700	$30,446	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Ford	Mustang	GT Deluxe	1/5/2009	$26,240	$24,186	Yes	No	Bottom Line Price	20%+
Ford	Mustang	GT Deluxe	1/5/2009	$31,065	$28,529	Yes	No	Bottom Line Price	15%+
GMC	Sierra 1500	4WD Crew Cab SLT SWB	1/5/2009	$40,575	37,126	Yes	Yes	Bottom Line Price	25%+
GMC	Sierra 1500	4WD Crew Cab SLT SWB	1/5/2009	$41,055	$37,565	Yes	No	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Lincoln	Navigator	4x4 L	1/5/2009	$54,645	$50,291	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	10%+
Saab	9-3	2.0 T Sport Sedan	1/5/2009	$28,445	$27,108	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	5%+
Saab	9-3	2.0T Sport Sedan	1/5/2009	$30,360	$28,933	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	5%+
Saab	9-5	2.3T	1/5/2009	$37,685	$35,612	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	10%+
Saab	9-5	2.3T	1/5/2009	$38,380	$36,269	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	10%+
Saturn	Aura	3.6 XR	1/5/2009	$25,675	$24,006	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Saturn	Aura	3.6 XR	1/5/2009	$26,925	$25,175	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Volvo	C30	T5 Version 1.0	1/2/2009	$22,950	$21,573	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Volvo	C70	T5 M	1/2/2009	$39,240	$36,886	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	10%+
Volvo	C70	T5 M	1/2/2009	$39,800	$37,412	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	10%+
Volvo	S80	3.2 FWD A	1/2/2009	$38,705	$36,383	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Volvo	S80	3.2 FWD A	1/2/2009	$39,600	$37,224	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+
Volvo	XC90	V8 AWD A	1/2/2009	$48,505	$45,100	No	Yes	Bottom Line Price	15%+

For advice on buying a new car, from vehicle selection to financing, read our car buying guide. Detailed pricing information is available in the Consumer Reports Auto Price Reports.

Comments

[melville248]

It is such an amazing time to buy right now. Those that have money are hesitant about spending. Those that really need the cars don't have the money. Sounds like a loose, loose, situation to me.