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Car Shopping Help :: Car Rebates

New Car Rebates

The Cars Direct site and Edmunds site both have very good free information on the standard incentives. They also document some of the special dealer incentives as well.

If you didn’t get this recommended info in Steps 1 - 3, go back to these sites and grab the amounts for your particular make and model. Click on the link labeled “rebates & incentives.” Make sure you have your numbers ready to plug into your Fax Quote forms.

Here’s a quick recap of what these two sites have in the way of rebate information:

Regular incentives:
Cars Direct
1. Cash rebates
2. Financing incentives (cash back or low APR)
3. Leasing incentives

Edmunds
1. Cash rebates
2. Financing incentives (cash back or low APR)
3. Leasing incentives

Special or hidden incentives:
Cars Direct
1. Indicates “yes” if there is a special incentive on a model
2. Doesn’t reveal a dollar amount for the special incentive
3. Gives an expiration date for hidden incentive

Edmunds
1. Indicates “marketing support” if there is a special incentive
2. Reveals a dollar amount for the special incentive
3. Gives an expiration date for hidden incentive

Shortcomings: Neither site has all the hidden dealer incentive information.

Additional Action Item:

  1. Get “Car Deals” for $7 at  http://www.checkbook.org/auto/cardeal.cfm

This is the mother lode of all hidden manufacturer-to-dealer special pricing. Car Deals biweekly newsletter is not from the auto industry. It’s compiled by a non-profit organization, The Center for the Study of Services.

Their website is called Consumer Checkbook. The Car Deals newsletter is published every two weeks and is available only through their web site. It includes all consumer rebates and all known special manufacturer incentives. Car Deals tracks manufacturer rebate activity on a regional and national level through a myriad network of sources.

If there’s an incentive out there, Car Deals has it. Go to their web site and check it out. You’ll be able to download a PDF copy in minutes. Carefully read the information pertaining to your specific make and model. You’ll want to know these details for your Fax Buying Campaign.

Remember, even with the Internet you can’t always get the best information for free. But, $7 is cheap if it saves you a couple hundred in return!