Car Makers Begin Increasing Incentives

According to Edmunds.com, the average incentive was $2,557 per automobile in September of this year, which is $83 more than August. With the Cash for Clunkers program over, fewer cars are being sold - and manufacturers are straining to come up with new ways to attract buyers. At the forefront of these are Chrysler, General Motors, and Honda. Ford and Hyundai, on the other hand, have been doing well enough that they can afford to cut back on consumer incentives.

Those who have their eye on a sports car are especially in luck. The average incentive for premium sports cars this September - $10,128 per vehicle - broke the April 2004 record of $7,347 per vehicle. Many of these deals include low interest rates on car loans, which have been known to save $20,000 - $30,000 on a sports car.

Premium luxury automobiles are right behind sports cars in the incentive race, with an average of $6,551 per vehicle. Sales haven't been doing that great because fewer people are spending on luxury models in this economy.

In September 2009, Cadillac and BMW spent the most on incentives, at $9,233 and $6,321 respectively. Scion and Honda spent the least. Among the top automakers, be on the lookout for the Chrysler Group, General Motors, Ford, and Nissan.