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Cars With the Biggest Hidden Rebates

November 4, 2010

There's one incentive that's not advertised to consumers, and it's often the best incentive out there. It's called a "hidden rebate" or factory-to-dealer cash.

The manufacturer offers the hidden rebate to dealers as a way of helping them sell or lease cars.

The rebate is not offered on all makes and models - it might be offered one month, and not another, and the amount can vary widely, depending on how badly the manufacturer wants to help sell a particular model vehicle.

Dealers can use marketing support money almost any way they want if it helps sell cars. However, most if not all is given to customers as a price discount. When a dealer kicks in this discount, customers can walk away with a terrific deal. This is one way dealers can sell cars at "below invoice price."

Right now, here are the best hidden rebates available to dealers:

2010 BMW M6, 6-Series, X3 - $4000-$12,500
2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser, Sebring - $1000
2010 Jeep Wrangler - $750
2011 Cadillac CTS, DTS, STS - $3500
2011 Cadillac Escalade - $2000
2011 Chevrolet Aveo, Corvette, HHR, Impala - up to $4000
2010 Chevrolet Aveo, Cobalt, HHR, Impala - up to $5000
2010 Pontiac Vibe - $3000
2010 Acura RL, TL, ZDX - $2000-$4000
2010 Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline, Civic Hybrid - $1500
2010 Honda Accord, Crosstour, Civic, Insight - up to $1200
2011 Mazda Tribute - $1500
2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata, RX-8, Tribute - $3000-$3500
2010 Mazda CX-7, CX-9, Mazda5, Mazda6 - $1500-$2000
2010 Mercedes CL, CLS, R-Class, S-Class, SLK - up to $10,000
2010 Mercedes C-Class, E-Class, GL, GLK, M-Class - $1500-$5000
2010 Saab 9-5 - $2000
2010 Subaru Impreza - $1000
2011 Toyota Camry - $1500
2010 Toyota Tundra - $4000
2010 Toyota Avalon, Camry - $2000
2010 Toyota Corolla, Highlander, RAV4 - $1500
2010 Volvo C70, S80, V70, XC70, XC90 - $1000-$5500
2010 Volvo C30, S40, V50, XC60 - $1000-$1500

3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money

The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:

Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network

Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).

Select Vehicle to Get Local Pricing

Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect

TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.

Step 3 Complete my Checklist

Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.
- Gregg Fidan

Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...

Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
Which Cars You Should Avoid

About The Author

Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.

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