Rebates, Incentives, APRs - Questions & Comments

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Mg35, you are only eligible for any rebates that are available at the time of delivery if that is what you agreed with the dealership. They may believe that they are selling you the car at a certain price, period. You better check with them to make sure that they will give you this cash, I hope that they do.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Rich40, I just checked and both the new Ford incentives and the new Mazda Incentives are up on our Site. Click here to go there: Edmund's Incentives Page.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Marksch, even though it looks like there are incentives on the 1999 VW Jetta there are two different 1999 models. There really is not currently any cash available on the recently redesigned version. This is also true for the VW Golf. So in actuality, Volkswagen's most popular models, The new Jetta, the new Golf, the Beetle, and the new Passat don't currently have any incentives. VW will not offer any cash on any of these models until their sales slow and the market dictated that they do so.

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rich40 · January 1999

Thanks Car man. Thanks for posting the rebate information. Today is the day to try out everything I have learned.

mknebel · January 1999

Can anyone confirm the $1000 customer rebate listed on the site for the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 regular cab? The dealer I called yesterday said that it was incorrect (it had expired)... I checked Dogdes WEB site and it is not listed there either. I would like to know if the dealer is just wanting to keep it. If it is real, and I can prove it, I am ready to buy. The vehicle would be purchased in Oklahoma.

episode1 · January 1999

In the same vein, I'm in negotiations with a dealership, and walked away for now. The finance guy has been screwing around with me left and right. He told me that the $1900 incentive I get ($1500 factory +$400 new grad) is subtracted AFTER the tax is applied. Can you tell me if that's true? (According to Edmunds, and another book I have, it's not true; the incentives should be taken BEFORE the tax is applied.) I'm gonna call Chrysler, but they're closed now.

nuwo · January 1999

In the Edmunds Incentive, Rebate section, I've seen a rebate for Dodge Dakota's (except 4 cyl) for $1,000. For Ford "light duty" F-series trucks, lower interest rates are offered as incentives.

Does the Dakota rebate extend to 4x4s with extended cabs, and does the Ford incentive extend to 1/2 ton Fords with 4x4s with extended cabs?

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Nuwo, I believe that both the Dodge Dakota Ext. Cab 4x4 and the 1/2 Ton Ford F-Series 4x4 are eligible for the incentives that you mentioned.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Episode1, I believe that Dealer Cash incentives are subtracted from the price of the vehicle that you are purchasing before the tax is calculated. On the other hand, Customer Cash incentives are subtracted after the tax is figured out. Since I don't know what model you are speaking about, I don't know whether the $1,500 incentive that you mentioned is Consumer or Dealer Cash. However, I do know that the College Graduate Rebate is considered Consumer Cash.

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nuwo · January 1999

Thanks for your help Car Man.

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Mknebel, I believe that this incentive is still around. I will check into this and let you know what I find out tomorrow.

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mknebel · January 1999

CarMan, just to let you know, the dealer FAX'ed me a copy of a DaimierChrystler retail incentive summary as of 1/5/99. The document certainly looks official. It includes the national consumer rebates (on many '99 and '98 models) as well as the Southern Region Consumer Cash Allowances Program (basically rebates on 1998 Dakota). As he said, it does not include any consumer retail incentives for the 1998 RAM pickup.

Is the rebate listed on Edmund's site (and AutoSite) simply a national rebate that was added after January 5 of this year?

durnking · January 1999

Edmonds lists low interest rates on Isuzu products good until March 99. But the dealers here in L.A. know nothing about this. Anyone know what's going on?

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Glad to help, nuwo.

bryan99 · January 1999

I noticed a 1500 and 800 Dealer rebate in effect, but no consumer rebates. What is the current rebates for '99 Tacomas? And what is a B-Cab and C-Cab? Thanks!

shibani · January 1999

Negotiating for a 99 Corolla LE, the dealer adds a $ 250 Dealer Holdback after settling on $200 over invoice. Is that fair?

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Mknebel, I looked into this matter for you. According to the information that I have seen there is $1,500 cash on 1998 Ram Regular and Club Cab models and $1,000 on 1998 Quad Cab models through 4/5/99.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Durnking, I believe that Isuzu's California incentives may vary from what we have posted up on our site. I really don't see any reason for dealerships to try to mislead you about special financing. After all, the manufacturer is sponsoring this program, not them.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Shibani, the dealer holdback is already included in the invoice price of the car that you are purchasing. If the dealer adds it in again, then you are essentially paying it twice, which doesn't seem fair to me. Still, $450 over invoice is a pretty good deal.

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mknebel · January 1999

CarMan, Edmunds Incentive & Rebate page shows $1000 rebate and $1500 dealer incentive on the Dodge RAM 1500 regular cab. The question is, "Is the $1000 rebate (customer incentive) correct?" My dealer is not questioning the $1500 dealer incentive, only the listed rebate. I thought $2500 off of the price on this popular model might be a little much but as I said before, Edmunds & Autosite both list the same thing. Shed any light on the subject?

laptev · January 1999

After alot of haggling (aka grinding), I ordered a Corolla LE at about $350 over invoice.

A total additional $300-$400 over "pure" invoice sounds about right to me - but be careful to make sure this invoice # does NOT have any other "fees" like TDA etc.

They can call it anything they want:
$200 profit + $150 TDA
$200 + $150 dealer holdback
$200 + $150 beer money

I don't care - so long as it is $350 or less.

As an aside, my LE has been on order now for about a month...
Does anyone know if Toyota ever offers rebates on Corollas?

kmorriss23 · January 1999

When figuring your purchase price, do you subtract the rebate from the invoice price? I know you have to choose whether you want the rebate or the low interest rate but if you get them to sell you the car at the invoice price can you expect to get the low interest rate too? If you choose the rebate, and can't have the low interest rate (Ford had 0.8% now) what interest rate will they offer me?

urtpiz · January 1999

Car man and Mr. Shiftright,
I may be buying a Grand Prix this weekend, but the dealer incentive of $500 expires 1/31. Is there any way to get a hint as to the direction this incentive may go after 1/31?

gil5 · January 1999

I see Ford has increased the dealer incentive on
the '99 Lincoln Continental from $2000 to $4000.
Is there still a rebate for current lease holders
on top of this? Any additional discounts? Thanks.

gwise · January 1999

I would appreciate clarification on the Volkswagon
rebates and incentives. I am assuming that they do not apply to the "new" 1999 models.. I am looking at buying a 1999 Jetta GLS TDI...Thanks..

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Mknebel, it appears as though the Dodge Ram incentives that you mentioned are available on 1998 models. Is that the truck that you are interested in, or are you looking at 1999s? This may be the source of the confusion.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Laptev, the Corolla is one of the few vehicles that Toyota occasionally has incentives on. However, their support on this model is usually limited to lease support for 36 month terms. I don't expect them to add any cash support for the Corolla before April, if at all.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Kmorriss23, you should use the incentives information that we provide here at Edmund's to calculate the dealer cost for the exact vehicle that you want. Once you have arrived at this figure add a fair profit to it to get your offer. If you get the dealership to sell you the vehicle that you want at their invoice price without using any cash incentives that aren't compatible with the special financing, then yes you are eligible for the special APR. If you decide to use an incentive that can not be combined with their special financing program, then you will have to use their standard interest rate if you choose to finance the car through the manufacturer's captive finance company. Their standard rates may be fairly high. So, if you choose the cash you may actually be better off financing your new car through some sort of outside lending institution like a bank or a credit union.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Urtpiz, it's hard to say exactly what GM is going to do with the $500 Dealer Cash that they currently have available on some models once it expires at the end of this month. It is possible that this offer will be extended, but I personally think that there's a good chance that the cash is just going to end. Why else would this cash only run through 1/31 when the rest of GM's 1999 model year incentives are good through March 31st?

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Seriousone, you're right Ford recently increased their Dealer Cash on the 1999 Lincoln Continental to $4,000. This Dealer Cash is available on both purchased or leased units. So, you may combine it with Ford Motor Credit's amazingly low lease rates of .75% for 24 months and 2.25% for 36 months. To answer your specific question, yes they still have the $750 cash for returning Red Carpet Lease customers who purchase a new 1998 or 1999 Lincoln through 4/1/99.

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mknebel · January 1999

Car Man, thank you for the reply about the $2500 1998 Dodge RAM consumer rebate/dealer incentive. Yes, the year model I am looking at is the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 regular cab. I thought this dealer might not have all of the "facts" straight and that is why I asked here.

I will let the group know how it comes out. Would it be inappropriate to list the dealer name here one way or the other? They are close to where I live but advertise heavily on the Internet as selling Dodge vehicles at invoice.

konstantinidis · January 1999

I'm looking to purchase a '99 VW Golf TDI. According to Edmunds, there should be a $1250 manufacturer to dealer incentive on this vehicle. The dealer told me I must be mistaken because there is no such incentive. Has this incentive been cancelled? Is the dealer telling me the truth, or should I shop elsewhere. How can I find out if this is still a valid incentive?

shawnmalone · January 1999

Konstantinidis, maybe the Golf is one of those redesigned-for-99 Volkswagen models that offers a big incentive on the old diesel model, but none on the "new" 99.

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

You are right, gwise. Volkswagen does not currently have any incentives on the redesigned 1999 Jetta or Golf.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Mknebel, I really don't want to suggest that you post a dealership's name on our Web Site. I'm pretty sure that we would not be liable if they did not like what you said, but in my book better safe than sorry. I can say however, that many people have posted the names of dealerships that they have visited on our Site in the past and it has not caused any problems.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Konstantinidis, I believe that shawnmalone is right. This incentive is available on the old 1999 Golf, not the redesigned version. The fact that Volkswagen has two different 1999 model year Jettas and Golfs has caused quite a bit of confusion. They should have just waited until the new models were ready to begin the 1999 model year.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Mknebel, I have access to the manufacturer's actual incentives bulletins. I will go back to the source and make sure that this offer is still good.

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bigbucfan · January 1999

This will be my first time purchasing a new car on my own. Edmunds has a listing for a $3500 customer rebate on 1998 Blazers. And the invoice is listed at 21,030 destination 515 total invoice=21,545 do I deduct the $3500 rebate from this amount and use 17,045 as a dealer invoice starting point?

herrerr · January 1999

I have been looking at the price list that a ford dealer has for a 99 windstart. According with the numbers, it appears that the dealer HB is closer to 4.5 % rather than the 3% commonly published. Is this right?

CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Bigbucfan, the $3,500 that you mentioned is only available on 1998 2 Door 2WD Blazers. If this is the truck that you are purchasing then you are using the correct incentive. If not, there is also $3,000 available on 1998 2 door 2WD and $2,000 on 1998 4 door Blazers. I usually suggest that consumers use all the information that is available to them and calculate the dealer cost. Once you have done so then add a fair profit and begin your negotiations from there.

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CarMan@Edmunds · January 1999

Herrerr, I believe that Ford's holdback is 3% of the vehicle's MSRP. They do have advertising charges that generally range from $75 to $300 per unit that may be included in the figure that you were looking at.

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clide · February 1999

Somebody please tell me if my understanding of Holdback is correct--when the Dealer orders a car, an invoice from the Manufacturer is sent. That invoice is payable immediately but in 90 days the amount payable will increase by 2-3% of MSRP. I had a Mazda Dealer recently dispute the Invoice value I got from Edmunds for an MPV van. His number was $700 more than Edmunds, but he wouldn't show me the source document until I committed to buy the vehicle. I walked. Would you guess he was going to show me (the Original Invoice+Holdback)? He clearly lost the holdback because the vehicle had a 10/98 state inspection sticker and was clearly on the lot over 3 months. Any help would be appreciated...

ral2167 · February 1999

all other things being equal-- is it easier to make a good deal on a car that has been on the lot for over 3 months?...OR..the same model car that has just arrived at the dealer and been on the lot 5 hours? remember..all other things are equal...

CarMan@Edmunds · February 1999

I'd say that all things being equal, it will probably be slightly easier to get a good deal on the vehicle that has been on the dealer's lot for several months because they will be more anxious to sell it than a car that they just received.

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rsadve · February 1999

Does anyone know of the rebates available on 99 Outback Sport Wagons? The Edmund's Incentives
list says $500 for Imprezas. Does this apply? In another conference I read there exists a rebate of $750 for Outbacks with cold weather package/$1000 for Outbacks without. Is this true? Does it apply to the Outback Sport Wagon?

Thanks!
Ravi

CarMan@Edmunds · February 1999

Ravi, the information that Edmund's lists for the Impreza is for Subaru's Western region. It is possible that the amount that is available on this model will vary from area to area, however I believe that the $500 does include Outback Sport models.

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rjohn · February 1999

Has the $750 rebate on c/k 1/2ton chev pu been extended past the 01/2l/99 (?)into February? Thank you-

rashmich · February 1999

Car_man, according to what you say, the
$1500 cutomer rebate for the Mazda Miata,
would be deducted afer taxes, right?..Thanks

dstew · February 1999

Currentl looking to buy a 99 signature towmcar/a keypad. The current rebate for this car is $4500. Does the rebate come off of the invoice or MSRP? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

dstew2 · February 1999

I am wanting to know if a deal rebate comes off of the invoice or MSRP? HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Rebates, Incentives, APRs - Questions & Comments

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