The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedan.
Woof, woof! The dog days of August are here.
As Canadians busy themselves with vacations, cottaging, jet skis, softball and golf, car dealerships are feeling lonely and ignored. Who spends time buying a car in August?
Well, you might want to sniff around for a deal. To lure happily distracted customers, car makers and their dealers often slap on very rich incentives in August. This is the time of year when car companies return to a seemingly endless parade of tried-and-true promotions known by any number of entertaining names: employee pricing, family pricing, my choice, checkered flag, factory authorized clearout, red tag days, no bull pricing, upgrade to ... to whatever. There is no end to the marketing creativity in the car business.
Ben Spatafora, national director of pricing service at CarCostCanada, says the deals are most certainly there during August. But be careful when and if you find yourself wandering into a showroom wearing shorts and flip-flops. The showroom may seem like a friendlier place, with the relaxed atmosphere of summer. But don't get carried away by the feel-good vibe.
"From the customer's point of view, watch out for lethargy. It's important for customers not to let their guard down. You might buy more than necessary," he says.
Unhaggle.com president and co-founder Andrew Tai says an interesting wrinkle in this summer's deals is the emphasis auto makers are placing on options and choices.
At Nissan Canada, for example, customers who finance or lease certain vehicles can choose to waive two monthly payments, take bonus cash or accept a free extended warranty. Mercedes-Benz is allowing buyers to waive three monthly payments on certain models. And Hyundai has had a factory clearout in progress for what seems like months. It needs to make way for the 2015 models, included a reinvented Sonata.
"So don't overlook the vehicles that don't necessarily seem to have attractive monetary rebates. Some additional incentives that you were unaware of might even lead you to keeping more money in your pocket," he says, citing the Mercedes and Nissan deals as perfect examples.
The potential savings are quite impressive. A Nissan Titan pickup might be had with nearly $15,000 in combined factory/dealer sweeteners, for instance. And even Mercedes and Subaru are actively involved – with $1,500 in cash on the C350 and $1,500 on the Impreza.
If you need a new ride, it might be a good idea to put down that cold drink and do a dog-day deal in August.
Deals of the Week consulted with www.unhaggle.com, Car Help Canada, www.carcostcanada.com, and other sources on these offers. Pricing information here is subject to change and dealer discounts vary, so consult your dealer for all the final details, including expiry dates for all offers.
2014 Nissan Titan 4WD King Cab Standard Bed PRO-4X
- MSRP: $43,998
- Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,745
- Dealer discount (estimated): $2,800
- Factory discount: $12,000 (manufacturer incentive)
- Taxable subtotal: $30,943
- Total price with 13-per-cent HST: $34,965.59
- Manufacturer's incentives are available with a 5.59-per-cent lease rate for 48 months or 60 months, and a $4,000 incentive can be stacked with 0.0-per-cent financing for 48, 60 or 84 months.
2014 Mercedes-Benz C350 C350 4MATIC Sedan
- MSRP: $47,900
- Freight, dealer prep, Green Levy and air conditioning tax: $2,625
- Dealer discount (estimated): $2,300
- Factory discount: $1,500 (manufacturer incentive)
- Taxable subtotal: $46,725
- Total price with 13-per-cent HST: $52,799.25
- The manufacturer incentives are available with 0.90-per-cent financing for 48 months or 60 months, or a 2.90-per-cent lease rate for 36 months.
2014 Hyundai Sonata 4dr Sdn 2.4L Auto SE
- MSRP: $27,999
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,830
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,500
- Factory discount: $5,250 (manufacturer incentive)
- Taxable subtotal: $23,079
- Total price with 13-per-cent HST: $26,079.27
- Manufacturer incentives are available with 2.99-per-cent financing for 48, 60 or 84 months, or a 3.99-per-cent lease rate for 48 or 60 months.
2014 Subaru Impreza 5dr HB CVT 2.0i w/Limited Pkg
- MSRP: $29,095
- Freight, PDI, AC tax: $1,730
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,400
- Factory discount: $1,500 (manufacturer incentive)
- Taxable subtotal: $27,925
- Total price with 13-per-cent HST: $31,555.25
- A $500 factory incentive is available with 0.90-per-cent financing for 48 or 60 months, or a lease rate of 0.90-per-cent for 48 months.
Pricing information source: www.unhaggle.com and www.carcostcanada.com. Calculations based on Ontario customers. Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Where noted, "dealer discounts" are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis. Unhaggle Savings are actual discounts received by Unhaggle customers.
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