The new-vehicle marketplace is awash with 0 per cent financing deals and cash-back giveaways, and while they are attractive up front, buyers may find themselves paying a price down the road.

Incentives generally accelerate depreciation rates on most vehicles, both domestic and import. Those deals push down the value of used cars by creating a glut of them on the market. The value of the rebate you get today may be eaten up in accelerated depreciation down the road.

That is one argument for holding on to a new car or light truck for six, seven or eight years, perhaps more. On the flip side, car shoppers looking for a good deal on a three- or four-year-old set of wheels might want to shop among models from manufacturers that have offered the richest incentive deals.