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car review

2011 Honda Pilot TouringHonda

It's a sad thing when no one loves you, most of all if you are a new vehicle being shunned by the buying public. Pity the dealer and the manufacturer in such an instance.

But if you're a buyer, shed no tears; this is where you can mine good deals. Vehicles that aren't moving, vehicles not feeling the love, are often pushed with rich offers that lower the price to a point where at least a few consumers start showing some affection.

Take the Lincoln MKT crossover. This is a pretty good rig, with up to three rows of seating, plenty of horsepower and a wide array of gizmos and gadgets.

Through the end of April, DesRosiers Automotive Consultants reports that MKT sales in Canada were down nearly 57 per cent. No one should be surprised to learn that Lincoln has more than $7,000 in factory incentives available here - including the Employee Pricing discount.

And how about the Honda Pilot? A perfectly solid crossover SUV for which sales are off by more than 23 per cent. Honda Canada has a couple of grand under the hood here, plus rate reduction offers. They can be combined with whatever dealer discount you are able to negotiate.

Nissan Versa? Sales, says DesRosiers, were down more than 21 per cent through April and a new Versa model is coming in the fall. Have a look at what Nissan Canada is offering in an Employee Pricing discount ($3,840), plus 5.49 per cent financing for up to seven years.

Infiniti's G37 is another potentially embraceable buy. Sales were down nearly 13 per cent through April. So Infiniti Canada has a $3,000 factory incentive in play, plus the potential for finance or lease rate reductions, plus whatever dealer discount you can strong-arm.

Pricing information for these four deals on the unloved was obtained from www.carcostcanada.com. Here are the numbers.

2011 Nissan Versa 1.8 SL hatchback

MSRP: $17,548

Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,497

Employee Price discount: $3,840

Taxable subtotal: $15,205

Total price with 13% HST: $17,181.65

Note: 5.49% financing for seven years

2011 Lincoln MKT EcoBoost

MSRP: $53,350

Freight, dealer prep: $1,650

Employee Pricing discount: $3,366

Factory discount: $2,500 (Delivery Allowance factory-to-dealer rebate)

Taxable subtotal: $49,134

Total price with 13% HST: $55,521.42

Factory discount: $1,000 (Costco rebate)

Final price: $54,521.32

Note: 6.49 per cent financing for five years

2011 Honda Pilot EX

MSRP: $40,720

Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,690

Dealer discount (estimated): $1,500

Factory discount: $2,000 (Non-stackable Trading Dollars factory-to-dealer discount)

Taxable subtotal: $38,910

Total price with 13% HST: $43,968.30

Note: Lease Maturity Support for Honda Leaseholders. They qualify for a reduction of one percentage point off current lease rates to a minimum of 0.01 per cent and finance rates to a minimum of 0.0 per cent. Can be combined with current rates and Trading Dollars.

2011 Infiniti G37 Sport sedan RWD

MSRP: $46,540

Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax and Green Levy: $2,020

Dealer discount (estimated): $1,900

Factory discount: $3,000 (Stackable Merchandising Dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)

Taxable subtotal: $43,660

Total price with 13% HST: $49,335.80

Note: 1.9% financing for three years. A reduction of one percentage point is available to owners who previously leased or financed an Infiniti vehicle.

Pricing information source: 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. Dealer discounts are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis.

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