Top off 2016 With a Great New Car Deal
Sara LaFountain
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They’re out there. Get ‘Em Before They’re Gone
The last week of the year is often the best time of the year to get a great deal on a new vehicle, especially a 2016 model or a 2017 that’s in stock.
Why?
Dealers are highly motivated to meet or beat their annual sales quotas and clear their inventory. And after a record sales year in 2015, dealers and manufacturers are hoping to make 2016 even better. That means sell, sell, sell. And as a bonus, many dealers are extending these special offers through Jan 3rd.
How to get a new car deal: look for test drive demos and redesigned models
Dealers need to sell all the 2016 “demo” vehicles they have in stock. These are often the vehicles that have been used on test drives and likely have fewer than 500 miles on the odometer. This slightly used status makes them a true bargain, especially since you get the new car warranty and all the other benefits at a reduced price.
You’ll find the deepest discounts on 2016 models which have been redesigned or refreshed for 2017. Due to low gas prices, larger and less fuel efficient vehicles have broken sales records recently, so look for the best deals on hybrids and other green cars.
Find a new car deal by searching web sites, social media and email
Car manufacturers are using all sorts of methods to promote these sales. As you surf the web looking at vehicles, be on the lookout for popups with special offers. We received a $1,000 “private offer” from Chevrolet last year while we were on their site. You never know what you might find while surfing around.
You can often find car sales on social media: I found one for Volvo in my Twitter feed. I’ve also received a number of emails from local car dealerships with a variety of offers including an offer to buy my vehicle so they could sell me a new one (and a coupon for an additional $1,000 in trade assistance). Everyone seems to have a “Holiday Sales Event,” but many companies have some interesting and creative promotions around the end of the year.
Volvo’s Tweet on its Year End Promotion
Here are some of our favorite year-end promotions
Mazda Drive for Good
Buy any new Mazda and they’ll donate $150 on your behalf to a charity of your choosing. They’ve raised over $15,000,000 and donated over 228,000 hours of community service. I’m not sure this is an incentive from a discount perspective, but they certainly are making a difference through their giving. Subaru has a similar promotion they call Share the Love.
Nissan Go Rogue event
The tie in to the new Star Wars Rogue One movie has created a lot of visibility, but they still have to move those cars. In addition to the end of year deals, there is also a limited edition Nissan Rogue One version that comes with a numbered, Limited Edition Death Troopers helmet! If you or someone you know is a die hard Star Wars fan you should at least go in and check this one out, and do it quickly because there are only 5,000.
Chevrolet 20% off Red Tag event
If you’re in the market for a Chevy, this is an incredibly good offer. The best offers are on the 2016 models with up to $11,000 off certain trucks and SUVs. If you are looking for a Volt (or Spark, Equinox, Traverse, Sonic or even Corvette) you can find a 2017 at a great price (close to $8,000 off depending on the specific vehicle) and also take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit on the Volt or Spark EV when you file your income taxes.
Volvo Wonder of Winter Sales Event
Looking for a Volvo and don’t want to pay until March? Then this is the deal for you. Volvo’s end of the year promotion pays off the first three months of your purchase or lease on selected models. The even better news is that the models all come equipped with standard features such as remote engine start, WiFi and more. As the Swedes like to say – Trevlig Helg!
Volkswagen Sign Then Drive
As usual, VW has an incentive-laden promotion which centers around their $0 Down, Sign Then Drive campaign. And it includes nearly every model including convertible Beetles and the popular Tiguan and Touareg SUVs.
Nearly every manufacturer has some sort of a promotion this time of year and if you are in the market for a Jeep, Toyota, Hyundai or Honda you will certainly find some good deals, incentives and more with those dealers as well.
You know you want one! The limited edition Death Trooper Helmet available with the limited edition Star Wars themed Nissan Rogue.
And because we LOVE our readers, we’ve done the work for you
Here are links to other manufacturers with details of their year end deals:
- Audi
- Chevrolet
- Cadillac
- GM
- Chrysler
- Dodge
- Ford
- Honda
- Hyundai
- KIA
- Mazda
- Mitsubishi
- Nissan
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
Happy shopping and Happy New Year from all of us at AGirlsGuidetoCars!
