Best Cash-Back Finds: 12.07.07

Sifting through sales, incentives and various offers from car companies can be almost a full-time job for shoppers — and it is a full-time gig for some Cars.com staffers. We maintain a list of the Top 10 Cash-Back Offers here and a list of every available incentive here to help thrifty car shoppers. 

However, those charts aren’t helpful if you’re not sure about the cars on them. Is it OK to get the 2007 with a rebate and not the 2008? Could a car with a $4,000 cash-back offer be any good? The editors at Cars.com look at all the incentives and let you know which vehicles they recommend. These cars may not have the biggest rebates thrown on the hood, but our recommendations take into account our experiences driving the cars, along with some other factors, including safety and ownership costs. 

2007 Ford Edge

• MSRP: $25,320
• Cash back: $2,500
• Percent off MSRP: 9.87%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Why it makes the cut: This is a classic example of a model where not much has changed for the new model year, besides the availability of that cool Sync feature we recently tested. If you don’t care about that, there are plenty of 2007 Edges left on dealer lots. The SUV has a lot of style and a healthy V-6 engine standard along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award. We’re not big fans of the interior fit and finish, but there’s a lot of utility here for the money.

2007 Cadillac Escalade, ESV, EXT

• MSRP: $54,670
• Cash back: $4,500
• Percent off MSRP: 8.23%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Why it makes the cut: Don’t let the “2007” designation fool you, that’s the redesigned Escalade you see Tiki Barber driving in those annoying Cadillac commercials. It’s still a pricey SUV, but there were no significant changes for 2008, so if you can find a 2007, get the $4,500 rebate and put it right back into the fuel tank (2008 models have a $1,000 cash-back offer).

2007 Ford Focus

• MSRP: $13,715
• Cash back: $3,500
• Percent off MSRP: 25.52%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Why it makes the cut: Ford redesigned the Focus for 2008, but most of the mechanicals are basically the same and a lot of people don’t like the new looks. The 2007 is still reliable basic transportation with good mileage — 24/31 mpg city/highway using 2008 fuel guidelines.

2007 Hyundai Entourage

• MSRP: $23,895
• Cash back: $2,000
• Percent off MSRP: 8.37%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Cars.com Best Bet
• Why it makes the cut: The Entourage didn’t light the world on fire when it debuted as a 2007 model, but what minivan ever has? Again, very little has changed for year two, so going with the first year and its Top Safety Pick designation from the IIHS (the similar Kia Sedona is the only other minivan to earn that award) is a sensible move.

Cash back does vary by region.

Comments

I notice that your complete list of cash back offers misses the Mazda incentive of $2750 for the 2007 Mazda6 wagon. I thought that was a pretty good one.

I checked again and their offer is now $3250, an even better deal. How did cars.com miss that???

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayRegionalIncentives.action

[Dave T.]

regional incentives are tough because they change depending on where you are in the country. Even though I'm a big Mazda6 fan, when a car is at the end of its product lifecycle is probably the worst time to buy one, and that's when the rebates really come out of the woodworks. The new 6, out late next year from what we understand, will be significantly different from the current one. Still, the 2007 is a good car though. And if you factor in that there aren't a lot of other wagons for the size or price out there its definitely a good deal.

[ZB]

No rebates on a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible? What gives?

[Dave T.]

yeah, that would've made the list.

[ZB]

Would've? What happened?

I guess I'll have to settle for a Bentley. Such is life!

[Henrycarman]

Every since Clifton Lambreth's book - Ford and the American Dream came out, Ford has been hitting homeruns with new products.The Edge is best in class and really cool!!!

[Dragon Rewards]

For great holiday deals, cash back awards and fun surveys visit
www.DragonRewards.com