Nissan Updates Incentives for Cash for Clunkers

Now that Cash for Clunkers has a fresh round of funding, automakers who didn’t see huge sales the first time around are making sure their own incentives will lure in shoppers. Nissan launched a new sale called the Bottom Line event. There are significant cash-back offers on a number of models including $3,000 off a 2009 Nissan Quest and $2,000 cash back on a 2009 Nissan Sentra.

The program runs through Aug. 31; a detailed list of incentives is below.

Toyota Offering Five-Year Leases to Comply With Cash for Clunkers

Part of the small print in the Cash for Clunkers legislation is that it can only be applied to leases with terms of at least five years. Most lease deals are for much shorter terms — two to three years — because the allure of a lease is that you get out of a car and into a new one quickly.

Toyota is one of the few automakers we’ve heard of that will offer five-year leases, created just for the program. The 60-month leases are available for the Yaris, Corolla, Camry, RAV4 and Tacoma. One sample offer for a Yaris lease lists a headline-grabbing monthly payment of $79 per month for 60 months. The money you’d have to pay up front is $5,229, but if you deduct the $4,500 Cash for Clunkers credit, you’d end up paying $729 up front.

How much would it cost you to buy a Yaris in the same scenario and own it outright at the end of the term? Financed at 2.9% for 60 months, with that same down payment, it would be $125.03 a month, not including tax or destination.

The lease also allows you to drive only 12,000 miles a year. Offers vary by region.

2009|Toyota|Yaris

2009|Toyota|Corolla

2009|Toyota|RAV4

2009|Toyota|Camry

BMW Puts $4,500 Behind Diesel Models

It’s not likely that many folks would shop at a BMW dealership looking to cash in on the Cash for Clunkers program, which is why the company has launched a new incentive to promote its two fuel-efficient diesel models. A $4,500 “eco-credit” will go toward the purchase of either a new BMW 335d or an X5 xDrive35d, on top of current financing offers, and with no trade-in required.

A 335d starts at $43,900, so according to the government program’s rules, it could qualify for either $3,500 or $4,500 in federal funds when exchanged for a clunker, no matter how many options it was loaded up with. The 335d is also eligible for a $900 tax credit. The 335d gets combined mileage of 27 mpg, versus a gas 335i’s 20 mpg, while still delivering a thrilling driving experience. We found a few modestly equipped 335d models in Cars.com’s inventory for $45,225. Add all the above incentives, and those would end up costing $35,325. Read our full review of the 335d here.

The X5 starts at $51,200 and thus would not be eligible for the government incentive (program rules say any vehicle with an MSRP over $45,000 can’t be bought using Cash for Clunkers), but with BMW’s eco-credit it would cost less than a base X5 xDrive30i. The diesel incentive offer runs through August.

2009|BMW|335

2009|BMW|X5

Chrysler to Double Cash for Clunker Incentive

Over the past few years, Chrysler hasn’t been shy about rolling out headline-grabbing incentives. Many may recall the company’s $2.99 gas deal amid the $4-a-gallon summer of 2008. Today, the company announced it will match any Cash for Clunkers funds buyers qualify for from the government for the purchase of any qualifying 2009 Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep model. That means total cash back could be as high as $9,000.

On top of the $3,500 or $4,500 shoppers get in exchange for turning in their old car for a higher-mileage new one, Chrysler will add the equivalent amount from its own coffers.

The fact that Chrysler’s coffers still exist only because of government intervention likely isn’t lost on many.

For buyers who don’t care about the politics of such a campaign, the savings are significant. On a low-end car like a Jeep Patriot — with a starting MSRP of $17,540 — the savings of just a $3,500 cash-back incentive is better than you’d typically find. Prior to this new deal, a 2009 Jeep Patriot had only a $1,000 cash-back offer, plus an additional $1,000 in owner-loyalty cash. So even if you were already a Jeep owner, you’d still be getting a better deal now.

To get the largest, $4,500 credit, your trade-in would have to get 15 mpg combined, which is unlikely. If your clunker’s mileage is that low, however, the final adjusted price for a 2009 Patriot using this new incentive deal — plus the government funds — could be as low as $8,540. If you only qualify for the more likely $3,500, it would be $10,540.

The program starts tomorrow and runs through Aug. 31.

To see if your old car qualifies as a Cash for Clunkers trade-in, check out Cars.com’s Guide to Cash for Clunkers.

To see which new Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models are eligible for the government incentive, check out our list of eligible models here.

In case you’re wondering: A 1986 Jeep Cherokee comparably equipped to a modern Jeep Patriot got 23 mpg combined using today’s adjusted EPA numbers. A 2009 Jeep Patriot also equipped with a four-cylinder, manual transmission and two-wheel drive? 25 mpg.

Suzuki Offering Free Gas Incentive for Summer

Suzuki is offering three months of free gas to anyone who purchases a new 2009 Suzuki SX4 sedan or crossover through Aug. 31. It’s also offering $2,000 cash back on all SX4 models equipped with a manual transmission. That deal is good for the same time period.

Suzuki’s free-gas offer may not carry quite the same weight as all the gas offers from last year. At $2.63 a gallon nationally, gas prices are a far cry from last year’s prices of more than $4 per gallon. It just isn’t the terrifying economic boogeyman it was in 2008. The pre-paid gas cards also equal less than $300 in terms of real money.

Furthermore, as a general principal, offering three months of free gas isn’t as good as building a more efficient car. The Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic both eat the SX4’s lunch when it comes to fuel economy.

Chrysler Back to $4000, $5,000 Cash Back Offers

Now that it’s out of bankruptcy, New Chrysler is offering up some healthy incentives for July. Starting today and running through July 31, select 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models will have $4,000 cash back, with an additional $1,000 owner-loyalty cash back. There’s also a credit union program that allows for an additional $1,000 incentive on top of the manufacturer-offered cash back. All told, you could see $6,000 cash back on select models.

Chrysler has not updated its consumer sites with exact details on which models are eligible. When they do, we’ll post those details here.

Details Emerge on Hyundai Cash Back, $1.49 Gas

Yesterday, Hyundai announced its new $1.49 gallon of gas incentive. Buyers of new Hyundais would get a guaranteed price of $1.49 per gallon of gas for a year rather than traditional cash-back incentives. Today, Hyundai has released which models not only get the gas offer, but also include additional cash back.

The full list is below.

GM 72-Hour Sale: 0% for 72 Months

Maybe GM’s math skills got them into the trouble they’re in. Their just announced 72-hour sale starts today and runs through July 6, which is 144 hours by our count. Maybe they wanted to tie the sale name in with the sale terms, namely 0% financing for 72 months on select models for those buyers who qualify.

Included 2009 and 2010 models in the 0% for 72-months term are: Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra regular, extended and crew cab light-duty pickups; Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL SUVs; Chevrolet Impala; and the Pontiac Vibe, G3, G5, G6 and G8.

Other models have separate incentives you can find here.

Hyundai Giving $1.49 Gas for a Year

Last summer when gas hit $4 a gallon, Chrysler rolled out a unique incentive program that locked in $2.99 a gallon gas prices for a year. That was a relative bargain at the time, especially if you lived in states with higher gas prices like California or Illinois. However, gas quickly returned to sub-$3 prices in the fall, and consumers who opted for the gas plan were left with a worthless incentive.

This summer, gas prices have yet to break the $3 point nationally — although they have in many places like Chicago — but that isn’t stopping Hyundai from offering a similar incentive, $1.49 a gallon for a full year when you buy a new car. It’s doubtful that we’ll see sub-$2 gas anytime soon and sub-$1.50 gas is even more unlikely, so this price seems like a good deal.

Just like the Chrysler plan, Hyundai’s Assurance Gas Lock isn’t without a catch. If you opt for the cheap gas you give up most of the traditional cash incentives, which for some Hyundai models are quite significant. However, the company says depending on the model purchased there will be some form of rebate available on top of the gas deal. We’ll bring you the full list of offers when they become available.

Gas Lock applies to Accent (excluding base model), Tiburon, Elantra, Elantra Touring, Entourage, Sonata, Azera, Santa Fe, Tucson and Veracruz. Hyundai points out that most of these vehicles will qualify for the new Cash for Clunkers program as well, which would lead to either a $3,500 or $4,500 cash incentive from the government. Theoretically, giving shoppers both cash-back and gas incentives.

The program starts Wednesday and runs through Aug. 31.

2009|Hyundai|Sonata

2009|Hyundai|Elantra

2009|Hyundai|Elantra Touring

2008|Hyundai|Entourage

2009|Hyundai|Azera

2008|Hyundai|Tiburon

2009|Hyundai|Accent

2009|Hyundai|Veracruz

Chrysler Announces New Sales Incentives

As it navigates out of bankruptcy, Chrysler has announced several new incentives good through July 1 for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. This includes 0% financing for 60 months on select 2009 vehicles or up to $4,000 consumer cash on 2009 models.

Current Chrysler customers are also eligible for $1,000 of owner loyalty cash on most 2008 and 2009 vehicles, and there’s $1,000 in credit-union bonus cash on certain products for qualified buyers who finance their vehicles through participating credit unions.