Honda Spotlights No Money Down Leases in April

Despite potentially tight supplies of some Honda vehicles, the automaker continues a robust lease and low-financing incentives campaign throughout April. Honda calls it “The Really Big Thing Sales Event,” and by now, you've likely seen the commercials for it, which feature oversized lapel pins. Like other recent Honda sales events, the carmaker is pushing leases with $0 down payment, $0 security deposit, $0 first month's payment and $0 due at signing on most of its lineup.

The no-money-down lease deals include $380 a month on the 2011 Odyssey minivan and $250 a month for a 2011 Accord. Keep in mind that $0 down doesn’t include tax, license, title, registration and documentation fees, which will likely cost thousands of dollars before you leave the lot. If you want to reduce your monthly payments, Honda’s also offering lease deals with money down — typically $1,999 — knocking off about $60 a month on the lease deals we highlight below.

Enticing Lease and Financing Deals Return to Car Market

A sense of normalcy seems to be returning to automotive financing, a good thing for the nearly 90% of car shoppers who finance or lease their vehicles, according to CNW Marketing Research.

With short-term interest rates near 0%, banks now can offer 3% to 4% financing, according to Bankrate.com. That’s the lowest rates have been since the downturn, according to The Detroit News.

Volkswagen Offers March Lease Deals

Like Honda, Volkswagen doesn’t typically offer big cash-back incentives to move cars off dealer lots; it instead relies on special lease rates. For March, the German automaker is offering attractive leasing and financing incentives on most of its lineup with its “Going, Going, Gone Event.”

Financing incentives include zero-percent financing for 72 months on vehicles like 2010 New Beetle and 2011 Routan minivan.

Newer vehicles like the redesigned 2011 Touareg (including hybrid and TDI diesel variants) also get attractive financing rates.

If you’re looking to get a deal on the fast-selling 2011 Jetta, the automaker is offering a $179 a month lease, though we’ve seen better rates from competitors like the Chevrolet Cruze and Toyota Corolla.

If you’re looking for a used Volkswagen, the company is also offering 1.99% APR financing on its entire certified pre-owned inventory for 48 months or 2.99% financing for 60 months.

The deals below are VW’s national deals. There are some regional and dealership incentives that might be more advantageous for people who are looking to finance or pay with cash rather than lease.

Most of the deals highlighted below expire at the end of March.

GM Incentives Focus on Trucks, Leasing for March

General Motors saw big sales in February, helped by robust incentives such as special lease programs and zero-percent financing. It looks like those types of incentives will continue in March.

About 27 of the more than 40 models GM sells have zero-percent financing deals for at least 60 months, with many vehicles offered with 72 months of zero-percent financing. March is “Truck Month” for Chevrolet and GMC, as many trucks and full-size SUVs, such as the GMC Yukon, have zero-percent financing for 72 months, plus additional cash back if you finance with Ally Bank, a preferred lender of GM.

GM’s recent acquisition of AmeriCredit (now GM Financial) has allowed the automaker to offer attractive lease programs, once again, in the Northeast and the Midwest since December and January, according to Automotive News. Leasing is especially important for GM’s luxury brands, and for March, leasing programs have expanded dramatically.

Buick is promoting a “Sign and Drive” event that includes $0 down, $0 security deposit and $0 due at signing leasing – along with low monthly rates — on select Regal, Enclave and LaCrosse trims. GMC and Cadillac are offering a good selection of low-priced lease programs, too. While Chevrolet doesn’t seem to be actively promoting its $350-per-month lease program for the Chevrolet Volt anymore, the automaker has confirmed with us that it is still being offered.

Check out the full chart below. Most of these incentives end May 2, so there is plenty of time to act.

Looking For a Fun-in-the-Sun Car? Buy it in Winter

Winter is technically two-thirds over, though it might be hard to imagine right now with the freezing rain, snow and cold winds pummeling large swaths of the country. If you’re thinking about capitalizing on those breezy, sun-drenched months with a new convertible, now is the time to buy.

Historically, November, December, January and February are the best months to buy a convertible because the models languish on dealer lots with many big cash, financing and lease incentives. Right now, the average 2011 convertible stays parked at the showroom for 52 days. The average for all vehicles is 40 days.

Vehicles like the 2011 Volvo C70, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder and BMW Z4 should have greater flexibility in pricing since they’re the slowest-moving models currently. The Audi TT, Nissan 370Z and Infiniti G37 may be harder to come by, averaging less than two weeks before finding a buyer — even in the winter.

Below is a comprehensive list of all ongoing national incentive programs. The best deals are obviously on the remaining 2010 models and outgoing models, which have since been redesigned for the latest model year. Even if there isn’t a nationwide incentive program for the convertible you’re looking for, you should have wiggle room to haggle with your dealership, especially in Snowbelt states. The difference between the invoice price (wholesale) and the MSRP (retail) can be wide on some convertible models. For instance, there’s a $7,000 margin on the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. That’s a good starting place for negotiations.

Chrysler Incentives Push Hemi V-8, Leasing In February

Chrysler has added a few cash-back incentives to its new 2011 model lineup, including more cash on the hood for high-output V-8 Ram trucks. More importantly, this time around Chrysler is offering some attractive lease deals. However, most of the cash incentives on the 2010 models are gone with the lone exception of the 2010 Dodge Challenger, which has $2,000 cash back.

The 2011 Dodge Nitro gets another $500 tacked onto its cash-back plan, which now totals $3,000. There’s another $1,000 added on the Caliber, so buyers can get up to $2,500 cash back on that model. Most of the redesigned models like the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango and the Chrysler minivans don’t have any cash incentives, but they do have fairly attractive financing deals.

If you want to get a better deal on one of Chrysler’s newer models, there are lease deals to be had such as $199 a month for the Dodge Avenger or Chrysler 200 or $359 a month for the new 2011 Dodge Charger R/T.

Most of the incentives below expire Feb. 28.

Ford's January Incentives Target 2011 Models, New Explorer

Ford’s 2011 lineup enters the new year with a robust range of cash-back offerings and low-financing deals right off the bat.

Recently launched vehicles, including the 2011 Ford Explorer, already have $1,000 cash back and a reasonable $359-a-month lease promotion in some regions.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta, which long had no real incentives, now has a $500 cash-back deal or 3.9% financing for 60 months. The redesigned 2011 Ford Edge gets $1,000 bonus cash combined with a low financing deal. The 2010 and 2011 Ford F-150 have a low deal, but there’s also $2,000 on the hood.

Overall, Ford’s incentive program looks pretty aggressive for January. Most incentives end Jan 31.

New 2011 Chrysler Models Get Incentives

It’s a fresh start for Chrysler in 2011, according to CEO Sergio Marchionne. The company has shown off — and started to sell — 14 new or refreshed models, many of which have reduced prices or more content for the same price compared with their predecessors. At least for January, the new metal means Chrysler’s reliance on big incentives has somewhat diminished, but there are some deals even on 2011 models.

Most of the big cash-back incentives for the 2010 models are pretty much gone now. So if you were still angling for the big $4,500 cash-back deal on the 2010 Jeep Liberty or Grand Cherokee, you’re out of luck. But there’s still $3,000 on the 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan and $1,500 cash back on the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country. Both minivans were significantly upgraded for 2011.

Holiday Incentive Recap

This time of year is a great time to buy a new car, especially if you’re eyeing a 2010-model-year vehicle. Over the past two weeks we’ve reported on the deals offered by Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep. Most of the domestic brands and Nissan are big on cash-back deals; Korean and most Japanese automakers are playing up their special lease deals.

The largest cash-back deal we saw was $5,500 off of a 2010 Nissan Titan, and Honda’s $0 down payment, $0 first month's payment, $0 due at signing lease deal is one of the best offerings this season.

All of the current incentive programs end on Jan. 3, so you’ll have to act fast if anything piques your interest.

For more information, check out each brand’s rundown below:  

1.  Chevrolet Incentives 
2.  Chrysler Group Incentives 
3.  Honda Incentives 
4.  Toyota Incentives 
5.  Nissan Incentives 
6.  Hyundai Incentives 
7.  Kia Incentives
8.  Ford Incentives 

Kia Pushes Incentives on Old Models

Kia seems to be playing second fiddle in the U.S. to its Korean cousin, Hyundai, which sells nearly 50% more vehicles in America than Kia, and the automaker is growing more quickly. So it’s not surprising to see Kia offer plenty of incentives compared with Hyundai’s offers, which we detailed Tuesday.

Kia is offering either big cash or low financing deals across its entire lineup. New vehicles — like the Forte and the Soul, two relatively affordable compacts we’ve praised — see a combination of both. There’s $1,000 cash back on the 2010 Forte, which hasn’t been a sales success. The 2010 Sedona has $3,000 cash back, the largest discount for any minivan right now. Even the revised 2011 Sedona gets up to $2,500 cash back.