USA TODAY International Edition
Buying a new car? Here are the 4 best deals
Some car buyers care most about finding a great vehicle. Others put a premium on a killer deal.
Either way, the auto industry is looking better for buyers as it boosts incentives — cash-back, discounted interest rates on financing and the like — in the battle to make 2018 a record year.
With another big weekend ahead to close out February, dealers will be eager to move models off their lots.
Discounts on new vehicles averaged $3,740 per car in January, up 7.6% over the same month in 2017 and the highest year-over-year percentage gain in five months, Autodata reports. The uptick likely played a part in new-car sales, which began the year on a positive note after falling 10 out of 12 months in 2017.
So hit the showroom, all you cravers of cargo space — utility awaits. Here are the month’s best deals: Dodge Journey How much can I save? More that 10% off the sticker price, in many cases. We observed cash discounts of $3,500 to $4,000 on the 2018 Journey across all trim levels, depending on region. It’s easy to see why: The Journey averaged 47 days on dealer lots in January — not far off the month’s 42-day weighted average for all 2018 models — but sales still collapsed 73.4% compared with a year ago. What about discount financing? Shoppers can pair up to $1,000 off with 0% financing for up to 36 months on the 2018 Journey in lieu of maximum rebates. Both the financing and cash-back offers expire Feb. 28. But you declared this Journey underwhelming almost three years ago. True, and for good reason. The SUV had good cabin materials and an intuitive multimedia system but a clumsy ride, unrefined drivetrain and spotty crashtest ratings. Not much has changed since then. The current Journey dates to early 2008, with a refresh but not a redesign
in late 2010. In sum, those looking for a smallish SUV with an optional third row will find the Journey a, um, dodgy choice. But the incentives make it cheap, and this list puts deals over drawbacks. Hyundai Sonata
How much can I save? Lots. Now through the end of the month, Hyundai is offering $2,000 off most trim levels. Get the midlevel SEL, which accounts for 38% of new, non-hybrid 2018 Sonata inventory on Cars.com, and Hyundai offers $2,500 off. Sonata sales fell 23.7% in January as non-hybrid versions of the 2018 model averaged 83 days on dealer lots. What about discount financing? Creditworthy customers can pair $1,000 off with financing as low as 0% for 60
months on the 2018 Sonata in lieu of maximum rebates. Is the 2018 Sonata any good? Thanks to a recent refresh, it’s more satisfying than earlier model years of the current generation. The 2018 Sonata packs reasonable refinement against two redesigned competitors, the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
How much can I save? A lot. Through Feb. 28, Hyundai is offering $2,750 off the 2.4-liter model or $3,000 off the turbo 2.0-liter model, both for the 2018 model year. Santa Fe sales, which include the three-row Santa Fe and tworow Santa Fe Sport, fell 2.7% in January. That’s compared with a stellar year-ago month, but the Santa Fe Sport still averaged 75 days on dealer lots in January.
What about discount financing? Qualified shoppers can pair $1,000 with 0% financing for up to 60 months on the 2018 Santa Fe Sport in lieu of maximum rebates. Any deals on the regular Santa Fe? Yes, but they’re considerably less. Through the end of the month, Hyundai is offering $1,500 off the three-row SUV or 0.9% financing for up to 60 months. Editor’s Choice: Ford Escape How much can I save? It depends where you live. Ford is offering $1,000 to $3,500 off the 2018 Escape, depending on region. Expiration dates vary; we observed offers expire as soon as Feb. 28 in some markets and as late as April 2 in others. In some areas, shoppers can get another $1,000 if they finance through Ford’s lending arm. Sales fell 8% in January, but the popular SUV still averaged 49 days on dealer lots in January. What about discount financing? Qualified borrowers can get 2.9% financing for up to 84 months.
But is the Escape any good? Yes. Like every Foreigner hit, the Escape’s an oldie but a goodie. The current generation debuted in late 2011, but strong drivability and an intuitive multimedia system propelled the 2017 Escape past three newer redesigns to a fourth-place finish among seven compact SUVs last year. A year before that, the 2017 Escape ranked first in a similar comparison.
Escape lacks automatic emergency braking, which is an important safety feature these days. It’s far from perfect. But the discounts make it cheap, and you could do a lot worse.