If you need a car, this weekend’s for you
Labor Day weekend can be a good time to buy a car, depending on what you want, experts say, as some automakers pile on incentives.
New-car sales have been falling lately amid signs that sales incentives are peaking, but Labor Day car shoppers have recent history on their side.
Last year, September was the top month as having the highest incentives per vehicle, according to Autodata. It led in 2015 and was second highest in 2014.
Through the first seven months of 2017, average discounts per car are still up 12.8% to $3,549. That compares to $3,147 in the same period last year. That means September still should have plenty of deals in store.
Here’s a sampling of the best cash-back and financing discounts we found that run through Tuesday, unless otherwise noted (discount financing requires qualifying credit):
CHEVROLET
2017 Malibu: $3,500 cash back or 1.9% financing for up to 60 months, except on certain base models.
TOYOTA
Up to $3,000 cash back, depending on the region, or 0% financing for 72 months. Note that this is the outgoing Camry, however, not the 2018 redesign.
2017 Corolla: Up to $2,500 cash back, depending on your region, or 0% financing for 72 months. That’s for the Corolla sedan. The 2017 Corolla iM hatchback gets the same amount of cash back depending on region, or 0% financing for 60 months, not 72 months. 2017 RAV4: Up to $3,000 cash back, depending on your re- gion, or 0% financing for 72 months.
FORD
2017 Escape: From $3,500 to $5,000 cash back, depending on region and trim level, or 2.9% financing for 84 months. The deal is through Oct. 2 in some areas.
2017 Focus: Through Oct. 2, from $3,350 to $4,500 cash back, depending on region and trim level, or 2.9% financing for 84 months. These deals include the Focus ST and Focus Electric but exclude the Focus RS.
NISSAN
2017 Sentra: $2,000 to $2,500 cash back, depending on region, or 0% financing for 72 months.
2017 Altima: Up to $3,500 cash back, depending on region and trim, or 0% financing for 60 months.
KIA
2017 Sorento: $3,000 to $4,000 cash back or 0% for 66 months.