‘Consumer Reports’ names its top 10 Presidents Day car deals
This weekend, car dealerships are eager to share the love with consumers as Presidents Day (and Valentine’s Day) approach.
If you’re searching for a new vehicle, there are plenty of dealership incentives and offers to be found. But not all deals are created equal. Fortunately, Consumer Reportshas released its picks for the “Best Presidents Day Car Sales’’ to help shoppers find a good vehicle at a good bargain.
Jeff Bartlett, deputy editor of cars for Consumer Reports, says the magazine’s analysts reviewed the opportunities for shoppers by looking at nationwide transactions and looked at the best potential savings based on customer rebates, available dealer incentives and dealer holdbacks (the percentage of a vehicle’s invoice paid to a dealer by the manufacturer).
There are plenty of luxury vehicles among this year’s picks. This year, Consumer Reports included three BMWs, two Mercedes-Benzs, and one Infiniti and one Audi. Bartlett acknowledges that these picks might not be the cheapest available. But they are intended to help consumers get a strong discount on a vehicle that earned high marks from Consumer Reports reviewers.
“You can get better deals on other cars, but these are good cars at good prices,’’ said Bartlett.
In addition to offering good savings to consumers, the cars must be “Recommended’’ by Consumer Reports. To earn the magazine’s “Recommended’’ label, a vehicle must do well in CR’s testing and demonstrate to reviewers that it can deliver a strong performance, reliability, and safety.
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Consumer Reports best Presidents Day car deals:
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With these savings available, Bartlett encourages shoppers to remember they are making a long-term investment when buying a car, so it pays to be a tough negotiator.
“There’s no reason to get a great deal on a bad car,’’ Bartlett told Boston.com. “This is more like a marriage than a date. You want a choice for the long haul.’’
With a deep freeze hitting the region this weekend, many would-be consumers might be tempted to stay home instead of visiting a dealership. But Bartlett believes the trip will be worth it for the consumers who decide to brave the cold because they will find more dealership staff ready to help them and eager to make a deal.
“Fortune favors the brave,’’ he said. “The ones who are willing to do it will probably find themselves in a pretty good spot.’’
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