Move over, Kasem, Consumer Reports charts American Top 40 (new car deals)
Consumer Reports has counted down the forty best deals on domestic new cars – those you can get from 10% to 25% below MSRP. Since CR doesn't have any Chrysler products that it feels it can recommend, there are no Pentastar products on the list, and General Motors products features but twice (the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 1LT 4X4 Crew Cab can be had for 15% below retail and the 2009 GMC Sierra 4WD Crew Cab SLT SWB for a 10% discount).
Topping the chart is the 2009 Nissan Titan SE 4X4 Crew Cab SWB, for which CR figures Nissan will slice off upwards of one fourth of the price. Otherwise, dominating the top of the list are Ford products in the 15% to 20% bracket, while the lower half is owned by "domestics" in the guise of Toyota and Honda with a smattering of Nissan and Subaru.
All of the cars on the list have been tested by CR and have good overall safety scores, including rollover results. To come up with the final discount number, the magazine included customer rebates and dealer incentives. If you're looking for any one of these cars, the negotiating tactic you're probably looking for is "hard bargain." Check out the complete list of CR's Top 40 at the link below.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JDM Life 7:10PM (5/22/2009)
No wonder it tops the list....i forgot Nissan even made a truck.... :X
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Dan 7:50PM (5/22/2009)
I think Nissan would like to forget they made a truck too.
tekd 7:14PM (5/22/2009)
I was pretty surprised/excited when I saw the Mustang GT on that list until I realized the 2009 is the old model.
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mudder 7:22PM (5/22/2009)
The Nissan Titan has a "good overall safety rating"? Ha. Tell that to the IIHS. http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=70
Get a IIHS "Top Safety Pick" F-150 instead.
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Dan 7:55PM (5/22/2009)
Nissan pretty much pulled the plug on the Titan last year, shipped hardly any 09s and the 08s are pretty much gone by now too.
25% off is great, but with dealers only stocking one or two trucks good luck finding one set up the way you want.
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Tony 8:16PM (5/22/2009)
Yeah I figured the Altima 3.5 SE would be on the list. I picked up a new 07 3.5 SE for a 1000.00 less than MSRP on the road, taxes in, everything. People don't want to buy this car as it is recommended you use premium fuel. This is the first car I have owned that you can really notice the difference between regular and premium gas. I lose about 40 hp and 200 kms range going with regular. Awesome car, hellava deal
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S.P. 9:36PM (5/22/2009)
$1000 off MSRP is a helluva deal? Really? Unless MSRP isn't the window sticker - am I wrong? I would have a hard time agreeing with that! I got 9500 off the truck I bought. But then again Japanese/Asian car dealers never seem to think they have to budge on price, so $1000 off and you're just about killing them (roll eyes). I hope you at least bought it in 07 and not a new 07 now. Nice car anyway.
Victor 12:00AM (5/23/2009)
That's tax inclusive, apperantly. In that case, knock another 2k-3k off for taxes.
kcdk99 9:40PM (5/22/2009)
Hmmm, only 2 GM or Chrysler vehicles made it on the list... even at the current 50% markdowns on the vehicles... LOL. I try to buy American as much as possible (does American cheese count?), but when it comes to vehicles, I look to the Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
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Tony 11:04PM (5/22/2009)
@S.P
When I bought my Chev Tracker years ago G,M was offering a $7000.00 rebate. The MSRP was $29,450.00 Canadian. The equivalent Suzuki Grand Vitara Had a MSRP of $23,600.00 with 16" rims not the 15" rims of the Tracker. The only reason I bought the Tracker was the dealership was willing to deal even more. You didn't get $9500.00 off the MSRP. The MSRP was raised by $9500.00 before you even bought your truck.
Another case in point. I was looking at buying a 2007 Malibu Maxx SS. The Maxx SS had a MSRP of $37,695.00 Can. $37,695.00 for a MALIBU? I phoned the dealership thinking I would be able to get a good deal in January. I point blank told the salesman that if I drove the car off the lot the car would only be worth $20,000.00 trade in. I offered $25,000.00 all in. He phoned me back with the cars details. The SS had 11,000 kms on it and my $25,000.00 offer wasn't in the ball park. I bought my Altima 3.5 SE with 20 kms that day for $30,500.00 all in. In Canada we pay huge taxes, back then 15% plus air, tire and gas taxes.
The point is, the Altima is twice the car of the Maxx SS, 40+ more hp, better handling, resale, style, initial quality of interior, etc, etc and yet the MSRP of the Altima was $7,000.00 less than the Maxx. Would I feel better if I had got the Maxx for $7,000.00 less than MSRP? Hell no. GM, Ford and Chrysler have been over inflating their MSRP's for years to make you think you are getting a smoking great deal, when you're most definitely NOT. Look at what the vehicle is worth not the MSRP and maybe next time you won't get taken.
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tricky dicky 11:50PM (5/22/2009)
idiotic list by a bunch of hacks.
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Jim 7:26AM (5/23/2009)
Consumers Report is a pro foreign car organization. They hate Americans cars no matter how good they are. They have been working hard for decades in trying to destroy the domestic car makers. They, are in part responsible for what is happening to them today. I bet thru the years, many individuals did not buy American cars because of their fault reporting.
EU_reader 12:18PM (5/23/2009)
@Jim
Yes, it's a conspiracy, I tells you!!!
Now put on your tin foil hat and go back to sleep.
As if one consumer organisation can ruin three car companies all by itself. It's just a laughable suggestion. Don't worry, detroit didn't need any outside help to drive over the cliff all by themselves....
Always trying to shift responsibility, because "oh no... It can't be their own fault"...
tuxchown 12:31AM (5/23/2009)
I'll bet they recommended all those Toyota trucks which are now falling apart with rust too.
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AngeloD 1:16AM (5/23/2009)
Not a single Chrysler product on CR's recommended list?
Nope, no bias there at all.
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V.Greene 3:03AM (5/23/2009)
couldn't be because the only genre in which a Chrysler is the best choice would the wrangler off roader market. There's no real competition anyway.
Rick 11:07AM (5/26/2009)
:) I'm curious what Chrysler you feel slighted? I can't think of any I'd buy, so I'd have a hard time recommended any of them as well.
whofan 4:15PM (5/23/2009)
Consumer Reports is joke!
I bought their top rated washing machine and got five years out of it. Repairs over those years came close to the purchase price of the machine.
I then bought one of their low rated washers at a dealer recomendation it has been flawless going on three years of daily use.
I use to subsribe to CR.
Their ratings are based on what they think is nice and customer feedback.
No way especialy pertaining to cars are their ratings right.
CR is good only as a reference to what products are out there.
They rated domestic beer years ago and Old Milwalkee came out in first place for best taste. go figure.
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st34 9:42PM (5/24/2009)
I stopped reading consumer reports long ago as I found much of their opinon was flawed and biased, some of which were based on gimme's to certain products of certain manufacturers that they felt were deserving of a nod without even testing. Although I feel compelled to read as much as possible about any product I may be interested in, I do not feel I could recommend Consumer Reports to any one, based on past practices and my own independent studies. Bottom line,,,, if you like something, don't believe everything you read from CR!. Go try it out for yourself and make a decision based on your own experience. You will thank yourself later, and be glad you did.
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Randy 12:33PM (5/29/2009)
I'm really surprised that GM products are flooding this list! You'd think they'd be giving them away because of the pending chapter 11.
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