Top 40 Best Deals on American-Made Cars

May 21, 2009 11:00 AM

Memorial-Day-Deals-Flag Memorial Day is a time to commemorate the sacrifices made by men and women to protect our freedoms and values. It is a time to rally around the flag, with picnics, parades, and yes, car sales. In the patriotic spirit, our Auto Price Services team has studied the market and compiled these best deals on American-made cars for the holiday weekend.

Made in America
Buying an American-made car puts a new car in your driveway, and it also stimulates the economy from the automaker down through the parts suppliers, factory workers, and neighborhood dealerships. Given the recent announcements from Chrysler and General Motors that they will be making drastic cuts in the number of franchised dealerships, there will now be a greater drive than ever for these stores to make a deal. Likewise, their competitors will also offer significant discounts.

As is the case with our Best New Car Deals, to make this list, a vehicle must meet our stringent requirements to be recommended. Specifically, the vehicle must have performed well in Consumer Reports' tests, have average or better reliability, and, if crash-tested, provide good overall safety. Vehicles also must not have tipped up in the government rollover test.

To truly judge the deals, we factored customer rebates as well as hidden dealer incentives, as available in our new car price reports. From a list of all discounted models, we whittled it down to the 40 American-made models that meet our recommended criteria and offered the greatest discounts.

The list showcases a diverse assortment of 11 brands, reflecting the global nature of the auto industry and the reality that most companies build cars in the United States. (Conversely, many models from Chrysler, Ford, and GM are imported from other countries.)

While pro-America motives may fuel your purchase, be sure to research the models that best suit your needs and budgets, weighing the potential risks in choosing from a brand in bankruptcy proceedings or being divested, such as Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. Tremendous up-front savings can be overshadowed by excessive depreciation unless you plan on keeping the car longer than five years. There also may be limited dealer access.

Regardless of the model that catches your eye from this list, buying these models will help keep America working and put you behind the wheel of a good car.

Make & model	Expires	MSRP	Invoice price	Customer rebate	Dealer incentive	Bottom line price	Potential savings below MSRP
2009 Nissan Titan SE 4X4 Crew Cab SWB	6/1/2009	$33,200	$30,061	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	25%+
2009 Ford Focus SES Sedan	6/30/2009	17,865	16,552	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2009 Ford Focus SES Coupe	6/30/2009	17,865	16,552	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2009 Nissan Armada LE 4X4	6/1/2009	47,860	43,562	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2009 Ford Mustang GT Premium Coupe	6/1/2009	29,160	26,734	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2009 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Convertible	6/1/2009	27,345	25,100	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2009 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew 157-in.	6/1/2009	34,760	31,303	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2009 Ford Escape XLT 2.5L 4WD	6/30/2009	25,205	23,381	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Honda Odyssey EX	6/1/2009	29,455	26,692	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Mercury Sable Premier	6/30/2009	29,380	26,917	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Ford Escape XLT 3.0L 4WD	6/30/2009	26,215	24,300	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Ford Taurus Limited FWD	6/30/2009	30,670	28,053	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Mercury Mariner Premier I4 4WD	6/30/2009	26,515	24,598	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Honda Ridgeline 3.5 Auto RTS	6/1/2009	31,305	28,363	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Nissan Frontier 4.0 LE Crew Cab 4X4 AT	6/1/2009	29,190	27,045	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Mercury Mariner Premier V6 4WD	6/30/2009	27,515	25,508	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Toyota Tundra 5.7 Auto 4WD SR5 Crew Max	6/1/2009	34,285	31,369	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Ford Taurus X Limited AWD	6/30/2009	34,175	31,272	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Toyota Camry 2.4 Auto Hybrid	6/1/2009	26,150	23,796	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Toyota Camry 2.4 Auto SE	6/1/2009	22,815	20,533	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Toyota Camry 2.4 Auto LE	6/1/2009	21,650	19,593	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Lincoln Navigator Luxury 4x4	6/1/2009	56,020	51,383	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4 EL	6/30/2009	45,730	41,628	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Subaru Outback 2.5 Auto I	6/1/2009	23,295	21,907	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Toyota Camry 3.5 Auto V6 XLE	6/1/2009	28,695	25,823	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Hyundai Sonata GLS I4	6/1/2009	18,700	17,922	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Subaru Tribeca Limited 5-Passenger	6/1/2009	32,595	30,727	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 1LT 4X4 Crew Cab	6/1/2009	34,295	31,723	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Mazda Tribute 2.5 Auto i Grand Touring 4WD	6/1/2009	26,375	24,681	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Subaru Outback 3.0R Limited w/Navigation Auto 4WD	6/1/2009	34,095	31,721	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Honda Accord 2.4 LX-P	6/1/2009	21,905	19,869	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Honda Pilot EX-L 4WD	6/1/2009	35,295	31,969	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Mazda Tribute 3.0 Auto S Grand Touring 4WD	6/1/2009	27,635	25,856	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Honda Accord 2.4 LX-P 5AT	6/1/2009	22,705	20,592	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 Nissan Altima 2.5 HEV Auto	6/1/2009	26,650	24,976	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2009 GMC Sierra 4WD Crew Cab SLT SWB	6/1/2009	41,855	38,716	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2009 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 A/T	6/1/2009	22,450	21,466	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2009 Nissan Altima 2.5 S Sedan	6/1/2009	21,040	19,728	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2009 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE Auto Sedan	6/1/2009	25,680	23,800	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2009 Honda Accord 3.5 EX-L V6 5AT	6/1/2009	28,955	26,240	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+

—Jeff Bartlett and Michael Dempsey

Comments:

Expand All

Collapse All

Post a comment

Comments:

Featured Stories

Nobody Tests Like We Do

Cars News Categories