Best deals on American-made cars

Jun 29, 2010 7:00 AM

Independence Day brings more than fireworks, marching bands, and barbeques. It also typically brings a wave of new-car incentives, which can save car buyers thousands of dollars. Our regular lists of Best New Car Deals show you recommended models that are currently carrying either customer or dealer sales incentives. But in the July 4th spirit, we’ve combined the patriotic and car-buying sides of Independence Day to show you the American-made models that now have such incentives.

In this case, we’re taking the term “American-made” literally. We’re including only models that are built right here on U.S. soil, whether from a domestic or import manufacturer. (And to keep things simple, we’re not looking at parts content, which is listed on a vehicle’s window sticker.) Now, we aren’t suggesting that you use the location of an assembly plant to determine which car to buy; our Ratings are a much better guide to the best and worst in any category. But it can be a good conversation starter while you’re waiting for your next burger.

The list has been compiled by Consumer Reports Auto Price Services, which continuously monitors sales incentives--both customer rebates and unadvertised dealer incentives--for calculating the Bottom Line Price included in every CR New Car Price Report.

The many sides of “American made”
In looking at all of the models that are on sale in the U.S. this month, we’ve identified 118 that are built in America. Of those, 42 are recommended by Consumer Reports. These are good, all-around vehicles that have performed well in our road tests, have average or better reliability, and have performed adequately if tested in government or insurance industry crash tests.

Of those that are recommended, there are 16 models (which break down into 23 trim levels) that currently have national sales incentives, with some models offering rebates of $3,000 to $5,000. That could light your sparkler.

The list includes models from the usual suspects: Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury. But it also includes eight Honda models and one each from Acura and Hyundai, all of which are built in U.S. plants.

Conversely, there are many “domestic models” that are built outside of the U.S. For instance, we found that the Sebring sedan and convertible are the only Chryslers built within our borders. And the MKS and Navigator are the only Lincolns. Many domestic models are actually built in Canadian and Mexican assembly plants.

The brands with the most models built in the U.S. are Ford (16), Chevrolet (14), GMC (11), Honda (8), and Jeep (7). Pickup trucks boost the numbers, as each body style counts as a model. In addition to Acura, Honda, and Hyundai, every mainstream import brand also builds vehicles here.

Make & model	Expires	MSRP	Invoice price	Customer rebate	Dealer incentive	Bottom line price	Potential savings below MSRP
2010 Acura TL 3.5 Auto	7/6/2010	$35,105	$32,673	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Buick Lucerne Super	7/6/2010	42,515	40,814	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT	7/6/2010	22,715	21,579	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2010 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ	7/6/2010	26,955	25,607	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT 4x4 Crew Cab	7/6/2010	34,615	32,192	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	20%+
2010 Chevrolet Traverse 3.6 AT 4WD 1LT	7/6/2010	33,745	32,058	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4 EL	7/6/2010	46,470	43,253	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew 157-in	7/6/2010	35,465	32,105	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Ford Focus SES sedan	7/6/2010	18,780	17,489	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Ford Focus SES coupe	7/6/2010	18,780	17,489	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Ford Mustang GT Premium	7/6/2010	31,395	28,906	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Auto	7/6/2010	29,105	26,375	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Honda Accord LX-P	7/6/2010	22,055	20,005	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Honda Civic EX	7/6/2010	19,455	17,919	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Honda Civic EX Auto	7/6/2010	20,255	18,653	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Honda Civic Hybrid CVT	7/6/2010	23,800	21,904	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Honda Civic Si Coupe	7/6/2010	22,055	20,304	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Honda Odyssey EX	7/6/2010	29,905	27,098	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Honda Ridgeline RTS	7/6/2010	31,555	28,589	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+
2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 Auto Limited AWD	7/6/2010	30,295	28,425	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Lincoln Navigator 4x4	7/6/2010	57,850	53,230	Yes	No	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD	8/31/2010	31,855	29,578	No	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	10%+
2010 Mercury Mariner Premier I4 4WD	8/31/2010	27,380	25,505	Yes	Yes	Get the Bottom Line Price	15%+

It’s important to remember that any deal is only as good as the vehicle you're buying. We recommend that you thoroughly research the performance, reliability, safety, owner cost, and owner satisfaction of any model you're considering. Subscribers to ConsumerReports.org have access to our Ratings in all of those areas.

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