Best Chrysler Deals: November 2009 Lease and Purchase

Car shoppers considering a Chrysler this month should brush up on their negotiating skills. Chrysler dealers are hurting, and many will consider all respectful offers.

In October, much of the auto industry showed real signs of recovering from recession lows. A few auto brands boasted sales gains as high as 40 percent, and both of Chrysler’s cross-town rivals, Ford and General Motors, saw sales gains for the month. Chrysler, however, showed no signs of life at all. The company posted a 30 percent sales drop -- the worst, by far, in the entire auto industry.

Despite the dismal numbers, Chrysler isn’t doing much to help its dealers sell cars this month. Last month, the company offered aggressive incentives, with interest-free financing on virtually every model and cash-back rebates as high as $6,000 on some. As the October sales figures show, it didn’t help much. So Chrysler has pulled back drastically this month.

The company is offering very few incentives on 2009 models, but sales figures show that dealers have a lot of 2009s left. Most of Chrysler’s incentives this month are offered only on new 2010 models, and they’re not as impressive as we’re used to seeing. Interest-free financing is still on the table for many cars, but in November, the low rate is offered on loans up to 48 months. Last month, it was 72. Cash-back rebates are still available, but they’re nothing close to last month’s offers.

Chrysler dealers know they need to sell cars badly. They’re willing to talk. The lack of help from Chrysler’s corporate offices makes lowering the final price of the vehicle one of the few things Chrysler dealers can do to win your business, since they can’t offer you low payments through a long loan term.

As always, it's important to comparison shop before buying. Check out our Chevrolet Deals, where you’ll find longer terms offered on zero-percent interest loans this month. Our Ford Deals page details some of the cash-back and low-interest deals Ford is offering. Looking for more deals? Check out the best deals other automakers have to offer on our Car Deals page.