TRB Tribune

CHICAGO, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com has sifted through sales, incentives and various offers from car companies to let consumers know about some top deals for the holiday season. At this time of year, consumers are bombarded by sales offers and year-end incentives. Sifting through all the offers can be almost a full-time job for shoppers. Fortunately, the staff at Cars.com has done the work for you. "While we continuously maintain a list of the Top 10 Cash-Back Offers on Cars.com and a list of all available incentives to help car shoppers, this list goes beyond the numbers," said Cars.com managing editor Patrick Olsen. "Is it OK to get the 2007 with a rebate and not the 2008? Could any car with a $4,000 cash-back offer be any good? We've examined the incentives to tell shoppers which vehicles we find to be the best deals right now." While the cars making the best-deal list may not have the biggest rebates, Cars.com considers them the best available offers. Cars.com's experts took into account their experiences driving the cars, along with other factors, including safety and ownership costs, to find the best deals. Cars.com Best Deals: 2007 Ford Edge -- MSRP: $25,320 -- Cash back: $2,500 -- Percent off MSRP: 9.87% -- Expires: 1/2/08 -- Why it makes the cut: Not much has changed about the Edge for 2008, besides the availability of Ford's new Sync feature. If you don't care about that, there are plenty of 2007 Edges left on dealer lots. This SUV has a lot of style and a healthy V-6 engine standard. Cars.com editors aren't big fans of the interior fit and finish, but there's a lot of utility for the money. 2007 Cadillac Escalade, ESV, EXT -- MSRP: $54,670 -- Cash back: $4,500 -- Percent off MSRP: 8.23% -- Expires: 1/2/08 -- Why it makes the cut: It's still a pricey SUV, but there were no significant changes for 2008. If you can find a 2007, get the $4,500 rebate and put it right back into the fuel tank (2008 models have a $1,000 cash-back offer). 2007 Ford Focus -- MSRP: $13,715 -- Cash back: $3,500 -- Percent off MSRP: 25.52% -- Expires: 1/2/08 -- Why it makes the cut: Ford redesigned the Focus for 2008, but most of the mechanicals are basically the same and a lot of people don't like the new looks. The 2007 is still reliable basic transportation with good mileage -- 24/31 mpg city/highway using 2008 fuel economy testing guidelines. 2007 Hyundai Entourage -- MSRP: $23,895 -- Cash back: $2,000 -- Percent off MSRP: 8.37% -- Expires: 1/2/08 -- Cars.com Best Bet -- Why it makes the cut: The Entourage didn't light the world on fire when it debuted as a 2007 model, but what minivan ever has? Again, very little has changed for year two, so going with the first year and its Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the similar Kia Sedona is the only other minivan to earn that award) is a sensible move. About Cars.com Cars.com is the most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a new or used car. The site lists more than 2.4 million vehicles from more than 15,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and private parties to offer the more than 8 million unique visitors who log on to the site each month the best selection of new and used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to support their shopping experience. Cars.com combines powerful inventory search tools and new-car configuration with pricing information, photo galleries, buying guides, side-by-side comparison tools, original editorial content and reviews to help millions of car shoppers connect with sellers each month. Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, (http://classifiedventures.com/), which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE:BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB) and The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). DATASOURCE: Cars.com CONTACT: Jackie Brennan, Public Relations Specialist, +1-312-601-6229, mobile, +1-219-577-6106, , or Steve Nolan, Public Relations Manager, +1-312-601-5163, mobile, +1-630-310-2468, , both of Cars.com Web site: http://www.cars.com/ http://classifiedventures.com/

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