10 Best End-Of-Summer Car Deals Of 2015

There’s a sweet time of year when automakers push out a new model year of cars regardless of how many of last year’s models are sitting on lots – sending the value of those older models plummeting.

That time is now.

As the folks at automotive retail data site TrueCar have pointed out in years past, September is the month where model year market share tends to stop tilting in favor of the current year’s models and starts leaning toward next year’s vehicles. Automakers consider these “end of summer” deals and, with a few weeks left to go in Post-Labor Day summer, there are still a lot of deals to be had.

What’s always most helpful to automobile bargain hunters is the fact that automakers always redesign or refresh a few models as the model year changes. As the folks at automotive pricing site Edmunds.com note, that provides dealers added urgency to those newly obsolete vehicles before the all-new models fill their lots.

“Although manufacturers are poised to replace these vehicles with new-generation models, they still offer excellent value and performance,” says Edmunds.com senior consumer advice editor Philip Reed. “Shoppers looking for the best possible deal on a new car right now would be smart to consider the savings these vehicles offer before they weigh any other options.”

Edmunds says least 31 vehicles that are scheduled for a redesign or refresh for 2016, which has the potential to drop the price of their 2015 versions by thousands of dollars from what’s been their average selling price thus far. With Edmunds’ help, we identified ten vehicles getting either a facelift or a complete overhaul for 2016. Their 2015 prices are getting a significant tweak as a result:

2015 BMW 3 Series

Starting price: $33,150

A refreshed design of the “cheap Bimmer” is coming later this year, which means prices on this one are going down. In some parts of the country, according to Edmunds. it is already selling for over $1,500 below its average selling price. BMW offers customer cash rebates along with attractive lease specials. Some rebate offers may also be combined with low-interest financing from dealers.

But what does that get you? Great features including a heads-up display projected onto the windshield, blind-spot detectors in the rearview mirrors and a freestanding iDrive screen for communication, navigation, entertainment and apps, the 3 series doesn’t exactly come up short on perks. In fact, it piles them on with features including a pushbutton starter that shuts the engine off when idling, a 240-horsepower engine that gets 34 miles per gallon on the highway, adaptive all-wheel drive and hands-free trunk access.

Know what else squeaks into the 328 series? A turbodiesel model that gets a mild-mannered 180 horsepower, but boosts fuel efficiency to 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Those are a lot of options at a price that’s supposed to offer luxury car buyers very little.

2015 Chevrolet Volt

Starting price: $33,150

This one’s going to hurt.

The long-anticipated Volt redesign will debut later this year, dropping the price of the 2015 model a steal. With relatively low and stable gas prices, sales of the plug-in hybrid Volt are already lagging, so prices are low and incentives are plentiful. Edmunds is seeing prices $4,000 below the average sale price, but that may not be enough.

Take the Volt out for more than 35 miles, and you basically have a very costly, somewhat inefficient hybrid. That said, its all-electric range is still far better than that of any plug-in hybrid on the road. That and its silent interior are the foundation for its 2016 redesign that adds more battery capacity, subtracts weight and increases its all-electric range from 38 miles to 50. Unfortunately, it also knocks about $10,000 off the price – which is the minimum drop you would need to choose a 2015 over a 2016. That puts the 2015 in a very uncomfortable spot, but as a halfway technology between pure hybrids and Chevrolet’s forthcoming all-electic Bolt, that’s the spot it’s always been in.

2015 Honda Civic

Starting price: $18,490

Edmunds characterizes it as a “popular car for students and those on a budget,” but it’s popular by just about any measure. The Civic routinely ranks among the Top 10 cars in the country in sales, but a $1,000 and $2,000 discount certainly doesn’t hurt.

It’s a bit snug for more than two, but the Civic’s combined 35 miles per gallon and nearly 40 miles per gallon on the highway make it a great car to grow into. It seats five with a surprising amount of space left over, is coated in airbags and has a new 7-inch touchscreen display that shows fuel efficiency, music info and photos. The utilitarian small sedan also tends to hold up well over the years, making it a gem for used car buyers who aren’t just waiting for a larger, far less efficient vehicle to get less expensive.

2015 Toyota Prius

Starting price: $24,200

The Prius isn’t used to begging for sales, but with a new, more efficient model coming and gas prices the lowest they’ve been in a decade, it’s getting somewhat awkward for the Prius. Prices have fallen as much as $3,000 below average, and Toyota is offering 0% financing for as long as 60 months to qualified buyers.

That said, buyers are still getting a steal out of this vehicle. A relatively cavernous 21.6 cubic feet of cargo space that turns into 40 cubic feet with the seats down, a heads-up information display on the windshield, multimedia system with app suite, an available solar roof that powers and internal fan to cool your car’s interior while you’re away and an available remote air conditioning system all continue to make the Prius the eco-friendly status symbol of choice. Oh, and those nearly 50 miles per gallon isn’t too shabby, either.

2015 Volkswagen Passat

Starting price: $24,200

This car gives no indication that it needs a mid-year refresh, but the plush sedan is getting one in the fall anyway. That’s dropping prices for the early 2015s $1,000 below their average, combined with cash incentives and 0% financing, while giving drivers a whole lot in return.