Best Labor Day weekend car deals, cash-back and financing discounts

Labor Day weekend can be a good time to buy a car, depending on what you want, experts say, as some automakers pile on incentives. 

New-car sales have been falling lately amid signs that sales incentives are peaking, but Labor Day car shoppers have recent history on their side.

Last year, September was the top month as having the highest incentives per vehicle, according to Autodata. It was led in 2015 and was second-highest in 2014.

Toyota

2017 Camry: Up to $3,000 cash back depending on the region or 0% financing for 72 months. Note that this is the outgoing Camry, however, not the 2018 redesign.

2017 Corolla: Up to $2,500 cash back depending on your region, or 0% financing for 72 months. That's for the Corolla sedan. The 2017 Corolla iM hatchback gets the same amount of cash back depending on region, or 0% financing for 60 months, not 72 months.

2017 RAV4: Up to $3,000 cash back depending on your region, or 0% financing for 72 months.

Ford

2017 Escape: From $3,500 to $5,000 cash back depending on region and trim level, or 2.9% financing for 84 months. The deal is good through Oct. 2 in some areas.

2017 Focus: Through Oct. 2, from $3,350 to $4,500 cash back depending on region and trim level, or 2.9% financing for 84 months. These deals include the Focus ST and Focus Electric but exclude the Focus RS.

Nissan

2017 Sentra: $2,000 to $2,500 cash back, depending on region, or 0% financing for 72 months.

2017 Altima: Up to $3,500 cash back depending on region and trim, or 0% financing for 60 months.

Kia

2017 Sorento: $3,000 to $4,000 cash back or 0% financing for 66 months.

Discount financing requires qualifying credit. We looked for large cash-back deals on popular cars in five metro areas — Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Atlanta — and excluded any amounts with strings attached, like a military or college-grad discount or a requirement to finance through the automaker. We also look only at advertised factory incentives, not unadvertised factory-to-dealer cash.

In sum, your local discounts may vary, so see your dealer for specifics.