Auto manufacturers, dealers cut prices for Hurricane Sandy victims

As many as 250,000 vehicles were damaged or lost in Hurricane Sandy and must be replaced. Auto manufacturers are helping with employee pricing, payment extensions, zero percent financing, waiving late fees and more, plus individual dealers have additional deals.

Nissan and Infiniti —  steeply discounted employee pricing and special financing with deferred payments to anyone in the designated FEMA disaster area with an insurance claim on a current vehicle due to the storm.  The offer is valid Nov. 1, 2012 through Jan. 2, 2013, and allows buyers to take advantage of special pricing on new 2013 Nissan and Infiniti models and is available at local Infiniti retailers. Details about the pricing and finance programs are  on the Nissan and Infiniti websites.

General Motors — an additional $500 toward the purchase or lease of any Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac, also to customers in designated FEMA disaster areas.

Ford — an additional $500 off the best price of a new car to  residents of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast who can prove Sandy damaged their cars. The bonus applies to buyers of a new 2012 or 2013 Ford or Lincoln, but not to  the Mustang Shelby GT/GT500, Mustang Boss, Focus Electric, Edge SE AWD, F-150 SVT Raptor or Taurus SE models. Ford Credit’s Disaster Relief Program also allows qualifying Sandy victims to delay payments on existing loans or leases.

Chrysler —  $500 cash allowance coupon to be applied toward the retail purchase or lease of most 2012 or 2013 model year Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck or Fiat models. The offer runs through January 2, 2013

Toyota — which lost 4,000 new 2013 models in the Port of Newark during the storm — is also offering deferred payments for customers sidetracked by Sandy, for Toyota and Lexus owners and lease customers.

Volvo  — also offering eligible customers employee pricing on a new Volvo, plus an additional $1,000 to help offset costs. The offer is at participating dealerships through January 2, 2013.

Mazda — $500 toward the purchase of a new Mazda to qualified customers, plus the option to defer the first payment for 90 days from the contract date on the purchase under special financing offered by participating lenders.  Current Mazda customers in areas hit by Hurricane Sandy will have late fees waived on Mazda Capital Services auto loans and leases, the automaker said.