News-Record.com

Ford, GM will cover your car payments if you lose your job.

Ford said Tuesday it will cover payments of up to $700 each month for up to a year on any new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle if buyers get laid off. The program runs until June 1.

GM will make up to nine car payments of $500 each for customers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

Customers must qualify for state unemployment to be eligible. The program starts April 1 until April 30.

"If you're trying to get the most for your money when buying a new family car, you might think that a $20,870 four-cylinder Chrysler Sebring would be a better buy than a $24,803 Toyota Prius Touring," Consumer Reports says in its April issue. "But according to a new Consumer Reports analysis, the Prius is one of the best values you can buy, while the Sebring ranks near the bottom of its class."

The ranking factors in total cost of ownership over five years including fuel costs, maintenance and repairs, insurance, depreciation, financing and taxes against the purchase price.

Chrysler is hoping to entice you to the dealership by offering employee pricing discounts to the general public and other rebates.

Customers can get cash discounts of up to $3,500 for 2009 model year vehicles and up to $6,000 on 2008 model year vehicles.

The deals follow a zero-percent financing offer Chrysler announced last week.

"We have an extraordinary offer we're coming out with," Chrysler LLC spokeswoman Carrie McElwee told the Associated Press.

Do you buy that this is "extraordinary?"