What Car Dealers Don’t Tell You About Rebates—and What We Do Differently

Posted by: Kerlin Motor Company
Location: Silver Lake, Indiana
Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes

Let’s Talk About Rebates—Without the Fine Print

If you’ve ever seen an ad that says “up to $7,500 in rebates!” and then walked into a dealership only to find that you don’t qualify… you’re not alone.

Most dealers use rebates as a bait-and-switch tactic. They advertise the maximum possible discount—then build the deal assuming you’re a college student, military member, recent lessee, Ford credit user, and trade-in customer all rolled into one.

At Kerlin Motor Company, we don’t play those games.

Here's How Rebates Actually Work

Rebates come from the manufacturer (Ford), not the dealer. They're designed to incentivize purchases and vary based on:

Your location
Vehicle eligibility
How you plan to pay (cash, finance, lease)
Ownership history (Ford loyalty, conquest)
Personal circumstances (military, student, etc.)

Most people qualify for some rebates—but not all of them. That’s why “$X,XXX off” offers you see on TV are rarely real for everyone.

What We Do Differently at Kerlin

Instead of misleading “stacked rebates” that no one qualifies for, we focus on real offers that apply to you—and then dig deeper to find hidden programs you may not even know exist.

Here’s what we check for every customer:

Ford retail, lease, or cash offers based on VIN and ZIP code
Private offers Ford may have targeted to your household
Loyalty bonuses if you currently own or lease a Ford
Conquest cash if you drive a competitive brand
Military or first responder incentives
Insurance-related incentives
AXZ Plan or Partner pricing if you're eligible

We don’t expect you to know the rebate structure. That’s our job. You just need to tell us a few details, and we’ll take care of the rest.

How You Pay Changes What You Save

Most dealers push financing because they make more on the back end—but we genuinely don’t care how you pay.

Here’s what you need to know:

Some rebates are tied to Ford Motor Credit financing or lease programs
Others are cash-only or require opting out of special APR offers
You could save more financing than paying cash, depending on the program

We’ll lay it out both ways and help you decide. There’s no wrong answer—we just want you to make the most informed choice possible.

Bottom Line: We Work for You, Not Against You

We’ve been in business for 98 years because we do things differently. That includes how we handle rebates, discounts, and every part of the deal.

You’ll never see inflated offers you don’t qualify for, forced add-ons you didn’t ask for, or games that waste your time. Just real savings, explained clearly.

Ready to See What You Actually Qualify For?

Visit us: Silver Lake, Indiana
Call: 260-352-2162
Start online: kerlinmotors.com

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Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This site, and all information and materials appearing on it, are presented to the user "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. All vehicles are subject to prior sale. Price does not include applicable tax, title, and license charges. ‡Vehicles shown at different locations are not currently in our inventory (Not in Stock) but can be made available to you at our location within a reasonable date from the time of your request, not to exceed one week.

While we make every effort to ensure the data listed here is correct, there may be instances where some of the factory rebates, incentives, options or vehicle features may be listed incorrectly as we get data from multiple data sources. PLEASE MAKE SURE to confirm the details of this vehicle (such as what factory rebates you may or may not qualify for) with the dealer to ensure its accuracy. Dealer cannot be held liable for data that is listed incorrectly.

Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This site, and all information and materials appearing on it, are presented to the user "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. All vehicles are subject to prior sale. Price does not include applicable tax, title, license, and $199 documentation fees. ‡Vehicles shown at different locations are not currently in our inventory (Not in Stock) but can be made available to you at our location within a reasonable date from the time of your request, not to exceed one week.

Kerlin Motor Company, Inc.