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POLL: If the GOP tax reform kills the $7500 tax credit, will you still buy?

If the GOP tax reform kills the $7500 tax credit, will you still buy?

  • No

    Votes: 119 23.2%
  • Yes

    Votes: 393 76.8%

  • Total voters
    512

daniel

Active Member
May 7, 2009
4,767
3,588
Kihei, HI
Yes, but it grates on me that this incentive is being pulled out from under us more than a year after we made a reservation. I will be lobbying my senators to vote against it, but since both are spineless Republications, I don't have much hope. Is it not obvious that this tax bill punishes those in red states?

Since when did legislators (or presidents, for that matter) give a rat's ass about people who don't give them money?
 

geometro

Member
Jun 24, 2015
369
524
Austin
What I am saying is that if your budget for a Tesla (any model) was so tight that you needed the tax credit to barely be able to afford it at all, then you really can't afford it, because your budget is already stretched to the limit, or very nearly so.

There are lots of people that buy things at 20% off, which is what this represents.
But, looks like we’ll have to agree to disagree on this.
 

R.S

Active Member
Mar 8, 2015
1,196
1,004
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Since I don't live in the US, I can't really give my two cents, but I have a followup question that @ncsmith4 could add to the poll:

Will you wait bit longer to purchase your Model 3?

As I see it there was a good reason to buy a M3 as soon as possible before, but if the incentive gets cut this year, some might wait another year, because their current car still works well enough, or because they don't want a "first model year" car, or maybe even because they might wait to find out more about the Model Y, SUVs seem to be rather popular in the US.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hoang51

Skione65

Active Member
May 5, 2016
1,458
717
Kentucky
I’ll STILL buy/purchase. I’ll also wait as long as it takes. Not happy. Hope the EV Tax Credit stays.....however I’ll still purchase. NO WAY I’m getting another ICE.

Ski
 

Kbra

Member
Feb 4, 2015
918
453
San Luis Obispo, California
The cost of a 2017 base Model S (w/ Fed Rebate) comes closer to a 2018 Model 3. Depending on personal needs the S might be the better choice for some, especially those that need more of a family sized car vs commuter.
 

206er

Member
Feb 21, 2017
591
548
Seattle, WA USA
The cost of a 2017 base Model S (w/ Fed Rebate) comes closer to a 2018 Model 3. Depending on personal needs the S might be the better choice for some, especially those that need more of a family sized car vs commuter.
I'm only interested in a base 3 w/ the full federal tax credit. 2017 Model S is significantly more expensive and not an option.
 

206er

Member
Feb 21, 2017
591
548
Seattle, WA USA
Is the base still an option for you without the credit?
Not really, mainly because I'm the lesser (but still vocal) half of our family's car decision making process and my wife is cross shopping the base Model 3 with decently optioned new and lightly used Hondas and Toyotas. For everything that excites most of us about the 3 and Tesla, "Tesla for the price of a Civic" has been the only selling point that's gained traction with her.

She's not an EV or Tesla enthusiast in the least, and last week's conference call and a subsequent NPR story she heard about a Model S lemon has made waiting for the 3 instead of grabbing a new or lightly used Japanese car harder of a sell since she's now become aware of Tesla's reliability issues... if the tax credit dies, so do my short term Tesla plans.
 

Reeler

Decade of Pure EV Driving
Oct 14, 2015
1,750
957
Denver, CO
I will probably sit on the sidelines and not upgrade any of my 4 EVs that I currently own. With the tax rebates, upgrading was not so economically painful.

Generally, I think the tax break going away is good for Tesla as other manufacturers were going to have a pricing advantage soon. The timing is perfect to have Tesla run through their credits just as all go away. Nice timing EM!
 

voip-ninja

Give me some sugar baby
Mar 15, 2012
4,121
4,692
Colorado
Kinda sounds like not. $35,000 is a lot of money for a car for a lot of folks. Especially when you can get a used Civic for under a tenth of that.

That's apples and oranges.

Like arguing that a $300,000 house is a lot of money when you can get a perfectly good used double-wide trailer for $20,000.

$35,000, even without the rebate is in the ballpark of other mid-level NEW sedans from Honda & Toyota.... especially when you factor in the fuel savings and lower TCO of maintenance over a 10 year period of time.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DR61
Jun 20, 2017
19
22
CT
Eh, I wasn't qualified for the tax credit anyway. I'm more concerned that my state legislature can't get their act together to allow Tesla to sell here, thereby allowing Model 3s to receive the state EV rebate...
 

PBV240

Member
Oct 5, 2017
6
0
US
I wouldn't have considered buying a Model S if the rebate wouldn't have been here. I was in the process of buying a Gulia, but the 2018's were taking to long to come out. I did the math and with the $7500 coming back to me I would be able to pay off a credit card and save myself the extra monthly cost. I still haven't got my car though... I don't think the GOP bill will pass in its current form. They are taking away to much, and they got destroyed last night. People that itemize are smart enough to realize they are losing money and a bad bill like this will be a huge black eye. 2018 is to close for them to mess this up.
 

insaneoctane

Active Member
Apr 6, 2016
3,407
5,419
Southern California
It's interesting to watch folks talk past each other here.

The EV tax credit incentives exist to help promote and encourage the sale of more EVs than would otherwise be sold. If you can buy into that premise, read on. Otherwise you may want to just skip the rest of this post.

Some people would (and will) buy an EV without the incentive. The tax credit isn't really designed for them, but they can collect it. They might bitch or reduce their options, but they will buy without the extra money. Other's can't or won't buy an EV without the credit. The incentive is obviously for them. They need to be incentivized to buy. It really does not make sense to have the target of the incentive argue with the non-targets because they will talk past each other and often disagree.

Figure out which you are and have a relevant discussion with someone who will listen to your view. Maybe self identify at the beginning of your post in this thread ;)

By the way, I am probably not the target of the credit, just pissed off about my timing on missing out on what like 150K Tesla X and S owners before me got!
 
  • Informative
Reactions: DR61

insaneoctane

Active Member
Apr 6, 2016
3,407
5,419
Southern California
I guess I should add that if you are in one group but willing to change your mind and become a member of the other group (target of credit vs non-target) then you might get some value from hearing both sides. On the other hand, if you are set in your ways and unwilling to change groups, then my previous message probably applies.

You ever re-read your own posts and wonder who wrote that?
 

206er

Member
Feb 21, 2017
591
548
Seattle, WA USA
That's apples and oranges.

Like arguing that a $300,000 house is a lot of money when you can get a perfectly good used double-wide trailer for $20,000.

$35,000, even without the rebate is in the ballpark of other mid-level NEW sedans from Honda & Toyota.... especially when you factor in the fuel savings and lower TCO of maintenance over a 10 year period of time.
Disagree. I'd argue that based on the limited info we have on the base 3, the "mass market" can get more car for the money by going with a decently optioned $35k Honda or Toyota. I've always thought of the base model as being for folks like my wife and I who are interested in trying out a great looking EV, have always used "affordable" ICE cars, and are cross shopping it with proven, familiar ICE alternatives. For us, it's apples to apples. Also, I've never owned/leased a car for longer than 6 years, so can't imagine keeping an early production 3 for longer than that time frame given the potential innovation from Tesla and competitors coming our way. And if the car breaks and is in the shop for anywhere longer than a week, I'll never hear the end of "our Hondas/Acuras never broke like that".
 

206er

Member
Feb 21, 2017
591
548
Seattle, WA USA
I guess I should add that if you are in one group but willing to change your mind and become a member of the other group (target of credit vs non-target) then you might get some value from hearing both sides. On the other hand, if you are set in your ways and unwilling to change groups, then my previous message probably applies.

You ever re-read your own posts and wonder who wrote that?
Honestly, I'd love to be in the "maybe I'll just buy a Model S instead to ensure I get the credit" crowd.
 

comanchepilot

Member
Oct 3, 2017
404
324
SoCal - EAST
If Tesla cannot deliver the vehicle before the tax credit goes away [I'm assuming 12/31/17] we will not take delivery of a new vehicle.

I will get the deposit back because they sold the vehicle price net of the tax credit. They don't have enough fine print to get out of that one.

Then we will take our deposit and go back to plan A which was a CPO - we will find one that never had the white sticker applied for - thus ensuring my wife's access through 2021. . . and save $20,000
 

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