Hard to say what will happen when the $7500 tax credit goes away. Honestly, I'd still be a buyer without it. On my first purchase, the dealer didn't say much of anything about the credit. In an odd way, it was a bonus that arrived nine months later on my income taxes (talk about a long delay to get pleasure). I never counted on the Illinois rebate, and that was a bonus that arrived about the same time.
The second buy was a lease. The $7500 got buried in the lease price. The monthly lease payment was what I could afford and liked, so it worked. If the lease was that much more and not counting the $7500, I would still buy the lease
The third car I am about to purchase - there is a lot of conversation about the $7500, different state rebates, and the effective cost of purchase. But at the end of the day, I have to come up with that $7500 that I will get back a year from now. So it really almost doesn't count. I'm also not counting on the Illinois rebate - that money could disappear any day.
So on three purchases, that tax credit didn't really change my mind one way or the other about buying an all electric car. The first FFE made me an addict.
