World's Largest Cash-Back Rebate: $42K Off Tesla Roadster
If you're in the market for a new car and would like a little help with the purchase, there's a nice $3,500 cash-back rebate this month on the Pontiac G8. There's a similar $3,500 rebate on leftover 2009 Ford Mustangs. Or, for Colorado residents, there's a $42,083 rebate on the all-electric Tesla Roadster.
Yeah, read it again.
Didn't change, did it?
Autoblog reports, "Colorado is offering a $42,083 rebate on the 2009 Tesla Roadster until December 31st...yep, that's a 38-percent discount on what must be the most desirable electric car currently for sale in the United States."
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from U.S. News & World Report
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For the uninitiated, the Tesla Roadster is a guilt-free supercar. A topless, wind-in-your-hair rocket that surges from a standstill to sixty miles per hour in less than four seconds, it's fast enough to catch the gingerbread man. It corners faster than a caffeinated chipmunk running from a lawn mower and, oh yeah, it doesn't use gas. When you get home (which shouldn't take long), you just plug it back into the wall.
The only problem with the Roadster is its buzz-killing six-figure sticker price. Except, apparently, for those who can see the Rockies from their driveway.
Autoblog explains, "The incentive actually applies to a slew of qualifying hybrid and electric vehicles and will be paid in the form of an income tax credit that's calculated by determining the difference in price of the alt-fuel car or truck as compared to a competitive gas-powered model. In the case of the Tesla Roadster, Colorado figures the EV costs a whopping $50K more than its competitive set."
We have no idea what possessed them to think the Tesla had competitors. There's just nothing else like it. They may have compared it to the Lotus Elise, a similarly-sized, lightweight track racer that does cost about $50K less.
Whatever they were comparing it to, they took a massive chunk out of the price. Jalopnik notes, "The final price, after the tax credit, is a relatively low $67,800 (relative to the 110K starting price)."
Tesla dealers are rare, but Colorado shoppers are in luck. Fox News reports, "Tesla will open a new store in Boulder, Colorado, this Friday."
If you need more than two seats, or trunk space for something larger than a pen, the Tesla won't meet your needs. But we found jaw-dropping rebates on some cars that might. A fact sheet put of by the Taxpayer Service Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue lists the lot of them, ranging from $3,906 off a Ford Escape Hybrid to $20,392 off a Lexus LS 600 hybrid.
If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.
