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Kind of makes sense, since there are a lot of Ford Escape Hybrids as taxis on the streets of NY.
I read in another forum about a guy in SoCal who went into an IRS office to get clarification and was told definitively that the date of ordering is irrelevant, it's the date the vehicle is placed in service that determines the level of tax credit.
I also stumbled on the IRS form 8910 link title , which is used to request the credit, & it only asks for the date placed in service.
My local S.F Bay Area Ford dealer just emailed me to tell me their first 2 FFHs will arrive end of April, for $2,000 over MSRP (Internet special deal!). Anyone have any better deals in the area?
For example, if consumer A purchases a Prius on Sept. 30, 2006, and takes possession in February 2007, consumer A can claim the full credit for 2007, the year in which the vehicle is placed in service.
There is no other logical way to "purchase" a vehicle in September and take possession in February except to order it. It also mentions the Purchase date of the vehicle when determining the amount of the credit. The date you take possession determines which tax year you're allowed to claim the credit. If you bought a FFH on 3/30/09 and took delivery within 2009 you can claim the full credit on your 2009 return. But if you take delivery in January 2010 you have to wait and claim the full credit on your 2010 return.
The date of purchase determines the amount of the credit available for a vehicle, i.e. whether a vehicle is eligible for the full credit or whether a portion of the credit is phased-out. The placed in service date determines the taxable year in which the credit may be claimed.
So....date of purchase determines the credit amount and the date it is placed in service determines which return you're allowed to claim it on (2009 or 2010). I see not other possible interpretation. Please enlighten me.
Let's just talk about Fusion Hybrids here.
Seems entirely relevant to this topic.
This is a straighftforward $3400 tax credit for making a purchase. There is nothing unethical about signing for a vehicle purchase prior to the deadline and taking the credit, even though said bought vehicle was delivered after 3/31/09. Whether it is considered legal according to some IRS drone doing his or her job is a whole nother kettle of fish, but claiming this credit because you bought the vehicle prior to 3/31 (and delivery could not happen by that time does not involve significant ethical shenanigans) does not rise to the level of oh, let's say, invading a sovereign country because we think there might be highjinks going on, or certain AIG retaining compensation for departing hotshots. OK, sorry for lobbing that kettle of fish (and mixing metaphors worse than most). I meant to say it is a technical point, but calling it an ethical dilemma is just wrong.
Right on. To spend hundreds of dollars with a CPA to see if a Tax Credit will go through when you file in 2010 is a waste of money. Nothing ventured nothing gained. All the IRS will do is say yes that is legitimate or no. Then you can argue your case or pay the additional tax. I cannot recall how many dozens of times I have put in deductions that were not specifically addressed in the tax code. I have never been audited. I go by my CPA's advice when tax time rolls around. If the dealer says they got word that you can get the $3400 by signing the deal on a FFH before April 1st. That will be a piece of your evidence if the IRS kicks it back.
Congrats on the Milan. I was going to order one instead of the FFH, but the dealer said delivery would take longer.
Congrats to you as well.
It is not my m.o. to buy a car without a test drive. But I took a good look at it at the L.A. Auto Show. I have had imports for the last few years, but I know Ford makes a good product at a fair price. And there is no doubt in my mind that the Fusion and Milan Hybrids are class leaders at this time. From the drive train to the technology and everything in between, these sedans can't be beat. :shades:
The estimates I'm hearing about the FFH the dealer ordered for me is about the same, but I'm figuring it will be 8 weeks.
I had heard that Ford/Mercury wanted to have at least one of the Hybrids at the dealership as soon as possible. At this point I have not seen any advertising on the part of Ford/Mercury. I suspect they will sell all they produce once the public is aware of the product.
My FFH was ordered the last few days of Feb or the first few days of March. Even though I have a VIN there is not a projected delivery date for it, nor the one the dealer ordered months ago when they were allowed to make their first requests.
We got notification today that they accepted a change in the color of the leather seats. Thus, they are not that far along with its production. I'm sure the seats are one of the last things to go in the car.
Analyzing the decision to buy a hybrid based on financial factors is equivalent to deciding to have children based on financial factors. Both are emotional decisions that few people would make based on financial factors. (Yes, I'm a man and will get plenty of flack for that statement)
BTW, if you go in the Ford website to the owner's link, you can register your car. I did so, even though I don't yet have the car. The VIN came back as expected: 2010 Fusion Hybrid.
It could take a little longer if they cannot find the right color Cow for the seats. :shades:
That $7500 tax credit for plugin or EV type vehicles is based on the KWH capacity of the battery. I think the car has to have a 16KWH battery to get the full $7500 tax credit. Just happens to be the exact amount of the Volt.
they can ask, but their wish may take a while to get granted.
Seriously, you don't think the assembly line process takes a couple of weeks and the seats go in on the last day?
The fact the vehicle is built in Mexico should not matter. As far as I am concerned I am still "buying American" just as I would be buying "German" if I bought a BMW X-5 or buying "Japanese" if I bought a Honda Accord.
You can blame the good ol US of A government for forcing American companies, not just car companies, for the high tariffs for exporting US goods to other countries, to have factories outside of the USA. If O'bam really wants to get more jobs going in the country, he needs to work on reducing or eliminating high tariffs. When other countries can import cars, trucks, and construction equipment at a more competitive cost to foreign manufacturers, more plants can be opened up bringing in more jobs. A good example is Caterpillar, the tariff on a bulldozer can run as high as $100,000, making it impossible to sell to other countries. Whether the Tariff is imposed by the US, or by the country to export to, they need to work it out so that the US can compete.
"n fact, we could manage only 35.7 mpg. The car's onboard computer was a little generous, claiming 37 mpg. The Camry Hybrid we tested on the route (on a different day) returned 41.8 mpg and the Prius garnered 51.9 mpg."
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=138726
The EPA fuel economy figures are a controlled-conditions run so that cars can be compared equally. If you get "real-world" figures, your MPG will vary from about 20 MPG to 60 MPG in that vehicle, depending on how it is driven (race-car style, low-speed, high-speed, granny-style, etc., all can deliver different figures all over the place). So, stick with the EPA figures so you can COMPARE cars one with another.
Your question about how far it can go at 40 mph depends on how much the battery is charged, referred to as "SOC" as the tech term for it. I thought I heard it can maintain 40 mph for 10 minutes, given a fully-charged battery.
Agreed. Good luck trying to convince some people on this thread. Some people think the Ford Fusion Hybrid is a BMW compared to the 4-cyl Fusion (same equipment). I say they are basically the same vehicle (its obvious) except one has electric motors/battery, and the hybrid handles worse because of all that extra gear. For that you pay more. Still, if one makes the point that they don't care about economics and just want to stick it to Chavez and/or the MidEast, then a hybrid makes sense.
Besides, other journalists got anywhere from 42 to 52 mpg in similar tests.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for Hybrids and really like the Insight and FFH personally, but for the most part hybrids do not make that much economic sense. Lets
I will go on a limb and say that for the most part they are a fad. The Hummer was a fad, so the anti Hummer per-se?
I went on the government sight and compared the Camry Hybrid to the 4cyl Camry.
You save about $300 a year with gas at $1.91.
Annual Fuel Cost*
Camry: $842
Camry Hybrid: $1146
So lets say you save $400 a year, and the premium for the hybrid is $2,500, it will take you 6 years 3 months to make up the cost. And that doesn't take into account battery replacement (nimh batteries loose efficiency with time).
Maybe your saving the environment, but the hybrid development and extra manufacturing have to increase pollution. A fad per-se? :confuse:
You comment about the battery is non sense. It will easily last well over 150,000 miles without any issue. It is warrantied for 10 years. It is not a cell phone battery, so your comparison to a common NIMH battery is misplaced.
And yes, driving a hybrid does make me feel better. With the tax credit I will get, the decision really is a no brainer. Hybrid technology is definitely not a "fad." Rather it is transitional technology that has improved over the last decade. The fact that we have a 195 hp mid-sized sedan getting over 40 mpg in the city is remarkable. I look for more improvements to come and vehicles become less dependent on fossil fuels. :shades:
And while I will agree that programming will allow to last the battery to last longer, it will not last for ever. Also the battery has the same chemical make up as the one on you cell phone, filled with material hazardous to the environment.
On HybridCars.com: "Though substantially less toxic than conventional car batteries, nickel-based batteries are known carcinogens, and have been shown to cause a variety of teratogenic effects.
I want to be clear. I do think plug in Hybrid Cars are the way of the future. As tech costs and car weights decrease; better and lighter batteries will make plug in Hybrids a clear economical choice.
Unless turbo diesel technology proves better.
Any Fusion or Milan hybrid ordered by the end of this month should be eligible for the full $3400 credit.