We finally took the plunge and have concluded our quest with the Altima hybrid. It's actually a bit scarry to have bought because I think the servicability and other unknowns make it a very "iffy" car when compared to the Camry hybrid. Our early impression (after two days) is it drives like a dream, and it is definitely the better looking/handling of the two. I just wish it didn't have some of the "ifs" that make me worry.

We got the 100,000 mile extended warranty. Our total cost for the car was $24,000 for the base model +convenience package. The $24,000 was inclusive - no destination charge (we got them to drop destination all together) -but did not include tax and license or extended warranty. My husband talked to the internet salesman at length and he said they were having a VERY hard time moving the Altima hybrid. They are the first dealership in our area to have it... and ours was only the 5th one they've sold. Everyone, perhaps more sensibly, is going for the Camry hybrid.

We also got a really interesting GPS feature that comes with the car for $200 that lets the police find it if it is ever stolen.

We've only got 60 miles on it so far, and we are resisting the urge to "take it our for a spin" so that we can get a feel for our real driving routes. The mileage thing is one of the issues that worries me. Car and Driver said they only got 23 MPG. Other users I've read are saying 37-41... which is what we hope for... so I will be really happy when our first tank of gas gets us over 700 miles before we refill. (That will be a MAJOR sigh of relief.)

Is there a feature on the car that tells you how much MPG you are getting per gallon? Can anyone tell me where it is or how to use it? (Or what page of the manual to read?)

I love the feature that tells us when we are in EV mode. I'm going to read the entire manual this weekend.

Also, I talked to the regional top manager, and he confirmed (as did the manual) that you need to use high octane gasoline.