One thing that helped my decision to go the with the hybrid was the federal tax credit. I'm not going to get into the discussion as the whether or not the tax credit is a tax credit for everyone (due to the alternative minimum tax) because that isn't an issue for me—I'll get the full $1,300 credit on next year's return. Some others on this forum bought when they could get the $2,600 tax credit, and when you factor that in, the cost differential narrows. I came to the Toyota Camry Hybrid from a 2003 Toyota 4Runner, and I was getting around 19 miles per gallon. My fuel costs have—and this is real-world, not theoretical—been cut in half. I'm spending half of what I used to spend on gasoline every month. I also really like the tech stuff in this car; I like using the nav system and I've used the 5.1 hack so I can override it.

For what it's worth, I think they've got the federal tax credit backwards. Seems to me the credit ought to go up (or stay the same) for more hybrids sold, not less. Then maybe GM, Ford and other manufacturers would get off their asses and get competitive with Toyota.

End of rant.