Quote:
Originally Posted by MsDaisy
I would have seriously considered an Altima Hybrid (I'm currently driving the Altima Coupe), but they are not available in Alabama yet. I am getting a Prius, to be delivered next week and I am very happy with my decision. But I don't have kids to transport so I did not have to worry about that. My vehicle is mostly for commuting to work and back.
A definite plus on the Altima side is that you can still get the federal tax credit, that credit has expired for the Prius (and the Camry Hybrid).
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Really? I wouldn't expect to find hybrids just waiting on the lot for a buyer (esp. with the price of gas) and can well imagine that dealers will try very hard to sell their inventory of less fuel efficient cars before placing an order for a hybrid (e.g. they'll try to talk you out of it.). But I wouldn't think there are any markets were you just can't buy one at all. Most hybrids are available nationwide.
I'm in Detroit... nobody has a hybrid for sale on the lot, but the dealers will order them. Toyota has about a 3-4 month wait list (deposit required to get on it), and Ford wont allow the Escape to be ordered by dealers (for sale on the lot) considering they've got a huge factory-order backlog that they're trying to fill. They only take factory orders and the dealer has to prove it's a _real_ customer (dealers would try to submit 'fake' customer orders so they could sell it on the lot). A factory order is generally at least a 3 month wait anyway. So if you see them on the lot it's only because it was ordered by someone else and they haven't stopped in to pick it up yet.
I'm not familiar with Nissan's wait queue, but I'm guessing it's similar. If you _really_ want the Nissan (I own a Prius and love everything about it except the legroom -- I'm tall) I wonder if another Nissan dealer might give you a different story. I don't know for sure -- maybe they really dont sell them in Alabama -- but I've a sneaking suspicion that a dealer could get one if you really want one.
The tax credit isn't a slam-dunk for any car. There are loads of people who find that they don't get any of it... or only get a percentage of it. I bought my Prius in the days when the rebate was still at 100% of it's possible value, but come tax season found that I could only claim about 85% of it because of AMT (alternative minimum tax). In the government & taxes forum there's a long thread of unhappy owners who were disappointed to find out that even if you've never paid AMT before, it's probably looming closer than you think (just like Florida would like you to know that orange juice isn't just for breakfast anymore.... the IRS would like you to know that AMT isn't just for the rich anymore. Loads of middle-income families are routinely stung by it.)