We were going to fly to California from Texas to look at an Altima Hybrid. They have the same system as the Camry. We decided to buy the Camry because we got it for the same price as the Altima including the tax rebate that came with the Altima.

Chuck

You can get a Yaris for $13,000 or Civic for $14,000 and they both get 38-40 mpg. If you prefer Nissan, you can get a Versa for $13,000 and also get close to 40mpg.

You see hybrids aren't the only cars that help save gasoline.

off-topic:

I wouldn't be inclinded to buy Nissan because they practice intimidation, harassment, and bring legal suits against american citizens. Read here: http://www.nissan.com/Digest/The_Story.php

"My name is Uzi Nissan. My father's last name was Nissan, his father's last name was Nissan, and so on. Nissan is a biblical term identifying the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar. I came to the US in 1976, and have used my surname for years to identify a number of business enterprises.

"In 2000 legal action was instituted by Nissan Motor seeking $10,000,000in damages, and to restrain me from the use of MY family name for business purposes on the Internet."

Now this guy has been using the name "Nissan" since 1980.
He has prior claim to use of that name in business circles.
But Nissan Corporation doesn't care, because Nissan is a
corporation. Corporations lack souls & only care about $$$.

Having read this, I wouldn't set foot anywhere near a Nissan dealership. I don't give my money, time, or endorsement to any corporation that thinks it's okay to intimate, harass, and financially-drain $10 million from an American citizen's bank account.

But that's just me.

- reading -----

Oh one other thought.

How many hours would you need to make-up that $10,000 difference between a $13,000 car and an Altima Hybrid? I believe time is more valuable than money, and I'd have to spend one-quarter of a year slaving away at work. I hate work so not something I would do. (shrug)

- reading -----

Often over looked are the extra options that are standard on hybrids but missing from the low-end, econo-boxes proposed as alternatives. There are always skeptics around ready to sell to others what they won't buy and don't own.

When we were shopping for a replacement car, we narrowed the choices to:

• Scion xB - $16,424 (30/34 MPG)
• used Prius - $17,300 (52/45 MPG)

When I picked up the Prius, we asked the dealer to price the exact same options for a Scion xB that were on the Prius and it came out to be an $876 difference. Unlike a used Prius, a used Scion xB would seldom come with the same standard features in the used Prius. In spite of putting new tires, something I do with all used cars, I came within $50 of parity the first year including the insurance savings.

Hybrids have standard features that are extra on econo-boxes:

alloy wheels
functional spoilers
electric everything
upscale audio
automatic transmission
smart-key
lower vibration and noise (electric power)

The original poster is probably doing OK but one thing common in our country is the frequency that we change homes and jobs. At one time, the average was 18 months. So what works today may be the wrong answer in the future but that will be tomorrow's problem and should not drive today's answer.

Now the Nissan hybrid has the advantage of getting the full tax credit, assuming you can take advantage of it. Depending upon the state and city, there are often additional hybrid benefits from parking to state rebates. For example, the California HOV sticker adds $4k to the value of used hybrids.

There is one seldom recognized feature of hybrids, the savings in all operating costs including fuel and insurance. Once the buyer has decided on the car, the capital costs are out of the equation but the operational costs dictate the quality of life. What I tell folks is I can go on a vacation and eat something better than baloney sandwiches when I get there.

There are better hybrids coming, the plug-ins, that will totally change the economies of short distance trips:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_hybrid

We had a 1991 Camry that until the accident, was my primary commuting car getting 32-36 MPG. We had tested the 2001 Prius and Echo for my homebody wife's car and went with the Echo. But in 2005, the $3/gal. gas, my daily 20-30 mile commute, our frequent trips of 700-800 miles, and 20,000+ miles/year changed the equation when the Camry was lost.

What I find amusing is the hypocrisy of skeptics who propose econo-boxes for others but don't drive one themselves. That remains as true today as it has been since the beginning.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

I drive an econobox:
$10,000 plymouth caravelle (when new)
$14,000 insight (also new).

I buy the lowest price I can find, cause no amount of gas savings will make up a $5000-10,000 pricetag difference. It's smarter to look at the Price first and MPG second. (Also Versa, Yaris, and Civic are hardly econoboxes. Both are really nice cars.)


I still think the original poster should keep the car he has now. When he trades it in, he'll instantly lose $5000 between what he paid & what he gets. That's a huge chunk of change to lose.

- reading -----

Excellent! So many don't.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

I always thought the insight came in at "just under 20k" (new).

Caravelle new was sold in 1985-1988, at least 20 years ago. Using an inflation calculator, 1985, $10,000 -> $19,269.70 in 2007:

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

well im holding off on buying any car for now. what i was planning on doing is trading in my nissan sentra 2006 1.8 L (bought brand new for $13,000). trading it off for whatever hybrid i wanted. but instead i might just hold on to my nissan sentra and just buy a 2007 cadillac cts (i know not the most fuel efficient car on the lot) but its a nice car. and i'll be keeping the sentra so i can still save on gas for my long trips.

by the way i checked my mpg again on a new tank. and i got down to about a lil less than a quarter of a tank and i had about 267.4 miles on that tank and had 29.1 MPG.

When I started looking for a vehicle, I wasn't looking for a hybrid or even a car, but after dozens of test drives one car clearly came out as the best for us, the Nissan Altima Hybrid.

This car had the comfort we wanted after over 20 years of driving econo-boxes. It easily beat the MPG of the Civic we traded for it and after almost a year of driving, the Altima has met every expectation I could wish for.

The base Altima Hybrid lists for about $25,000 but routinely sells for as little as $22,000 to savvy shoppers. I have not seen a Camry Hybrid for less then $26,000 much less the $19,600 it would have to be sold for to equal what some are paying for an NAH after the tax break. The Camry didn't mach the Altima in horse power or comfort in our tests. The base Altima Hybrid also comes with stability control, traction control, ant-lock breaks, push button start, side air bags, dual climate control and AM/FM CD stereo all as standard. With a 198 HP you almost have the power of a 6 cylinder Altima but you get the MPG of a Sentra, and incidentally the base regular Altima has a very fuel efficient 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine, not a 6.

While I agree that the original poster should keep the Sentra. (sounds like a good candidate for a Smart Car www.smartusa.com) The Altima Hybrid is a great car that should not be so easily dismissed.