Newsday finds the Nissan Altima hybrid to be quite the moneysaver

A little over a year ago, we put the 2007 Nissan Altima hybrid through its paces in the AutoblogGreen Garage. We found the sedan to be a solid performer but left unanswered the question of whether the hybrid cost premium made the ride worth it for everyone. Over at Newsday, Tom Incantalupo similarly enjoyed the Altima hybrid (most likely the 2008 model) but comes out unabashedly in favor of paying the extra money for the hybrid. Back in our Earth Day calculations about hybrid payoff times, we figured it would take 300,000 miles of highway driving (or about 70,000 in the city) to recoup the hybrid Altima's premium. But, as we stated, these numbers don't figure in tax credits, which vary. In this particular case, Incantalupo says, by figuring in the tax credits and using $3.75 as the price point of a gallon of gas (we used $3.50) the Altima hybrid pays for itself in just over three years. There are other variables - hybrids aren't exactly easy to find these days - which you can read about over at Newsday.