My son is turning 16 Soon and he want's a hybrid. I have a Highlander Hybrid. He is looking at either an HCH or a 2008 Vue Hybrid. How much will be the price for an 08" model be and when will it come out? It needs to have the Electronic Stability Control and side curtain airbags and ABS.

 

Personally, I would stick with the HCH2. Hondas IMA is much more proven than GM's hybrid system. Also, I believe there is a post somewhere on here about the VGL, stating it was cheaply built, poorly designed, and returned only 22 mpg. I believe they should both be similar price-wise, and Hondas, despite being smaller, are well known for their safety. I would test drive both and check with sources such as Consumer Reports, they seem to be very fair and just (probably because they're non-profit and won't take bribes) where as Motor Trend seems a tad GM-Biased (ie just one non-GM contender in 2007 Truck of the Year award), but anyways good luck with your decision.

 

The 08 Vue will have a difrent hybrid system than the current one. It supposed to get 45% better FE than the non hybrid 4 cyl. There is also supposed to be a plug in version that is runored to get 70 mph. More information on the 08 can be found here.

http://www.saturnfans.com/Cars/VUE/2...reenline.shtml

I would say get the VUE but than again I am biased. Both my buying experinces with 2 diffrent dealers have been great. Plus if you ever get down to Tennesse, the tour through the Spring Hill plant is well worth the visit.

As far as Consumer Reports goes, they have thier own bias as well. The NFL is a "non-profit" as well as all the hospitals I have worked at and belive me, they are all about profits.

 

To answer your question, the 2008 VUE will offer traction and stability control. It may, however, only be available on the V6 models (and not the hybrid), but I'm not sure. It's definitely worth a look. Side curtain airbags and ABS will be standard equipment across the board on all 2008 VUE models.

Don't be discouraged by someone saying that they "read somewhere about someone getting like 22 mpg". That's certainly true in some cases, but I'm sure there are those who get less than EPA estimates on the HCH, too. To say that all VGLs get 22 mpg because one person does is silly, but not out of line for those who've never owned or driven one.

We like our 2007 VGL a lot. The mileage is within EPA (our avg is 26.4, but it's not quite yet out of break-in). We haven't driven any highway miles yet, but many report highway MPG as high as 34 (even more than those who report 22!). The 2008 model will be quite different than the 2007 model. The first '08 VGL will be similar to the one we have (a simple, BAS-only system) while the later '08 VGL will have a 2-mode hybrid system similar to the Ford Escape Hybrid. Keep in mind, though, that the '08 model is heavier than the '07, does not have the trademark polymer panels, and will be assembled in Mexico.

Definitely test it and see what you think. If he's interested in the VGL, test out the Ford Escape Hybrid, too. The mileage is a little better than the VGL, but it costs more. You can probably count on the '08 VGL coming in around $24k (the '07 starts at $23,495). It will certainly be the least expensive hybrid SUV. Also, the new Saturn AURA Green Line sedan will be in dealerships soon, with the exact same hybrid drivetrain as the VGL, but with even better mileage.

 

hmm... well he's 16 so you best get him something you don't care about too much, unless you're filthy rich. I have a 16 year old daughter and picked her up a 2002 Korean car that has all the airbags, a/c, auto etc etc in a smallish car for an amount I'm not too worried about if it gets destroyed (while the safety features are there to make me feel OK). This also allows you to keep the insurance under control which is also handy - 16 year old boys don't come cheap when it comes to insurance :-). My advice, start them out inexpensive while they're new to it, and then help them buy their next decent car when the time comes.

 

Good point. Not to get off topic, but IMO, a 16 year old does NOT need a new car. Now's the time to have him learn the responsibility of owning a car, which is very important in the long run. If his interest in a hybrid is saving gas, do what many 16 year olds do--go buy a cheap junker (that's at least safe, of course). It's not hard to save gas when it only runs 50% of the time.

 

Oh, and while I'm at it, I've cruelly forced her to do a brake job as well as change her oil, air filters and other minor procedures. Can't tell you how many 'Oh, daaaaaddds...' I've heard :-). It would have been far easier to send her to my local shop but I wanted her to learn the basics. The funny thing is, one of her friends had a flat a while ago - had no idea - called her mom to help - also had no idea - until my daughter showed up to find mom and daughter standing around baffled. She showed them how to change a tire and got them going in a few minutes. I got a kick out of that as she was so proud of having been able to help.

Basically I'm trying to teach responsibility and a little basic know-how. The above was a great lesson in that, and my daughter felt great that she'd been able to help out!

 

Im not filthy rich but my ex-husband is the one that will be paying so I told him to get whatever car he wants up to about $24,000. His friends all have new car's, quite a few have new Lexus's and BMW's which is absurd to me but whatever. He insists he does not wan't a Tahoe. I wanted him to get a Tahoe because they are safe. I was hit head on at 50 MPH by a drunk drive in a Jeep Cherokee and my Tahoe did not have alot of damage. Airbags did go off though and Onstar activated. But I would never have one again because of the Gas, only got 15 MPG which is sad. My Highlander can still tow our 4-wheelers and get pretty good MPG when not towing. But he insists he want's a Hybrid even though they are slow compared to his friends which are those stupid sporty cars. But he is like me, you don't need 500HP to putter around town. So he really want's a Hybrid. I am going to have him test drive an 08" Vue Hybrid when it comes out. He said he would wait to get his car until the one he wants comes out.

 

OurGL:

Yup, here too.

Daughters' wheels - beater Nissan pickup, 5spd, no PS!
Her first job...AutoZone!

Priceless...

 

I learned on a Volvo wagon that was only three years younger to me. It was safe, had all of the amenities a teenager needed (four wheels, a working motor, a working manual transmission, and the necessary bits to connect them to the driver) and I learned to love it because it taught me how to take care of a car. I don't think that would have happened if my parents had bought me a brand spankin' new car. However, if a new driver is going to get a brand spankin' new car, I think that some sort of small-ish, efficient, safe vehicle would be a good choice. Many hybrids fit well within that category. For what it's worth, I'm glad he's not interested in a Tahoe. The stakes are much higher when you make a mistake in a vehicle that big, and a new driver will make mistakes. My preference would be a HCH (smaller, likely to be more stable) but that's just me. No reason why the Vue wouldn't work, too.