What to do with an old hybrid?

My wife has a 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line (Hybrid). It is a mild hybrid, meaning that the electric motor runs the accessories while stopped, it uses regenerative braking, and it helps power the wheels during acceleration. It never drives solely in electric mode. I like it because it is big enough to carry my bike on a hitch carrier and it is good on road trips. I would like to keep it when my wife upgrades (I don't get upgrades, I get hand me downs).<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
The question is, what to do with a hybrid when the hybrid parts start to fail or lose efficiently? My wife's car has already had the hybrid system fail and be replaced with the warranty. If the system has an issue after the warranty runs out, it would not be worth repairing. At that point, the car will be fairly depreciated and the system is not that much help in MPG anyway. I would want to either ignore the failed system or remove the battery to save the weight. The space the battery occupies keeps the Vue from having a spare tire.<o></o>
So have people hit this point with the original Honda Insight or other early hybrids? I see this as a real issue in the future. No one would want to spend thousands getting a new battery on an old car (replacement Insight battery is $2095 online). If you removed the battery on any of the full hybrid cars you could remove hundreds of pounds (if the car would run at all).<o></o>

I'd put a 6" lift on it, big tires, stuff a V8 in it, install a bitchin' stereo and paint a Confederate Flag on the roof!

Whatever you do, don't install a solid fuel rocket booster motor DAMHIK

Sell it to some hippy who will replace the batteries.

I wouldn't compare an original Insight to your Vue hybrid.

There is a huge following for the Gen1 Insight, well maybe not huge but the people who own them are mostly rabid fans. There are some guys who have gone to great lengths with the Insight to make it better at what it does, get great mileage.

Didn't the Vue have a starter/generator mounted to the engine and using a belt?

It is my understanding that some hybrids will not run at all without a working battery pack. I could be wrong though.

Don't know what to tell you about your VUE, but this is what i would LOVE to do to an insight.

http://www.lhtperformance.net/documents/lht_k-sight.html

Rip out all the hybrid crap and put a potent engine in it, and STILL get awesome mileage due to the low weight.

its going to be interesting to see what happens in the next 10-15-20 years as all the hybrid drivers with this exact problem try to figure out how to get rid of a car that nobody wants....

and can't afford to repair.

All those Prius's will turn around and bite their owners in the ass

My great-grandfather said the same thing about those "newfangled horseless carriages"

I don't think so. There are Prius taxis all over S.F. They take a hell of a beating.

Exactly.

I wonder what the environmental impact of all these batteries going into landfills will be.

I'd say dump it as soon as you can. It will never be worth more than it is today. (We can say that about most cars, but when this one tanks, it's nearly fucking useless, as opposed to the everlasting but worn out gas or diesel engine car).

Maybe so but I heard that they will only be good for maybe 400k miles.

Why is it nearly useless? There's only one recall on the hybrid system, battery replacement. The battery pack is three 12 volt NiMh batteries in series at 17 amp hr.

This is a funny bulletin from GM.

Friends with Prius':

2001 Gen 1: bought new 210,000 miles, no problems - sold for $6,500 a year ago - still running fine (another friend bought it).
2004 Gen 2: bought new 45k - no problems. (rides a bicycle a lot)
2004 Gen 2: bought new 320,000 miles no problems.
2004 Gen 2; bought new 130,000 or so miles - no problems
2005 Gen 2; bought new 218,000 miles (last I heard) - no problems.

I haven't heard of these people, or anyone, needing to buy a battery pack (yet). I don't know the Saturn/GM battery life span though.

The Hybrid Vues were/are pretty good. Very high fit and finish, much better than Ford's Escape Hybrid which was it's contemporary. Got better efficiency too. Although not as good as the real hybrids.

I miss ours.

The Prius seems to be very durable. And the bonus with the Prius being a popular taxi, is some cab company garages will repair them or replace batteries for far less than a dealer.