FYI, mouser had a 2x16
VFD for $38, interface looks similiar at first glance (with synchronous serial option available too).
M0216SD-162SDAR2-1
I'm kinda tempted to stop by newhaven and pick one up
http://www.newhavendisplay.com/pdf/m...162sdar2-1.pdf
An inexpensive graphical VFD would be nice too, no mirror required. But an additional $38 is pretty cheap for custom HUD mpguino that takes little to no extra programming