Not that I am all that great of a rider. But, as a new rider, you won't notice all that much difference between 07 and 08, most likely.

I can tell you this, you will most likely notice an ease of use issue between your 05 C kite and an 07 SLE.

Just think of it this way. I learned on 2000 kites. They sucked.
As a new rider, I honestly can't imagine anyone getting held back on any kite these days. It seems impossible to me. The kite is way beyond what you can do with it, for most riders.

So, you are on good stuff, either way (07 or 08).

If I was in your guy's positions, I would be all over the 07 Waroo kites at closeout prices, or just about any 07 you can find at a great price.

Once you have one solid year under your belt and know what to feel for, etc., then demo kites to your liking.

If you're curious, the reason I (and others) think the new 08 kites are better has a lot to do with that they are now packing power in small packages and still have good stability and predictability. Power and stability didn't necessarily come in one package in the past (think Hyper type ) It was like having an untamed horse on the end of your lines.

I wouldn't stress. There is good stuff all around and it's so much better than five years ago. Somehow, Jayson and others learned on 2000 gear, you guys will do fine on any kite you get.
In so many ways, kiting was more fun when you didn't know what to expect from your kite.

I kind of view kiting in the past as going to the cable park and having the speed vary all the time. That wouldn't let you get dialed, but you had to pay attention. Now, kites have auto pilots for speed, kill switches, booster buttons, etc. It's great to have all the options and you are in more control. That's got some great points, but I honestly think the one thing I loved about kiting the most in the past was not having as much control over the situation and having to deal with what came my way. It was exciting. It was also frustrating though, going from schlogging to teabagging on NW winds at the beach.

Anyway, no worries these days. It's all pretty controlled, relatively speaking.