would you get an insight?
 

I've been looking into the no-plug 2 seater and must say that I'm tempted... Just wondering if anybody here has one, and if the mileage gains are worth the high repairs. Gotta love that styling!

I wouldn't, just because I would throw that money into an EV, but for someone not into building their own car, I'd say go for it.

If you're OK with a 2-seater, 5-speed, go for it. The Insight can't be beat for high FE (with some effort). It's the king. Gotta love the lightweight construction & great aerodynamics.

I wanted to buy one, definately, but I have to be able to carry more than 2 people regularly. I like the handling of the lightweight metro though as compared to the battery laden hybrids. My friend up north cannot use her prius in the winter because it gets no traction with the hard little tires and extra weight of the batteries.

My metro LOVES the winter.

If I wanted a car that wasn't going to rust out (it's made out of aluminum, not steel) that had awsome safty (crazy spiraled crumple zone beams), and was going to be low matence (one guy I talked to had honda replace his with a new free one, he had over 200,000 miles on it, they wanted to rip it appart and check for problems), so what are the draw backs? mostly cost, not having the back seat could be a draw back for some people as well, but most households have more then one car, and what are the chances that both of them are going to be 2 seaters?

With snow tires, the Prius should be fine in the winter. Seems like snow tires would be a better financial decision than having a winter car.

I have read in several places that in very slippery conditions the Prius' traction control system can render it all but useless (ie trying to go up hill). Sometimes the only way to get moving/stay moving is with a small amount of wheelspin, and if there's no defeat switch to override the TCS, the car literally won't go.

Hello -

Here is my checklist for getting an Insight :

1 - Gotta be a stick
2 - Need to have place to keep my old car for "haulin' crap" purposes. The Insight is almost strickly a commuter.
3 - Need to be able to get el-cheapo "max mileage" insurance for old car.

I saw a used one in the Torrance Honda lot for around $11K. If that's a stick, then that would be worth it to me if I were in the market. I would assume that I would need to replace the battery pack soon, so the real cost would be around $13K.

What are your commutes like?

Do you already have a car?

Do you drive on smooth roads (it can be a bumpy ride from what I hear)?

CarloSW2

I would buy one in a heartbeat.

Used Paranoia
 

When the 'Teg gives out, I'd be paranoid buying a used Insight since the history of how it was driven can determine its battery longevity. It's too bad they D/C'd it and didn't replace it with a similar, more modern variant.

CFG83 -- I agree: my next car really should be a manual. I miss the flexibility of choosing my own gear. But, you're in luck as all Insights are 5-speeds!

RH77

Actually, the Insight came in a CVT version as well.

Yes and has a big MPG with it.

Also look into insurance my friend has one and said it cost more to insure than his Tahoe

Ron22 -

What?!?!!@#$:mad: I&^!@#:( ^!@%*:thumbdown: &!@^#%???:confused: ????

It's not like it does 0-60 in 5 seconds.

CarloSW2

Nope, but its small, Japanese, and you don't exactly see junkyards full of them. Parts are cheap and plenty for most domestics espcially Chevys.

Oops: CVT 2002-2006
 

Bwhat? Well that's just a buggah. I would've bet money that they were only 5-speeds. I guess I'm just livin' in the past.

Further research: 2000-2001 was manual only; 2002-2006 had the CVT option (and a huge hit in FE). Just doesn't make much sense...:confused:

RH77

If I had money to replace the battery pack, cat, and other gadgetry, then maybe.

If it had an alternator, then i'd def buy one and drive it without the pack once it died.

thanks for all the "insights" guys- For my situation, two seats is perfect. The ducati is my toy and this is will be a commuter car- I may have come across a cherry '00 with only 8,000:eek: miles so guess I may be sellin my 95 VX shortly...

:thumbup: wow! grab it! Where are you?

Insurance may be high due to the scarcity of body shops skilled enough to re-work the aluminum sheet panels. The Audi A8 has insane repair costs because the frame is also aluminum.

I've had one for six years with no real problems. Honda extended the IMA warrenty to 10 years 150,000 miles last year. My lifetime mileage was 74.3 at 70,000 miles but has since dropped to 68.3 at 93,000 miles. (moved north to hill country)

^
welcome to the site.

Yeah I would by one if it was a stickshift and the price was right.

I've had one for 2 years.

Problems-
BCM - I fried it on accident - DO NOT BLOCK BATTERY INTAKE VENTS on accident or on purpose - replaced under warranty $0 65,000 miles
BCM-MCM-Battery replacement *warranty work* free $0 70,000 miles
I may be starting to have EGR valve issues so I'm saving up just in case.

Save up for the possibility of a cat replacement too - VERY! costly.

Insurance - Mine goes on liability only and is actually my CHEAPEST car to insure - check my sig, I also have an Escort wagon not listed in it. Corolla is only car with full coverage & the Metro cost more to insure than the Insight. Driving record has a bit to do with it.

Your local roads account for a LOT on the mileage for these things. Since my battery replacement I have been getting around 63-65MPG (avg 70mph) - manual transmission. Personally, I don't care for Honda's early CVT's. If you opt for one, make sure someone has records to back up MX on the tranny. One of the main reasons I got rid of my Civic Hybrid was the CVT even though I was fanatical about MX. The ride is bumpy, I don't notice it since most of my cars have bumpy rides - the 50psi in th etires doesn't soften the ride either.

If you acheive great MPG with your normal car, you are capable of phenominal MPG with an Insight. The first time you break 80MPG on a tank you'll never want to get rid of it - no matter what the MX cost.

I would if i had the money

I'd buy an Insight. I do use a truck often enough that I wouldn't have it as my only vehicle, but other than that it should do everything I need. I'm waiting for them to get a bit cheaper, though I doubt they'll ever be very cheap, due to their rarity.

One nice thing is that they were a very basic hybrid design. The Prius absolutely needs its hybrid stuff to move. The Insight is like a 21st century CRX with a flywheel alternator/starter/assist. It even has a normal starter as backup.

please don't call the insight a crx :P

I want one but the thing is it doesn't have enough seating like my civic. Plus the fact that I don't even have 10-11k to dish out for a used one.

A turbocharger complements an Insight well. Imagine having the capability of 0-60 mph in < 7 seconds, without any loss in fuel economy under normal driving conditions.

Personaly, I'd rather build an EV with that kind of cash, but if you absolutely need the range, this would be one of the best cars you could get if FE is your goal. If efficiency AND performance is your goal, turbocharge it.

Toecutter- I never thought I'd hear FE and performance in the same sentence... the last thing I would ever want to do to a dual power souce auto is modify it in a significant way. Anybody have any reservations about purchasing a six year old insight with absurdly low mileage, meaning any knowledge of the IMA batterys loosing charge capability after they aren't driven for long periods of time?

This is what his insurance company told him. He does have full coverage on it.

To the Wazabi owner,

when you say 70MPH Average, do you REALLY mean average? If you're getting 63-65 at an average of 70MPH, then you're doing over 70MPH?? (and under, of course). If this is the case, I'm wondering what people with Insights are averaging for MPG at an average of 65MPHour...which is probably where I'm at. I'd love to have an Insight, but I'm worried about the costly repairs I read about. The cost of replacing the IMA alone is more than what my CRX HF was purchased for.

white90crxhf-

But you have to admit that the pedigree is there. When the Insight came out, my friend told me "Hey Carlos, they're making the CRXs again. Now you can get another one!"

- Honda
- 2 seater
- Rear hatch
- Rear vertical window
- MPG leader

I just wish they had produced a conventional gas version that *only* got 45 MPG. That would have meant more sales, more parts lying around, and maybe a longer lifespan.

Don't you just *wish* they had made a beefier Insight into a new CRX?

CarloSW2

I saw reference to an 1850lb curb weight for the insight!! , it's a totally different machine from a prius. If I didn't need 4 seats and had $10k ish for a vehicle I would definately get one.

For under a grand? Sure. Otherwise... Probably not.

theclencher -

Egg-zactly. And you would recover trunk space and lower curb weight after you recycle the battery pack.

CarloSW2

Brian, I did think about that later on last night after I wrote it. The ACTUAL average is between 44-47 MPH over a 46.6 mile distance. A good chunk of the trip I cruise 70 MPH. I stand corrected.

Correct about expense, the cost of the cat is more than what I paid for my Metro. I've always driven some sort of car that stands out in one way or another, the Insight does just that. As far as expense for "what if" the IMA went out? What if monkeys flew out of......(JUST KIDDING :p , I was dying to say that) In all seriousness, the IMA is a pretty sturdy system. I mentioned how you can kill the BCM. There are a few failsafes you can do to prevent what I did. I just haven't gotten around to those mods.

It would take a lot to make me get rid of my Insight. I'm a VERY happy owner!:D

I'd prefer a crx hf. cheaper, very close mpg, parts are abundant, installation for parts is a breeze (for the most part).

I would love to own a 5-speed Insight as a commuter car/toy but I could never make it work as my only vehicle. I legitimately haul too much stuff on a regular basis. Even the 2-door Accord made things difficult. But to and from work, off on some long random trip with just me and a backpack, I can't think of a better car for the job. I would grab a nice one if I had that kind of money to just throw around. (Like that will ever happen!)

YES! is anyone giving one away.

Sound like me I have a 87CRX HF and get 44 MPG if I stay off the freeway (need to swap out trans has high altitude) My friend with the Insight with CVT Trans life average is 48 MPG
I paid $900 he paid $20,000

As long as my wife has her own car (Impala or Taurus or whatever mid-size 6-seater), we have our Suburban for when we need more than 6 seatbelts, and I have some kind of classic car in the garage (73-76 Torino, 73-77 Cutlass, 65-68 Chevy), then yes, I would be happy to commute with an Insight.

Problem is I don't so much commute as cover territory. But either way, when I'm REALLY busy, I drive 150-200 miles a day or more. Sometimes I go to LA or MS or AR and the Insight would be fine for that if I'm alone. If my wife is coming with me then we would definitely need her car (when we get her one).

However, at the prices Insights are selling for, I would buy something cheaper first. A Civic, Corolla/Prizm, Metro, Swift, Aspire, or Festiva, late 80s-early 90s specifically. A $1500 used car that gets 40-50mpg is much preferred to a $10,000 used car getting 55-65mpg. Heck, there are even cheaper ones out there than $1500. Aspires are pretty much worthless cars, but darned if the one I had 6 years ago didn't get 36-39mpg regularly. And I paid $1300 for it then. Bet I could find a $400-$600 Aspire these days that would be in the same shape and do just as well.

Chevy Prizms are surprisingly quick for the fuel economy they yield. 0-60 mph is about 9 seconds, ~35 mpg combined. It would be interesting to test aeromods on one of these.