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Ive been giving some real thought to tradeing in my EX Civic for a 06 Insight, 5MT, with A/C.

I was assured that if I traded in my EX I would be given what I paided for it if the mileage wasnt insane high. It will turn 10k miles the next trip to Tulsa. I know for a fact my dealer will bend over backwards for me in any deal we do.

The only thing that bothers me about the Insight is Honda hasnt used it to imbarress yota with a updated ICE or IMA. Insted releing on its light weight, and state of the art unibody construction. And those that know me,, rear drum brakes in this day and time frost my arse also.

I would do a HCHII but it would have to be the wifes car. Would work for me. I would just take prozac and grin and bare it. But she dosent want to give up the Accord.

That leaves a HAH as a option if they redo it to a I4 and squarely go for yotas throat. As in the wifes car.

Ive looked at several used Insights... All where garbage. Bumper covers flaping, under pans missing, rear fender skirts gone. Too one that had a ricer wing on it! All had 70k to 90k miles on them and the seller demanding kelly plus for a car in much better shape.

Ive looked at everything used from a Geo to Festive, PriusI, Insights, and HCH I's used. Fact is I dont like buying used cars unless there collectors car or sleeper money makers of the American heavy steel type. Of which Im not in the market for now.

I brought this up in chat the other night. And Wayne bless his heart got high as a kite than crashed like he was comeing down off a 8 ball. Wayne,,, I learned to drive on a Fiat 850 Coupe, was raised on Opel's, Simcas, Saab and many other 60's subcompacts.

Im a lucky man in the fact that I know research fellows in the last remaining bastion of Okie oil production and they have on hand all the current production hybrids and cars of the past on hand in there fleet for research. So Ive driven yotas and hondas at will. Not the dealer test drives.... My test drives on my roads,, in my hills and in the part of the world I live in. Given that the Insight is a impressive car. It will run circles around a festiva. And Im here to tell you a Prius II in my world is a tank and only slower than a PI. But the PI handles better than PII.

As I set here on my front porch and look out at a Accord and a Civic,,, the thought cross's my mind... Im insane!!! Two great Hondas and Im thinking of slashing.

Welcome to my world.... lmao

psy

Psy;

Go for the "INSIGHT". :D

Psy;

Go for the "INSIGHT". :D

Tiger

Its the only hybrid I can truley see myself in. But the lack of updates scare me. Soon as i buy one they will offer uncoupled ICE with full EV mode and other updates... I can feel it in my bones. I dont know why Honda dosent market the car better and update it. And drop the so called custom production mantra.

Tiger

Its the only hybrid I can truley see myself in. But the lack of updates scare me. Soon as i buy one they will offer uncoupled ICE with full EV mode and other updates... I can feel it in my bones. I dont know why Honda dosent market the car better and update it. And drop the so called custom production mantra.

Psy;

Leave your "Bones" and go get the 2006 Insight. I Love those cars. If my local dealer had not (Jerked-My-Chain) and Sold the Bright Red Manual A/C Insight I had them order for me I would be driving one right now.

Anyway they are fun to drive and I guess I must be one of the very Few that think the car Looks-Great. I really like them in either the Bright Red or the really striking Blue Color.

Go Get-Em-Psy. You only live once. :D

diesel is not an option?

too bad you can't find 2005 hchI MT, those are a gem to hypermile with.

Well, I don't think there's much point to worrying about what might come along because you don't know, can't do anything about it. What you do know is that Insight MT drivers routinely get 60mpg+ on the highway and can work for in excess of 80mpg. It has no equal that I am aware of. I fantasize about having one, myself, but it just isn't in the financial cards. (That and Wayne would throw a fit if I traded the Accord without really finding its FE ceiling ;) )

If fuel efficiency is your #1 concern in a commuter car, you are comfortable with the small size, and you can afford it, I say go for a test drive and pull the trigger. Do what makes you happy!

The CVT (automatic) Insight is already matched by the latest Prius and Civic. The 5-speed Insight is still well ahead on highway fuel economy and will still look respectable against new hybrids like the Prius III in the near future.

I might be insane, but there is a $500 MIMA kit to control the Assist and get a 20% boost in economy I might get.

I got my price from the dealer just now. $416.00 above invoice. 90 day lead time. And only beige interior. That blows. $2500 upfront for order to be made. Blows that A/C is $1200 more.

Going to have to really think about this.....

I'd hold off for a while. Who knows what cars are due out soon.

Hummm, indeed :)

As someone who recently did similar (HAH for HCH2), I'll give you my thoughts and rambling musings...

If you're thinking about doing this, the logical reason has to be FE. Cutting-edge tech (circa 2000) would play a secondary role, and the tertiary one would be that you tire of cars easily and trade often. But this is Psyshack, not Tigerhonaker...LOL

How will you use this car ? As a mid- to long-distance commuter vehicle ? It would excel in that situation, as you know from driving one. You will, however, make compromises in room and ride comfort, not to mention amenities. Only you can decide if those compromises are worth a 80-90mpg (or better) lmpg.

For myself, having had the priviledge to drive an Insight once, it's a hard justfication. I also have family concerns to deal with - they could not fit in an Insight, or if they could, only with great discomfort getting into / out of the vehicle. For my own sake, the car rides just a little rough (my '88 CRX Si was a little harsh, but I remember it handling as well, with better ride comfort. It had a 94" wheelbase, I seem to recall - not sure about the Insight's, but probably similar).

My own gut feeling (no 'official' info here, just my own opinions)...
- Honda will not do a 'second generation Insight' with the upgrades you speak of. The 'Yota killer' is coming...but in the form of a fuel cell, sometime in the next 4 years. It'll be a 'killer' in the respect that it will leapfrog conventional hybrids, but not in a sales context - in that regard, it'll be like the current Insight - a purposeful car that will give HMC bragging rights. IMA will be further amortized in the 'conventional' product lines, but depending on what 'Yota does with Camry, Yaris, etc hybrids, it may become more marginalized with regard to sales.

Honda's a strange bird by conventional accounts - they're not wanting to be the 'largest' manufacturer - that's not really important to them. Rather, they want bragging rights on best powerplant engineering, whether it be in a lawn mower, an automobile, a jet, what have you. Laudable - but sales need to happen as well, otherwise the R&D budget well dries up. Along these lines - you talk about 'embarrassing 'Yota' - as an auto enthusiast myself, I think HMC does this on a continuing basis. Their automotive products are, in general and per segment, more fun to drive, more fuel efficient, more environmentally friendly, make more hp per litre and are more attractively priced than any other mass-market manufacturer, in my book.

- Next-gen Accord Hybrid - *will* accommodate an I4-based IMA system. However, it will not be the K24. It'll be a beefed-up R-series - say, in the 2-litre range. This would allow them to pack the IMA in under the hood of the Accord. The next Accord will be a frame-up redesign in MY '08 - don't expect to see revised HAH until '09 at the *earliest* - and then only if the IMA team is working in parallel with the 8th-gen Accord team as we speak.

HCH2 - You could convert the rear brakes from drums to discs. I'm seriously considering this myself (the part holding me back is that I generally drive the car very conservatively, although I have had one occasion where I had wet drums and wished I had the discs). It frosts me, too, btw. But I think the real limiting factor for you would be the CVT - I know you don't like them, and I'll be honest - it's the main reason I got a 6/120/0 HondaCare for this car (taking IMA out to 120K is beneficial, too, of course). This car isn't a bad trade-off in my book - I get 60+ mpg on my work commutes daily now (62-64; high of 68+)- without 'extreme' measures. Very, very happy with the purchase.

The other non-hybrids you mention - you can already better those with what you do in your Civic EX. No point in those, IMO.

From what I know of you, and assuming you're doing this from an FE improvement perspective - if you're truly smitten, get the Insight. Prius III will likely be a leapfrog, FE-wise, but it's a year and a half away, minimum, not counting wait lists. I know you're anti-Toyota, but circumstances just may dictate HSD-II when it becomes available. If you're thinking like I did, grab the bird in the hand now (and I'd take the Navy Blue Pearl bird or the Silverstone Metallic bird, myself - but that's me :) BTW - the Insights are truly hand-built, if you're disputing it. One of these days, I swear I'll tour Suzuka :)

If it's just to combat the current $3.00/gal gas - keep the Civic. You'll never justify the cost of replacing it, and it's pretty fuel efficient for what it is, as your experiences attest to. But I don't think that that's why you're considering this. ;)

Well, an hour after I tell you "go for the Insight", a story comes out on www.hybridcars.com (http://www.hybridcars.com) that says 2007 Fit Hybrid gets current Insight drivetrain (1.0L I3, smaller 1st-gen battery pack ?) and rated MPG in mid-50's (probably current standards, not revised). Per this source, Honda will continue building the Insight, as well.

Food for thought... :confused:

mmmmm yes i have high faith in the fit! if they even realease a MT version OH BOY i'll go bankrupt for owning one!!!!

but what i learned is, the fit's body is not areodyanmic at all... i wonder how they are going to fix that up without making the car look too different.

oh and i love small agile small turning radius cars ;) you can dodge anything and squeeze through spaces you thought you never dare to go through!

I had made my mind up. Called the dealer and gave them a CC# for the $2500 down to start the order on a Blue, 5MT, w/A/C Insight.

I had no more done this then my oldist daughter calls and shes in the hospital having seizers of some sort. She has no income, 4 small kids and no old man. Knowning shes going to loose everything over this and more than likely move back in with us. I called and canceled the order.

Im really bumming. I had made my mind up and wham stuff changes literly in 30 seconds. I had no more than hung up and the phone rang with the news.

Just wasnt ment to be. The CD's that are coming due that i was going to use to pay for the Insight I will need to restructure and maintain her and the kids life.

I could put a string of words together to say how I feel but Tom would just have to edit them out and send me a message.

I swear ever since her mother told me she was prego its been one screwing after another.

psy

I'd just wait and see what happens - things might be just fine.

Yikes. I don't consider myself to be a religious person but that sounds like God (or "a god" if you prefer) working some kind of incomprehensible scheme. Hang in there, Psy. Best wishes for your daughter.

Hi Psy:

___Remember, I sold my Insight and in turn purchased the Accord. I would think long and hard before going out and laying down that kind of cash for an Insight. You are currently surrounded by an ACE body structure with front, side, and side curtains, 4 doors, plenty of gizmo’s to make the time pass by nicely and you picked it up for a great price. I would just ask that you find an Insight and drive it for a few hours if not a day or two to really get to know its capabilities and its lack of amenities before making a commitment is all. They are definitely not for everyone.

___Do I miss mine? I do for the extreme FE she always handed out but I do not miss her for the lack of amenities and safety features by any stretch.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I had made my mind up. Called the dealer and gave them a CC# for the $2500 down to start the order on a Blue, 5MT, w/A/C Insight.

I had no more done this then my oldist daughter calls and shes in the hospital having seizers of some sort. She has no income, 4 small kids and no old man. Knowning shes going to loose everything over this and more than likely move back in with us. I called and canceled the order.

Im really bumming. I had made my mind up and wham stuff changes literly in 30 seconds. I had no more than hung up and the phone rang with the news.

Just wasnt ment to be. The CD's that are coming due that i was going to use to pay for the Insight I will need to restructure and maintain her and the kids life.

I could put a string of words together to say how I feel but Tom would just have to edit them out and send me a message.

I swear ever since her mother told me she was prego its been one screwing after another.

psy
Psy;
I could sit here and Type for awhile about your situation, but I think these next words are really all I need to say.

Psyshack Sorry:

Regards;

Terry

Btw; I wish you the Very-best in your situation.

Im sorry for all the hype in this thread.

I pull the trigger than ,,, then have to put my finger in the barrel. I was so lucking forward to driving to the dealer today to sign the paper work and start the 90 day count down clock.

O well,,, on to saving this daughter from herself and my poor grandchildren from her insanity. Her insanity is a major part of her mounting health issues,,, Trust me... I know. Her mother ended up being bi-polar, manic with split personalitys. And the state of Ok. Always saw fit to leave my daughter with her to teach her how to ruin her own life. This is a battle Ive been fighting from day one. 24 years Ive been dealing with this in one way or another.

Wayne

Ive driven Insights and always liked them. It just wasnt in the cards when i bought the Civic. I had my heart set on a HCHII until they came out and said no MT and drum brakes. So that killed a HCHII sale. And they can be bought right at my dealer. With that I said screw it and get a Si. When it came down to it they wanted MSRP for a Si. I wont pay MSRP for anything.

Wife and i had agree'd not to trade the Civic or the Accord in on the Insight. Just pay cash for it. Maybe look into trading the Civic for a Si sedan in 07. That way we would have a good FE car for a daily grind, the Accord for family functions, day road trips. Basicly for use other than driving to work. Then get a Si so I have something to stir my soul with. Yes a toy. lolololol

Thanks for the input and sorry for the hype.

psy

Sorry to hear all this. I hope it turns out to be nothing. I have a coworker that has a similar problem. Though his daughter is married and the husband works the husband feels the need to pimp his expedition. Heres one you will all get a kick out of. My friend at work was out and the daughter called asking for him to pick up 2 doghnuts and he told them there were no shops on the way. So they get to the house and guess what his daughter does. She takes out the explorer to go pick up 2 doghnuts.

Hey Psy, just wanted to say I feel for having your dream car yanked from under you like that. But I know you will get what you want, just maybe not right now. Sending my best wishes that things can turn around for you and your family and your stress level will go down. You're a good guy for doing what you gotta do.

the very same reason why i married my girl, i coudn't stand to see her being alone if another man ever decided to take advantage of her. I absolutely feel sorry for women who have to battle parenthood alone and for the men that ditched their responsibility you all ****ing suck and I hope your children will get their way until they see what you truly derserve for not giving them the love they wanted in the first place.

I'm sure the grandkids will make it up somehow, raise them right! Get them best when they are young.