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I finally found a 5spd car for sale semi near me!!

Are miles a problem on these cars? this one has 136K on the clock...

Anything in paticular you guys would reccomend checking out?

Kbb says in good condition from a private seller it is worth $6,250 so they would need to come down on the price a lot

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=225741120&dealer_id=60556253&car_year=2000&model=INSIGHT&num_records=25&make2=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&search_type=both&distance=200&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=HONDA&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=62002&advanced=&end_year=2008&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=105

thanks for your help, i'd love to be an insight owner~!

If the charge gage is less than 3/4 in a picture, I'd be suspicious.

Also, I'd want the lifetime mpg to be at least 50 - less than that suggests rough play.

http://images.autotrader.com/images/2007/6/29/225/741/2371078046.225741120.IM1.04.565x421_A.562x421.jpg

is that the lifetime MPG that is displayed on the dash? if so 57.1 dosent seem terrible if the driver were like most people trying to get to point B as fast as possible

and it appears that the SOC gauge is empty in that pic?? (correct me if im wrong there, i've never been in an insight before :( )

57.1 lmpg is fair to good (although many here could go as high as 93 :wink )

The picture needs to go farther on the right to show the gage opposite of the fuel gage - it's the SoC. Showing that the SoC is full is no guarantee, but a few have sold Insights on ebay with the SoC low - not smart to do by owners that are selling Insights with battery packs that might be getting weak.

Funny that you posted this -- I was just thinking this evening (after my very frustrating commute home) that maybe I should strongly consider looking for a used Insight as a way to get myself into a hybrid without spending a fortune...

It's the unknowns that deter me (if you ignore my somewhat stressed financials ;)). How many here have bought used Insights?

I should have also asked if anyone at least close to my height (6'5") has tried driving one to see if it is even reasonable for someone my size?

Aaww, it's a citrus! I really have a soft spot for them. And they can collect a premium, because they are very rare. The body and paint appear to be in pretty good condition from what I can tell from the photos. The interior looks clean, and the seats don't show much wear, and they're known to not wear so well. Does the $0.26 come with it? :D

The "will I fit?" question has been thoroughly covered in another forum, and the answer is yes, they're actually surprisingly roomy inside.

The ad says it has a tilt wheel, but it doesn't (unless they mean left to right ;) ). I've never missed it.

You definitely want to look the car over in person, and take it for a drive if at all possible. Familiarize yourself with what it should look like under the hood, and make sure there aren't any parts missing, like the plastic engine cover or the air intake tube - a sign it has had engine work or modifications. Assist and regen should be smooth. You should get full assist in all gears except 1st, and full regen when you step on the brake if the RPMs are high enough. Assist should stay on as long as the load calls for it unless the battery charge gets too low or the battery is too hot. The battery charge should not drop very quickly even under sustained full assist. Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of a battery recalibration or "recal" and watch for it.

Being a 2000, you want to know whether it has had the ECM/BCM update performed. If it has, I think there should be a mark on the VIN under the hood. I don't remember the exact details on this.

I say if it drives well and the battery performs reasonably well, SNAG IT, even if you pay a little more than the book value.

I also have a place in my heart for the citrus color, even if I've never seen one in person before :)

im waiting to hear back from the seller, i'll probably look around on insight central.net for some of the ideas you talked about (unless there is somewhere better to look??)

gracias once again everyone

Sounds like a good plan, ATL.

If you are really serious, I'd get it and order Mike's MIMA to go with it.

Is it a 5-speed?

yes it is a 5 spd, thats why im so interested in it (in the year and a half of casual looking for an insight i've yet to come across a 5 spd car within 100 miles of st louis)

and I figure if I do get it , within a couple months I will be a MIMA owner!

(I just want to make sure I am proficient at driving the manual trans before I start complicating things (never driven a car with a standard shift on a regular basis before))

I'd recommend getting in touch with Mike D as this may be the last batch of MIMAs he makes.

We have a number of Insight drivers here (xcel, ericbecky, Half&Half, myself..... highwater and billy have MIMA installed) Who have I left out? {blush}

With what I've read, it sound on the surface like a good deal.


If you are new to 5-speeds, I'd recommend to be a bit patient on the shifting to avoid "lugging". On the Insight it's more critical because luggers also put a load on the battery pack. After you get used to it, you can upshift quicker to maximize FE, without straining the battery pack.

Citrus. <drool>
I bought a used Insight way back in 2003.
It was a 2002 Insight with 30,000 miles.
I'm now at 98,000 with no problems. (In fact my last tank was over 80mpg)

Remember, too, that the hybrid portion of the warranty is now extended to 10 years/150,000 miles.

We have a number of Insight drivers here (xcel, ericbecky, Half&Half, myself..... highwater and billy have MIMA installed) Who have I left out? {blush}You forgot ME :mad: ;)

I didn't realize Billy had MIMA also [checks Mike's site] ... don't see him listed. Wow, there's 42 of us now.

ATL, I might be able to help with your install if/when the time comes, as I'm only 4 hours from St. Louis.

Sorry for the oversight on the Insight, Fenir. {blush}

My MIMA kit arrived two days ago, I will do scheduled maintainence the 25th of this months, then start planning to install.

Hi Fenrir:

___Billy is the hold out … still ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

We have a number of Insight drivers here (xcel, ericbecky, Half&Half, myself..... highwater and billy have MIMA installed) Who have I left out? {blush}


Uhhhhhh how about me??? I got MIMA with the FAS option about six weeks ago and it's wonderful.

Yes the Insight has a very delicate accelerator. It almost feels like at any given speed you can be at a variety of mpg's depending on precisely how much pressure you're putting on the accelerator. This can be handy but you have to be paying attention!

Also, after a while you can feel it leave lean burn as the load increases and next feel the assist kick in.

It's taken me a year and I'm still getting used to the beast. But my mpg has steadily risen since winter and is solidly in the 90's lately, past few days' commutes have been 98-99. The real test will be how much it dips next winter. May need to get a block heater....

As for the seats, Wet Okole makes great seat covers out of wet-suit-like material. Very comfy and look better than factory. $250-ish but worth it.

Let's do an Insight roll call, so next time I won't be called "Mr. Honda Oversight". {blush}

The "will I fit?" question has been thoroughly covered in another forum, and the answer is yes, they're actually surprisingly roomy inside.


Thanks -- perhaps in the next year I'll try to snag one. Or wait a little longer to see what I can get new...

All of it is just wishful thinking at the moment.

Let's do an Insight roll callPresent and accounted for, sir. :woot:

As for the seats, Wet Okole makes great seat covers out of wet-suit-like material. Very comfy and look better than factory. $250-ish but worth it.I have those, too. Very nice.

my mpg has steadily risen since winter and is solidly in the 90's lately, past few days' commutes have been 98-99. The real test will be how much it dips next winter. May need to get a block heater....Ugh. Some of you guys make me feel like a gas hog. :eek: The few times I've seen 90's, she recalibrated due to heat. That's why I don't use MIMA for extra assist in warm weather very much. I have a 40mm PC fan in the air duct behind the passenger seat connected in parallel with the battery fan. Not sure how much it helps. I need to get the windows tinted. Poor car bakes in the sun all day. I have a block heater and it definitely helps battle the cold, when I can use it. My parking situation at home blows hard.

Sorry, don't mean to gloat. I must just have a particularly mpg-friendly commute: off peak so no stop-and-go, long enough that the car warms up fully, and gently rolling hills which I can get up at around 75mpg in 5th at 50mph-ish and then FAS down. Parking at work is a c***pshoot: sometimes have to go up to the 7th floor to find a space, watching the mpg bleed away (and then feel like a roulette ball coming down the exit spiral).

Had the hatch and lower rear window tinted with Huper Optik ceramic stuff, which may help. At home it's in a carport and at work I have to park in the sun on the roof only occasionally. The tint definitely protects the rear window heating grid when I clean the inside of the rear window, so that's a plus!

Hi Fenrir:

___You are leaving the windows cracked during the day, aren’t you? My Insight never saw > 110 or so while parked in the summer sun with that trick and max fan during drives kept her just cool enough while minimizing assist at all costs? Your parking situation sounds wicked whatever it is. Let us know in another thread with pics what the thing you have to overcome daily is?

___Lightfoot, I loved the description of being a steel ball on a Roulette wheel :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

You are leaving the windows cracked during the day, aren’t you?I haven't been. I'm paranoid. But I guess it would be safe to do so at work.

Your parking situation sounds wicked whatever it is. Let us know in another thread with pics what the thing you have to overcome daily is?I'll do that. :)

Lightfoot, I used to do the parking garage thing, too. I had fun FASing all the way down, occasionally catching a pedestrian by surprise as I roll past them silently. ;)

Boy have we gotten off topic... The most important thing to look for in a used Insight is... A "FOR SALE" SIGN! :D

ATL, I might be able to help with your install if/when the time comes, as I'm only 4 hours from St. Louis.

any interest in taking this one for a test drive for me? i'll pay for your gas, and lunch:D

still no word back from the seller

Yeah, I think I could do that. It isn't often I get the opportunity to drive another Insight, especially a Citrus one. It would have to be on a weekend, and next weekend is Hybridfest.

i'll pay for your gas,

That'll be 17 and a half cents please:D

Randall

Hi Randall:
That'll be 17 and a half cents please.
ROFLAO :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Yeah, I think I could do that. It isn't often I get the opportunity to drive another Insight, especially a Citrus one. It would have to be on a weekend, and next weekend is Hybridfest.

YGAPM

just in time for hybridfest the insight disapeared from autotrader :(