Should I buy? 2001 Insight 68K miles

Been reading these threads for a while and had some questions before I try to purchase an Insight I found locally with 68K miles, auto trans.
The first time I looked at it, the IMA and Check engine light were on. the seller told me they came on and the car died. But he thought it was the main engine battery that was causing the problem.
A few weeks later we charged up the battery and the car came to life and started charging and the check engine and IMA light went out so we took it for a drive. It drove awesome and we never had any problems on our jaunt around the city to make sure all was well.
So I call the local Honda dealer to see if the car is under warranty of any sort and he told me it was only good until 80K. Is this true?
Here's my question:
I found out the car has a rebuilt title and the reason was that the rear bumper cover was replaced. Sees logical since it's the only body panel that doesn't have a matching VIN. Other than that, I can't see any structural or unibody damage and wonder why this thing would even have a rebuilt title. I can pick this car up pretty cheap and since I commute to work 73 miles one way, I could really use the MPG compared to my pickup or my Focus SVT.
Any suggestions or "insight" would be appreciated as I want to try to get the car this week and take it straight to the dealer should I purchase it.
Thanks!

[ibjeff]

rebuit/salvage title = no warranty from Honda on IMA battery otherwise you would be covered 10years 150000 miles on the IMA battery.

[flymuck]

Ditto what ibjeff said, plus the IMA light means the battery pack needs to be replaced... costs about $3-4k when the dealership does it!

[IamIan]

I would recommend getting the insight.

It might need repair eventually or it might not... but even with the IMA and HV battery disabled the Insight will get better MPG than pretty much any other car ( PHEV exception )... and as a platform for future improvement ... no other car you can get is better... of course I am biased...

There is plenty to read on this forum about repairing and improving the Insight... even a bad HV IMA Battery can be rebuilt for under $400 if you are willing to do the work or live near someone else who is willing to help.... if you need the dealership to replace a Insight HV IMA battery it will cost you several thousand dollar out of warranty .... but even then Honda has shown time and again that if you ask nicely to Honda the Company, not just the locally owned dealership that Honda the Company has often agreed to give discounts even for out of warranty insights... of course being out of warranty there is nothing forcing them to do this... it s done out of the "goodness" of their hearts... so ask nicely.

Where are you at?

I live in Oklahoma so I would hopefully be covered under the "hot climate" thing I read. But, still, not sure how the dealer would find out the car has a rebuilt title even if they ran it through Honda for the service history. I'm not saying they couldn't find out but....
I have no quarrels against the car though even with a rebuilt title. Plus, I will be putting so many miles on it I'll pretty much drive it into the ground so my quest here isn't resale value but long-term MPG savings from my commute.
I appreciate all the info on this site and if I get the car I plan to learn a lot and start my hyper-miling quest thanks to the knowledge of the insight faithful.

Any other things I need to be aware of?

[Leeper]

Sees logical since it's the only body panel that doesn't have a matching VIN. Other than that, I can't see any structural or unibody damage and wonder why this thing would even have a rebuilt title.

That makes no sense. Insurance co's usually will only salvage a car when its repairs equal or exceed 75-80% of its value. The rear bumper runs @ $800 to replace. What you don't know here could hurt you. Just because you can't see other damage doesn't mean its not there. I have seen salvaged cars that were repaired properly but it is highly unlikely that a complete repair would be done on a car of this value.

No warranty. Unknown issues. Seriously diminished resale and ability to sell..... be VERY careful

Originally Posted by Leeper

That makes no sense. Insurance co's usually will only salvage a car when its repairs equal or exceed 75-80% of its value. The rear bumper runs @ $800 to replace. What you don't know here could hurt you. Just because you can't see other damage doesn't mean its not there. I have seen salvaged cars that were repaired properly but it is highly unlikely that a complete repair would be done on a car of this value.

No warranty. Unknown issues. Seriously diminished resale and ability to sell..... be VERY careful

So true. I do agree. I guess my subconscious has kept me from getting this car due to the "unknown". Could have been a flood or worse. All of your opinions and thoughts are on the money, I just have to step back and take a better look at the situation and keep looking for the right one.

[Roger Crier]

Hi Digitalfix,

I use mine for a 40 mile each way commute in the UK. It is mainly motorway (freeway) and if I keep the speed down to 55/60 in the warmer weather I can get 95 to 100 mpg (US gallons). My average over the 3,000 miles so far is 82.3 Mine is only slightly modified, with a radiator air blocking sheet and the tyres pumped up to 55 PSI. (get new Bridgestones as the ones on the car are probably too old for safety...PM me if you need to know how to check tyre dates)

When I get my MIMA and the weather heats up I am expecting greater things. Whatever you end up with, you will be well pleased, but you WILL end up driving slower than you did, and you WILL start tailgating trucks

I would recommend getting a Scangauge Mk 11 so you can get a true engine temperature reading and see leanburn (if the car is a manual version) the Scangauge fits a treat in the cuby box below the radio...you only have to make one small hole in the "roof" of the cubby box for the cable and the hole will never get seen by any later owners....

Rog

[Dgate]

Roger i'm curious when you say 95 to 100mpg (US gallon) is that the instantaneous reading ? and are you considering the US gallon is smaller not larger.
As an average over 140 miles fast driving I have gotten a high of 94 mpg (Imperial) and over 35 miles at normal speeds gotten 104mpg (Imperial) so find it amazing you are getting that kind of figure in US gallons.

DGate

[james]

"That makes no sense. Insurance co's usually will only salvage a car when its repairs equal or exceed 75-80% of its value."

There are situations where you can have a salvage title even if there's no damage at all. For instance, the car gets stolen, the insurance company pays the loss, and the car is later recovered intact.