About to buy '02 Insight CVT w/ 110k on the odo - some questions

[dirty hippie]

I'm new here, so hello! I'm completely new to the Insight, and the past few nights I have been doing a crash-course reading of everything dealing with this car. I found one this week and am about to pull the trigger if all checks out well. Here's the low-down on the car:

-2002 Insight with automatic (CVT)
-110k on the odo
-based on pictures, car and engine look clean
-original battery
-no known issues or problems (according to seller)
-clean title
-Car located in California

The owner said the transmission was replaced with one that was removed from a wrecked Insight w/ 60k on the odo about a year ago. He said prior the transmission was making some noises but since the swap it has run smoothly and quietly. The fact that the tranny was replaced makes me a bit wary. Should I be concerned? I've reda about the CVT and cost of repair!

I'm aware Honda has an extended warranty for the battery, and the seller mentioned that when I asked about the battery. My concern is how does it work? He said there's no paperwork involved in that I don't have to show the official letter--just bring the car in and any Honda dealer can do the warranty work. He said the warranty expires in Sept. 2011. Shouldn't it be 2012 though since it's a 2002 model? Is it true Honda wil only replace battery if it is failing and throws codes and the IMA light?

When I go test drive it, how do I know the battery is good? Anyway to test it?

What should I look for when doing an inspection/testing of the car?

Seller took a pic of the display showing the LMPG at 47.4. He said he normally drives aggressively and faster than his wife. This also makes me wary since the engine is so small. Can it handle the abuse?

I'm hoping to get a good deal and will buy if I can Otherwise I'll invest a bit more on an '05-'07 Prius.

Thanks!

[dirty hippie]

Went to see the car today. It was nice and I would have bought it, but the seller's price was a bit above KBB's. BB has it for around $7200 for excellent condition. He's asking around $7800, and it's in GOOD condition, not excellent. Plus, there are no records and the original battery has about a year or 40k miles left before the 10yr/150k warranty expires. He wouldn't even consider going below $6k, so I didn't even bother throwing an offer.

Is he offering a fair price?

[Leeper]

First thing is to educate yourself by reading the multiple threads that answer most of your questions.

As for the LMPG - that sounds fine, no worries there. If it is driven in the city or over 65 mph on the hwy those numbers sound fine.

Tranny - who knows, could be many things and none of which will ever be known. Likely not a worry any more than if it were the original tranny as long as it is working now.

A dealership pre-purchase inspection would be suggested

As for asking price - I agree and believe he is very high. KBB and Edmunds are hardly "the Gospel" when it comes to pricing, especially when it comes to these cars as they are very rare. IMHO $6K sounds about right, maybe $6500 if it were in excellent condition.

Something else to keep in mind is that records mean very little. I have seen MANY cars and bikes that were supposedly "dealer maintained", including my Insight, that the work was sketchy at best so I put little value in that. If it checks out fine mechanically, looks like it was taken care of, and fits your needs then work on making the price right.

Prius and Gen 1 Insight are very different cars, decide what your criteria is then get what is right for you.

"A good deal" - that is a phrase tossed around but means very little. A good deal means that you are happy with the purchase and has NOTHING to do with price. If you get it for $6K and you lose your job and have to blow it out for $4K is that a good deal? If the market falls terribly and it goes down to $3K is that a good deal? Some people pay over market and are glad they did, others paid less than market and are unhappy, to each his own.

[dirty hippie]

Thanks, Leeper!

I'm fairly new to the Insight and to the idea of buying one. It was probably only a week ago that I picked up the idea of buying one. The last two nights I've been burning the midnight oil and doing crash-course reading on anything I could find about it. This sight along with others in this wonderful world wide web helped a great deal. I just sent an e-mail to the seller letting him know I'm still interested if he is willing to lower the price. I also thanked him for his time :P I sincerely meant it too since we actually had a good chit chat about cars. Turns out he's a car saleman. So I'm probably not going to break him.

The car was nice but just way too much. My friend who used to be a car salesman said he just wants as much money as possible.

[SeaBass]

If you want an accurate pricing on your car this is NADA is the guide you want to use. The bank won't give you a loan for a car that is priced over this number, at least in Maryland and Virginia.

Here's a link to a 2002 Honda Insight with 110k on the odometer, it's suggesting retail price of $7,075.

2002 Honda Insight Standard Equipment, Pricing and Information - NADAguides.com

Hope this helps!

[Scott]

I've got an 02 CVT with 87K miles I bought new in 02 and have had no problems with at all. I had a sticking front brake caliper but other than that 0 problems. 51.7 LMPG and original battery pack. I too think $7800 is a bit high.

[griffga]

As a CVT owner I personally change the fluid about every 3rd oil change or around 20K miles. The fluid gets broken down really quickly and I know for awhile there were a lot of CVT issues in the early models because people were using the standard Honda ATF-Z1 fluid instead of the specific CVT fluid. If you get it, make sure to only use the CVT fluid. The transmission is not cheap at all because it is really hard to find and a replacement could run you 3K+ including labor.

[123griff]

i purcased my 04 cvt from the dealer it was purchased at new. just one owner.... i have every sevice record since new...other than pitting and rockchips on the hood the car runs great, and after a bit of trial and error with the plugs and such i have the service schedule back in order. i paid 8900.00 for mine and im happy with my price. i think that if gas goes backup over 4.00 a gallon, i can probably get close to my original investment back.

[dirty hippie]

So I ended up buying the car almost two weeks after my initial test drive. On the second test drive, the IMA light came on and the seller said he'd take it to the dealer to get the battery warranty replacement. When I got the news that the dealer would replace the IMA battery, I decided to buy it. The price wasn't what I really wanted, but I guess getting a new battery sort of sweetened the deal.

The car overall is in good condition, but there are a number of faint door dings that can be seen when looking at certain angles (nothing bad but annoying knowing that they exist). Front bumper has a 1x3" scrape on the driverside corner; it's not gouged or scraped just that the paint was scraped off (not really a big deal--prefer that over dings any day!). The interior is clean but the driver's door panel has some slight stains. There is a tiny rip on the driver seat, and the carpet under the driverside mat is a bit torn at the door edge (the mat helps hide it). The aftermarket radio works but found out later that a CD won't eject. Apparently the material-like strips above and below the disc slot hinders the CD from fully ejecting, so you have to remove the faceplate and manually take out the CD. Tires are all Bridestone Potenzas with decent treads left, except front driverside, which is fairly new with 85% treads.

Car has a clean title but has no service records. It comes with HOV stickers (which really don't matter much to me). (See the first post for mileage and other stats.) Asking price was $7850. Selling price was $6500.

So how did I do? Deal? I really wanted to get it for $6000, but seller was firm on $6500. I guess the new battery made it worth it.

Believe it or not, I was looking at an Audi TT, M-B SL500 ('96-'00), M-B SLK230 ('00-'03), Honda S2000, and oddly enough the G2 Prius. They cost more, but I was willing to spend more on one, but I was willing to get an Insight if I could get a nice one at $6000 or lower. Originally the Insight wasn't even on my list. When I saw some on Craigslist I began to do some research, and the more I learned about them the more I liked them. I'm just fascinated by the engineering that went into them. It turns out that the Insight combines the sportiness (at least in style) of a 2-seater roadster and the fuel efficieny of a Prius

Overall, a good buying experience. Negotiating was courteous and civil. The seller was cool and pretty helpful and also liked cars.

[boogetyboogety]

Well, you must be happy, or you wouldn't have purchased the car. I'd say you got a deal. Welcome to this very exclusive club!