So what was the selling point that helped you decide on buying an Insight?

[dirty hippie]

For me it was the all-aluminum body (with the exception of the front fenders and rear skirts) and the engineering and R/D that went into manufacturing it. Also, I can tell my friends (who would have liked that I bought an S2000) that it shares a number of things with the S2000 and NSX.

Reading many reviews, it seems many people love the design, but I initially thought it was weird if not ugly. However, the more I read about the Insight, the more I learned to appreciate its body styling that came about from a strict form-follows-function design philosophy. I'm still beginning to really like the design from an aesthetic perspective.

This is my first hybrid, and I wasn't really looking for an Insight. I sort of found out about it out of mere curiosity. I was kore interested in getting a 2-seater coupe/roadster and oddly enough the G2 Prius. The Insight interestingly combines the sportiness and looks of a 2-seater and the "green" of a Prius. Obviously, it was cheaper than, say, an Audi TT and most early G2 Prius ('04-'05, which was what I could afford, but also '06-'07 with high mileage or salvage title). So price was a factor in buying an Insight.

[3-Wheeler]

For me it was "the highest mileage in the world" part of the car that really pulled me in.

And as you mentioned, the aluminum body/framework.

I also like the quirkiness of the car as well, such as the 'alien' styling.

Jim.

[RyanA]

Initially, for me, it was the $800 (yes, eight-hundred dollars) price tag. Now, it's the 70+ mpg driving to and from work and the $150+ a month I'm saving in fuel.

[MN Driver]

The car that I had 3 cars ago I was looking to replace because I wanted something with better gas mileage and more reliable than my 2002 Pontiac Grand Am was being. I ended up buying a 1995 Geo Prizm because it was cheap and the EPA rated it in the 30's for MPG which was plenty good, the car was in excellent shape and relatively low mileage so I was happy and am still happy with it. At the time that I bought it (2006) it wouldn't have made sense financially for me to buy the Insight because of the purchase price at the time. Fast forward to 2008 or so, I started looking seriously at getting an Insight once I saw a really good deal on Craigslist for one, I've been interested in the Insight and Prius since they were first released due to their gas mileage. I was searching the forums and knowledgebase more than I was ever before getting to know this car more and more. In 2009 I knew for sure I'd be getting one, so I joined the forum after I was completely convinced, my Prizm was getting more mileage per year and getting rustier and past 200k mileage(which isn't bad, but climbing quickly and an excuse to add to others).

For me it is all about the fuel economy, that's it really. Other requirements for a used car such as being mostly rust-free, reliable, and various other things I wanted and needed were here. So it was all about finding the best deal. I searched around and eventually found one that I thought was a decent asking price, called the person up, negotiated and bought the car, I didn't quite get RyanA's deal but I did get a car that I'm convinced has a great battery(never a neg. recal), in great mechanical shape after it gets an EGR plate and EGR valve cleaning and a valvetrain adjustment. I was enthusiastic when I found out that this car is actually significantly cheaper insure than my older one which came at a surprise, it was mostly the ABS, passive anti-theft and crash safety I think.

So I now have a car that has the cheapest cost of ownership over any other car that I could imagine considering my typically yearly driving adds up to around 20k or more per year. This is what it is all about for me, cheapest cost of ownership.

...next step will likely be a used 10 year old electric car with a fresh or at least decently performing battery. In 10 years, I'll likely have pushed the car to the mid 300k mark on the odometer. I'll probably be in the market for my next 10 year old car then(sales tax is $10 if the sales criteria meets a certain price in the state of MN, saves money to buy an old car, no emissions testing here either for any vehicle).

In short, cost of ownership (primarily fuel economy, then reliability/longevity, no rust).
What doesn't matter to me, but comes at a benefit as a side effect: The environmental issues, the looks of the car I drive, special lane stickers(we don't have these in MN and our traffic isn't brutal like California so it doesn't matter so much to me as it would to others).
...although I do prefer reducing the money I provide that goes towards foreign countries that hate their customers, buying their oil that gets refined and put into my car so using less fuel and stopping for it less often does add some happiness beyond saving cash.

[red1dr]

MPG

Fun was an unexpected extra!

[Artric]

Wanted one for a long time. What sealed the deal was when I did the math and found that it would pay for itself within a few years. My signature shows that I'm all about the MPG.

I don't really believe in compromising with cars. That's why I have an S2000 for when I want to put the top down or go a little fast, a 599 for when I want to go too fast (but not enough to get myself killed), and a Ruckus for when I just want to cruise around and have fun. This is a car with purpose, and it's damn good at what it does.

[ac7ss]

I have a 110 mile (round trip) commute. My old car was a Geo Metro (44 mpg) and I wanted a better looking vehicle. I was aiming for either an Insight or a Prius (both 1g versions.) The one that became available first was the Insight. I am very happy with the way it turned out.

[devin1955]

The gas mileage. Also that it's an "interesting" car in so many ways. I have no illusions about saving the planet or the trees. It's all about ME.

[Cobb]

For me it was fuel economy. Thet turn off for the i1 was the 400 lbs weight capacity, I weighted almost 400 at one time.

[MN Driver]

Cobb, the car can carry more than 400 lbs, I once helped a guy get to his car after his Pontiac got fixed because had it towed to the shop and the tow truck driver brought him home afterwards. I think he may very well be 500 lbs or more in the passenger seat with me driving with additional weight. The car drives just fine and I actually noticed the additional momentum helped with regen and it was much easier to top of the battery at stop signs/lights and the coasting distance seemed to be increased quite a bit.

Hybrid-battery-repair.com has brought 8 battery packs(maybe a few more than that, not sure if that was toward the end of the trip or not) worth of cells back home with his Insight and has recently said to have carried 800 pounds of cargo climbing up a steep I68 grade.