First, I have never owned a hybrid before. I am currently looking to buy my first one. I commute 150 miles a DAY to work, 6 to 7 days a week.
I am seriously thinking about a 2000-2001 Insight, planning to purchase in 2-3 weeks (tax refund). Hopefully a manual tranny (I am looking for the best MPG possible because of the long commute). It will be 95% highway miles.
I am in Arkansas, and there are not many of these out here, so probably have to buy off Ebay or out of state dealer (I have checked, there are none in local papers or at dealers here OR in Little Rock)
Since I am totally un-familiar with the Insight (except for its reputation), what should I look for? What should I ask, or check, before purchasing? Are there certain problems or functions I should check or ask about before purchasing? I think you get the idea of what information I am looking for.
Thanks in advance for any and all information.
Not sure if you want an automatic (CVT) or the manual transmission (MT)? The MT gets about 10 MPG better then the CVT because of its ability to run in lean burn.
The basic car itself it pretty solid in terms of reliability, just have to look at all of the normal car things: service records, general upkeep, ect. It has a timing chain so you don't have to worry about a timing belt and constant replacement of that. There are many of us with these cars in the 200K plus teritory, some in the 300K, and I know of 2 over 500K.
One issue that is common on the MT is the 1&2 gear syncro's wearing out, you can upshift 1-5 with no issues. When down shifting from 5-4-3 it is fine but 3-2-1 you can get some gear grind if you don't double clutch and rev match. Not saying this is a deal breaker, just something to be aware of and understand. I've been driving with mine this way for a long time but am good at hiding it so if you rode with me you probably wouldn't even know the syncro's were worn.
As for the IMA battery, make sure there are no codes. Assuming no codes if you can test drive it and use heavy acceleration to test the battery, see if it drops fast or maintains a charge. Watch the battery level to see if it suddenly drops from close to full to almost empty. Dropping suddenly is known as a negative recal and can indicate a weak battery.
This is a wonderful commuter car and if you get it I believe it will pay big dividends for you having such a long commute, you will save big $$ on gas. But, just go into owning it knowing that at some point you will have to deal with some kind of IMA battery issue. There are alternatives out there to the expensive dealer battery so you need to educate yourself on these:
When I bought my Insight 1.5 years ago battery was working with no IMA light or codes, within 6 months of me getting the car the IMA light came on and I had a battery deterioration code. I had already known it could be an issue and had planned for it so while I was not happy it was quickly dealt with and I had my battery rebuilt. Since then the Bettery Battery has come out, I would have gotten this new battery instead of rebuilding my old battery.
I hope to find one with manual transmission (mt). I am pretty handy, so battery pak doesnt really bother me, if car is cheap enough I will install a betterbattery. Good to know about the transmission..this is the stuff I am looking for, things to check when looking at a car.
I am in Hot Springs, about 60 miles southwest of the center of the state. I saw the ad for 2 in Oklahoma at a dealer, and have sent them a request for them to contact me.
Again, thanks for the info about the battery and transmission, and what to look for when test driving. Any thing else major to look for?
If you have a smile on your face during the test drive..Buy it.
Willie
That funny, I bought mine on after doing nothing but research. Had never actually seen one up close, had never test driven one, had only seen one as I passed it on the freeway a few years before. Flew to Nebraska with a one way ticket and even with all the cars flaws was smiling the whole way back to AZ. I love my car!
I would REALLY like to try one for size. I dont have a problem buying one sight unseen, BUT, I have never even sat in one. I am a large (not huge) person, and would love to see if I FIT in one before I buy one.
My girlfriend has LOVED the looks of them for years..loves the retro look with the fender skirts. One thing I have noticed is the lack of colors. Seems that 80% of them are silver (or gray). A few are red, even fewer are blue.
In order of most common to most rare: silver, red, blue, citrus green. The citrus green from what I understand was only produced in 2000. Although I've also seen a few repainted for sale online; 1 white, 1 black and 2 yellow.
If you have a smile on your face during the test drive..Buy it.
Willie
Probably about the best way to put it
Just an offer from this end.
IF you were to look at one in OKla, and IF our schedules could cross, I would drive down, assuming OKCity here. Would offer assistance, and with the knowledge base of the folks here, we should be able help.
about 90 north of OKC
Randall
__________________
MIMA #005
A founding member: Knights of the MIMA Roundtable
I would REALLY like to try one for size. I dont have a problem buying one sight unseen, BUT, I have never even sat in one. I am a large (not huge) person, and would love to see if I FIT in one before I buy one.
My girlfriend has LOVED the looks of them for years..loves the retro look with the fender skirts. One thing I have noticed is the lack of colors. Seems that 80% of them are silver (or gray). A few are red, even fewer are blue.
If you find yourself in the Van Buren area, you can check out my silver 2000. It's not for sale, but you can "try it on for size."
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