Hello - I'm about to purchase a used Insight, and I have it narrowed down to two cars. The first car is a 2000 model with 60,000 miles on it. It feels great when I drive it. The second is a 2002 model with 30,000 miles on it. Feels just as great when driven.
It all comes down to $ for me. The 2002 model is $3,000 more. Just wondering if anyone has had any major (costly) problems at or around 60K that I should be weary of.
Thanks in advance, and love this site.
Hi Mark; Not enough information given. First, the 2000 is obviously a 5 speed. Is the newer car the same? If so, you need to compare the LMPG. My best answer is, everything being equal, including the body and paint being perfect, I would choose the newer car. Being a later model year, and alot less miles, it will have much higher resale value. My advice is to negotiate and try to get the price down even more; and buy the newest car. Billy....
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2005 Red 5 spd, color video cam w/5' monitor instead of outside mirrors, no rear wiper, tint, clear-coated & highly polished, car shows on weekends, LMPG 89.5
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2005 Insight, UK Spec Silver 5 speed with Alpine stereo, subwoofer & speakers with iPod link, IMA C&C, Shark Fin Aerial, Garmin EcoRoute HD, Skinz sound deadened rear shelf, 'InsightCentral' number plates, 19" rear wiper, Osram nightbreaker plus bulbs
Previous owner of 1999 Japanese Silver 5sp, 2001 UK Citrus 5sp & 2000 Japanese Red CVT Honda Insight - An extraordinary car for ordinary people
Yes, both cars are 5 speeds. My biggest concern (and I wish I had spoken up when I test drove it with the owner) was a "check engine" light that was flashing on the 2002 model (the one with 30,000 miles). I'm thinking it might just be a friendly reminder light.
"Maintenance Required" is a friendly reminder but "Check Engine" is not.
Something needs a dealer attention on the 2002. Could be nothing like a badly screwed gas cap or something really bad like an oxygen sensor or more. It needs to be identified first before going further.
I believe it says in the owners manual that a steady check engine light means you should see a mechanic as soon as possible, while a flashing check engine light means you should stop driving immediately.
The computer seems to think it's worth freaking out over, though that doesn't necessarily mean that it is. It could be a sensor giving an erroneous value, causing the engine to think that something is wrong. It could also be that the engine block has been duct-taped together.
If you really want that car I would ask if they would let you take it to a reputable mechanic to have the codes checked and see what's going on first.
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I'm buying used Insight - any advice?
