Might sell my Insight.....

[Pool Runner]

One of my clients just sold his 2010 EX-Navi and claims to have got more for it then what he paid new in lieu of current limited supply of Insights. This guy was actually the guy that first showed me the Insight and seemed to have the first one I had ever seen.
I was instantly impressed with the car, I have owned the car eight months today and am 95% satisfied with it overall and think it been a huge asset to our household, and I enjoy driving it when I do. That said it’s the only vehicle I’m currently making payments on, and I took a loan out for. With that said I’ve been looking at Insights on Autotrader and it looks like 2010 Ex’s with 20K+ miles are going for $22-23K. My car barely has 10K on it still and has a few dealer extras like mudguards, wheel locks, two sets of mats the originals carpet still in the plastic and the installed rubber all seasons, I’ve got the rear hatch cover deal, full hood, bumper, mirror, A-post, door cups door edge and rear bumper scuff clear bra etc… plus the car still looks & smells new at least that’s what my neighbor and friends tell me. One more thing I’ve got the rare one year only pearl white with dark interior, every pearl white I2 I’ve ever seen had light interior. We have a toddler and a newborn on the way so the dark interior was a must have for us.
Anyway I really like this car, but if I truly have an opportunity to get out of it without losing money right now seems like a good idea? Basically I would give my wife my 2011 2.5i Subaru Outback to drive daily 55 miles a day (That’s why we got the I2 in the first place) but fuel has dipped back down below $4/ gallon in my area and the Outback will pull 30-34 mpg depending on driving style which is decent enough, esp for it’s size and AWD. Anyway just debating if I will regret getting rid of my Insight.

[circa1986]

Will you regret it financially? Maybe. But I don't think I'd miss mine one bit. I wonder if I could sell mine, although it is leased. There is a "payoff amount" on my statements, so I assume that if I get somebody to buy it for that price or higher, I will be able to have Honda Finance release the title to me so I can sell it. I think right now that price is around $17,000, which is a pretty good price for an Insight that is only 2.5 months old with 3k miles on it.

I'm pretty sure a new one would be $18k+!

[circa1986]

Goodness. I was just checking inventories. New Insights are very hard to find online! Especially base models and LX models. You find a few EXs here and there.

I wonder if this is a good opportunity to trade in and make money!

[Jayemtee]

It is real and it's out there. The dealer won't give you much for the extras. What they are eyeing is 100% Jap made Honda with excellent gas mileage, in great condition.

If I had no complaints with my 9 month old Insight EX-navi, I would have kept it. I would suggest that for you or anyone else. There is no promise that gas prices will stay below whatever your threshold is. Consider that you might get 50 mpg on the Insight and 30 on the Subi, and that's worth thinking about.

I had a problem with my Insight on the freeway. It was slightly underpowered for my slightly uphill commute from work. That caused added assist, which was more battery useage, which drained the battery, which caused a forced regen, which caused more throttle and less throttle response, and it all snowballed together.

The CR-Z answered that problem with flying colors. The car has some features that are show stoppers for many people. I think that after I get 10K on the odometer, I will get 50+ mpg as I did with the Insight.

If the CR-Z had not been available, I would have kept my Insight. I thought about Civic and others that kinda made sense, especially short term. I'm in it for the long haul, I have no confidence in fuel prices, and the Insight or CR-Z look good for my long term thinking.

[DPRoberts]

I don't know how fair of a price this is, but I just searched Autotrader for my car (2011 base Insight) and found this one used with 99 miles on it, asking $3000 over list.

[cworley5150]

I think you will regret selling the Insight. Gas prices are coming down a little right now, but they won't stay there for long. I'm expecting $4.00/gallon to be the average price for a long time.

In my area there seem to be plenty of CRZ's on the lots but no Insights. If the CRZ had even a very small rear seat, I would have bought one instead of the Insight. They are a really cool little car.

[Terry55]

The Insights are indeed in demand (as are the Fits to a lesser degree) since the earthquake. A local dealer has a 2010 EX listed for $2K more than what I paid for mine last December (pre speculator gas run-up). I too believe gas will remain in the high range, and I can't bring myself to give up .9% financing and consistent 51 MPG. I'll hold onto my pearl white with dk. blue interior and wait for the next technical breakthrough. Good luck with your decision!

[cheesie]

wow that sounds like an opportunity to trade my I2

[Jayemtee]

Cheesie, I'm so happy that you broke out of jail. You need to test drive a CR-Z. It was made for you. There are good deals to be had.

Don't forget that Cali has the 3 strikes rule for repeat offenders.

[stan23]

I'm not so sure about 'getting more than the car is worth' mentality, but here in Northern California - I'm in San Jose, the dealers could not give the insight away.

I bought a used EX Nav at a local dealer with 20K, and the car had been sitting in their lot for a month. It just happened that it was the exact color and option we wanted, so we pulled the trigger.