Buying a used 2010 Insight LX, need advice

[shade_tree]

Personally I would pass on both those, 50K for $15K seems high, just bought a brand new base Insight for $1700 more couple months back. On the second with lower miles, the drive hybrid batteries could have been damaged having it sit on the lot for almost a year, Honda recommends not leaving the car idle for even a month.
I'd agree that for a short commute and occasional longer drives, that you would be better off just getting a non-hybrid.

[elguapo]

Thank you all for your replies. After reading your replies and other threads in this and other forums, these used insights are going down on my list and the new hyundai accent (2012) is going up to number 1. For the same price of the used insights I can buy a new accent with 30 city /40 highway mpg. From what I read in this forum and your comments, the 2010 insight have many issues (e.g. road noise, rattle windows, bad tires, not easy to re-sell) that now I think will make it overprice at around 15K dollars. I do like the insight and it's looks, but I don't know if I can justify it. On a budget and with mounting expenses (two toddlers, medical bills and a mortgage) i thought the insight will help save money in gas so I can afford a car to commute to work. I have been taking the bus for a year now but an hour and a half to two hours bus commute is also very difficult to do.

Thanks again for the replies and any advices are much welcome.

[shade_tree]

Good deal, the only thing I would ad is that you can get a brand new base model civic dx for about the same price as an accent at least here in the west coast. Sales are way down on the Civic and Hyundais are hot hot hot. This means you can get a Honda priced a couple grand more than an accent for about the same price out the door, if you have kids you will find the civic a lot more spacious than the Accent. I do like the new hyundais but everyone says their real world mileage is not as good as the epa sticker where as the people i know with hondas can usually beat the window MPG without too much effort.

[carniver]

Honda Insight MPG Reports | Fuelly ~43mpg
Hyundai Accent MPG Reports | Fuelly ~32mpg

Not sure if the ride quality of the Accent is really better than the Insight.

[Kocho]

Originally Posted by Zwolfe

Part No. 14401-RB0-003 is particularly upset with you, both!

OK then, I stand corrected about the belt, ... and happier for being wrong I don't know where I read that info ... Still trying to recover a hard drive where I got my service manuals to verify, so I have to trust you guys did your homework and are right about the chain.

[bigjim56]

I agree w/shade_tree...pass on both.

Get a used Insight, Generation 1...but don't give up in so quickly on the "salvage title" frightfest ...meme.
I've had 2 vehilcles now that have been "salvage titled" and I have to say, both have been steals as far $$/value goes. You have to know what you're looking for.

Salvage Title...driving down the interstate, pull hands from wheel...does it drive straight? If yes, prior accident/damage did'nt warp frame or drive train. Any unusual signs...sqeaks/water damage? I saw a used Honda Civic Hybrid w/the trunk flooded and it had'nt rained for weeks. (Imported from...?). There's a LOT of better buys out there for the $, trust your instincts and THOROUGHLY check out a vehicle before purchase...

What I did...Give yourself 1 month, hit Craigslist Local/semi-local/overnight travel both in the day and late evening religiously with your available $$ and desireable qualities. Be ready to respond immediately w/travel/$$ time to aquire the BEST BUY ...good luck, it takes work, but you'll save big time!

Why a used Insight?... 30 - 40 mpg compared to 60+ - 70 for an Insight MT 1St Gen...do you have to ask?...

I love my carbon footprint being way on the featherweight side. ANYTHING that cuts dino fuel usage is a huge + in my book.

Irob the Arab!...

bigjim56

[elguapo]

dear shade_tree,
where did you find a new insight for 16700? is a 2012 or 2011 model? I have been looking for 2012 based models but the cheapest was in the high 19K (here in florida).

Does anybody knows what is the warranty on the batteries? 8 years? and how much will it cost to replace out of warranty batteries?

So far the two cars I have been looking at are the 2012 accent and insight 2nd Gen (1st Gen is out of the question because i don't think two child convertible car seats will fit in it). Used low milage civics are not cheap (12K-15K) and I don't what to deal with the problems and expenses of cheap high milage cars (that is why I sold my 1996 Rav 4 last year)

[firsthonda]

Originally Posted by elguapo

Does anybody knows what is the warranty on the batteries? 8 years? and how much will it cost to replace out of warranty batteries?

The warranty is 8-10 years(depending on where you live) and 150,000 miles. The replacement cost will only be a couple of grand, if you go with someone like hybrid battery repair. These honda's last a long time. There are guys with 3 and 400 thousand miles on their first generation Insights. The second gen will last just as long.

[isoErnie]

Originally Posted by elguapo

dear shade_tree,
where did you find a new insight for 16700? is a 2012 or 2011 model? I have been looking for 2012 based models but the cheapest was in the high 19K (here in florida).

Does anybody knows what is the warranty on the batteries? 8 years? and how much will it cost to replace out of warranty batteries?

So far the two cars I have been looking at are the 2012 accent and insight 2nd Gen (1st Gen is out of the question because i don't think two child convertible car seats will fit in it). Used low milage civics are not cheap (12K-15K) and I don't what to deal with the problems and expenses of cheap high milage cars (that is why I sold my 1996 Rav 4 last year)

I'm not Shade Tree of course, but we just bought a used 2011 EX for $17,500 with 7500 miles on it up here in New England. Literally less than 6 months in service, so essentially new. Keep an eye out on Autotrader.com and put your criteria in a search within whatever distance you're willing to travel. We actually had a 3-4 to choose from with low mileage within a 100 mile radius. I know pricing can really fluctuate regionally, but hopefully you'll find something close that's in your price range. If you happen to be a member of Costco, check into their auto buying program. Had we gone new we would have used the fairly local dealer that participates in their program, which offers a price of $300 over invoice.

And LOL, we had a beloved 1998 RAV4 that we parted with last year. I'm impressed that you got 2 carseats in the back - we have one child, but his big convertible seat took up much of the back when he was a little squirt! The I2 back seat is a much roomier, at least it seems like it to me.