I am in the market for a new car to replace my 1995 Honda Civic Hatch. I know these are two different cars....and years apart but how is the experience different. I drive about 60 miles to and from work everyday (highway) and about 700 miles a week on average. I live in toronto and I drive to montreal once a month...which is about 375 miles away....very flat straight highway driving. I also go to brooklyn NY once every 2 months(about 600 miles). How is my experience going to be different from what I have been driving? I test drove a 2000 insight this weekend and was impressed with the low noise levels on the highway and least compared to my civic...the ride also seemed smother...am i right? It seems that the 95 civic might have better winter performance in the snow and of course there is more space inside.imput and advise is greatly appreciated.
A few questions related to the purchase of a 00-02 insight
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Hi les and welcome to the forums. 
If your not fully versed in the hybrid concepts the I'd recomend reading in the IC encyclopedia and Knowledge base to round out what you need to know before ownership.
http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/
http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/
Then read this thread and its sub links:
What to look for when buying used?
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=3814
HTH!
If your not fully versed in the hybrid concepts the I'd recomend reading in the IC encyclopedia and Knowledge base to round out what you need to know before ownership.
http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/
http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/
Then read this thread and its sub links:
What to look for when buying used?
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=3814
HTH!
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4,942 Posts
Well I missed the 92-95 Civic model. Owned an 89. But I do have quite a bit of time behind the wheel in 95 models too.
Seems like you answered your own question since you've driven both. However, your assesment that the Insight wasn't "harsher" isn't the norm. Its lighter and the LRR tires make all the little bumps more apparent. Remedied by non OEM tires with a 10%+ MPG reduction.
Heavier almost always = better traction (snow) performance. Many Insighters in high snow areas opt to use snow tires. Some used Honda 14" rims are readily available making the swap a 20 min job in your driveway.
HTH!
Seems like you answered your own question since you've driven both. However, your assesment that the Insight wasn't "harsher" isn't the norm. Its lighter and the LRR tires make all the little bumps more apparent. Remedied by non OEM tires with a 10%+ MPG reduction.
Heavier almost always = better traction (snow) performance. Many Insighters in high snow areas opt to use snow tires. Some used Honda 14" rims are readily available making the swap a 20 min job in your driveway.
HTH!
les - my old car was a 93 civic 4-door, and I just recently got the 2006 insight.
The 93 civic was very noisy by the time I was giving it up, and the clutch was pretty much shot, and the radio had quit working, so I was so excited to have a quiet ride with smooth (albiet the classic "loose" honda clutch) shifting and a working radio. So my opinions may be pretty contextual!
The Insight ride is a tiny bit bumpier: I don't notice a difference on the highway - but speedbumps are more dramatic. (I have a 60 mile round trip highway commute daily, and take longer trips once a month or so). I don't think the road noise is much louder in the insight, and as far as pick up goes I would say the insight is very comparable to the older civic models (i.e., you have to be patient when merging onto highways). I only miss having a back seat every 1 1/2 months or so.
regarding winter performance: I loved the civic in the snow and I haven't had any problems in the insight other than the paradigm shift of driving a NEW car instead of an OLD car that I wouldn't mind bumping into things with! It might not be the typical mind set, but one of the things I liked about the civic was that it was light enough to not get bogged down in a little bit of snow. Also, one of the considerations for sticking with a manual transmission was for better control in the winter. We haven't had a lot of bad weather event since I've gotten the insight, though, so I may be surprised later.
All in all, it wasn't a dramatic shift in driving style or experience to go from the 93 civic to the 06 insight.
The 93 civic was very noisy by the time I was giving it up, and the clutch was pretty much shot, and the radio had quit working, so I was so excited to have a quiet ride with smooth (albiet the classic "loose" honda clutch) shifting and a working radio. So my opinions may be pretty contextual!
The Insight ride is a tiny bit bumpier: I don't notice a difference on the highway - but speedbumps are more dramatic. (I have a 60 mile round trip highway commute daily, and take longer trips once a month or so). I don't think the road noise is much louder in the insight, and as far as pick up goes I would say the insight is very comparable to the older civic models (i.e., you have to be patient when merging onto highways). I only miss having a back seat every 1 1/2 months or so.
regarding winter performance: I loved the civic in the snow and I haven't had any problems in the insight other than the paradigm shift of driving a NEW car instead of an OLD car that I wouldn't mind bumping into things with! It might not be the typical mind set, but one of the things I liked about the civic was that it was light enough to not get bogged down in a little bit of snow. Also, one of the considerations for sticking with a manual transmission was for better control in the winter. We haven't had a lot of bad weather event since I've gotten the insight, though, so I may be surprised later.
All in all, it wasn't a dramatic shift in driving style or experience to go from the 93 civic to the 06 insight.
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