[edwardpierce]

Greetings,
I'm seriously considering the purchase of a new Insight with a manual transmission, but I need some reassurance before I make the final decision.

1. I'm not an expert mechanic or techno-wizard, but I seem to know more about the Insight than most of the Honda dealers I've talked to. This worries me. How difficult is it to get these things fixed by Honda dealers? Is it possible to find mechanics who can work on them when the warranty expires?

2. How do Insights handle snow. I'm aware that they come with special tires. Should one use snow tires in the winter.

3. I've read several comments on this forum about mountain driving. Is the performance of Insights comparable to that of Civics in mountains?

4. I've noticed several Insights on the lots of small Honda dealerships in upstate NY. Does this suggest that they're being unloaded because Honda is planning on discontinuing the production of the Insight?

Thanks for your help.

Ed Pierce

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Hi Edward and welcome to the forum :!:

Seems there has been a lot of interest from new owners over the last
couple of months, must be something to do with the price of gas.

Anyway if you simply spend some time reviewing the first few pages here
in the General forum I believe that most of your questions have been
recently asked and answered.

Also don't forget the Insight Central Encyclopedia

http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/index.html


And the Driving tips to maximize fuel efficiency:

http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/faq-quicktips.html

Specific to your questions:

1. The difficulty of a repair is directly proportional to its frequency of occurrence. Once you've been there, don that, then its relatively easy. Its the uniqueness of the Insight that makes _some_ problems tougher.

2. Use the forum search feature on snow tires, several members in heavy snow areas swear by them.

3. Its comparable.

4. Been rumored since the first year of production. The only thing for sure is that its now another year closer.

HTH!

 

[b1shmu63]

Fist off, I'm hoping that they will continue the Insight forever. I do think that if they stop producing them the price of second hand ones will go up. Either way I can't loose as if the price goes down I'l be able to buy a second one some day. They haven't made the CRX for over ten years and yet I still see lots of them around. Heck, people are buying trashed ones from the scrap yards and rebuilding them or using them for parts! :shock: A HUGE local wrecker had ONE CRX and I was able to salvage a rear window from it. The next time I went back they told me that the rest of it had been sold. Rats!!

 

[Aaron Cake]

1. I'm not an expert mechanic or techno-wizard, but I seem to know more about the Insight than most of the Honda dealers I've talked to. This worries me. How difficult is it to get these things fixed by Honda dealers? Is it possible to find mechanics who can work on them when the warranty expires?

Dealers know nothing. Don't expect support, whether it be warranty or not. In my experience, my local dealer, as well as the whole Honda corporation, has been completely useless. Trips to the dealer have resulted in nothing but frustration, wasted money, and a broken car. So I have now abandoned Honda and will simply deal with any future problems myself. Of course, if you are not mechanically inclined, this could present an issue.

2. How do Insights handle snow. I'm aware that they come with special tires. Should one use snow tires in the winter.

Ideally, you should run a set of snow tires. The grip that they provide in the winter is worlds better then the stock LRR tires. That said, I have never run snow tires, and have not really run into a problem. Be aware of slightly less underbody clearance, and the tendency to damage the underbody tray, but other then that there are no major issues. The thin tires seem to cut right through the slush, and the car handles fine.

3. I've read several comments on this forum about mountain driving. Is the performance of Insights comparable to that of Civics in mountains?

Wouldn't know.

4. I've noticed several Insights on the lots of small Honda dealerships in upstate NY. Does this suggest that they're being unloaded because Honda is planning on discontinuing the production of the Insight?

No one really knows. Every year there is a rumour of the demise of the Insight, but it never seems to actually take place.

 

[Dougie]

Here's the Japanese page with "winter items" for the Insight. It shows the Bridgestone Blizzak MZ-03 in the correct size, and also a funky set of rubber "chains" which I've never seen advertized over here in the U.S.
http://www.honda.co.jp/ACCESS/automobil ... index.html

Hint for reading foreign-language web sites: Many times you can decipher links by looking at the path name, shown somewhere on your browser. On Internet Explorer it's down in the lower left hand corner.

Also, the Yen is roughly worth a penny, so if you divide the prices by 100 you get a (very) rough idea of how much they're asking...