[Tanya]

Hi, just starting to research Insights, since I now commute 160 miles a day and am paying 2.85 for gas...number one, can one get an Insight with cruise control? And does anyone know the ground clearance on an Insight? I live on a dirt and gravel road. Our Dodge Stratus and Nissan Maxima handle it just fine, but I'm not sure if a car much lower to the ground would...
And why are they so hard to find? I would think they would start flooding the market with them with gas prices rising the way they are!
Thank you.

 

[Guest]

Their is an excellent cruise control system on the market, I think it's made by Rostra I think.

I've never run into any difficulties with ground clearance so far, it's not the highest car in the world, but equally, it's no Lamborghini!!!

 

[commuter]

And does anyone know the ground clearance on an Insight? I live on a dirt and gravel road.

I also live on a dirt/Mud road and the Insight does awesome. I have never had any clearance problems. You're right, they are tough to find right now. Good Luck.

 

[jbrasure]

Cruise control: You can't get one built-in. However, as someone else mentioned, there are some aftermarket solutions.

Finding one: If you want a new one, then you pretty much have to put in an order at a dealer and wait 2 - 3 months.

 

[iibbmm]

They are hard to find because they don't make many of them now, and people aren't selling them thanks to gas prices.

My CVT is for sale as I dont drive much anymore, and Ive been offered $2k more than bluebook for it, which was also $1500 more than I was asking.

 

[FlightMedicN222AM]

Tanya,

Where do you live. I too am considering getting an Insight. In fact, I'm going to the dealership tonight to discuss it. So far, I've found 3 in Illinois. 2 2001's and 1 2000.

With a little surfing the net, I'm sure you can find a few in your area. Be prepared, cuz the prices vary quite a bit from dealer to dealer and from private sales.

Good luck.

 

[ericbecky]

2.85 for gas! What part of the country do you live in? You're lucky! Gas is $3.09 here in Wisconsin.

Insights will always be tough to find since only a narrow segment of a market would consider buying them.
Why?
-2 Seaters are impractical for most families as their sole vehicle.
-They have a "unique" look. Some like the look. Many hate it.
-Fear of hybrid technology.

Are you thinking about buying new or used?

 

[kapps]

My local dealer said they get two Insights/year and they don't ever know when they're getting one in. You can't pre-order. I'm glad they were a little easier to find five years ago.

 

[Kevin]

I've never run into any difficulties with ground clearance so far, it's not the highest car in the world, but equally, it's no Lamborghini!!!

According to this site (and I have no idea how accurate this is), Insight a good 2.4 inches lower than a lambo Murcielago (!?)

http://www.theautochannel.com/newcardb/cccars.html?bodystyle=All Coupes&titleid=326

Also according to that page, the only car lower to the ground than the Insight is the Porsche 911 Carrera by 0.1 inches.

Again, I have absolutely no clue where they got their numbers from, but it is interesting if that is indeed true. Incidentally, I have been plowing my way through blizzards and snow drifts in the Minnesota winter without the ground clearing posing any difficulties.

 

[Wayne M]

OK so far

Another dirt road sufferer here. So far so good with clearance. Do watch out for obvious stuff like washouts and protruding rocks, you have about 5" clearance with passengers / stuff in the car.

The 'net is the place to look for these cars. Saw 4 on eBay yesterday. You'll likely have to fly and drive to get one of those.

 

[NOVA Driver]

Hello! I am a new Insight owner and I had no trouble finding one at all. I walked into the dealership an hour before they closed on Aug. 31 and drove away in my brand new Insight CVT. All I did was call earlier to see if they had one. According to the salesman, I got there before the woman who was driving down from Pennsylvania to buy it (I live in the Washington DC Metropolitan area). Availability is probably better in large metropolitan areas.
I too drive regularly on dirt and gravel roads and have had no problems with damaging the undercarraige of my car. I even drove over a watermellon sized rock and my little Insight came away unscathed.
Happy Hunting!

 

[Tanya]

WOW! Thanks for all the informative replies! I sure know where to go to find out about these cars from now on! As far as buying one right now, it's probably more wishful thinking, I'm sure I'm still upside down in my current car loan so I'd probably have to wait a couple of years. But we'll see. The other thing I noticed on this message board so far is talk about the expense of replacing the batteries. Just how expensive is that? Thank you.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Hi Tanya and welcome to the forum :!:

See:

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=1927


Something else for you to consider is your cash flow. Several other Insighters in here gave up their old gas hogs in favor of the Insight. They "recover" the cost of their Insight payment in fuel savings alone :!:

Of course this is only from the cash flow perspective. You should always consider your overall financial situation before taking on additional debt (even if it can "pay" for itself).

HTH!

 

[james]

"And why are they so hard to find? I would think they would start flooding the market with them..."

Honda doesn't make very many, because (reportedly) it costs them more to build one than they sell it for. They were willing to take the loss because it was intended as a way to get real-world experience with the hybrid technology, and to capture bragging rights in the fuel economy class.

So you're getting one of the auto world's greatest bargains

 

[bfivelover]

I even drove over a watermellon sized rock and my little Insight came away unscathed.
Happy Hunting!

I can better that. I drove over a large, dead deer without doing any damage to the to the undercarraige. It was dark and I didn't see the deer till it was to late, and I was doing about 60MPH. It's a tough little car If you count that deer, I have had four Insight-deer collisions

 

[james]

"...I have had four Insight-deer collisions."

Come on, be honest with us: it's just your way of laying in meat for the winter