[BaileyMan]

EDIT: See posts 4 and 5 below for For Sale info and pics.

Edit 5/22/22
I just installed a grid charger. We'll see how the battery responds. I'm on the fence about selling at this moment. I'll update selling price when I know more about the battery condition.

Edit 5/14/22
The IMA battery appears to have gone out. IMA and check engine light are on, IMA not charging.

I've generally gotten about 5 years out of each battery pack and am a bit bummed that I've only gotten about 3.5 out of this one.

We'll likely get it replaced, but am open to offers as is.

Other than that, everything else about the car is as described below.

The short:
Really strong mechanically. No major issues, ~141k miles, IMA battery 3 years old.

I love my little Gen 1 Insight. Silver, manual transmission, but I'm really wanting a camper van and don't have room for another car. We've recently inherited a second hybrid.

I'm curious what a 2000, manual transmission, 141k miles, good but not perfect interior/exterior, newish IMA battery is going for these days.

I know that if I'm listing it for sale, there are more details to inched l include along with pics.

I'm a very infrequent member. Mods, if this is an inappropriate post, my apologies. Please let me know if you delete it.

Thanks,
Bailey

 

[Natalya]

Is the IMA battery under warranty?

 

[BaileyMan]

I don't believe so. It was replaced maybe 2 years ago. I'd have to check the paperwork to see exactly when it was done. It should have a good amount of life in it still.

 

[BaileyMan]

Pics in next post...here are the deets.

• Asking Price: $5500
• Year: 2000
• Color: Silver
• Transmission: 5 spd / manual transmission
• Current Mileage: 141,xxx miles (driving still, but not daily)
• Location: San Francisco
• High Voltage Battery Age/Condition: IMA battery was replaced at 124,345 miles in October 2018. From what I can tell the IMA battery is in good condition. It gives me no problems. It may need replacing in a few years.
• Transmission Condition: Good.
• Engine or IMA Codes Showing: None
• Interior Condition Summary: Fair. Some stains on the passenger seat from candle wax that melted on a hot day. Some noticeable wear, but nothing terrible. See pics in post below.
• Exterior Condition Summary: Fair to good. No major dents. Has had a little body work done from being backed into while parked a couple of times. No accidents otherwise. A few scuffs, but still a looker.

A little more about the car...

I'm the second owner and have had him (we lovingly call him Hal) since August 2006. It was previously owned by an elderly gentleman named who also happened to be named Hal. I bought him from his daughter who sold it after he passed. It had about 11,000 miles on it at the time. I bought Hal in Maryland and drove him out to California in early 2007. He's been garage kept ever since. I'm pretty sure he was garaged during much of his early life in Maryland too.

I averaged about 51 MPG for the life of the car until I moved to the top of one of SF's hills. His lifetime MPG has gone down with all the hills he climbs, but still gets 50+ mpg on the highway, even close to 60 when tires are inflated properly and you keep it under 65. All maintenance has been performed by either the dealer or SF's Luscious Garage, a well respected hybrid only shop in SF. I have all (or nearly all) receipts for work done since I've had him.

He's a solid runner and I've kept up with maintenance. I'll have to go back through my records and see what big ticket items have been done, but I don't think it's been anything out of the ordinary for a car with this many miles, with the exception of replacing the clutch (at ~17k miles) shortly after I bought him. Perhaps the previous owner would have been better off in a CVT model. No issues with clutch or shifting since.

Some other things Hal has going for him:

1. Driver side headlight assembly was replaced not long ago. It had been misaligned after someone likely backed in to him while parked...oh the joys of city living...It's super clear and shiny and brand new looking.
2. There's a killer aftermarket stereo with bluetooth and a microphone for making phone calls, as well as a 12" sub with an amplifier under the rear hatch. The stereo sounds great!!! I'll be sad to see that go too. I can come down in price a little if you don't want the amp and sub.
3. Tires in good condition.
4. He's been garaged nearly all of his life. Paint is in great shape. No fading or peeling clear coat.
5. I've got lifetime tire rotation and alignment with Firestone. I can get the wheels aligned before you take him home. Maybe it's even transferrable? I'd have to check.
6. I'm sure there's more. (like brake rotors replaced when the IMA battery was done in 2018)

Some of the not so great things that you should know about:

1. The power window switch for the driver side works, but is a little loose. I got a quote of about $300 to replace it, but it hasn't been important to me to do that. Sometimes the window gets stuck in the down position if it gets lowered all the way. It eventually goes back up with a few jiggles of the switch, but it hasn't happened to me in many months.
2. The glove box isn't completely aligned, but it closes and latches fine.
3. The passenger seat is a little stained as mentioned above from melted candle wax.
4. The passenger side headlight isn't yellowed, but it's a little hazy. Get it polished and UV coated and it should look good as new (or replace it for about $300)

So, why am I selling? I'm really wanting a camper van. I want to be able to head out at moment's notice for a weekend away when I'm needing some "me" time. We also recently inherited another hybrid and I can't justify owning 3 cars and a motorcycle living in San Francisco. Our other hybrid is newer, larger and better suited for us as we are nearing 50 years old. I'll miss Hal terribly and would love to see him go to a loving home. I would not hesitate to drive him across the country in his current condition.

I know the market value for a used car is less than the seller thinks it's worth and more than the buyer thinks it's worth. I'm open to hearing any offers you have. The worst I will say is a polite no.

 

[BaileyMan]

More interior pics on the way.

Please note that some of the white marks that look like scratches are reflections.

 

[*sean*]

I'm really wanting a camper van.

Before you sell, you realize that an Insight makes a great toad for a Sprinter? @israndy tows his behind his Sprinter. sprinter-source.com is a great friendly resource for Sprinter vans. Blue Ox makes a tow plate for the Insight to which a tow bar can be attached.

 

[BaileyMan]

Before you sell, you realize that an Insight makes a great toad for a Sprinter? @israndy tows his behind his Sprinter. sprinter-source.com is a great friendly resource for Sprinter vans. Blue Ox makes a tow plate for the Insight to which a tow bar can be attached.

Thanks for the tip. I'm looking at a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey minivan than I can convert to little weekend camper.

 

[Igsis2]

Thanks for the tip. I'm looking at a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey minivan than I can convert to little weekend camper.

I am interested and will say b I used a mini van to camp but the Element has more to offer for camping and outdoors life. I discover the Insight last year and I love the backstop. I think Hal would love the flat prairies of Illinois is he still looking for a home?? I hope Igsis2

 

[Igsis2]

Also an Element has tie down hooks and no carpet to dirty. Flip up seats 6.2 to stretch out.. I could go on but need an Insight

 

[BaileyMan]

Given the cost of gas these days, I think I'm hanging on to Hal for now. Still haven't found the right camper van, but my wife and I are considering a used Sprinter. @*sean*, I guess your suggestion stuck with me. I / we (my wife and I) have shifted away from just a little weekend getaway for 1 when we need a break from each other to something that we can enjoy some road trips together with.

 

[mudder]

My wife and I lived in a van full time for 18 months (2015-2016). I kept my Insight during that time, but I understand it's not feasible for everyone.

Your car looks great. I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting your asking price, particularly if gas prices remain high for another few weeks.

 

[carnerd]

@BaileyMan can't PM since I'm a new member. (Longtime enthusiast; just got in the market.) I see you decided to keep Hal for now, but in case you change your mind, please shoot me a PM. Hal fits the bill perfectly for me. Thanks!

 

[BaileyMan]

Hey @carnerd,

Sorry for my very late reply. I'm not getting email notifications of replies here. I'll have to look into that.

Last week, the IMA battery went out. I told myself I wasn't going to replace it again, but my wife and I are leaning in that direction anyhow.

For the right price I'd consider selling Hal as is, needing the IMA replaced. He's totally drivable as is.

 

[mudder]

If you're tired of constantly replacing OEM Honda packs, then you should consider installing LiBCM... it should last a long time before the (properly managed) cells dies... probably 15-20 years.

 

[SD Andy]

If you're tired of constantly replacing OEM Honda packs, then you should consider installing LiBCM... it should last a long time before the (properly managed) cells dies... probably 15-20 years.

By “properly managed”, what do you mean?
Grid charger? How often…if you buy a new battery?

 

[Balto]

By “properly managed”, what do you mean?
Grid charger? How often…if you buy a new battery?

I think he means more that his firmware manages it properly. As for grid charging... You don't really need to. I haven't plugged in my car for a long while and mine hasn't drifted at all.

 

[BaileyMan]

If you're tired of constantly replacing OEM Honda packs, then you should consider installing LiBCM... it should last a long time before the (properly managed) cells dies... probably 15-20 years.

Yeah. I've thought of that too. I've done minimal reading about the LiBCM upgrades.

I get lost in some of those threads with all the technical jargon.

I'm good with doing a little wrenching and some plug and play stuff or relstively clearly written instructions.

 

[mudder]

I've summarized everything over at linsight.org.

For example:
Here's the entire DIY LiBCM installation process. It's lots of steps, but they're laid out in painstaking detail.
Once Bumblebee starts selling "LiBCM-Equipped Battery Packs", the installation process becomes much simpler.

 

[mudder]

By “properly managed”, what do you mean?

LiBCM properly manages everything automatically. The only thing owners need to worry about is keeping the battery charged if they're going to park the car for several years without driving... in which case it's advised to either turn the IMA switch off, or leave the grid charger plugged in**.

Grid charger? How often…if you buy a new battery?

Grid charging is not required to maintain pack health.

**LiBCM will eventually have a "long term storage" mode, which will keep the battery charged around 50% SoC (to prolong battery life during extended storage). FYI: LiBCM technically already supports this (i.e. by changing config.h/CELL_VMAX_GRIDCHARGER)... I just need to make a simple way for users to enable it (e.g. via the touch screen).

 

[BaileyMan]

I've summarized everything over at linsight.org.

For example:
Here's the entire DIY LiBCM installation process. It's lots of steps, but they're laid out in painstaking detail.
Once Bumblebee starts selling "LiBCM-Equipped Battery Packs", the installation process becomes much simpler.

Awesome. Thanks for that info and all the work you've done and continue to do on this!

I just finished watching all the videos. Very well done, easy to follow. Definitely a doable project for me. I could see it taking me the better part of a weekend...