[E ticket]

Hello all,

I am planning to buy an Insight and was doing some research on the web
and found your site.

I will check through the site but do you any helpful suggestions or hints
you can give me when looking for an Insight or any other info to be aware of?

I live in Northern California and some of the dealerships I have called
said that the Insight has been discontinued. And they are pushing the
Civic.

When I asked them why it has been discontinued they say poor sales.
But then again I remind myself I am speaking with salespeople. :roll:

If this is the last year for the Insight has does that affect parts?

The Insights I have found have been the auto while I am trying to find
a 5 speed.

Looks like a great site and look forward to all the info here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Arsenic1250]

2004 is the last year (moderator note - this is only a rumor. While *production for 2004* has stopped, this does not mean there will be no Insights produced for MY 2005. Rumors of "this year is the last year for the Insight" have been around for several years now). If you wait a few more months there will be a lot wider range of Hybrids .... accord hybrid, ford escape hybrid, and a few others are getting converted... in 2005 there will be about 12 other vehicles converted, and around 2007-2008 BMW, Lexus, and caddilac are adding to the hybrid collection, but then there will be hydrogen so it wont matter.

 

[dan]

Hi E ticket-

Welcome! This site has a lot of great info.

2004 production is done, there should still be some around though.. I’m not so sure about next year. Check out:
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=1085

Sales are not strong, but Honda does not exactly make them convenient to buy either.
5spds seem to be a little harder to find, a/c is nice, not just for you but for the batteries’ sake.

You might consider a used one. A lot of folks here are big advocates of used Insights; check out eBay to get an idea about the market. You can’t get much greener than a used Insight unless you get a bike.

Parts: that’s a good question.

I don’t know where you are, but I dealt with Greg Boynton at Livermore Honda
[email protected] He checked around for me and found one after the Berkeley dealership gave me the same line you got about no more production ( that was last Sept.)

“Is a hybrid right for me?” is recent and might have some relevant discussion in it for you: http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=1295

I think that if an Insight is right for you then no other hybrid is worth waiting for, none of them will be Insights. Don’t hold your breath for hydrogen. :wink:

 

[Arsenic1250]

Killometers/miles wise. But room wise there is a difference, I love the .25 wind resistance and the looks mainly, But it sucks trying to pack a telescope and camping gear. It actually has great handling i was on dirt roads going 79 killometers, and was going around corners great. I love my insight, i just wish it was so little.

 

[Guillermo]

By law companies have to make spare parts for at least 10 years after the last year the car was produced. Don't worry about parts.

 

[Arsenic1250]

is this an international law. Because we can't make japan make parts. But yeah parts are always available, even after 10 years parts will be available.

 

[b1shmu63]

The last I heard Ford was still making parts for the Model "T". Could be just an Urban myth but I heard that you could build one from parts if you had enough money. The original VW beetle is still being built in Brazil, where their air cooled engine is considered an advantage. I bought my Insight in 2002 because I heard that they might be discontinuing them, and I definately did not want to miss out. I love this car and could not be tempted by anything else except for a newer Insight.

 

[No. 166]

The Beetle has been discontinued last year. A watercooled barndoor-microbus is still being built though :wink:

 

[dan]

Hi E ticket-

I think that Arsenic 1250 hit the nail on the head with his comments about capacity. 360-400lbs total and limited room are probably the major drawbacks to the Insight. Its’ small size make it a good choice for folks with access to a second larger vehicle. That said, there are a lot of folks who have no problems with the Insight’s compromises and love their cars. It all depends upon what your needs/priorities/beliefs/personal baggage are. Let us know how it all comes out.

 

[E ticket]

Thank you all very much for the welcome and info.

So far it's gone like this.

One dealership had the color and 5 speed/ac but somebody has a deposit on it.

They had not heard from the customer yet (Sunday) and if they don't hear from him by Wednesday they will call me.

Another dealer called me late Sunday and said they had the Insight that I was looking for.

Stopped by after work today to take a test drive etc. As I'm waiting by the car the sales person went to get the keys and when he came back he started to apologize he found out that they had sold it.

Have a few other dealers looking. We'll see what happens.

A couple of the dealers I have talked to have said now that the Hybrid is getting more accepted people are looking for more of a car. Say Civic as opposed to Insight because they want more of a family car than a two seater commuter car.

Thanks again folks

 

[b1shmu63]

The dealers have always tried to sell the Civic hybrid rather than the Insight. They argued with me for an hour while I educated them on Insights. That was two years ago. The Civic may be a more sensible choice for the average person. Then again, who said I want to be average? :wink: