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How to sell my 2003 Insight

5K views 61 replies 16 participants last post by  Willie Williford 
#1 ·
Hi! I'm looking for advice.

I've got a 2003 automatic Insight that I purchased back in 2006. It has been a great car with no major problems until now. The IMA light stays on which keeps the check engine light on. My mechanic tells me it's the big battery, and says to replace it would be almost $5,000. He says that is worth way more than the car. (I had the original battery replaced in 2008 - but it was still just barely under warranty, so it was free. Whew!) It will not pass inspection with the check engine light on, so by May 31st I cannot officially drive it anymore. It is time to move it on.

It has been a hard working car. I have over 326,000 miles on it. It has a few scratches. There's a paint stain on the carpet area of the hatch. The seats show their wear. I know it isn't worth a lot, and the local "Pull-A-Part" junk dealer says they'll give me $350 for it.

Does anyone have a suggestion of where I might get a little more for it? I'm in Kernersville, NC by the way.

Thanks!
~KJ
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#2 ·
I'm not trying to talk you into keeping it. But if you love the car as much as you appear to, you should know that you can get a replacement battery from Bumblebee batteries for $1600.

 
#10 ·
Thanks! I’m not very mechanical, but that is definitely a thought. I love my little car.

While $5000 might be your mechanic's estimate of the cost to replace the battery, a perfectly serviceable battery can be had for much less. A BumbleBee battery with a 3 year warranty is currently $1595. You can order here:



While there is a lot of mystery and concerns about working on hybrid electrics, it is all much overblown. Once the Insight battery is turned off at the master switch, it is quite safe. If you had a friend to help you with the exchange, it can be done in a couple of hours with simple socket tools. The battery weighs about 70 lbs. so you do need an assistant.

The car is certainly worth more that the salvage yard is offering. You can advertise it in the "for sale" section here and you will very likely find a buyer who will pay you a decent price:


Be sure to read the ad rules in the sticky, which are there just to keep folks from asking you a million questions. A few pictures help.

Depending on condition and service records, you would probably get between $1000-1500. Still repair is a bit more than value of the car, but you get to keep a car you possibly love. You are central to an area where there are lots of fans of this increasingly rare car. Don't let it go to a salvage yard. :)
Thank you Jime! This is a lot of help! I'm afraid that I'm not very mechanical, so I would need someone else to do the battery, and I feel like I'd probably get the same sort of deal wherever I go.

This has been a busy week, but I will take a lot of photos, read the rules, and post it in the buy-sell forum.
 
#3 · (Edited)
While $5000 might be your mechanic's estimate of the cost to replace the battery, a perfectly serviceable battery can be had for much less. A BumbleBee battery with a 3 year warranty is currently $1595. You can order here:



While there is a lot of mystery and concerns about working on hybrid electrics, it is all much overblown. Once the Insight battery is turned off at the master switch, it is quite safe. If you had a friend to help you with the exchange, it can be done in a couple of hours with simple socket tools. The battery weighs about 70 lbs. so you do need an assistant.

The car is certainly worth more that the salvage yard is offering. You can advertise it in the "for sale" section here and you will very likely find a buyer who will pay you a decent price:


Be sure to read the ad rules in the sticky, which are there just to keep folks from asking you a million questions. A few pictures help.

Depending on condition and service records, you would probably get between $1000-1500. Still repair is a bit more than value of the car, but you get to keep a car you possibly love. You are central to an area where there are lots of fans of this increasingly rare car. Don't let it go to a salvage yard. :)
 
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#4 ·
Hi! I'm looking for advice.
Welcome to the forum.
DON'T FALL FOR THE JUNK YARD OFFER!

I've got a 2003 automatic Insight that I purchased back in 2006. It has been a great car with no major problems until now. The IMA light stays on which keeps the check engine light on. My mechanic tells me it's the big battery, and says to replace it would be almost $5,000. He says that is worth way more than the car. (I had the original battery replaced in 2008 - but it was still just barely under warranty, so it was free. Whew!) It will not pass inspection with the check engine light on, so by May 31st I cannot officially drive it anymore. It is time to move it on.
We had another woman come on the forum who had a similar problem and she finally bought a "BumbleBee" [company name] from Eli for -way- less than $5K and the Honda dealer installed it for $150 (maybe a slow day?).

It has been a hard working car. I have over 326,000 miles on it. It has a few scratches. There's a paint stain on the carpet area of the hatch. The seats show their wear. I know it isn't worth a lot, and the local "Pull-A-Part" junk dealer says they'll give me $350 for it.
It's worth a LOT more than $350. We hate to see a running car go to a junk yard !! You'll have plenty of offers if you fall for a junk yard price of $350 right here.

Does anyone have a suggestion of where I might get a little more for it? I'm in Kernersville, NC by the way.

Thanks!
~KJ View attachment 90298
You probably haven't been grid charging your hybrid battery to keep it balanced. A good grid charge would probably get your car through inspection.

You need a mechanic that under stands "grid charging & rejuvenation" of the hybrid battery. (See my website for the gory details. Click on CRX below for the link.)
 
#11 ·
Welcome to the forum.
DON'T FALL FOR THE JUNK YARD OFFER!



We had another woman come on the forum who had a similar problem and she finally bought a "BumbleBee" [company name] from Eli for -way- less than $5K and the Honda dealer installed it for $150 (maybe a slow day?).



It's worth a LOT more than $350. We hate to see a running car go to a junk yard !! You'll have plenty of offers if you fall for a junk yard price of $350 right here.


You probably haven't been grid charging your hybrid battery to keep it balanced. A good grid charge would probably get your car through inspection.

You need a mechanic that under stands "grid charging & rejuvenation" of the hybrid battery. (See my website for the gory details. Click on CRX below for the link.)
Thank you so much!

Not only have I not been grid charging my battery, I don't even know what that means. There aren't a lot of mechanics around here who seem really "up" on all the hybrid things you can do. I will check out your website for the "gory" details. LOL! Thank you for putting it that way, as I am easily intimidated by mechanical things.
 
#5 ·
While I agree with much of the above, grid charging requires special equipment that you probably don't have. In addition, you would have to install special wiring in the car(a charging harness) in order to use the grid charger. I take it from your comments that you have been using a mechanic for maintenance and don't have a lot of personal skills on the car. Maybe I'm wrong?

Simply changing/discharging equipment can be bought for a couple of hundred, give or take, but it is a gamble whether or not it works.
 
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#12 ·
Wow! Thank you again Jime! You are EXACTLY right. I can guarantee that I have neither the equipment OR the skills to do that! I'm very reliant on my mechanic. He seems to be a really honest guy; I just think he doesn't know (or have the equipment) to do grid charging either.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Only 326,000 miles? It's just a baby... :) Okay, maybe an adolescent...

90299


(Courtesy of Scott from the high mileage Insight thread)

It's disappointing to see that people are still being quoted $5000 for a replacement battery. An OEM battery from Honda is around $2500. I don't know where the other $2500 goes. Perhaps into the mechanic's pocket....

For around that price($2500), you could get a battery with a 5 year warranty from us. That should easily get you to 400k. :)
 
#7 ·
Hi! I'm looking for advice.

Does anyone have a suggestion of where I might get a little more for it? I'm in Kernersville, NC by the way.

Thanks!
~KJ
KJ,

Glad you came here. I'll echo what others said and add a bit. You can get a refurbished Bumblebee battery with 3 years warranty shipped to you for $1390 (I did a few months back for my blue Insight) that is rated for 3-5 years. Or about double that for a better battery with 5 years warranty rated for 5-7 years. They usually last longer I've heard. So if you love the car and want to keep it you can get it running for very little. If you were willing to drive to me I'd install for you for $100, it would take about 2 hours if there are no hangups. That's a 4-hour drive though which might not be worth it and I understand that.

The other option is sell it. With the high mileage and issues you discussed it's likely to fetch $500 at best. I understand the $350 junkyard option as you may never find someone that wants the car for much more. Shame though, if you were close I'd take it off your hands.

Hate to see these cars going away like this but before long the only ones left will be owned by the members here.

Good luck, whatever you do!
 
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#14 ·
KJ,

Glad you came here. I'll echo what others said and add a bit. You can get a refurbished Bumblebee battery with 3 years warranty shipped to you for $1390 (I did a few months back for my blue Insight) that is rated for 3-5 years. Or about double that for a better battery with 5 years warranty rated for 5-7 years. They usually last longer I've heard. So if you love the car and want to keep it you can get it running for very little. If you were willing to drive to me I'd install for you for $100, it would take about 2 hours if there are no hangups. That's a 4-hour drive though which might not be worth it and I understand that.

The other option is sell it. With the high mileage and issues you discussed it's likely to fetch $500 at best. I understand the $350 junkyard option as you may never find someone that wants the car for much more. Shame though, if you were close I'd take it off your hands.

Hate to see these cars going away like this but before long the only ones left will be owned by the members here.

Good luck, whatever you do!
Wow! Such great (ironic) insight. I wish I had come here first! Sadly, I thought it was all over. I spent $10K on a new used vehicle. (Double-dog-dang it!) I could've saved a lot of money with what I've learned (and a road trip.) Now I'm debating. I really do love my little car. It's so fun and unique. I no longer see any others around here. When I first got it, and saw another, we would always wave at each other. If we got to a stop light, we'd roll down the windows and the same question would ALWAYS be asked - "What's your MPG?" It was like a friendly competition. So awesome!
 
#15 ·
Interestingly enough, that is EXACTLY what my mechanic said. He also told me that if I spent at least $250 trying to repair the problem, that I could probably get an exemption from the DMV, BUT that the following year I could not have the same issue and get an exemption. Sooooo close.
 
#21 ·
Use the buy and sell section if possible. Please include your Location in your Profile, as ALL G1 Insighters have done.
 
#22 ·
You need to post in the buy/sell section. I noticed there is a lot of oak pollen on the car. Run it through a quickie car wash before taking photos;)

Can't argue with your apparent decision to sell. These little gems are best in the hands of diy folks with some mechanical and electrical skills. I no longer recommend that folks without skills buy these cars. Like Jeff, I've helped several owners over the years, but as the cars get quite old, it is no longer realistic. And, as the mileage gets very high, lots of stuff starts to fail;)

BTW, make sure that the red battery light does not come on while you are driving. The 12V underhood battery gets charged from the IMA battery in the back. So, at some point with failed IMA battery, the red battery light will come on. If that happens the 12V battery will start to discharge and eventually the car will stall. You would have two alternatives. You can take the 12V underhood battery out and have it charged, or you can implement the IMA bypass as Jeff mentioned - only necessary if the red battery light come on.
 
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#26 ·
For buy/sell section, click the three dots at top right, click "forum listing," scroll way down toward bottom of the list and find "Insightful Deals." The bar at bottom of composition window allows you to "insert Images."
 
#30 ·
What part of the country are you in? There might be a wrench-handy forum member within reasonable distance to lend a hand. There are folks here who are gonna slice me up for saying this, but a new pack doesn't really need "grid-charging" right off the bat.

If you can get the battery installed, now, you can worry about the grid charging, later.

Is it easier or more practical to put everything in there when averything apart? Yes.
Do you have to do it that way? No.
 
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#38 ·
Not on a 2003.

Sam
 
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#34 ·
Careful about that insurance advice. In NJ, in adjusting a total loss, the insurer has to give you a check that would allow you to purchase a replacement year, make, model, options at dealer retail from a dealership within 30 miles of where the vehicle is principally garaged.

For me, that would prove nearly impossible right now. Only dealer-available car in NJ is presently $6k. I paid significantly less than that for mine.

Arbitrage opportunity. . .
 
#35 ·
Just spoke with @Katie Jo, one of the nicest people I've met in a long time. Saw a few dozen pics, this car is in great shape, seats were covered until our conversation and are in excellent shape now that aftermarket covers removed. I was gonna move on this just to save it from the junkyard but apparently someone else is in line who doesn't own an Insight so I'm going to let them have first dibs. Hopefully they aren't buying it to scrap. If they don't come through I'll grab this. Very nice car, should make a good daily.

If the buyer is in the area and wants help installing an IMA battery hit me up, I'd be happy to help, I'm in Augusta GA.
 
#46 ·
I was gonna move on this just to save it from the junkyard but apparently someone else is in line who doesn't own an Insight so I'm going to let them have first dibs.
As a newbie G1 owner (less than a year), I appreciate this sentiment. There are still people out there who want to join the club! I really appreciate this forum and all its idiosyncrasies, including the ever-rarer trait of general consideration for others........
 
#37 ·
You can easily reset the codes, and hopefully the CEL will stay off long enough to pass emissions. I'll be happy to walk you through this and will only take a few minutes. Send me a conversation if you'd like to try this. This should have been the first step instead of all the gloom and doom.

Sam
 
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#41 ·
New law that said it had to be X inches from the steering wheel.

Sam
 
#43 ·
FWIW after talking with KJ I feel I know her a bit more, while it is easy to do some of this stuff there is the reality that not everyone wants to be fiddling with charging the car and such, in some cases it's just best to not deal with that part of it and move on. All that just to say yes it can be possibly brought up to standards but there's nothing wrong with not having that added to one's already full plate of things to do, in addition to not wanting to adopt the grid charge life.

Sounds like this Mark will get the car and keep it on the road. Win for all.
 
#45 ·
Wow, those seats look great! The seats are often one of the most worn things in the cabin. It sounds like the new owner will have found a great car, even with the fairly high miles. :)
 
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#48 ·
Hi! I'm looking for advice.

I've got a 2003 automatic Insight that I purchased back in 2006. It has been a great car with no major problems until now. The IMA light stays on which keeps the check engine light on. My mechanic tells me it's the big battery, and says to replace it would be almost $5,000. He says that is worth way more than the car. (I had the original battery replaced in 2008 - but it was still just barely under warranty, so it was free. Whew!) It will not pass inspection with the check engine light on, so by May 31st I cannot officially drive it anymore. It is time to move it on.

It has been a hard working car. I have over 326,000 miles on it. It has a few scratches. There's a paint stain on the carpet area of the hatch. The seats show their wear. I know it isn't worth a lot, and the local "Pull-A-Part" junk dealer says they'll give me $350 for it.

Does anyone have a suggestion of where I might get a little more for it? I'm in Kernersville, NC by the way.

Thanks!
~KJ View attachment 90298
Hi! I'm looking for advice.

I've got a 2003 automatic Insight that I purchased back in 2006. It has been a great car with no major problems until now. The IMA light stays on which keeps the check engine light on. My mechanic tells me it's the big battery, and says to replace it would be almost $5,000. He says that is worth way more than the car. (I had the original battery replaced in 2008 - but it was still just barely under warranty, so it was free. Whew!) It will not pass inspection with the check engine light on, so by May 31st I cannot officially drive it anymore. It is time to move it on.

It has been a hard working car. I have over 326,000 miles on it. It has a few scratches. There's a paint stain on the carpet area of the hatch. The seats show their wear. I know it isn't worth a lot, and the local "Pull-A-Part" junk dealer says they'll give me $350 for it.

Does anyone have a suggestion of where I might get a little more for it? I'm in Kernersville, NC by the way.

Thanks!
~KJ View attachment 90298
Bumblebee Batteries in Calif. They are very reasonable, and will ship the battery to you or your mechanic. I have purchased 3 batteries from Bumblebee Batteries and have been very satisfied.
 
#49 ·
1974 I started fixing cars.

In 2019, a year after getting my little Buddy, my Insight’s IMA light started coming on.

The first trick, I read here, was to disconnect the little battery up front in the engine compartment for a few minutes. That clears the computer. And the light went out on my car.

Then, a month later, the light came back on. So I read some more here. Grid charger was the next step.

I found one on eBay for $156. Then the charger arrived and terror set in. Something completely new to install.

I had the algorithm of how-to in my head and a very scary 144 danger sicker on the big in the back battery. Power off. Ok. Taking the cover off and other bits, was basic ‘changing a tire’ sort of unbolting. Then the tricky part.

My hands are almost too big to attach the couple wires in the car. If I had smaller hands it would have been as easy as changing an old plug 🔌 on a lamp.

When I plugged the charger, to the car bit I installed, turned it on, the built in meter said my battery was at 164v. 174v is a happy battery. 18 hours later 174v. No IMA light since.

I’d try a grid charger, after first a quick disconnect of the little up front battery, to see if the IMA light goes out, and stays out for a bit. Then there is hope the big battery can be brought back to life.

So a grid charger and a basic mechanic, with smaller hands, and hopefully the battery will charge up to 174v and balance out.

If not you can keep the charger for your replacement big battery, or add the cost of the charger to the sale price. Think of the gas savings and joy over time and even a new big battery will pay for itself.

Cold chews at rechargeable batteries, as well as disuse. A grid charger can do so much over the life of these little gems. I hope all that you’ve read here helps keeps your little friend on the road.

Take care and enjoy one of the lowest emitting vehicles on the planet, even less than the 5sp version!
 
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