[cattygurl]

It's official. The financing went through, and my BF and I are now joint owners of a 2006 silverstone metalic 5spd Insight with automatic climate control. We bought as Showcase Honda, and we were able to get the car slightly under MSRP. The drive back from AZ, I was able to ek out 62 mpg with a/c on econ, turned off during uphill. My BF called me up giddy... he was able to get 80mpg avg during his morning commute during busy traffic. He said he was able to get the mpg during heavy traffic by touching the gas pedal just enough to get the car going and coasting to a gentle stop.

We're elated. We were able to come back from Arizona to So Cal, starting with a full tank, (391 miles according to mapquest) with just a half tank of gas, and his morning commute today (45 miles). The gas tank is just slightly under 1/2 full at this point.

This has been the car of our dreams- it's esthetically perfect, it's quite comfortable, and we're both in love with our new baby!

I have to say that every angst leading up to this process have been worth every penny and more. The one last hurdle is a sligh... and I mean slight crack on th door panel. Showcase in AZ said the panel would have to be ordered and replaced, but we didn't have time to wait for the part to arrive, so we're in the process of dealing with a local dealership to get the door panel fixed under warranty.

*Sniff*

Thank you guys for all your encouragement. You guys are the BEST!

Edited to add: All the looks we got from people on the road was priceless! when we stopped by gas stations (not to fuel up, but to buy water and snacks along the way) people were staring at the car. some positive (lots of smiles- kids would point and say the car was cute or cool), some negative (couple of glares from a Humvee owner and a Expedition owner).

 

[cattygurl]

I have to say that every angst leading up to this process have been worth every penny and more. The one last hurdle is a sligh... and I mean slight crack on th door panel. Showcase in AZ said the panel would have to be ordered and replaced, but we didn't have time to wait for the part to arrive, so we're in the process of dealing with a local dealership to get the door panel fixed under warranty.

Sigh... an update. My BF went to a local Honda dealership to see about door panel. The service guy was outstanding, and we discovered that an attempt has been made to fix the door with glue prior to our purchse. He's wondering because of the way the inside door is cracked and some rivets missing, as well as tools marks on the underside, near the tires (minor rivets also missing along with more tool marks) if the car was damaged through an accident while on the dealer lot. The service guy said he will run the VIN to see if an accident was ever claimed on the vehicle.

I still love my vehicle, but I'm starting to hate this dealership.

*update* There's no record of an accident, but there has been some shady repair work because it seems like an after-market system was pulled out of the door panel, then pulled out. The car door interior panel was glued back in place, and the glue has come loose. The missing rivets (now replaced) are still a mystery. The dealership is going to talk to Showcase to see what the hell is going on. The service guys have been great, they've ordered new door panels and will call us when they get the parts, all under warranty of course. Too bad this dealership (Honda of Mission Valley) would not order an insight for us.

 

[Midori]

Too bad about the AZ dealer, but glad to hear about the service department in Mission Valley. I used Pacific Honda in Kearney Mesa for my 60K check up with no problems either. I'm going to bring in a couple printouts from the Majestic/San Leandro Honda sights for the wiper plug and see if I can get them to price match. Pacific wanted $28 for it !

If you're looking to get it tinted (a must in SoCal--in my opinion) there's a good shop at 7147 University -- they've been around ~ 15 years. Just had mine done there last week and it looks great.

I've only seen a couple other Insights here in SD--I'll keep an eye out...mine now has WA plates.

 

[cattygurl]

Thanks Midori!

Well, I was warned about Showcase, but considering that nobody had an insight, nobody wanted to order one, and the one dealer that had one coming (honda of Escondido) 2006 - well, I was number 4 on the list.

Also, my old but trusty civic si is starting to have problems, so I was in a rush and not willing to wait. Thanks for the tinting company info. I need to get the windows tinted, so this is perfect!

Maybe we should have a San Diego Insight meetup! what color is your insight?

 

[Rick]

Congrats. The one at Arrowhead Honda was sold anyways.

 

[Midori]

Cattygurl,

Thought I had seen a post or two on hear warning of Showcase and of dealers who never mention those little 'on the lot' fender benders. I was tired of filling up my 4WD Tacoma at over $50 a shot about once a week and found mine on the buy/sell forum here.

The tint shop wasn't too cheap, but I had researched the area to find a quality place. I ended up paying about 225 for Llumar Platinum Plus 35 (max legal for WA and good heat rejection) all around. They used a darker tint for the little vertical back glass so now it doesn't even look like it's glass there, but I can still see out just fine. At least you know they've worked an Insight before (I was their first ).

Mine is an 02, Silverstone 5-spd. The tint also has a silver appearance that blends perfectly. I actually just saw a red one on my way downtown to see George Clinton last night at the House of Blues. They were exiting at Ash St off the 163. I've seen one other silver out near Convoy St in Kearney Mesa, but that's it so far. I did get a chance to check out Billy's beauty when he drove down here for the Earth Day events at Balboa Park last month.

Happy Trails...

 

[Willie Williford]

mileage

Cattycurl:
OK, now I've figured out that you live in the SD area. (Please update your profile) What route did you take from Pheonix to SD.

I used Tipton Honda for warranty work, and bought a few parts from them. Ray is the guy to see. He is now the head chief in the service department.

Willie