[Driver]

I'm sorry if this questions is a common one but several dealers have told me that the Insight will not be built next year and they have stopped ordering them. Can anyone confirm or discredit this? I would like to buy one but have concerns of replacement parts availability.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rick]

My local dealership told me they would still order one. I know Will M, is having one built soon so I think you should still be able to get one. But, as of recently it looks as if production has slowed down a lot, yet as gas prices still remain high people are out looking for used ones. At least they were.

Anyway, it seems as if this will in fact be the last year for the Insight, and in fact if your going to get one order it now as it may be your last opportunity. You have to consider that Honda is loosing money on each Insight sold and it was only a proof of concept vehicle to get some solid data on a potential hybrid vehicle. When you look at it from the prospective that they can make money on the Civic Hybrid (something Toyota can't do with their Prius), there isn't a whole lot of reason to keep producing the Insight from a financial prospective.

They have not officially discontinued it though and it's still on their web site so how can say for sure. As far as parts availability Honda in the past has been good about making parts for discontinued models. And I believe there is some law saying they have to make parts for 10 years, so figure the last person to buy a new Insight has 10 years of parts guarantee'd. Plus consider you can buy a 7 year extended warranty, making the whole warranty period 10 years they would have to pretty much.

I say go for it, your last chance at this great little car. In particular CVT's are still around my area here, but 5 speeds are a rare commodity. Actually I saw a brand new silver CVT sitting at the Dealership where I go to get oil and misc parts at a few days ago. If the dealerships near you say that they cannot order you a new one you might call Honda's head US office and see what they have to say about that.

Good luck.

 

[Tim Maddux]

I don't think you need to worry about parts. They made so few Insights anyway that whether they're being sold currently or not as new cars will make little difference.

I also wouldn't put too much stock in rumors of the Insight's imminent cancellation. They're still only rumors, and I have heard similar rumors in the past (that there would be no 2002 Insight, that there would be no 2003 Insight).

I would base my decision on current wants/needs. Think of it like getting a computer; don't buy based on whether or not your computer will be out of date in a month because the next generation is coming. Just buy it if you decide you want/need one.

 

[Will M]

Inventory is probably a bit more complex than we understand. I'm not sure that orders are "slowing down". Here are the factors I believe to be true:

1. During the first year of production, the US allocation of Insights was raised to 6,800 cars. It has remained fixed at this rate ever since.

2. This number includes both special orders (made by customers like me) and normal orders (made by dealerships for cars intended to sit in their showroom).

3. Dealerships tend to order automatic transmissions in cars. They make no exception for this when they use up their 6,800 orders for Insights. If someone wants a 5-speed, dealers call around and swap vehicles to get the car to the person willing to buy it.

4. In the past six months, the Charlottesville, VA Honda dealership has sold more Insights than in the previous three years. Most (or maybe all) of those were 5 speeds. They now have two Insights on the lot with automatic transmission (one blue and one silver).

5. The national inventory has a lot of automatic transmission cars in it. These are not as easy to sell as 5 speeds. Dealers see themselves as being stuck with Insights and they'd rather make more money selling SUVs, so many dealerships don't want to talk to you if you want an Insight. Insights with 5-speed transmissions are harder to get than other cars, so the dealers can't just call each other up to get one anymore.

6. Special ordering an Insight can take months. I ordered mine in March and am expecting to get delivery in June.

So, if you want to get an Insight with an automatic transmission, just call around. You can definitely get one. If you want a 5-speed, you probably need to order one.

Each ordering "cycle" has a one month interval. Information given me at the time of my order implied that there were at least two more ordering cycles following mine, because I ordered one without air conditioning and was told:

1. Honda USA decided that, even for special orders, there would be no Honda Insights ordered for the US without air conditioning during the ordering cycle that includes my car.

2. People complained because a lot of people ordered Insights without air, so Honda USA said, "Okay, okay. We'll make one more order that can include Insights without air conditioning, but not on this ordering cycle. We'll do it on NEXT ordering cycle, but only as a one-time offer. After that, we will discontinue the option of getting an Insight without air conditioning."

I decided to cut a deal with the dealership on the air conditioning. I pay half the cost of the air conditioning I didn't want and I get the car a month sooner. My first car had air conditioning. This will be my seventh vehicle. None of the others had air conditioning, and I didn't want to pay $1,200 for a feature I know I don't need. Paying $600 bothers me less.

So, if you want an automatic transmission and the local dealer won't get one for you, make some long-distance calls. There are plenty of Insights around with automatic transmissions. If you want a 5 speed and the local dealer is so uninterested in your money that they won't order one, find another dealer. There are definitely people out there who can order one for you and would like to exchange it for your money.

 

[Guillermo]

In Canada there is a legal requirement for the manufacturer to supply parts for it's cars for 10 years. That should be enough time after that just go to wreckers for parts....

 

[gomarlins3]

It would be ashame to see it go.

 

[Rick]

Thats kind of ironic because in 2000 you could hardly find one with factory air. They all had dealer installed air.

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

So, if you want to get an Insight with an automatic transmission, just call around. You can definitely get one. If you want a 5-speed, you probably need to order one.

On the other side of the pond you can only order a 5 speed - Automatics are not available. Different strokes.....

 

[Driver]

Thanks for all of the replies! As Rick pointed out, parts should not be a problem due to manufactures comitment to supply for up yo 10 years. After thinking about it for a while, there are plenty of other cars that were discontinued. The CRX, MR2, RX7... The only difference is that they were produced in greater quntities and I imagine there is safety in numbers as far as support. I would think this forum should also help in getting Hondas attention if there is a common mechanical flaw. I think they would be concerned about their reputation in the long run.

-D