[Patrick]

Hello all--I'm new to the forum....

After much machinations, I decided to purchase a 2001 Insight that had 20K miles on it. This is my first hybrid. As is the case with all new things, I have a few concerns--

What I want from this car is to put a lot of miles on it with little time in the shop. I drive about 35-40K a year. As I have done with all my other cars (Honda and Toyotas), I hope to get AT LEAST 250K miles without a lot of expensive maintenance...

What do you think my chances are to acheive this goal (assuming keeping up a rigorous maintenance schedule)?

What are most miles you (or someone you know) have put on an Insight?

What's the long term outlook?

If the car lasts like my other gasoline only cars, I'll be very happy with this automobile. Nice to have a spot like this to post the questions, and read other's experiences!

Patrick

 

[Resist]

I hope to get AT LEAST 250K miles without a lot of expensive maintenance.

Don't we all. I have heard of others at 100,000 miles on their Insight's so far. The long term outlook on the Insight is not known yet. But as with any other car, if the electronics have problems, it will be an expensive fix.

 

[Holicow]

Welcome Patrick.

there are several members here who are around the 100K mark, which is a fair amount of miles in less than 5 years. I don't know if there is someone with more.

Routine mechanical maintenance should be sufficient for the mechanicals, as there are few problems that have occurred. The IMA stuff is the question. I think we are getting to a critical point in the lifespan of the earliest cars, which will give us an idea of typical lifespan of the IMA battery, etc.

 

[Calpod]

I have 111K miles on my 2000 Insight, here is a list of the things I've replaced.
Oil at Honda's maintenance intervals
Tires at 80K miles
Coolant at 60K miles
Spark plugs at 105K miles
Still on the original brake pads (Try that with another car!)
Valve clearance inspected, (they all were within spec.)
Still the same EGR valve, I've just been cleaning it at every other oil change.
And of course the 12v battery.
I don't have any problem with the IMA battery, and I drive every day to work on a 7% grade, yesterday I drove up the Grapevine here in California, and it did not drain my battery.
I also expect to get well over 200K from this beauty, and I wouldn't think twice about buying another one.

 

[Resist]

Tires at 80K miles

You got 80k miles out of your tires? Mine don't even 15k and the side walls are all cracked.

 

[b1shmu63]

There was an Insight for sale on Ebay a while back with over 250,000 miles on it, if memory serves right. There were some posts regarding it. I believe that the IMA battery was toast or it had some other kind of electrical problem. I think at that point the battery would have paid for itself several times. Hard to say what kind of drivingwould put that kind of miles on so quikly, but it may have been used as a courier vehicle which would stress the battery. This doesn't mean that an IMA battery in normal use could not last that long. The engine will last that long easily if you use synthetic oil. The body should last even longer, and to my mind that is a lot more critical than a battery replacement. I bought mine hoping it would last me 30 years. (My CRX is 14 years old now and still being driven.) By then most other cars should be getting this kind of mileage.

 

[kapps]

Our 2000 Insight has just over 60k miles. The EGR valve was just replaced, the 12V was replaced a couple months ago, and the tires will definitely make it to 80k miles but the sidewalls are starting to crack after 4 years of Florida heat. We just switched to synthetic oil so the engine should be fine for a long time to come. The IMA battery seems to be a little slower to recharge than when it was new but I am still able to get it to charge up to the top bar.

From what I figure, 60k miles seems to be the break-even point for the battery. At just over 2x the mpg of our MINI, the Insigth's used less than 1000 gallons of gas during it's 60k+ miles. The MINI will use about 2000 gallons when it reaches 60k. The battery probably costs $1500-2000 brand new and installed so with gas prices between $1.80 and $2.00, the battery has paid for itself.

Calpod, how did you clean your EGR valve? Next time the hesitation comes back, the warrenty will probably be up and I'd like to know how to do it myself. Is there a how-to anywhere?

 

[bigtrouble77]

My 2001 CVT is about to hit 85k. I haven't replaced anything except the usual stuff. No unexpected maintainances yet. I've also driven the car on several VERY long road trips, one 10,000 miles, one 7,500miles and one 5,000 miles. The 1993 Accord I had before this car had way more issues.

I just took the car through the mountains in TN and the battery had great capacity. I'm shooting for 350,000 miles

BTW, I also changed my tires at 80k miles. Cracking formed at around 20k. Wasn't an issue for me.

-BT

 

[Patrick]

Thanks

Thanks all for the welcome and your thoughts...

I had thought about buying the Honda GX (natural gas civic) because I knew of its reputation for longevity, but decided to go the Insight route because of the limited number of places to fill up the GX (as well as its limited range).

I hope I can get the same miles on the Insight as I have on other Hondas...that would great!

 

[Calpod]

Kapps,

The EGR is real easy to remove, there are only two bolts holding it, I think a lot of Insighters are replacing dirty EGR valves, it's a maintenance issue, even if it's not in the owners manual, remember, this is a new vehicle, I have not seen this type of EGR valve on any other Honda, and I've owned several Hondas before this one.

I'm going to clean it every other oil change, see how long I can get it to last, (150K +?)

 

[b1shmu63]

Thanks for the tip Calpod.

 

[Outsight]

Get the Honda Care Plan!!

You must get the extended warranty for 100,000mi! Or you will be forking over quite a bit for your new battery pack...over $3,000 to be exact. I paid some $1,300 for my plan and it paid for itself with gas savings AND the battery replacement. Let me know if you have the option to get the extended warranty. Also, you may want to get a certified used Insight. Let me know,

Josh