Just got back from Tyrone,Pa with my 2002 Insight,repaired by McClellan's Body shop in Tipton,Pa...Denny McClellan was super helpful...he first learned all about the car,then carefully did an expert repair of the substantial front end damage...in a thoughtful,"Insightful" way....Car runs/drives perfectly...and I learned alot after jumping in with no previous Insight experience...We flew in,and drove 1000 miles home to Amery,Wi..near Minneapolis...
Note that I am a good (lifelong)mechanic,raced mosickles for years,drove/repaired everything from 2 stroke SAABs to Merkur Scorpio's...and still commute 66 miles on a Yamaha YZF R6 crotchrocket whenever possible...down to about 25 deg.F......
The very first thing I noticed is how TALL the gearing is....If you want to go up hills on the Interstate in Pa.,downshifts to 3rd,at 65mph,is the ticket.If you are naive like me,and stay in 5th,you will think the car is seizing up or the brakes are stuck on...Once you realize the power is there if you downshift,you can enjoy some spirited acceleration...but downshifts to 3rd are required,and on 2 lane roads,at 45,you may need 2nd to get around slow vehicles...If you stay in too tall a gear you will quickly hate this car.....Don't be afraid to buzz it when you need to...It will NOT pull 5th,or even 4th up long grades,into the wind...
Things I noted...that I wasn't aware of
Really dramatic TIRE NOISE...my tires have 76K on them,which contributes,but sometimes the tire noise on textured pavement is so dramatic one might think it is drivetrain problems......'til you hit smooth asphalt,when beautiful silence returns....Potholes are LOUD...some are alarmingly loud....
Newbies should pay attention to the road ,not the fuel consumption display!...It would be easy to rear end someone,because it is fun watching the MPG bar move around.I wish Honda had used a heads up display ....but that would have been spendy..
My first 125miles averaged 62 mpg....it was on some slow 2 lane ....
On the 1000 mile ride home I averaged 57.2......hit 85mph twice,drafting.
I learned flatbeds and tapered tank trucks give the best draft,without the turbulence of square back semis....
We were very comfortable for 500 miles at a wack,taking 2 days to return.Absolutely no problems,Returned to -10 degreeF weather,and the Insight started fine,warmed quickly,still got 51 mpg on my hilly commute.
I will post more later,but I love this car.I noted that through November 2005, American Honda had only sold 625 Insights......but this was up from the 2004 Nov.number of 575!!!!
We did not see another Insight on our entire trip.....and we were looking for one...I love this car,and thanks to all who helped me with the guidance and advice regarding this purchase....I paid $700 for the car,and spent $4800 getting her fixed,and I think it was a successful repair,as the car drives wonderfully,and is a really unique driving experience..
