[Will M]

Since 3,500 and 7,500 sound like extremes, like one is for consistent, good conditions and the other is for consistent bad conditions, and my driving is always a mix, I went for 5,000 miles in my 1992 Civic. 210,000 miles later the only engine failure I've had was when the bearing in the distributor went bad, and even then the loud noise prompted replacement so I wasn't stranded on the highway. Tough little car.

I was changing oil ever 7,500 miles on the Insight and it was fine at 45,000 miles when it was destroyed by a Toyota Pathfinder and the Jaws of Life. Nobody was physically hurt, though the only person happy about the incident was the jock with the Jaws of Life.

When my new Insight shows up, I intend to go to 5,000 mile oil changes. It would be nice to see 200,000-300,000 miles from the Insight.

 

[Will M]

...Will we as Insight driver's _ever_ save the gasoline energy equivalent of the cost of the aluminum used in our Insight? If so I believe it will take many tens of thousands of miles.

The lowest cost in both dollars and to the environment is to produce an efficent auto and maintain it nearly forever. Simply recycling its maintenance waste products.

Good questions. One reason we got Insights is to tread lightly on the planet. Meanwhile, carried to an extreme, we should all just kill ourselves so we won't waste all this food we eat and air we breathe. It would really cut down on our consumption of resources and our contribution to landfills.

I, for one, don't see the world in black and white. I don't even just see greys. I see colors.

I look for improved means of living and reducing the impact of that life I'm priviledged to have. The Insight is better than most cars.

Aluminum production consumes a lot of energy, mostly in the form of electricity. Meanwhile, smelting the metals in a steel car frame burns up quite a bit of fuel as well. I'm not sure the energy difference is that great and I'm not sure where I'd find out an accurate measure for comparison. Given the overall lower weight of the Insight, I suspect that this lower mass consumes less power to make, including the chosen metal production, than an SUV that weighs three times as much, but I'm only guessing.

As for recycling oil, in Virginia, it is illegal to dispose of it any other way. Most mechanics and gas stations will take used oil and toss it into their used oil to be recycled, so it is easy to recycle oil, even if you change your own.

I tend to let Honda do it, since I've always gotten good service at the local dealer. They aren't cheap, but they've taken good care of both of my Hondas. I doubt the Civic would have made it over 200,000 miles without their thorough maintenance. If I did my own maintenance, something would have fallen off by now.