Questions - buying a new Insight next December (2006)

1282 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Guillermo, Oct 12, 2005

wanderthirst

Discussion Starter · Oct 11, 2005

Hey everybody. I'm going to be graduating college next December (2006) and I have a couple questions about it.

I've heard some rumors that they're going to stop selling the Insight. Is it really not selling that well? I guess what I mean is, will I be able to buy a new Insight then?

Have any of you had to convince a parent or loved one that this is the right choice? My father, who's a car buff and a Honda guy, is a bit nervous about the Insight. I think that mostly he feels like hybrid cars don't pay for themselves back (you save on gas and mileage, but you pay more for the car to begin with). My best response to him is that I'm willing to pay for it.

Have you ever test driven an Insight (that's a silly question, I know -- you own an Insight, you probably test drove it)? This is my first time buying a car that's all my own. I'm going to be going thru the learning how to buy a car process, etc. I'm planning on test driving an Insight when I go home in November (cuz i can't stop thinking about it!) and I wanted to know what I should be looking for when I test drive it (features, etc).

Thank you I can't stop thinking about how much I'm into this car, even tho it's over a year away.

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jbrasure

· #2 · Oct 11, 2005

Honda just started producing the 2006 year model, and they are starting to trickle into dealers. Thus I imagine they'll keep making it for a year. However, I wouldn't be surprised if 2006 is the last year.

Insights are very hard to find though. You'll probably have to order one from a dealer, and then wait 3 months for it to arrive.

When you go for a test drive I would recommend trying a combination of city and highway driving. Listen for rattles and squeaks that might bother you. Then when you are done driving, sit in the car for 5 or 10 minutes and really study the interior. Make sure that everything looks and works properly.

Good luck. I hope you get one. I'm on my 2nd Insight, and I love it.

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jbrasure

· #3 · Oct 11, 2005

Oh, and about convincing your father...

If you don't drive very much, then the gas savings of the Insight may not pay for itself. You'll have to get out a calculator and determine that based on how far you drive each year. I drive about 60 miles a day, and the Insight saves me about $2000 per year when I compare it to the sports car that I used to have. I plan on keeping it about 6 years, so it will save me about $12000 at current gas prices.

However, keep in mind that the Insight is much more than just a gas saver. It's a fun car to drive, and I probably would have bought it even if it wasn't a hybrid. It's cute, it pollutes about 1/20th as much as a typical SUV, it's made of aluminum so it will never rust, the automatic has a cool "gearless" CVT transmission, it has an entertaining instrument panel, it gets a lot of looks from people on the road, you can drive in the carpool lane in some states, there is no alternator to fail at some point in the future, the starter rarely gets used so I doubt you'll ever have to replace that, you'll make environmentalists happy as you drive by, you'll send less money to OPEC, and the list goes on.

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wanderthirst

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 11, 2005

a little more information

Here's what I have to do next year:

I live in Boston right now, and will until...
next September, I'm moving to LA
my father lives in Kansas (where I want to test drive the car next month)
my mother lives in Nashville
I graduate next December, and will be staying in LA, which will be a lot of driving

In short, if I will perhaps have to wait three months, should I be buying the actual car in October? I'll be talking with the dealership when I hopefully buy the car, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about this process

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jtmco

· #5 · Oct 11, 2005

wanderthirst-

How do you feel about buying used?

A new Insight gives you a lot of technology for the money (~$20k), but has depreciated a lot in the first two-three years (by about 50%). Thanks to high gas prices, the used ones are holding their value quite well now.

It seems to me that it also may be easier to find a used one than a new one plus you avoid the big depreciation hit.

IF you can find used one in good condition without too many miles, the gas savings can definitely be worthwhile. As with any kind car, you should carefully check out a used Insight. The additional issue is the potential lifetime of the battery pack (standard 8 year/ 80k mile warranty).

Just my 2 cents worth (pun partially intended).

Jim

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Guillermo

· #6 · Oct 12, 2005

I also recommed buying a used Insight instead of a new one.
3 years ago I bought my Insight used for 1/2 the price of a new one and it's condition looked and felt like a brand new car. Many new people still think my car is new :lol:

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