[scaife]

Hi everyone. I've wanted an Insight for years, but only now have the money to actually buy one (and I want a new one). I've been hovering around on the forums now for a few days, and I've come up with a couple of concerns/questions:

1. I am concerned about the 400 lb weight limit that I've been reading about. I weigh 195, and most of my friends (that would be riding in my car) weigh over 200. If I couple that with 25-50 lbs of cargo (i.e. school books, etc), what can I expect to see as a result? The wording on the brochure, "maximum load," makes me feel that the car simply won't be able to move with that much weight in it. Or am I looking at a significant reduction in gas mileage?

2. I firmly believe that whatever car I pick should do two things--drive well and play my music the way I want it. Anything else is just gravy. I realize that replacing the head unit and speakers is standard (well, as standard as it is in other cars), but I am concerned about adding a subwoofer. I have seen the site with the guy who sells ready-made sub boxes with a sub built-in, but I think that his prices are too high. And I'm not a fan of the brand subs he is requiring to have put in the box. Has anyone else out there done something similar or different that they wouldn't mind sharing? I just hate to spend so much money on something so simple.

3. Getting it repaired. Generally-speaking, I'm not a car-savvy person. If something winds up broken on my car, is it going to take an act of congress to get it fixed? I know that these are low-production vehicles, but if something breaks down, I can't be without my car for 2 months. Are parts usually available in a reasonable timeframe? And that brings me to...

4. Tires. I've noticed a few posts on here regarding this. Since I put a lot of miles on my car (somewhere on the order of 25,000-30,000/yr), am I going to be S.O.L. when it comes time to change my tires. I mean, are the only things I'll be able to find going to significantly reduce my gas mileage?

That's all I can really think of at the moment. I'm sorry if I've asked questions that have been answered on here before, but I just couldn't find many answers to my specific questions.

Thanks everyone for any help you can give me!

Nolen

 

[figgy]

The weight limit is nothing to worry about. I am over 200, I can stick another big guy in, add a bunch of cargo, and not notice anything for all practical purposes. Maybe your mpg dips a bit, but it's not lke the car is dragging on the ground and struggling up hills. There are theories on why the limit was stated so low, but none involve the car not being able to handle more load.

Music isn't going to be great unless you spend some time and $$$ to improve the stock system, but it's possible. The stock system is kind of a joke, but most everyone does something to swap it out who wants better quality. It just means you'll want to do some research and then upgrade. It doesn't have to cost a bundle, however, I don't think.

I live in Bay Area CA and the local Honda folks are pretty familiar. If you live where no one has seen an Insight ever, and you will be the first, then you will have to do more homework yourself. However, they seem to be pretty trouble free for most folks anyway...

As far as tires go, I don't think you'll have a problem replacing them when the time comes. The stock tires give the best mpg, but they also last quite a long time. There are other options, and all do take a hit on mpg - but it will turn 90 mpg into 80 mpg, or 70 into 65, so it isn't exactly the end of the world even if you go with different sizing on the replacement.

As the best argument for your getting an Insight, I would say that the biggest of your worries is getting your music system up to your liking. That says a lot right there!

 

[scaife]

Thanks for your fast reply, figgy!

I think you're right: my big concern at this point is upgrading the sound. As pretentious as that sounds (to me), I can't enjoy my drive without some tunes!

Are most people around here that have added a subwoofer using the Wayland-designed box or is there another option? Also, are adding aftermarket speakers going to be an issue due to depth? I seem to recall reading somewhere that there is not much room in the Insight depth-wise to replace the speakers (in the front and in the rear).

Sorry about these silly questions, I don't have the opportunity to test drive one or see it in person. I just want to make sure that I don't drop $20,000 on something I don't know much about.

Thanks!

Nolen

 

[figgy]

People have cut out the plastic in the door frame to seat deeper speakers, but I don't know the full depth you can achieve. I used some spacers and didn't cut anything out, so my speakers stick out a bit. If you combined spacers to let them gain an inch outwards and cut out the back side for gained depth, you could probably fit some serious speakers in their.

My system is a big upgrade from stock, which are thin paper speakers like one used to get at Radioshack in 1975. My upgraded system is still a feeble system at best, so don't consider it all that you can do for yours.

Can some others add to this thread who have done a lot more?