Gen 1 (2000 - 2006) Honda Insight
04-12-2017, 04:04 PM
#1
Gen 1 (2000 - 2006) Honda Insight
Hi All,
I'm curious to see if anyone here has a Gen 1 Honda Insight here, and what their thoughts on it are. A lot of the miles I put on my s2k are highway miles, so I'm looking for another car to use as a DD while I keep the s2k as my weekend car. One car I keep coming back to is the first generation Honda Insight.
They're cheap at about $3 K, run forever (assuming they were taken care of), and while they do have battery issues, per the Insight forums, using a grid charger seems to make this a non-issue.
So, ultimately, I'm hoping to get some feedback from people in my situation, if they exist: going from an s2k or something similar to a car where the focus is almost purely gas mileage.
-- Do you enjoy driving the insight? That is, am I going to hate the driving experience coming from an s2k?
-- How is the trunk space? Given I can't hold anything in the s2k, this is of particular interest to me.
-- Any big maintenance issues you've had to deal with?
-- Anything other issues unique to the insight?
I realize I can ask this in the insight forums, but as mentioned above, getting feedback from other s2k owners would be very helpful.
Thanks!
I'm curious to see if anyone here has a Gen 1 Honda Insight here, and what their thoughts on it are. A lot of the miles I put on my s2k are highway miles, so I'm looking for another car to use as a DD while I keep the s2k as my weekend car. One car I keep coming back to is the first generation Honda Insight.
They're cheap at about $3 K, run forever (assuming they were taken care of), and while they do have battery issues, per the Insight forums, using a grid charger seems to make this a non-issue.
So, ultimately, I'm hoping to get some feedback from people in my situation, if they exist: going from an s2k or something similar to a car where the focus is almost purely gas mileage.
-- Do you enjoy driving the insight? That is, am I going to hate the driving experience coming from an s2k?
-- How is the trunk space? Given I can't hold anything in the s2k, this is of particular interest to me.
-- Any big maintenance issues you've had to deal with?
-- Anything other issues unique to the insight?
I realize I can ask this in the insight forums, but as mentioned above, getting feedback from other s2k owners would be very helpful.
Thanks!
04-13-2017, 09:03 AM
#2
I had one for a couple years
-- Do you enjoy driving the insight? That is, am I going to hate the driving experience coming from an s2k? I enjoyed driving mine immensely. As long as your expectations are in line with the car's design intent (i.e. don't expect it to drive like a sports car, but rather a FWD commuter focused on efficiency), you'll love how light yet solid it feels. It felt very familiar yet still somehow special like the s2k. Remember it was built to a higher price point than the actual MSRP and it shows - the fit and finish is better than a Civic or Accord from that era.
-- How is the trunk space? Given I can't hold anything in the s2k, this is of particular interest to me. The space under the hatch is deceptively huge. My wife and I took a 10 day/2500 mi road trip with our tent, sleeping bags, small ice box, and other camping gear and managed fine. There is a cavity under the carpet where the spare tire goes where you can fit even more stuff.
-- Any big maintenance issues you've had to deal with? None
-- Anything other issues unique to the insight?. The battery you mentioned is the only big ticket item. Grid charger should definitely go a long way towards longevity, but if it dies (mine did), you can get by with bypassing the battery and running gas only. It's painfully slow in gas only mode though and my average MPG dropped from 68mpg to 55mpg. Also, the mileage on these cars are very sensitive to your choice of tires. If you want to hit anything close to the 70mpg EPA rating, the OEM Bridgestones are the only ones that can do it.
One more thing - check rates with your insurance company before you buy one. I recall the Insight being rather expensive to insure, so unless you drive a ton, or want the car for reasons other than saving money, a less fuel efficient car might make more sense from a financial standpoint. Mine didn't save me any money over a Civic/Corolla, but I loved the car for other reasons. I still do a double take when I see a clean Silverstone on the road. Good luck!
-- Do you enjoy driving the insight? That is, am I going to hate the driving experience coming from an s2k? I enjoyed driving mine immensely. As long as your expectations are in line with the car's design intent (i.e. don't expect it to drive like a sports car, but rather a FWD commuter focused on efficiency), you'll love how light yet solid it feels. It felt very familiar yet still somehow special like the s2k. Remember it was built to a higher price point than the actual MSRP and it shows - the fit and finish is better than a Civic or Accord from that era.
-- How is the trunk space? Given I can't hold anything in the s2k, this is of particular interest to me. The space under the hatch is deceptively huge. My wife and I took a 10 day/2500 mi road trip with our tent, sleeping bags, small ice box, and other camping gear and managed fine. There is a cavity under the carpet where the spare tire goes where you can fit even more stuff.
-- Any big maintenance issues you've had to deal with? None
-- Anything other issues unique to the insight?. The battery you mentioned is the only big ticket item. Grid charger should definitely go a long way towards longevity, but if it dies (mine did), you can get by with bypassing the battery and running gas only. It's painfully slow in gas only mode though and my average MPG dropped from 68mpg to 55mpg. Also, the mileage on these cars are very sensitive to your choice of tires. If you want to hit anything close to the 70mpg EPA rating, the OEM Bridgestones are the only ones that can do it.
One more thing - check rates with your insurance company before you buy one. I recall the Insight being rather expensive to insure, so unless you drive a ton, or want the car for reasons other than saving money, a less fuel efficient car might make more sense from a financial standpoint. Mine didn't save me any money over a Civic/Corolla, but I loved the car for other reasons. I still do a double take when I see a clean Silverstone on the road. Good luck!
04-13-2017, 10:20 AM
#3
I had one for a couple years
-- Do you enjoy driving the insight? That is, am I going to hate the driving experience coming from an s2k? I enjoyed driving mine immensely. As long as your expectations are in line with the car's design intent (i.e. don't expect it to drive like a sports car, but rather a FWD commuter focused on efficiency), you'll love how light yet solid it feels. It felt very familiar yet still somehow special like the s2k. Remember it was built to a higher price point than the actual MSRP and it shows - the fit and finish is better than a Civic or Accord from that era.
-- How is the trunk space? Given I can't hold anything in the s2k, this is of particular interest to me. The space under the hatch is deceptively huge. My wife and I took a 10 day/2500 mi road trip with our tent, sleeping bags, small ice box, and other camping gear and managed fine. There is a cavity under the carpet where the spare tire goes where you can fit even more stuff.
-- Any big maintenance issues you've had to deal with? None
-- Anything other issues unique to the insight?. The battery you mentioned is the only big ticket item. Grid charger should definitely go a long way towards longevity, but if it dies (mine did), you can get by with bypassing the battery and running gas only. It's painfully slow in gas only mode though and my average MPG dropped from 68mpg to 55mpg. Also, the mileage on these cars are very sensitive to your choice of tires. If you want to hit anything close to the 70mpg EPA rating, the OEM Bridgestones are the only ones that can do it.
One more thing - check rates with your insurance company before you buy one. I recall the Insight being rather expensive to insure, so unless you drive a ton, or want the car for reasons other than saving money, a less fuel efficient car might make more sense from a financial standpoint. Mine didn't save me any money over a Civic/Corolla, but I loved the car for other reasons. I still do a double take when I see a clean Silverstone on the road. Good luck!
-- Do you enjoy driving the insight? That is, am I going to hate the driving experience coming from an s2k? I enjoyed driving mine immensely. As long as your expectations are in line with the car's design intent (i.e. don't expect it to drive like a sports car, but rather a FWD commuter focused on efficiency), you'll love how light yet solid it feels. It felt very familiar yet still somehow special like the s2k. Remember it was built to a higher price point than the actual MSRP and it shows - the fit and finish is better than a Civic or Accord from that era.
-- How is the trunk space? Given I can't hold anything in the s2k, this is of particular interest to me. The space under the hatch is deceptively huge. My wife and I took a 10 day/2500 mi road trip with our tent, sleeping bags, small ice box, and other camping gear and managed fine. There is a cavity under the carpet where the spare tire goes where you can fit even more stuff.
-- Any big maintenance issues you've had to deal with? None
-- Anything other issues unique to the insight?. The battery you mentioned is the only big ticket item. Grid charger should definitely go a long way towards longevity, but if it dies (mine did), you can get by with bypassing the battery and running gas only. It's painfully slow in gas only mode though and my average MPG dropped from 68mpg to 55mpg. Also, the mileage on these cars are very sensitive to your choice of tires. If you want to hit anything close to the 70mpg EPA rating, the OEM Bridgestones are the only ones that can do it.
One more thing - check rates with your insurance company before you buy one. I recall the Insight being rather expensive to insure, so unless you drive a ton, or want the car for reasons other than saving money, a less fuel efficient car might make more sense from a financial standpoint. Mine didn't save me any money over a Civic/Corolla, but I loved the car for other reasons. I still do a double take when I see a clean Silverstone on the road. Good luck!
04-13-2017, 03:31 PM
#7
My boss traded his in with over 325,000 miles on it. It needed a new battery about every 110,000 miles.
