RE: Honda Insight: You Know You Want To
Discussion
IN51GHT said:
I got bored of my first one & purchased a Fiat 500. Now don't get me wrong, the 500 was a great little car, but I found myself wishing I'd never sold the Insight, and here I am, on my third one now!!
Spares can sometimes be a little more spendy than other models in the Honda range, but not that bad, my second Insight had a noisey gearbox input shaft bearing so whilst the box was open I did all the seal & bearings. That cost me about £250.
Availability of spares is generally good, worst I've had is a piece of trim that took 2 weeks to arrive.
"Going price"? Hard to say, but they are holding up quite well. My 125,000 mile car (my second Insight), that was subject to quite a lot of work to get it tidy (IRO £2000) having bought it as a £1000 "spares or repair" car sold for £5000 to the first person to view it, but having said that my current Insight was purchased for £5500 & had only 23500miles IIRC.
Finally, for the non belivers, here a photo taken this morning as I arrived at work of the FCD for my daily commute, I reset the trip every time I set off. The drive to work is a combination of 40mph road, peppered with roundabouts & a small stretch of the M5. In the 40 limit I do 40, on the M5 I do 70, not "driving Miss Daisey", just predicting the traffic, gentle acceleration, avoiding braking hard.
Thanks for the reply. Where did you manage to get a 23.5k miler from, through the insight forum/club etc? I looked back in old Evo's and Harry's cost him £5k for a 36k miler 3.5 years ago. I rarely see them advertised.Spares can sometimes be a little more spendy than other models in the Honda range, but not that bad, my second Insight had a noisey gearbox input shaft bearing so whilst the box was open I did all the seal & bearings. That cost me about £250.
Availability of spares is generally good, worst I've had is a piece of trim that took 2 weeks to arrive.
"Going price"? Hard to say, but they are holding up quite well. My 125,000 mile car (my second Insight), that was subject to quite a lot of work to get it tidy (IRO £2000) having bought it as a £1000 "spares or repair" car sold for £5000 to the first person to view it, but having said that my current Insight was purchased for £5500 & had only 23500miles IIRC.
Finally, for the non belivers, here a photo taken this morning as I arrived at work of the FCD for my daily commute, I reset the trip every time I set off. The drive to work is a combination of 40mph road, peppered with roundabouts & a small stretch of the M5. In the 40 limit I do 40, on the M5 I do 70, not "driving Miss Daisey", just predicting the traffic, gentle acceleration, avoiding braking hard.
With regards to spares is it all via the Honda main dealer, & therefore main stealer prices?
I note you've mentioned the tyres a few times, presumably they're low rolling resistance ones, can you source alternatives or are you stuck with those? I bet due to the weight they're very light on tyre wear anyway?
acme said:
Thanks for the reply. Where did you manage to get a 23.5k miler from, through the insight forum/club etc? I looked back in old Evo's and Harry's cost him £5k for a 36k miler 3.5 years ago. I rarely see them advertised.
With regards to spares is it all via the Honda main dealer, & therefore main stealer prices?
I note you've mentioned the tyres a few times, presumably they're low rolling resistance ones, can you source alternatives or are you stuck with those? I bet due to the weight they're very light on tyre wear anyway?
I got lucky, was advertised on Ebay classifieds, I was the first to get there with the cash.With regards to spares is it all via the Honda main dealer, & therefore main stealer prices?
I note you've mentioned the tyres a few times, presumably they're low rolling resistance ones, can you source alternatives or are you stuck with those? I bet due to the weight they're very light on tyre wear anyway?
Consumables such as brakes, filter etc can be got through the usual outlets, I've used Euro Car Parts for brakes, Honda for servicing as it has a really good history. Body parts & trim are main dealer only, the "diffuser" that clips under the rear bumper for example is quite a large plastic moulding, width of the back of the car by about 80cm deep, set me back £95 inc vat, so not killer on spares.
The tyres are LRR items, I use Michelin Energy Savers, the OEM are Bridgestone, but not longer imported., keep them inflated to 50-55 psi.
IN51GHT said:
I got lucky, was advertised on Ebay classifieds, I was the first to get there with the cash.
Consumables such as brakes, filter etc can be got through the usual outlets, I've used Euro Car Parts for brakes, Honda for servicing as it has a really good history. Body parts & trim are main dealer only, the "diffuser" that clips under the rear bumper for example is quite a large plastic moulding, width of the back of the car by about 80cm deep, set me back £95 inc vat, so not killer on spares.
The tyres are LRR items, I use Michelin Energy Savers, the OEM are Bridgestone, but not longer imported., keep them inflated to 50-55 psi.
I note they were made 'til 2006, I've never seen one here advertised nearly as late as that so assume they weren't imported 'til then in the UK?Consumables such as brakes, filter etc can be got through the usual outlets, I've used Euro Car Parts for brakes, Honda for servicing as it has a really good history. Body parts & trim are main dealer only, the "diffuser" that clips under the rear bumper for example is quite a large plastic moulding, width of the back of the car by about 80cm deep, set me back £95 inc vat, so not killer on spares.
The tyres are LRR items, I use Michelin Energy Savers, the OEM are Bridgestone, but not longer imported., keep them inflated to 50-55 psi.
Spares doesn't sound too bad. Do they have any particular inherent weaknesses - or is that a daft question (as all older cars inevitably show similar faults after a time)? I think for example of the ITR DC2 which often rust from the inside out of the wheelarches - though the whole of the Insight's aluminium I think?
Strewth, 50-55 psi, that's quite something! I'll have to get me a good look of one soon, it's not something you ever sadly see at car shows etc, though I guess their rarity if you stopped someone they wouldn't mind to much - it's not as though you'd buy one by mistake as it were!
acme said:
I note they were made 'til 2006, I've never seen one here advertised nearly as late as that so assume they weren't imported 'til then in the UK?
Spares doesn't sound too bad. Do they have any particular inherent weaknesses - or is that a daft question (as all older cars inevitably show similar faults after a time)? I think for example of the ITR DC2 which often rust from the inside out of the wheelarches - though the whole of the Insight's aluminium I think?
Strewth, 50-55 psi, that's quite something! I'll have to get me a good look of one soon, it's not something you ever sadly see at car shows etc, though I guess their rarity if you stopped someone they wouldn't mind to much - it's not as though you'd buy one by mistake as it were!
If buying a high miler, or one that's been left unused, be prepared to splash out for a battery, but it's by no means a foregone conclusion, some go on for an age, under use is far more damaging than high miles to the battery, a simple charger will ensure your battery capacity is kept tip top if used every couple of months.Spares doesn't sound too bad. Do they have any particular inherent weaknesses - or is that a daft question (as all older cars inevitably show similar faults after a time)? I think for example of the ITR DC2 which often rust from the inside out of the wheelarches - though the whole of the Insight's aluminium I think?
Strewth, 50-55 psi, that's quite something! I'll have to get me a good look of one soon, it's not something you ever sadly see at car shows etc, though I guess their rarity if you stopped someone they wouldn't mind to much - it's not as though you'd buy one by mistake as it were!
The gearbox input shaft bearing is the only other common thing I'm aware of, it's a £20 part & takes under a day, even when doing on the driveway at home.
IN51GHT said:
If buying a high miler, or one that's been left unused, be prepared to splash out for a battery, but it's by no means a foregone conclusion, some go on for an age, under use is far more damaging than high miles to the battery, a simple charger will ensure your battery capacity is kept tip top if used every couple of months.
The gearbox input shaft bearing is the only other common thing I'm aware of, it's a £20 part & takes under a day, even when doing on the driveway at home.
How much is a new battery then? Can you now take advantage of better battery technology? So you can plug it in then? Regarding the batteries, there's one on fleabay at present which says the batteries need charging, does this imply they're shot?The gearbox input shaft bearing is the only other common thing I'm aware of, it's a £20 part & takes under a day, even when doing on the driveway at home.
As I say this car really does appeal to the inner geek!
acme said:
How much is a new battery then? Can you now take advantage of better battery technology? So you can plug it in then? Regarding the batteries, there's one on fleabay at present which says the batteries need charging, does this imply they're shot?
As I say this car really does appeal to the inner geek!
£1800 or so for a "better battery" pack, has better cells in it, as the name would suggest.As I say this car really does appeal to the inner geek!
If you get a grid charger, you can simply plug into a 13amp outlet & charge the pack up overnight.
Without testing the car in question it would be very hard to tell if they are tired, it doesn't appear to be showing any fault code which is encouraging.
Given the cost of a replacement pack I'd pay up to £2200-2500 or so for that car
IN51GHT said:
£1800 or so for a "better battery" pack, has better cells in it, as the name would suggest.
If you get a grid charger, you can simply plug into a 13amp outlet & charge the pack up overnight.
Without testing the car in question it would be very hard to tell if they are tired, it doesn't appear to be showing any fault code which is encouraging.
Given the cost of a replacement pack I'd pay up to £2200-2500 or so for that car
Didn't realise new batteries were quite that expensive, but I guess given the time they last it's not so bad overall. I suppose you can't view these cars purely in terms of cost savings MPG wise.If you get a grid charger, you can simply plug into a 13amp outlet & charge the pack up overnight.
Without testing the car in question it would be very hard to tell if they are tired, it doesn't appear to be showing any fault code which is encouraging.
Given the cost of a replacement pack I'd pay up to £2200-2500 or so for that car
Interesting, didn't realise you could plug them in, I assumed like the Prius the batteries were purely regenerative.
Good though that you can test them, would be an important factor. And that car with 83k miles seems quite reasonable, though I note there's a lot of bids on it already.
Thanks for the replies and imparting your knowledge, appreciated.
If you want to talk batteries and grid chargers or ima repairs you need to speak with me 
www.150mpg.co.uk
www.150mpg.co.uk
B'stard Child said:
AnotherClarkey said:
IN51GHT said:
Possibly. Have my eyes on a 911 at the moment
Do you think that is wise? You are clearly no petrolhead.......I'll await my parrot
AnotherClarkey said:
B'stard Child said:
AnotherClarkey said:
IN51GHT said:
Possibly. Have my eyes on a 911 at the moment
Do you think that is wise? You are clearly no petrolhead.......I'll await my parrot
For those watching e-bay for these be aware any mention of battery problems like with this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Insight-Mk1-manual...
means a new battery is likely imminent. £2000
Factor that into any price you pay and assume any UK car that hasn't had one fitted may need one during your ownership.
means a new battery is likely imminent. £2000
Factor that into any price you pay and assume any UK car that hasn't had one fitted may need one during your ownership.
acme said:
Did the auction on that one end as In51ght mentioned it had been bid to £4199, and it looks like its still got days to go?
It's been relisted - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff