Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
You can drive an Insight indefinitely with a pack that's throwing codes, provided you're OK with ~65 hp and extra-tall gearing. (Sounds like you're not!  )
Also, some packs can be "revived" with time & patience ( I've done it), and put on indefinite life support with a DIY grid charger.
I've also seen gen. 1 Insights for under $1500. (Though none recently.) |
I found your Insight post earlier and soaking it in. I would likely try to revive them first to get me down the road for a while as I collect parts. I can come up with $2k right now. I hope I'll have some tax return this year but with all that has happened my taxes are going to be a mess this year.
My big issue is I live where I have to smog yearly. If the car is throwing codes it's not going to pass. So if I can't find a car with a valid smog test I'm a bit screwed from the word go to the point of Id have to pass on the car. The lucky part is if I can find one with a valid smog right now I won't have to smog again till mid September if if it expires next month. Once the tag is registered I'm good till my next birthday.
I guess a good bit of my interest in this now is the novelty of a car that a large part of car culture looks down its nose at and making it a sleeper that will give most "muscle cars" a good run and still get some very respectable economy figures. Insight is 1800ish pounds stock and with 200ish hp like the on in the link that's 9ish pounds per Horse....New GT mustangs are the fastest under $50k production car sold in 2014 are at 8.6 pounds per horse. So loosing the battery pack, leave the spare and passenger seat and what every else you can pull out at home would get you right there. How fun would it be to take it to the local strip and do some damage to the egos of a few people? lol