I can respect the desire to preserve a good car. Not trying to further convince you to change cars, but would just like to put forth that Insights are actually rather trouble-free too. Supernaturally reliable, you might even say.
Common issues:
-Rear engine mount often lasts less than 10-15 years, because it's a 3 cylinder with a lot of vibration
-Driver window switch tends to lose its "spring", but can be fixed with a $2 3d printed part
-EGR needs to be cleaned about once per decade
-Oil pan is easy to strip, being magnesium, so most owners opt not to let gas station garages change their oil. I have a fumoto valve on mine to help prevent this.
-Hatch door handle and power locks have a design problem that causes them to fail early. I replaced mine for $20 each with aftermarket units
-Battery pack lasts 10-20 years depending on your climate without service, but Honda gave a 10 year warranty on them, and mine was replaced with a new battery in 2010. Some are still under warranty, and replacement batteries range from $500 to $2000. Many packs will last much longer with occasional grid charging. Even without the hybrid battery the car still functions normally, just without electric assist.
-I wouldn't trust a CVT over 200k miles, but how many ecomodders are buying CVTs anyway?
The 5MT is bulletproof. There's a design flaw in the timing of the syncros that may cause a grind when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd, but double clutching is an easy workaround.
Off the top of my head, those are the problems that generally tend to show up. There are plenty of examples of Insights that aren't burning oil well past 300,000 miles, and even some examples of 600k+ Insights on the stock drivetrain.
If my battery pack were to suddenly and catastrophically decline tomorrow, I'd probably just keep driving it and ignore it, but as it is I expect to get many more years out of the pack.
Plus, it's almost entirely aluminum. Rust-free = awesome.
Check here:
Buying A Used 2000-2006 Honda Insight Hybrid: The Guide
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In reality, the drivetrain components are quite happy doing several hundred thousand miles--and as a highly-efficient car, owners tend to treat them gently and maintain them well, to ensure good economy.
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The good news is that the Insight is, in general, incredibly reliable.
For a 1-liter car, the mileage some drivers have put on Insights with no major issues is extraordinary.
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Small oil leaks can develop here and there, engine mounts can degrade over time leading to vibration under acceleration, but stuttering and lack of low-revs power can be caused by other issues too--clogged exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, dirty air filters (all easy fixes) or the dreaded IMA system.
Actually, the IMA isn't that bad. Most issues will be battery- related rather than motor-related.
The battery replacement or refurbishment window can be anywhere between 75,000 and 175,000 miles. It's complete pot-luck, but they don't tend to just "fail" so slow charging and discharging are usually indications well ahead of time.
Refurbishment is cheapest. Replacement can be expensive and goes some way to offsetting the car's excellent economy, though the new battery is likely to last another hundred-plus thousand miles.
Honda tells us the price of a first-gen Insight battery is currently $1,968.85.
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Keep potential battery issues in mind--and ensure you can afford them if they happen--and the first-generation 2000-2006 Honda Insight is not a difficult car to buy.
Mileage doesn't seem to faze it despite the tiny engine, mechanical issues are few, and corrosion isn't a big problem even in the snow belt states.
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