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Endeka · 05-01-2015, 12:15 PM

Hi, my name is Ross, and I've had a 2000 Honda Insight (manual trans) for about 4 years.

I think that time is about to come to an end. My wife had an accident in it a few days ago, 5MPH waiting at a light when she started without looking, but it was with a huge truck's trailer hitch that bent her hood in half, pierced her front bumper and tore the tabs under the headlight, bent the center tie bar, and crushed the radiator (but amazingly, didn't pierce it or seem to affect its function at all). Nobody hurt which is good, but the car was already due for a long list of repairs this summer, including the intermediate shaft bearing replacement in the trans, a windshield that a passing tractor trailer took out with a stone over the winter, and two old tires in front that I just noticed when I took the winter wheels/tires off.

The car still drives as good as it ever did, no leaks or overheating or squealing or tracking crooked, which is the most heartbreaking part of all this. I am for all intents and purposes a mechanic (I've never worked as one, but my grandpa was and my dad was and I've done frame-off-resto level repairs on a bunch of cars), so I'm not shy about working to fix the car up, but some things are giving me pause. My wife and I want to start a family in the next year, so we're looking for something that has more room, especially since the car that got wrecked was her daily. Which brings me to the question in this introduction:

1. What's the best family eco-modable car to move to on a $10000 or less budget? We've been looking at manual trans Civic hybrids (gen 1) and the ubiquitous Prius. I've found that hypermiling is easier with the manual, and Gen 1 CVTs seemed riddled with problems.

2. Is there any specialized wrecker/salvage yard for Insights. A fix-and-flip place specializing in Hondas offered me $1000 for it which seemed pretty fair, but if there's a place that has interest in them beyond just another car to fix, that'd be great.

I'm sorry if this is a bit rambling, I've been on the phone for two days with insurance, etc. and am very stressed by all this. I'm just trying to make the right choice for this car. It's the best vehicle I've ever owned. I hope to hang around and figure out how to boost the MPG on whatever my wife's next car is.

05-01-2015, 12:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
Endeka EcoModding Lurker Join Date: May 2015 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Most ignominious introduction ever... Hi, my name is Ross, and I've had a 2000 Honda Insight (manual trans) for about 4 years. I think that time is about to come to an end. My wife had an accident in it a few days ago, 5MPH waiting at a light when she started without looking, but it was with a huge truck's trailer hitch that bent her hood in half, pierced her front bumper and tore the tabs under the headlight, bent the center tie bar, and crushed the radiator (but amazingly, didn't pierce it or seem to affect its function at all). Nobody hurt which is good, but the car was already due for a long list of repairs this summer, including the intermediate shaft bearing replacement in the trans, a windshield that a passing tractor trailer took out with a stone over the winter, and two old tires in front that I just noticed when I took the winter wheels/tires off. The car still drives as good as it ever did, no leaks or overheating or squealing or tracking crooked, which is the most heartbreaking part of all this. I am for all intents and purposes a mechanic (I've never worked as one, but my grandpa was and my dad was and I've done frame-off-resto level repairs on a bunch of cars), so I'm not shy about working to fix the car up, but some things are giving me pause. My wife and I want to start a family in the next year, so we're looking for something that has more room, especially since the car that got wrecked was her daily. Which brings me to the question in this introduction: 1. What's the best family eco-modable car to move to on a $10000 or less budget? We've been looking at manual trans Civic hybrids (gen 1) and the ubiquitous Prius. I've found that hypermiling is easier with the manual, and Gen 1 CVTs seemed riddled with problems. 2. Is there any specialized wrecker/salvage yard for Insights. A fix-and-flip place specializing in Hondas offered me $1000 for it which seemed pretty fair, but if there's a place that has interest in them beyond just another car to fix, that'd be great. I'm sorry if this is a bit rambling, I've been on the phone for two days with insurance, etc. and am very stressed by all this. I'm just trying to make the right choice for this car. It's the best vehicle I've ever owned. I hope to hang around and figure out how to boost the MPG on whatever my wife's next car is.