[mpg_numbers_guy]

So just got back from taking a look at the Insight tonight. We did not purchase.

Exterior was in a very rough condition. One very minor accident was reported to Carfax, yet both fender skirts were literally bolted back onto the car, and the left one was bent all out of shape. The front passenger side fender was replaced, as well as the front headlight. Paint was scuffed and chipped everywhere. Note that none of this was shown in the pictures at all. Belly pan below engine was also missing.

On the positive side, the transmission's 3rd-to-2nd downshift grind was apparently already fixed, the IMA battery was new as far as we could tell from testing, the tires were new Bridgestone Potenzas, and it came with a cheap grid charger. Interior was basically flawless.

However the bad along with the condition of the exterior was the engine. The engine made a ticking noise that was directly related to engine RPM. The higher the RPMs, the faster the ticking. My dad thinks it is the lifters, which would either require adjustment or possible expensive engine work. That is the main reason why we have not purchased.

Also, Autostop did not work. When we started the car, it started out of the 12V battery, it did not silent start. We were also unable to get Autostop to work by putting the car in neutral when stopped after the car had warmed up.

We were unable to get any assist or regen in 1st gear, although I'm guessing that's just normal? It functioned properly in all other gears.

What are your thoughts on all of these issues? Possible causes, complication and expense of repairs? There are other people interested in looking at the car, so it'll probably be gone by tomorrow, but would love to know for future reference.

EDIT: I forgot that Autostop does not work when climate control is set to Auto....I didn't look at that when we test drove the car, so it might've been set to Auto..