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Old 02-24-2021, 05:09 AM   #10 (permalink)
Ecky
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: New Zealand
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ND Miata - '15 Mazda MX-5 Special Package
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Many parts are available from RockAuto, but there are a few you'll scratch your head over, or are just more expensive. Others are typical Honda cheap. E.g. $12 for brake pads all around, ~2.3L oil changes, inexpensive tires.

I drove my Insight in -40 conditions in Vermont a few times. I don't imagine any vehicle "likes" those conditions, but it started reliably. Once fully warm, 70mpg+ is even possible in those conditions, but you'll be fighting for every scrap of heat.

Generally speaking, these cars are pretty reliable, but they have a few common (non-critical) issues that nearly all of them experience at some point.

A couple of examples:
-The trunk latch motor has a plastic piece inside that breaks - Insight Central has a $2 3d printed replacement part, compared to the $80 Honda asks for it.
-The driver window switch breaks, Insight Central has a $2 3d printed replacement part, compared with $250 for Honda's switch assembly.
-These cars are aluminum and don't rust, so people don't protect them from salt at all. You can get bad corrosion on the few steel bits they have - such as ground straps, which cause all manner of electrical gremlin when they go.
-The rear engine mount tends to last ~150k miles. A new one is only available through Honda, at ~$100, unless you want to fill it with urethane or something.
-Manuals usually eventually develop a bur on the 2nd gear synchro, which causes it to grind when downshifting into 2nd. You can fix this basically for free by opening the transmission and grinding the locking tabs off of that synchro, or you can just double clutch and it won't grind, but it's somewhat annoying.

Then there's the big one, the hybrid battery. OEM packs tended to last 10-15 years. They're all gone now. There are some aftermarket packs, but they're only as good as the warranty, and $1-2,000 for a new battery every 3-6 years is a tough sell for some. OTOH you can flip the breaker to the hybrid system and just shut it off, and drive the car as a conventional gasoline vehicle, with very little loss to fuel economy. There are a few tricks that can even shut the CEL off that this causes, allowing one to pass strict smog and vehicle inspections. A number of people (on this forum, even) have replaced their NiMH packs with custom lithium-based packs, so that's also an option if you're feeling ambitious.

And then there's mine - I put an Acura TSX engine in it (~230hp), just because, and I'm still seeing 40mpg+ in the coldest and snowiest parts of Vermont winter, with tanks near 60mpg possible in summer if one has some self control.

Overall, I think it's a very rewarding car for an enthusiast. Due to tons of little quirks and DIY'able but otherwise expensive small issues, it isn't a car I'd recommend to someone who doesn't like to tinker.

EDIT: I can't access the ad, but at that price it sounds like a steal. These cars are starting to go up in value as they become increasingly rare, and become better-known in the swap community - much like the VX's which were often swapped because they were the lightest chassis variant.

Last edited by Ecky; 02-24-2021 at 05:14 AM..
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