downsides to owning a 1st gen insight?

[nemix]

Ya, it has 143k on the engine and I believe the battery as replaced at 50k.

If I can get the price down to $4000 id probably pick it up but 1st gear and reverse being so rough worry me

[user removed]

MY 2002 CVT had $7k in warranty work from 35 to 54k miles. O2 sensor, catalyst, battery and module.

All done by the dealer at no charge to me, but when the 8-80 and 10-150 warranties expire you could spend some serious cash.

The transmission issue is not very serious if you are mechanically inclined.

I was amazed when Robert found a parts car in a u-wrench it yard. I would have spent a week there stripping that car to bare bones and found a place to store the parts.

Instead I bought an $800 Honda Rebel and average 85 MPG without even trying.

Insights are very rare and used examples as well as parts donors are difficult to find. Not so much so with the Internet but sellers can control pricing when they realize how hard parts are to find, and it probably will not get any better.

Good driving technique will get you close to 50 MPG in a Toyota Echo if you can find one without a million miles. They are plentiful, or at least fairly so compared to Insights. Or you could do what I did and get a bike.

regards
Mech

[nemix]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

MY 2002 CVT had $7k in warranty work from 35 to 54k miles. O2 sensor, catalyst, battery and module.

All done by the dealer at no charge to me, but when the 8-80 and 10-150 warranties expire you could spend some serious cash.

The transmission issue is not very serious if you are mechanically inclined.

I was amazed when Robert found a parts car in a u-wrench it yard. I would have spent a week there stripping that car to bare bones and found a place to store the parts.

Instead I bought an $800 Honda Rebel and average 85 MPG without even trying.

Insights are very rare and used examples as well as parts donors are difficult to find. Not so much so with the Internet but sellers can control pricing when they realize how hard parts are to find, and it probably will not get any better.

Good driving technique will get you close to 50 MPG in a Toyota Echo if you can find one without a million miles. They are plentiful, or at least fairly so compared to Insights. Or you could do what I did and get a bike.

regards
Mech

I considered a bike but when winter comes around id still need a car, I know I can pickup a car and a bike for the 12-14k ill get for my cooper Id just like to drive something far from an ugly echo lol