Efficient, cheap beaters! Used car ads: 35 mpg highway or more for $1500 or less

[Xist]

It is far more white than pink. 90% white and 10% red?

It is missing both skirts and what do you call the piece above the passenger door?

I can only find two skirts on car-part.com. One is $100 and the other is $200--from the same place. I do not know if this link works for anyone else, but you cannot see the skirts well: https://imageappoh.car-part.com/imag...k%23%20021816D

Different people are selling blue skirts for $75 each. The driver's side has a $19 shipping fee: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-2006-G...IAAOSwup9c3MME

The passenger side has free shipping: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-OEM...0AAOSwDOVdTKkS

Paint the skirts to match the car or paint the car to match the skirts?

I apologize, in one of many discussions of potential Insights, someone mentioned selling the IMA system. How much is that worth with a dead traction battery?

Bypass the dead battery and use the Arduino fix?

[In the next post people discussed giving away dying packs for free]

[mpg_numbers_guy]

Painting the skirts sounds like the best bet. Getting scuffed ones to repaint shouldn't be all that expensive.

Regarding IMA batteries, less than 2 year old ones typically sell for $800-$1200; healthy used ones typically sell for $300-$800 (I recently sold mine for $600). Dead ones are $250 or less, and I know of two people giving away dead packs (I'm guessing those were the posts you saw). Maybe $100?

I'd ditch the IMA system and use the stock DC-DC with an arduino. The Meanwell probably won't handle Arizona heat. Then rebuild the rear to take advantage of the increased storage space.

[Xist]

To the best of our knowledge it has never been in an accident. The IMA is bypassed following Mudder’s instructions. There’s no interior carpet the drivers window regulator does not get power but there’s power coming out of the switch, the passenger window works just fine, motor mounts are not to the point where they have to be replaced but should be replaced.
I mean come on, it’s a $700 card not $1000 car let alone a $2000 car. That’s why I posted it at $700.
It’s still gets around 48 to 51 miles per gallon and runs and drives reliably. Where in the world you can find them for $700?

.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

It does come down to the question....a $700 car that runs and drives, ya don't ask too many questions. Mechanical condition is really the main thing more than the others. DIY for the entire carpet would probably be around $150-$200 if done right. A replacement window motor can probably be had from another Insight owner for fairly inexpensive. If the 12V battery is bad you could throw the one in from one of your other cars.

With mudder's mod but no arduino (presumed) the car isn't getting lean burn most likely, which could be why it's getting only 48-51 mpg, unless it has the wrong tires or other issues. Obviously it needs a bit of work, cosmetically at least, but it's a $700 car, and your Accord drives now so it could potentially be a fun project to work on. I'd be down to help if I wasn't on the other side of the country!

Keep us updated!

[freebeard]

Paint the skirts to match the car or paint the car to match the skirts?

Two-tone, with the line drawn from the front wheelwell to the top of the rear bumper. I recommend fern camo, with the ferns laid horizontally so it looks like flames.

[litesong]

Originally Posted by Daox

Nissan started using CVTs on those cars at some point, and back then they really did not last. A friend sold one with under 100k miles and he was starting to notice issues with the transmission.

I had a 2007 Dodge Caliber w/Nissan CVT. Many people had problems with many items on the Caliber, but mine was sweet. Lots of people said the Caliber had no power. It was a 2liter, I was a featherfooter, & didn't care if it was leisurely. Once tho, I & other cars were following a really slug-slow vehicle that was on the on-ramp to the freeway. At one point, where the on-ramp widened, I put the CVT in low & took-off around the slug, so I could have a good blending speed with the general free-way traffic. I blended into the traffic well & settled down in the outside freeway lane, at the speed limit. About a 1 minute later, one of the cars that had also been behind the slug, drove up beside me in the freeway middle lane. He turned to me & gave me a thumbs-up. Guess he thought my acceleration looked to be fairly good. Yes, the Caliber 2liter wasn't strong, but the CVT gave it more total acceleration than an automatic 4 speed tranny could have given & probably as good as the 5 speed manual.

CVTs do NOT have good seat-of-the-pants acceleration, but they are ALWAYS accelerating, not like step transmissions, that stop accelerating during shifts.

At 54,000 miles, the gasket between the dependable 2liter engine & the good CVT went out, for a replacement cost by my long-term mechanic of $700(normally $1000). Actual problems with CVTs cost $4000+. I didn't want that, as my Caliber got older & resale value dropped. I sold it. We now have 2 Hyundai Elantras (145,000 total miles--6speed automatic, 6speed manual) & nothing has ever gone wrong with either one.

I have talked with 2 Caliber drivers with 180,000 & 230,000+ miles, who said they haven't had any problems with their CVTs. But, those were two Calibers that were operating on roads. I, quite quickly, am NOT seeing operating Calibers on the roads.

As for MPG, many Caliber owners reported 25MPG AND LESS. Featherfooting, I averaged 31MPG with E10 & 33MPG with E0. NEVER got 40MPG on any tank. Once tho, I had to return from southeastern Oregon to Everett, WA quickly, while crossing south of Mt. Hood, as high as 4000 feet, with 60+MPH speeds on secondaries & 70+MPH on I-5. I had expected low MPG in the un-aerodynamic Caliber, but the Caliber did get 34MPG on that run. Possibly the CVT really helped on the 4000 foot highway portion.

[Shaneajanderson]

Originally Posted by Xist

Someone posted this car, not on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp, but in North American G1 Insighters, a private Facebook group, but they will let anyone in, even me!



Someone: "Was it repainted white!? I’ve always wanted a white Insight."
Seller: "Pink"
Nobody wants a pink Insight!

It is not in Phoenix, but the town of Maricopa "44 minutes" south. One of the last towns before Maricopa is Guadalupe, which is technically southeast Phoenix. I used to have a client there, right off of the freeway. On a good day it took forty-five minutes to get to my client in Maricopa.

Google says they are only 34 minutes apart, but I was never able to get there that fast.

"We are selling because I expect to be moving back to Alaska and I’m giving [keeping?] my insight so we’re selling hers."

Are they moving to Alaska just to get out of Maricopa?

If I was anywhere even vaguely near Phoenix I would buy that car tomorrow, especially since I think the one cylinder my Metro was running on finally gave out this morning.

[Xist]

I love how neither the window nor the vent works. I need to replace the wire between the switch and the regulator?
The skirts that I found are $169 shipped. The missing piece over the window is called the Front Pillar Garnish Assembly, part number 74420-S3Y-000ZD (for Silverstone Metallic) three places on car-part have it, each is in North Carolina, and everybody is charging $200. The best price that I can find from a dealership is over $350, but it comes with tape, clips, and stuff. Here is one on eBay for $121.33 shipped: https://www.ebay.com/itm/362767783414-/362767783414

Here is a red one for $103 shipped: https://www.ebay.com/i/264428984871

Here are instructions for replacing the blower motor: https://www.insightcentral.net/threa...29/post-204389

I will not be following those directions.

There is an O'Reilly's in Maricopa with a blower motor for $57. That sounds important. I require oxygen!

This is the only carpet that I can find. It says "A little dirty." I would say "Quite worn." $133.90 shipped: https://www.ebay.com/i/333298692538

Here is a new one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LIUKQ6Y..._c96JDbKGZ3YRM

Huh. 70% of the price of the car.

One of the places in North Carolina has an allegedly A-grade carpet for $85, but will they ship it, and if so, how much?

Motor mounts are $403.56 shipped from Honda Parts Now. They may be cheaper from another dealership, but I am not shopping around for this hypothetical repair for this theoretical car. Ninety percent of comments say that aftermarket mounts are garbage.

$169 + 103 + 57 + 133.90 + 403.56 = $866.46 and that is just the stuff he says is wrong, plus it will need various odds and ends, clips for the A pillar, Dzus fasteners for the wheel skirts, and who knows what else? If that adds up to $900 then we are looking at $1,600 and a lot of labor for a car with 225,000 miles and panels in various colors.

I guess that is a fair price, but don't I already have two project Hondas?

If I go from 35 MPG in my Accord to 55 in the Insight I would save about $24.38 driving 1,250 miles a month with current gas prices. I estimate it would break even after 66 months, assuming it is at least as reliable as my Accord, and ignoring insurance With the Arduino fix and proper tires I would hit 70 MPG? That would potentially save me almost $50 a month. SgtUSMC2012 says it costs $25 to make the kit, how much for the tires?

The best price that I can find is $380 before taxes and disposal fees.

So, $2,000 in order to save $50 a month in gas?! I will break even before you know it--or in forty months!

[Ecky]

It's pretty hard to get just 55mpg on the highway in an Insight, but after a certain point it's diminishing returns anyway.

It's a common issue that the driver window switch has a clip break, it sags, the window motor runs all the time and burns out. There's a 3d printed switch replacement for around $7, but you still need a new window motor most of the time.

Usually only the rear engine mount needs replacement. You can fill it full of urethane so long a you don't mind rattling your teeth out. It'll get you by until you can get a new mount.

There's an Insight in a junkyard nearby with the pillar garnish piece. I could see how much they want.

Anyway I would probably just buy a clean and complete Insight. There are plenty of examples that are $1200-1500 with a bad battery and little else wrong. Maybe I'd need to catch a flight and drive it back, but 8 hours of driving is still far better than several weeks of repairs.

[Xist]

Sold pending payment.
It would have been sold but my daughter can’t find the title so the sale has been postponed until Monday

Once again a car was sold while I was researching.