Honda Insight Prices Paid and Buying Experience

mzn

The Honda Insight won the edmunds.com Most
Significant Vehicle Award.

"The nominations: Honda S2000, Honda Insight and
the Jaguar S-type. The votes were counted. The
envelope was torn open (read: another email)…the
landslide winner is Honda's Insight."

What are your thoughts on this car of the future,
now?

carlady/host

jefster

If they offered it with a conventional gas engine, I would buy one. We need a replacement for the late, lamented CRX. And despite Honda's reputation for engineering excellence, I wouldn't buy a hybrid vehicle.

lookin7

I applaud Honda, for bringing this car to market!
Anyone who has looked at fuel prices lately has to
appreciate the long term value of a car that gets 70MPG.

Let's face it - we need this kind of new technology, lets not lament over yesterdays CRX.

Don't you REX fans get all upset...maybe this
baby will transform into the REX of tomorrow!

harry23

Has anyone actually bought an Insight? MY locak dealer says they won't have them for a couple of weeks.

greggmac

I came across this link on vtec.net (a honda/acura
rumors site), it's about an owner's experiences
with it.. take a looksee.. (I'm not the author)

http://www.insightman.com/

mzn

Thanks for the link, greggmac. There is nothing like first-hand knowledge when it comes to car opinions!

carlady/host

dudka

i haven't seen one in person yet, but kind of sorry for rushing into honda last fall and buying a civic ex. i don't know if i would like to have a car with p155 series tires though. but i would defenately love to have all the gismos that come with it. if they umped the hopsepower a bit i think it would make it a more sellable as well as getting rid of those citroen looking rear whell covers. i think if they just made a crx shape more streamline it would make it more interesting as well.
just my 2 cents

lakshmi11

Does honda insight comes with automatic transmission? if anybody knows the answer please email your answer to skan111@aol.com

ringo5

I have heard that Honda will offer the automatice CVT transmission with the Insight soon. Don't know how true it is but I've emailed my local Honda dealer to find out.

mzn

Have you seen our Honda Insight test drive yet? Please take a look and tell us what you think!

carlady/host

davidfrancis

What makes the Insight a significant vehicle? It claims 70 mpg, but how does it do this? It is simply a dramatically underpowered vehicle with 120 rechargeable torch batteries to help it get up the first short hill it comes to, or to make its first freeway on-ramp acceleration! A truly significant vehicle would get 70 mpg without seriously compromising its whole reason for existence. The coverage of this car lacks any sort of critical perspective.

psyop

I have to agree with the previous poster about the Insight. My 1987 Honda CRX-HF to this day will get 45mpg in the city easy and on the highway it can easily hit 55mpg. Back in it's prime I once hit 70mpg on a long trip. All of this occurred without me ever having to worry about a silly 365lb weight limitation or gusty winds or driving just a specific way that could endanger my life on today's freeways. From what I have heard and read, you can honestly expect anywhere from 25 to 70mpg out of the insight. It's way to light to be safe, plus it can be a real chore to drive overall. I think it's great the Honda has put the car and it's technology out into production, but I honestly don't think it is that far beyond my 13 year old CRX-HF.

robertsmx

#11/#12:
Hype or not, but none other has matched the Insight yet. This is not a mainstream car, atleast not intended to be, but somebody has to start somewhere, beyond showcasing impractical concepts, and keep advancing on the practical design for a better technology in a few years. In fact, "Insight-Technology" based Civic is supposed to be coming out this year!

robertsmx

FYI, More than 200 already sold (in two months), not too bad, after a slow start (50+ in first month).

robertsmx

HP/weight ratio is 23 HP/lb, pretty good for a 0-60 run in about 10 seconds.

hello25

Subaru sold the Justy (and still does in Europe). It had 3 cyl. and no battery assist. and I knew someone who drove
on mountain roads every day for years so how much of a problem could it be. Civic doesn't do any better than 10 seconds. It's terrible but it's not going 700 miles on a tank.
Honda became famous because its CVCC engine was the first to meet the federal emissions standard
in the early 70's. This was a true achievement
since apparently the law existed and every American car maker just said "no."
I remember the 1973 energy crisis and gas lines and rationing. It's difficult to believe the US
in on the verge of such a crisis again and people are on CNBC and CNN saying things like, "I guess I'll use a stroller and wheel my child around instead of putting him in my SUV and driving around my neighboorhood to get him to go to sleep every time."

hello25

No that's not true. The emissions of specific compounds are fractions of the best ULEV engine
being sold in a 2000 Civic.

hello25

I've read these and been to the insightman site.
Thanks for the posts and links. An "Insight-based" Civic sedan is something I'd like to see.

flbrkf

With all the thought that went into the Insight, why does Honda only offer a black interior? Seems like that will add a heck of a load to the A/C in summer where I live.

highbread

FYI, to add larger, wider tires would increase the weight and surface area in contact with the road.
By increasing the horsepower you'd eat more fuel and battery power.
Unfortunately, the cars of the future will probably be bubble, roach-shaped cars for the sake of aerodynamics.
If these 3 things are changed, the fuel economy will change too. Until this all gets perfected, we can only change the color. There are other cars available. Look up www.solectria.com. They have a few vehicles available and also have many links to other alternative fuel vehicles. Even if one's not interested, it makes for entertaining web surfing.

crc64

I own a V-6 Accord LX, a Civic LX, and an Insight.
The Insight is more fun to drive than the Civic and Accord. I would view the Insight as another great Honda.

robertsmx

Finally spotted one on road here in Dallas (Irving). I'm sure the owner was proud of his unique car (it sure looked like it). The car caught my eye from quite a distance!

rfruth

There is a positive review of the 2000 Insight in
the June issue of Motor Trend (page 110) or surf
for it (http://motortrend.com) this is something
coming from car guys. I could have had a Insight ! I don't know if hybrids fuel cells or whatever will be it but most of us know 15 MPG SUVs (silly
urban vehicles) don't make much sense.

Rob Fruth - Houston, Tx
http://freeweb.pdq.net/rfruth

Peterun

Drove the Insight yesterday on a test drive, as my silver version will be in very shortly. Drove great, lots of fun. When I lifted the rear "hatch" and saw the aluminum cover for the batteries . . . there, in big bold letters: "Do not remove cover. THIS WILL KILL YOU." I swear, I'm not paraphrasing. I wondered . . what happens if I am rear ended? Any info on the safety of this new vehicle? Thanks. Pete

strawkirk

So far my Insight is everything it's cracked up to be! Mileage, batteries staying charged up, no great loss of battery charge during assist, quiet, easy to drive, shuts off at stops, starts up when you're ready to move. Can't say enough good thins about it. Supply and Demand is driving the price up, up, up!

mzn

Thank you, strawkirk! It is great to hear from an owner. Please, keep us posted about your experience. What made you decide on the Insight?

Any other lurking Insight owners in the Hall?

carlady/host

dsmiller

Insight 912 is an extremely well-built car which is much fun to drive. Hard to get excellent mileage because I love its acceleration. 55 mpg to date. Only negative is lack of a cruise control.

So far meets all my expectations and then some. Perfect as a second car.

Paid 20,495 for mine including a.c. Dealer was very helpful.

silfox

I notice negative remarks from people who don't own one. I love mine. Fun, peppy, economical. Had trouble convincing my dealer about 8 year battery warranty. Anyone else? Also, battery charges great but sometimes not as well as others. Anyone have an idea why. Getting 53 so far.

silfox

If you are willing to answer questions about your car, please e-mail me at flloyd@juno.com. Dealer here doesn't know much.

robertsmx

Just won 'The best engine in the world' award in annual international engine awards. Another Honda to come close was the third pick, S2000.
Link in www.vtec.net/news

rerednaw

I was looking into purchasing an Insight, but when a friend of mine told me that the local dealer had tacked on almost an additional 15k in markups, I was immediately turned off. I really get tired of that kind of business. Isn't Honda trying to push this new (well not really that new) technology? How do they expect this car to be a financial success if dealers price it out of reach?

So I was just wondering, what were the going prices around the country. Start with what the dealer had on the car, and what you finally got it for after the hell of wheeling, dealing and dickering. If anyone got the vehicle at invoice or close to invoice I would reallly like to know.

BTW on a side note for a few years I drove Nissan Sentra, back when it was the boxy-basic type of vehicle. And in southern California stop and go traffic, I still managed 50 miles a gallon (with the AC on). Having Insight owners getting real-life mpg of 50 or so makes me wonder if this auto has all this new energy saver technology in it, why isn't the real-world mileage at least better than that?

Now don't get me wrong, I would still like one, but for a hybrid the vehicle seems to fall a little short. All I can say is that for a 'new' type of vehicle at least the base invoice isn't outrageous.

Anyway, just wanted some input on my questions.

Thanks all.

Mike (from Las Vegas)

robertsmx

Mike, getting 50 mpg on a Sentra sounds weird, unless the entire journey was downhill. And as far as markups are concerned, I seriously doubt the authenticity of 15K over MSRP.

darelldd

If you truly made 50 mpg in a Sentra, you could have sold the thing for about $million. Did you always have a tail wind? If you were getting 50 in the city with AC, you must have achieved 70 in the highway with no AC? Care to play again?

I think the 60-70 (assuming anybody actually gets that) is and increadible achievement.

crc64

Just over 3000 miles in just over 2 months averaging 58.0 mostly to and from work.

badnu1s

I am currently in the market for a new car, and am
very disappointed at how little the dealers (around Boston) know about the Insight and how poorly they are trying to sell them (they aren't).
After several attempts at different dealerships throughout New England, either they don't have any, or they aren't in running condition, or they aren't on their main lot, or.....

My latest experience, was with Lundgreen Honda in Auburn, MA.. These loosers had the Insight WAY
in the back of their lot. Not only was the car deader than a door nail (dead 12V ICE battery), but they wouldn't even jump start it for me, and even better, they wouldn't even take an order
from me..

What's up with this? How on earth does Honda ever expect for this car to catch on, with such INCOMPETENT dealers?

Does anyone have any recommendation of COMPETENT
Honda dealers in central MA or southern NH area? Do they even exist?

Although the Prius isn't out quite yet, the few Toyota dealers I inquited at, seemed a lot more
competent.

8266

The cloth seats in my Gt are fraying at the lower part of the back rest. Has anyone else experienced this problem. Im taking it back to dealer to see what Toyota,s response is. I think the small perforated holes are to easily snagged. Might have to go with the leather seats.///8266

beanboy

Give me a TDI VW instead.

-Beanboy

rickabt

I sell new Hondas in Northern California where the market for the Insight is extremely great. Among my colleagues, sometimes they are disappointed when they meet an Insight shopper because of the unlikely chance of selling them anytime soon. I'm not surprised, however, about your problems finding a knowledgeable or willing dealership in the Northeast.

Just about two weeks ago, we California dealers were elated to hear some great news for us. Honda Motor Sales announced that they would be increasing the allocation of Insights to California dealers on account of the fact that Northeastern dealers refused an increase in their allocation.

Sadly for you, Insights will eventually become more dificult to find in your neck of the woods, but easier to find here in California. Of course, with so many sales calls and shoppers stopping by each dealership in this region, we could easily sell double the number we get now for MSRP or more as soon as or before they arrive at the lots.

Then again, the average roundtrip for commutes in this marketplace is much, mcuh longer here than in the Boston area.

As for the lack of knowledgeable sales associates at Honda dealers, Honda does seem to be partly to blame for this. I had plenty of experience with Toyota prior to selling Hondas, and dealers were getting information about the Prius as much as two years ago. Meanwhile, Honda kept the car a virtual enigma until the very moment they began to arrive at the first lucky dealerships. Production and delivery are happening at a glacial pace, and many smaller or mid-size dealers have not yet even recieved their second Insight.

Many salespeople actually feel that their likelihood of selling an Insight is so small that it is negligible ... therefore, they feel rather ambivalent about the car itself. My colleagues don't feel this way, but we do get frustrated when there are so many customers coming in to ask for them, yet there is nothing to show.

These are not excuses for bad salesmanship in regards to the Insight, but it may help explain why Badnuls has found little help in the quest for an Insight.

Similarly, Honda has not even given sales staff any clue about the all-new 2001 Civic. It's just weeks away, but other than spy photos I found in a British journal, I have little info about what bodes to be my bread and butter in just a few weeks. I understand the rationale ... Honda wnats us to remain focused on selling the remaining 2000s.

If you want to know more about the car and you live in the northeast, perhaps you can ask your local dealers if you can have a chance to view the Sales Training videotape. We have allowed that a few times here ... usually whenever all of us are busily helping customers buy cars actually available at the dealership. If no one obliges, insightman.com is a great resource.

rcooper1957

I just took delivery of my Insight about 10 days ago. I have a 100 mile+ round trip commute in Southern CA - and with gas prices the way they are I decided to take the plunge. Although I am getting nowhere near the 70MPG quoted by the EPA I am getting almost 60MPG on a commute that is uphill one way. :>) I am still on my second tank of gas and have gone over 1100 miles. I purchased mine at Honda of Oxnard in Ventura County - they seemed to know a fair amount about the car and were anxious to get this one on the road so that they could sell another! I can't believe the stuff that is posted about dealers in the northeast. Shame on them. This is my third Honda and (so far) my favorite. I traded a 99 Infiniti G20t and although I liked it, I love this one.

jetson2

There is a discussion thead on the Prius town hall topic http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=Sedans&t=3508&a=1&H=120&f=0
Summary, there is a tax credit for electic cars - some dealer mentioned a deduction - still being hashed out.

mzn

Thank you, rickabt, for providing such detailed information!

carlady/host

winker98

Bought my Insight last week from a dealer in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is a great driving experience and I like feeling like I am "having a relationship" as I drive as the car is always letting me know what it is doing. I got 76.5 miles to the gallon on a 410 mile trip. I am really enjoying this car.

stelmar

Almost 3000km so far of aggressive, 135km/hr autoroute as well as hard accelerating stop-and-go city driving. Am only getting an average of 4.6l/100km ( about 51 miles/US gallon ) but this is still not bad. Have however noticed that 3.5l/100km ( high 60's mpg's ) is do-able on the highway at 95-100km/hr. Too bad there's no cruise.
Unloaded a beautiful Audi A4 to "do the right thing for the planet." Now, except for the skitteriness of the skinny tires, I love the Insight. Boy do I get looks. Not like the far too common A4. Am leasing for 2 years. Looking forward to a fuel cell or perhaps even a pure, increased range, plug-in EV.

acerone

Check out the forum at www.honda-acura.net kind of slow right now but in time who know's.

dudka

i was at the dealer today. they have a silver insight on the lot, with a/c it will be $20500 or so. i was just wondering if anyone got the car at or close to invoice ($18000). also, is the insurance cheaper on the insight than the civic. i have a 99 civic ex. and was thinking of trading it in for the insight, but the price tag is a little bit scary, 20 grand for a 2 seater. i know i will be investing into something that may replace the internal combustion engines for good, but....it will increase my payments by a $100 a month. also, does anyone know if NY state has tax credit for the electric vehicles? how about federal government?
the worst part is that they also had a souped up Si for $17000 lol

dudka

i was at the dealer today. they have a silver insight on the lot, with a/c it will be $20500 or so. i was just wondering if anyone got the car at or close to invoice ($18000). also, is the insurance cheaper on the insight than the civic. i have a 99 civic ex. and was thinking of trading it in for the insight, but the price tag is a little bit scary, 20 grand for a 2 seater. i know i will be investing into something that may replace the internal combustion engines for good, but....it will increase my payments by a $100 a month. also, does anyone know if NY state has tax credit for the electric vehicles? how about federal government?
the worst part is that they also had a souped up Si for $17000 lol

dudka

sorry for double

winker98

I have the Honda Insight and my insurance for the car is about $737.00 annually. This is with Liberty Mutual and it includes a multi-car policy because my husband and I have both our cars with them. It is for full coverage including 250/500 broadened collision. I did not find this to be too bad. I am getting use to the two seater and the gas mileage I get is great. I don't know about the tax credits for this alternative energy auto. I am hopeful but I have to check it out. I feel good about driving the car and that helps with any worry I had about cost etc. I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan so it will be a test to see how the car does in all the snow. I am willing to give it a go, tho. Good luck

winker98

I called numerous Honda dealers in my search to find information on the Insight. I took 2 months to decide to buy the car. Not one of them quoted me less than $20,000 with air conditioning. I don't know if anyone else has better luck but all over the Michigan, Minneasota and Wisconsin, I could not find an Insight for less that than.

dudka

www.carsdirect.com is sold out on the insights. but they had it for the MSRP, i am a little bit concerned with paying MSRP for anycar. there is one here at the dealership, but they won't budge. also, it said that the insight has climate control. is it an automatic climate control, or just an A/C. the one they have, is without A/C they said they would install A/C for $1500, but i am wondering if it is as reliable as factory A/C, and whether factory A/c is a climate contorl system and i would get just A/C.

thank you for your responses

mtnbunny27

P.S.
Another reason the dealers won't come down on price: Honda is selling the Insights at a loss as it is.