I love this little car, I actually looked to see if I can find a used one. It was really neat, I say that as a man that can't stand the Prius.

3/5/2014 9:54:29 AM

while not 100% on topic, I'd love to grab a pristine 91 CRX

3/5/2014 11:32:07 AM

Isn't this what Duke DDs?

3/5/2014 11:47:22 AM

no, duke has a 2nd gen or whatever Insight - below is the original:

1.0L 3-cyl hybrid:

3/5/2014 12:07:01 PM

Mine's a 2nd gen (2010). I would have bought a first gen, but I wanted a backseat.

3/5/2014 12:30:45 PM

I've never driven the 2nd gen. I have driven a few Pri', and those cars suck pretty hardcore. Also, the first gen insight is avail. w/a manual, and THAT's pretty kewl.

3/5/2014 12:41:15 PM

0-60......tomorrow.

3/5/2014 3:19:33 PM

I mean, I'm not about to replace my 911 turbo with an Insight, it's just a really fun car. It drives/feels light, it's a manual transmission, just a tidy package and is interesting. I'm being silly I think, but I do kind of want one, and they're pretty affordable as a toy.

3/5/2014 3:51:15 PM

No worries, I [safely] assume that the whole of the garage knows where you're coming from when you chat it up about a car of any variety.

I read an article one time about that car's differing track widths f/r allowing it some marginally impressive slalom speed.

3/5/2014 3:54:44 PM

The car that became the CR-Z (and was promptly ignored by everyone--are they still even making those?) should have been called the Insight, following in the tradition of the 1st gen, and they should have called the sedan something else.

3/5/2014 10:42:56 PM

The 2nd gen is a boring economy car, although they say it is a little less flaccid than the Prius.

I've driven mine almost 30k miles in just under a year. As an appliance, it's excellent.

3/5/2014 11:00:40 PM

The first gen Insight puts out some impressive mpg figures and was well ahead of it's time (first hybrid sold in the US). Due to it's excellent mpg and low sales figures, however, their resale value has been artificially high (or at least used to be).

3/10/2014 8:29:20 AM

Doesn't look like it's hard to find one for $5-6k.

3/10/2014 11:06:26 AM

But the question there is--how much are you going to have to shell out to replace the battery pack? On a car approaching 10 years old, that would be coming up soon I'd think.

3/10/2014 7:50:50 PM

I don't think that's usually an issue. There are a handful of more problematic hybrids, maybe...in general, though, you aren't going to have to replace a battery any more than you're going to have to replace an engine or transmission.

And usually you can get an aftermarket or used pack for a fairly reasonable price. I would research the model, but battery packs are no reason to eschew hybrids.

3/10/2014 8:28:48 PM

Battery pack on the insight seems to be around a grand (really not that bad, considering). I’m of the same thought as Duke, not really a big deal. That said, I really, REALLY don’t like Priui’

3/10/2014 8:47:52 PM

I'd just toss a K20 under the hood and enjoy 200 high revving hp in a 1700lb car. Shit it would probably still get close to 40 mph highway.

3/11/2014 2:04:17 PM

Fuck it, C32A

3/11/2014 2:43:08 PM

Quote :

"There are a handful of more problematic hybrids, maybe...in general, though, you aren't going to have to replace a battery any more than you're going to have to replace an engine or transmission. And usually you can get an aftermarket or used pack for a fairly reasonable price. "

Ah, shows I haven't done my homework. I thought I remembered reading some years back that the lifespan of a battery pack in a hybrid was going to be in the 7 to 10 year range. Maybe that was overly pessimistic, or maybe it was internal-combustion propaganda.

I had also thought the price would be more like $3k than $1k. Never researched it so I suppose I was wrong there too.

3/12/2014 2:34:01 AM

^^shit

http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/features/1306_2002_honda_insight/

my guess was close!

3/12/2014 7:00:07 AM

^pretty nasty. Also, your engine suggestion, if put up front, would destroy any inkling of handling. A K20 wouldn't

3/12/2014 8:45:39 AM

^^^ there have been a few problem hybrids, but I think that's mostly overblown. Also, if you go to the dealer and have them put in an OEM battery pack, then yeah, it would probably be $3k...but that's not necessary.

And hot rodding an insight would be stupid. Hell, I'd give up 10, maybe 20 of my 98 hp if it would yield 5-10 more mpg (though I doubt it would). You can make anything fast, but why start with such an unsuitable platform?

[Edited on March 12, 2014 at 8:47 AM. Reason : Even if you wanted a weirdo sleeper, I'd go with something else ]

3/12/2014 8:46:58 AM

^^I was thinking rear... NSX style.

^the modification suggestion twas in jest, but then a cursory internet search netted me the link above.

there's are more than a few FWD drag racing versions of the 1st gen insight, though.

3/12/2014 8:53:51 AM

^^Why is the platform unsuitable? It's incredibly light, thus even adding just a moderate amount of horsepower (like another 100) would make it extremely fast.

^I used to daydream about mounting an NSX V6 in the back hatch of my Integra

3/12/2014 9:33:29 AM