I'm considering buying an older, high-mileage Insight as a second car to compliment my '05 Escape Hybrid AWD, for long trips when AWD is not needed. No specific car in mind yet, just looking around. The original warranty takes care of the batteries to 150k miles, but what potential problems and expenses lurk after that point? Anyone have any experience with maintenance issues on a high-mileage Insight, or tips on what to look for in such a car? Thanks!

 

I would look for one that had the IMA battery replaced recently.

My Insight has very low miles, so that's the only advice I can give.

 

How much does the battery pack cost when the car is out of warranty?

 

My battery advise is to not "lugg" a 5-speed Insight. Even if you don't lugg, upshifting early on a hard acceleration puts a big drain on the battery pack - DON"T DO IT. The Insight is not a sports car and should not be driven that way. The early Insights (2000 & 2001) had MCM and BCM module problems so I'd make sure they are corrected so the miminum battery pack charge is at least 40% or a dead 12-volt battery does not drain the hybrid battery pack. Finally, I'd park the Insight in the shade in hot weather and run the A/C at least some of the time to avoid battery overheating.

 

Thanks for the advice. The owner of one 2001 car I'm considering just had the battery modules replaced under warranty. He says it was a $2,000 job. (On paper, of course. It didn't cost him anything.)

 

battery pack do cost a lot.

 

Jerry Damson Honda Wanted $6200 To Replace My Ima Battery System A Few Weeks Back When My Ima Light Started Comming On. So Far, My Milage Hasn't Suffered Much From Ignoring It. They Said It Probably Wouldn't Hurt To Not Replace It And I Still Love My Lil' 2000 Insight With It's Nearly 200,000 Miles On It. PJ

 

it wont hurt not to replace it until it stops charging up the 12 volt battery in the front. then you are walking, just like any "normal" car.

 

Umm... what about this solution: instead of replacing the battery pack when it dies... remove it along with the electric motor and install a normal starter for the car. The reduced weight will make up for the loss of electric power. you'll still get a bazillion miles to the moon.

How much do the electric motor and battery pack weigh? With those units the car weighs, what, 1950lbs? So unless they are very light, taking out the electric motor and battery would be a very significant weight reduction for the car. And since the electric motor only produces 7hp, your weight to horsepower ratio will probably actually increase instead of decrease. Of course you'll have way less torque. Not sure how that will effect performance or if the gear ratios and transmission can handle that. Scary thing is, would this reveal the hybrid system to be a bunch of marketing hoo-haa? Has anyone done this to an insight?

 

it already has a 12 volt starter. its used when the temp is either very high or very low. or when there is a problem with the traction battery system.

the car is perfectly drivable without the assist. its just slower getting up to speed. think geo metro. i kill the assist during the engine warm-up period on my commute to keep my mpgs high.

as for marketing hoo-haa, if you get rid of the assist and replace it with a bigger engine, it _will_ burn more fuel. how much depends on how you drive it.

btw, you will also need a way to charge the 12 volt battery. the assist motor is the alternator, via the traction battery and a dc-dc converter.