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Reasons you bought the Insight

5K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  insightfully 
#1 ·
I have had my Insight for 10 months now.. I remember hearing the ads on a podcast I listened to all the time (I'm a nerd so it was probably a tech podcast) and wanted one so bad.. I was driving my 2015 Civic and hated how rough it seemed to shift even with a CVT (and it was slow).. I remember pulling up next to one (I'm in Florida so it was a REALLY old lady driving it) but I was taken by it.. Since I've had my car, I have seen MAYBE 6 since that day.. I don't mind being one of the only ones to have it. I drive for Lyft every once in a while and a LOT of people who ride in it comment on it.. My number one comment "This is nice - is it electric?" and the other one is "Is this the Accord Hybrid?".. The second one I get because it has the Accord dash.. The general public loves it.. I do have to point out the third comment which goes against a lot of observations here - "this car is quiet!".. Everyone here who says that needs to jump into a civic for a short drive then get back into your Insight.. Yes it can be harsh when you're hammering on it, but these cars are pretty **** cool!
 
#2 · (Edited)

Honda got my attention when they first unveiled the Insight prototype with the above video. I was like this car looks like a German car from the rear and those are some nice LED headlights. I thought Honda was either going to offer a less appealing production version as with all prototypes or pay for the highest trim to get a similar looking car. To my surprise they priced it very well and we pretty much got the prototype design on the production version. I don't mind that I don't see an Insight on the road everyday. Which makes the car that much more special to me. Compared to my previous cars which I didn't have much care for because it looks the same as all the other Civic, CRV, and Fusion on the road. Even though I don't do rideshare, my Insight does get curious looks from Honda owners, and the occasional person will come up to me asking questions about it. :)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Honda got my attention when they first unveiled the Insight prototype with the above video.
The same 'prototype' video caught my attention (though I remember a longer version from Honda, with ads for on-road driving in Australia - seems Honda has replaced and/or removed). The Insight looked so much better than the racer-boy Civic look, and more polished IMO than the Accord. Seeing the Insight prototype in silver fortified my decision to buy in same color. :)

The only thing I was disappointed/disillusioned by was that the clear rear turn signals on the final version. The prototype had blacked out the rear turn signal cover and rear brake lights. I wanted/expected to at least get yellow or tinted cover on the rear turn signal, after seeing the prototype video.
 
#7 ·
I considered a Model 3 standard range. The $35k one you can only get in the store...you have to ask for it...

I had a few problems that made the Insight win for my family. 1. the Model 3 is surprisingly small. The trunk wouldn't fit our dog's crate...but the insight can with plenty of room. That was basically the #1 factor for functionality... 2. The cost. I got my insight touring out the door for $26,6k even. With some money down that means instead of a $400/mo for a tesla, we now have a $234/mo payment... I'm hoping to pay off the car in 3yrs or less... 3. Charging in DC...yea good luck. I'd have to back it in to our parking pad from the alley then hook it up to either a 120v outlet outside or rig up a hacked Y cable from inside and outside to get 240V since we rent... 240v would be the way to go...

Don't get me wrong, I love Tesla. I've got 2 shirts of theirs and a few other things. I followed the Model 3 since its reveal and I'm thinking maybe some day I'll own a Tesla... It's just a little too prohibitive of a lifestyle and cost living and paying DC prices for standard of living... the car would be just too much...

Oh and street parking in DC would ruin the car...

I've done my own calculations and a Model 3 would barely save any money month-to-month to operate over the Insight assuming I can get around 50mpg...
 
#8 · (Edited)
Living in the city with no garage made it a problem for me. I'm not sure how it will work during snowstorms in the winter with no home charging. Tesla built all of the Boston superchargers except one in expensive parking garages due to lack of space in the city. Maybe when landlords have sheltered charging spots I will get a next generation Model 3 or just request one if Tesla manages to get autonomous driving to work out. :wink:
 
#9 ·
So I just did some quick calculations on buying an Insight vs. buying a brand new civic lx/ex (or comparable non-hybrid vehicle) and I can understand some of the people that don’t want to buy a hybrid because if you drive normally, it’ll take a years before you catch up in savings vs a cheaper non-hybrid in gas.

But I bought my Insight for $21,500 OTD and with a little of 60k miles now and getting as high as 54mpg at one point and now at 48.5, I did a rough calculation based on 50mpg up until this point (if you want to be more accurate, maybe I could’ve added a 1 or 2 more mpgs to that figure).

If I got a Civic or comparable car getting 30mpg, I would’ve spent around $6000 on gas based on an average of $3.00 ( I used $3 as it was a little over that amount pre-Covid and now sub $3 during Covid around my region). With the Insight, I’ve paid roughly $3600 in gas with the 60k miles I’ve driven in about 10 months since I’ve had the car. Compare that to the $6000 and I’ve saved $2400 in only 10 months!!

So deducting $2400 from the $21,500, I’m right around Civic territory already and I got a better car overall IMO.
 
#10 ·
A few thoughts/adds:
  • The payout difference between the two cars gets bigger/better for high mileage drivers like yourself.
  • For lower mileage drivers (like myself) the difference is smaller so it takes longer to payout the difference.
  • It might be fair to assume that a buyer can get a comparable discount on a Civic (or possbly higher discount, since more Civic inventory). The price difference is ~$3k between the two models.
Insight LX = $22,930 MSRP --> 6.2% discount --> $21,500 OTD​
Civic LX = $20,000 MSRP --> 6.2% discount --> $18,753 OTD (estimated)​
  • The breakeven point (measured in months) between the two options also depends on gas price; the lower the gas price, the longer it takes to pay out. This calculator from Edmunds can help identify the breakeven point: Edmunds Gas Mileage Savings Calculator: Car Cost vs. Fuel Savings
  • MPG-wise, the Insight LX is rated for 55 city/49 hwy, so your ~50 mpg average suggests a lot of highway driving. The Civic LX is rated for 32 city/42 hwy, so ~40 mpg average (more highway driving versus 30 mpg) might be more representative for the comparison calculations.
 
#11 ·
I liked the design, safety, and features. Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS, newer infotainment system with OTA updates, no weird looking tailights, etc. The fuel savings was a nice benefit but not something I prioritized when searching for my next car. I probably would've gone with the Mazda 3 if the 3rd gen Insight did not exist. The current gen Civic infotainment and instrument cluster are way too outdated for me to keep for the next 10 years.
 
#12 ·
Yep. I had done the math and even if you took out the variances that there might be between a Civic in a particular color and just went with MSRP, the 2020 Insight Touring MSRP is $29,235 and 2020 Civic Touring is $28,850; a difference of $385...which tells you there's not much hybrid markup.

But for my personal experience moving from a 2007 Civic EX Sedan, in one year driving both vehicles roughly 10K miles, it was $560 of gas difference between vehicles. And that was with two additional road trips we took in the Insight that would more than balance out a spring break road trip cancelled due to COVID.

No regrets making the hybrid jump!
 
#13 · (Edited)
@insightfully.. the 2019 civic lx (CVT trans) is rated at 30/38.. so average mpg of 34 and people don’t usually get that.. my number was based on what I’ve gathered talking to current gen civic sedan owners ..

but the EX CVT gets 32/42 but that’s roughly 37mpg average ..~40mpg would be on the extreme high end I think..
 
#14 ·
Oops, you're right - Civic 2.0L naturally aspirated CVT (LX, Sport) = 30 city / 38 highway, and the Civic 1.5L turbo CVT (EX, Touring) = 32 city / 42 highway. I should know this, since I originally wanted to buy a 2.0L Civic... but I guess I've blocked that all out now that I own an Insight, LOL.

For apples-to-apples comparison of your driving condition, it seems the Civic results should reflect your drive pattern (of which your 50 mpg history seemed close to the Insight's highway rating)... or compare both at average mpg rating for each car (?).

For my low-mileage annual driving, current low gas prices, and relative pricing I had for an Insight EX versus Civic EX... all I can say is that the breakeven / payout point for me doesn't occur for many, many months (years), and the numbers say it would've been smarter to stick with the Civic... thus the different "mathy" thoughts I mention above, based on living at the opposite spectrum of your experience. :)

In the end, dealers were more willing to negotiate on Insight pricing (versus Civic) AND I couldn't live with the Civic's exterior look (halogen headlights, quirky taillights) and function (outdated infotainment & interface) even if the Civic had lower short and long term cost for me than the Insight.
 
#15 ·
I've owned my 2019 Insight EX for a little over a year now and with just over 6,000 miles on it (hello telework) love it. I came from a 2004 Accord, so the standard was pretty high (what a great car - powerful and quiet), but I love the way it looks and how quiet it is - 70% of the time, 20% sounds like a normal gas car, and 10% [if that] a little harsher than normal. Love the gas mileage (routinely get mid-50s) and the great price for so many features and high quality. The neighbors all think it's an Accord and love the "aura" sound it makes as it comes down the cul-de-sac. I've even gotten used to the push-button shifting and wouldn't want to go back.

What I don't like - how Honda is not promoting it at all - no one knows about it! I only found out about it because my nephew bought one. The local dealer doesn't even have "Insight" listed under their models in stock, even though they have several. Tough to sell a car when you don't know it exists. Word of mouth is going to have to do.
 
#17 ·
Several of us are first-time hybrid owners. There are nuances/differences from conventional cars, but there are benefits (namely mpg) as well.
I had to think about the personal benefits of owning a hybrid over a conventional and all I could think of is the better mpg. If you care about the environment, then you could make the argument it’s better for the environment based on being a greener car.

I mean you do have to replace the hybrid battery if you decide to keep car very long, which can be a downside to some.
 
#18 ·
In current state between Gen3 Insight and GenX Civic, another difference was infotainment system and steering wheel controls... with the Insight having the newer system (and better/real buttons). The Insight stood out as being more modern than the Civic. I didn't like the Civic's electrostatic controls and needing to use the touchscreen to manage climate settings.
 
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