The Honda Insight was the first mass-produced hybrid automobile sold in the U.S, beating the Toyota Prius to the punch by a few months. Combining both gasoline and electrical propulsion, the first-generation Insight (1999 to 2006) could get up to 70 mpg, while the seller’s car has an average of 47 across more than 300,000 miles! Rather than spend the money on an expensive hybrid battery replacement, the hybrid batteries in the seller’s car were swapped for a regular lawnmower battery ($30!). How this works, we know not, but the vehicle runs and drives in Sahuarita, Arizona, and is available here on eBay. The first bid of $500 is uncast, and there is no reserve. An unusual tip brought our way by “Nevadahalfrack”.
First-generation Insights were only offered as a 2-door, 2-seat liftback, which looks a little like a small spaceship. It was the first time Honda deployed its Integrated Motor Assist System to manage the shift from gasoline to electric power (the batteries were regenerated under motion). When the 120 commercial-grade “D” electric batteries weren’t in operation, the car was moved by a 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder, 67 hp engine. While most of them were equipped with a CVT transmission, the seller’s car has a 5-speed manual, supposedly rare.
The Insight relied on aluminum pieces to make for a lighter, more aerodynamic vehicle. Sales of the first-generation car were somewhat sparse, but didn’t undermine hybrid development. Just over 14,000 units were sold in seven years in the U.S., with total Japanese production reaching 17,000 copies. We’re told the seller has owned this example for at least five years and has been instrumental in logging an amazing 307,000 miles. When the original batteries gave up the ghost, a $30 tractor battery somehow managed to replace them (we’d like to know more about that transformation).
Apparently, this vehicle is nowhere near wearing out, with the only visible flaw being a worn driver’s seat. The color is said to be matte black, though grey is more like it, and the hood may or may not be a replacement, as it doesn’t match the rest of the vehicle. It sports rear fender skirts, which add to the alien “take me to your leader” look. It’s still considered a daily driver by the seller. It even has a rear trailer hitch, but we wonder what it would be up to pulling.
Whoa, now that’s different. Mad Max’s Insight.
It’s still a usable car without the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) battery, which made it an actual hybrid capable of 55-60+ mpg. Without the IMA batteries, it’s not getting close to those numbers. The seller’s claim of “47 mpg” seems pretty high to me; I would guess more in the mid-30s, but that’s just a guess at what some other Insights get without the IMA batteries. Honda’s Insight IMA batteries almost always go bad, but they can be replaced for about $1,500. Why bother ever having hybrid batteries if you get 47 MPG without the batteries?
I’m guessing the $30 lawnmower battery just does what the regular, non-hybrid battery pack would do. Every hybrid has a hybrid battery pack to help the engine, and also a regular 12-volt battery, the same as every other vehicle does, to run things like the starter, wipers, heater fan, etc. The big thing with this car is the 5-speed manual. Great one, Russ and Nevada!
Really neat Insight. I always thought that a hybrid with a stick is the most fun way to go. Great find Nevadahalfrack, great write up too Russ. And Scotty…… If EVER I’m in the market for one of these…… I’m taking you with me!! Another huge plus with the design, fender skirts!! I like these a lot.
So with a trailer hitch i can tow a boat? A lawn mower battery is very small.
Tow a small trailer with a couple of batteries and an extension cord/jumper cables?
If someone bids $500, he better take the money and run.
There was a Red one of these parked at the edge of a local
Food Lion store.I talked to a guy at the Firestone store next to it,
and he told me that it had been there for over five years.
I then went to the Food Lion and asked the manager if he knew
who owned it,& he said that he wasn’t even aware it was parked there.
I went by about a week later,& it & a couple other vehicles parked
next to it were gone.
I did the same thing, and it disappeared after I asked about it.
Yep, skirts are always a crowd pleaser.
Great cars! I had a five speed version. They run fine on the 3cyl (roller bearing crankshaft) engine if the IMA or power pack gives up. So much fun to drive-like a 4 wheel enclosed motorcycle. The power pack and electric motor is there mostly for acceleration boost and assistance on hills and long grades-so without it you’ll be rowing the gears more-what fun! (still with excellent fuel consumption numbers) PS They cruise at highway speeds until you hit the long grades without the battery pack.
The insight may have beat the Prius to market in The USA by a few months it wasn’t the first. The first gen prius was sold in Japan in 1997 well before the insight. I still have a great running first gen Prius currently. Fast forward to today and all Honda hybrids use Toyota technology now. The Honda hybrids were garbage.
Oh, the truck stop lunch counter had a field day with these, that transferred over to a downright laugh on the CB radio, if one was actually spotted. If it didn’t look so dog gone goofy, it may have slipped through the cracks. To be clear, I think a hybird[sic] is the best way of saving gas, especially with no charging station for miles. I don’t think we’ll ever get past that for all electric travel. Naturally, to me, all these e,,things, are at the mercy of the battery, and their subsequent replacements. Oh sure, whistling along saving a ton on gas,,,uhp, uhp, not so fast, you’ll make that up spending on repairs. And the bumper hitch, nice touch, I wonder what it was they pulled? I realize, it was Hondas intent on being the “1st”, but did they have to make it so goofy looking? No,,,interest,,,whatsoever.
I drive two of these, one with 250k, one with 70k miles – both feel identical! When the big batteries gave up the ghost after 10 years I basically disconnected and turned them off, de-activating the entire regenerative system. The big battery stays in place (no weird weight changes), so the only functioning battery is the small 12v (lawn mower) battery, used for starting and charging itself – the car runs only on the 1L 3-cylinder gas engine. Since i longer have any electric motor boost or stop-light shut-off there is a lot more shifting, but I still get 55mpg in every-day driving, with some loss of power. With a drag coefficient of only 0.25 it is very slippery, the more common 5-speed gets better MPG than the CVT automatic, and with very close attention to acceleration, 70mpg is indeed possible. You do have to prepare for hills, and there is a big gap between 2/3 that the IMA would normally fill in. Once you have driven one they will change your thinking – I recently turned down $5,000 for my low-mileage one. Mechanical needs and costs are no bigger than any other car: brakes, tires, struts and the like, after 200k miles.
That’s great info, Tom, thanks! I was wrong on my low MPG estimate; my apologies to the seller. A lime green (Citrus Yellow) 5-speed model is still toward the top of my master wish list.
Tom, thanks for confirming what I remember learning about these cars: the manual was more popular and probably appealed to the type of buyer who these appealed too. Someone who liked the unique look and bought it to hypermile in.
I owned one years ago. Body style is like a 2/3 scale General Motors EV1. The CVT models suffered from transmission band issues so manual transmission models like this one are preferred. They do not have a starter and relied on the hybrid’s electric motor to start the gas engine. The suspension is rock hard and the seats are very thinly padded, a concession to keep weight down. The missing battery pack had 120 “C” size (not “D” size) Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) cells welded into sticks for 144 volts at 6.5 amp hours. Fun fact, the steering wheel from the S2000 was used.
NiMH batteries are still around, with tabs so they can be soldered together in series. I still use them in my early 1970’s Metz 402 strobe flash that I bought in high school for journalism and used it for many a wedding into the 2010’s.
Tow a small trailer with a couple of batteries and an extension cord/jumper cables?
This is desperation at its worst. Posting about a common every day hybrid car? I’m out if this keeps up
The battery replacement statement isn’t logical. Unless they are referring to the other (engine starter) battery. “Hybrid/Traction Battery (Integrated Motor Assist – IMA)
Type: Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) cylindrical cells
Voltage: 144V nominal (120 individual 1.2V cells configured in series)
Capacity: 6.5 Ah (or 6500 mAh) each
Weight: ~70 lbs (32 kg)
Configuration: 20 battery modules” does not get replaced with a single 12 volt battery. With that said, yes you could get 47 mpg without the IMA. I consistently got over 40 with a non hybrid Civic 1.5 liter with spirited driving. You should be able to source the IMA battery pack for under $2k. Finding the bad cells and refurbishing the pack is an alternative, assuming they still have the removed IMA pack. The 5-speed might be more rare than the CVT, but plenty were made.