2001 Honda Insight

CVT Hatchback

3 - Cyl.

Automatic

JHMZE14791T002060

Clear

Hybrid-electric

This auction is for a 2001 Honda Insight Hybrid finished in New Formula Red with the two-tone gray and black interior. It’s powered by a hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain (hence the name Hybrid) consisting of an all aluminum 1.0 liter 3 cylinder VTEC-E engine coupled to a battery powered electric motor known as the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). Its basic layout consists of a 10-killowatt 22-pound thin electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission to boost the Insight’s performance when needed. During coasting and braking the motor also serves as a generator (a.k.a. regenerative braking) to recharge a 144 volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack located behind the seats. Think of this IMA system as a supercharger that provides additional performance without using much energy, and in fact, because it recovers the Insight’s momentum to recharge the battery, it’s more efficient than any supercharger could ever be. The other key component of the Insight Hybrid’s powertrain is the automatic transmission. It uses a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) that eliminates conventional shifts to provide silky smooth seamless acceleration without any of the power loss of a conventional automatic and nearly identical fuel economy as a manual transmission model. The Insight Hybrid has a few other tweaks to save fuel including rear wheel fender skirts, smooth profile and light weight aluminum wheels, special tires that reduce rolling resistance, a mini front air dam and rear spoiler along with numerous underbody panels which give the car a drag coefficient of just 0.25 (one of the lowest of any production car), electrically assisted power steering that reduces parasitic losses on the engine, and probably the best feature, an idle shutoff mode called AutoStop that turns off the engine as you come to a stop and provides you with an eerie silence at most every stop light. Quite soothing after a long day at the office. When you combine all these features with a low curb weight of under 2,000 pounds, the Insight CVT earns an EPA mileage rating of 57/56 MPG city/highway. The highest of any automatic transmission car out there. And if you practice any hypermiling techniques, you get much higher figures than that. Combined with the Insight’s 10.6 gallon fuel tank, it’s hard not to get over 500 miles between fill-ups. Not only is the Insight economical to drive, it’s also economical to maintain. Most systems have low or reduced maintenance components. For example, instead of a timing belt that needs periodic replacement, the Insight engine uses a steel timing chain that should last the life of the car, it uses iridium tipped spark plugs with 105,000 mile service intervals, extended life coolant with a 120,000 mile service interval, and a fuel filter that never needs servicing. And the Insight has a Maintenance Minder system that calculates the optimum service intervals based on how the car is driven. A car driven primarily on the highway requires less maintenance than one subject to city use with constant stopping and starting. The first generation Insight was a radical new design for Honda, and one that turns heads going down the road and prompts many questions from passersby in the supermarket parking lot. If you’re the least bit shy, you may want to shop for a different car. It’s still a fresh design for most people since few have even seen it close up. With only about 4,000 sold the first year (which is about how many Civics are sold in just one week), and a total of 17,000 made for the entire seven year production run from 2000 to 2006, it’s a rare car to see on the road. If you’re tired of driving the same boring cookie cutter designed car that everyone else is driving, this car may be for you. If you are into being green, then besides getting great gas mileage, the Insight is one of the few cars certified by CARB (California Air Resources Board) to be a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV). And you don’t give up anything in comfort and room with the Insight. Headroom and legroom is plenty for all but the tallest basketball players and there is no claustrophobic feeling like you get in some other small cars. Driving it is also no different as it accelerates and merges into traffic with ease and keeps up with 75-80 mph highway speeds without breaking a sweat. In many states, the Insight may be eligible for numerous perks such as being able to drive alone in the HOV carpool lanes without a passenger, being exempt from annual emissions inspections, free or reduced parking rates at downtown or airport parking lots, etc. Check your state or local government for more details. Its exterior style is very unique, combining sleek form with aerodynamic function. From its stylish lines and sweeping curves, it incorporates numerous design elements to create a look that is like no other car on the road. From the slightly bulging headlights up front, to the bright finish aerodynamic profile wheels and fender skirts on the sides, to a roof mounted short antenna up top and to a two window rear hatch in the back, it looks futuristic from any angle without being flashy. But if you like high tech design, you will really like the interior. Observe the electroluminescent style instrument cluster with displays for instant, average and long term fuel mileage. Touch the small diameter dimpled grip steering wheel that fits your hands perfectly and has control buttons for the transmission DRIVE and SPORT modes. Admire the two-tone sport weave fabric on the seats and door panels. Try the buttons and switches and notice the precise soft-touch feel as they are engaged. Not only are the colors elegant but all the textures have a rich feel and look. From the perforations on the steering wheel, the graining pattern on the dash and door panels, or the layout of knobs and switches on the dash, everything looks and feels like it came from a more expensive car. This Insight is fully equipped with all the desirable safety, comfort and convenience features and equipment including: 1.0 liter 3 cylinder VTEC-E gas engine Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) electric motor CVT automatic transmission Air conditioning with electronic climate control and cabin air filter Power windows with drivers express down Power door locks Factory AM/FM/CD stereo with eurostyle roof mounted antenna Remote keyless entry Reclining bucket seats Two-tone Sport cloth interior Seatback storage pocket Steering wheel mounted transmission DRIVE and SPORT mode switches Electroluminescent style instrument cluster with tachometer, digital speedometer, and multi-function displays for instant and average fuel mileage, two trip odometers, etc. Front center console with two cup holders Rear console with storage bin 12V power outlet Tinted glass Clear lens headlights with jewel effect reflectors Intermittent wipers Rear window wiper and washer Dome light with driver and passenger map lights Dual power body color outside rear view mirrors Visor vanity mirror Remote fuel door release Engine immobilizer theft deterrent system Aerodynamic and light weight bright finish aluminum wheels Matching set of four original replacement Bridgestone Potenza low-rolling resistance tires Locking glovebox Behind the seats storage pocket Cargo area light Cargo net Rear window defroster Rear mini spoiler Electrically assisted rack and pinion power steering 4 wheel anti-lock brakes Aftermarket drilled and slotted front brake rotors Aftermarket K&N air filter And many more items too numerous to mention. There are nearly 90 photos ahead and if you don’t have a high speed internet connection and get an “X” where a picture should be you may need to hit the Refresh button a few times. If that still doesn’t work, CLICK HERE to see the pictures individually. 57 mpg over the last 579 miles: AUTO STOP: Later 2001 production date: The car is in great condition inside and out. It has a nice dent-free body with just the normal minor nicks, dings and touched up scratches you would expect on a car of this age and mileage. The paint itself is beautiful and shiny and this shade of red gets everybody’s attention. It has been cleaned with Meguiar’s Smooth Surface Clay System, polished with Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze cleaner polish and topped off with Meguiar’s Synthetic Sealant for a high gloss shine. I checked the car out top to bottom and found no evidence of any paint or bodywork. In fact, it still has the original VIN stickers on all body panels. Remember, it’s hard enough to find a two year old or 20,000 mile vehicle that hasn’t had at least a fender-bender requiring a bumper, hood or fender to be replaced or repaired, let alone a car with over 100,000 miles like this car. Hood: Front bumper: Left fender: Right fender: Left door: Right door: Left quarter panel: Right quarter panel: Rear hatch: Rear bumper: In addition, this Insight has all it’s underbody panels installed. If a mechanic forgets to replace a panel after an oil change or you run over a curb and break one off, your gas mileage may suffer as the aerodynamics under a car are just as important as above it. Front underbody panels: Rear underbody panels: The interior is in great condition as well. It has excellent upholstery, carpet, dashboard and door panels with no cracks, rips or tears or any significant signs of wear. The car doesn‘t appear to have been smoked in. In fact, it’s not even equipped with a lighter. The cargo area is nice and the engine compartment has been fully detailed and is clean enough to eat off of. Mechanically it runs and drives excellent. The engine runs strong and feels smooth both at idle, while accelerating and throughout the cruising range. The engine starts instantly whether hot or cold. The steering wheel is on dead center going down the road with no shakes or vibrations at speed, the brakes are firm with no pedal pulsations or pulling to one side when stopping and the suspension is tight. The A/C blows cold. It has a set of four identical original equipment low rolling resistance Bridgestone Potenza tires. The front ones are brand new and the rears are excellent. They have been balanced with stick-on balance weights mounted on the inside of the wheel for a super clean look. The spare tire doesn’t look like it has even been used. The car has been fully checked out and serviced with $2,000 worth of new or recent parts, maintenance and repairs with original Honda or other name brand parts so that only your enjoyment rather than your immediate attention will be required on delivery. Some of the items checked or serviced include: New Honda synthetic oil change New Honda oil filter New K&N air filter cleaning New TYC cabin air filter New throttle body cleaning Recent Honda PCV valve New Honda NGK “B” stamped iridium spark plugs to match B cylinder head New valve adjustment New Honda valve cover gasket New Honda Long Life Type 2 (blue) coolant flush and change New Honda front brake pads Recent aftermarket drilled and slotted front brake rotors Recent rear brake shoes Recent rear brake drums New parking brake adjustment New Valvoline Synthetic Dot 4 brake fluid flush and change New Honda CVT transmission fluid change New Beck Arnley primary transmission filter New Honda secondary transmission filter New Honda transmission pan gasket Two new and two recent Bridgeston Potenza original equipment low rolling resistance tires New Honda rear wiper blade Photos of some of the parts replaced, checked or serviced: Parts replaced: Oil filter: Air filter: Cabin air filter: Throttle body cleaning: PCV valve: Spark plugs with the proper amount of anti-seize on the threads: B stamped plugs to match B cylinder head: Valve adjustment, note super clean internal engine: Valve cover gasket: Coolant flushed until water is clear: Front brake pads: Front brake rotors, 15 mm is the minimum thickness: Drilled and slotted front rotors: Rear brake shoes: Rear brake rotors: Brake fluid flush and change: Transmission fluid change, old fluid coming out is as clean as the new fluid: Transmission filters, pan gasket and seals: Transmission with pan off, super clean internally: Transmission fluid change: Other than routine oil and filter changes, with all the above mentioned servicing the car has recently received, you should be good to go for another 100,000 miles before requiring major maintenance. Overall this is a super sharp car that looks fantastic in the New Formula Red color. This Insight is a later production 2001 model and a one owner car. CLICK HERE to see the title. It wasn’t sold until February 2002 so it’s not even 10 years old yet which probably explains why it’s so clean. It has a clean CarFax. CLICK HERE to see the CarFax. This Insight is all original with the exception of a K&N air filter, drilled and slotted front brake rotors and a medium shade of window tint that may or may not be legal in your state. I can have the tint removed for a reasonable cost if you want. If you prefer to keep the tint, I can’t be responsible if your state has a problem with it or if you get a ticket. The car comes with two factory keys and remotes: And a front license plate bracket if you need it: 2000 was the first year of the first generation Honda Insight and 2001 was the first year for the CVT model. If you’ve been looking for a first generation Insight in general and a CVT specifically, the 2001 model is the best value to buy since it’s still nearly identical to the last of the 1st. generation, the 2006 model, but being ten model years old, the majority of the depreciation has been absorbed by the previous owner, yet the car still looks and runs great and still has most of its service life left. Since the ’01 CVT was the first year it was made, it’s the oldest, and thus, the least expensive automatic model you can buy. What that means is you can own a car with the looks, style and prestige of a 2006 Insight for a fraction of the cost It’s no secret that Honda lost money on every one of the early Insight models it sold but that was the price to pay for cutting your teeth on the new technology that wouldn’t pay off for years to come. Some have speculated that it cost Honda upwards of $40,000 to build each Insight, while Honda insiders put that figure at under $30K. Regardless, the price new of this Honda Insight CVT was nearly $22,000! CLICK HERE to see the original pricing, but because the CVT was a hot new model, most dealers were adding additional market adjustment markups (read rip off), so with tax, title and tags, you were lucky if you got ANY change back from your $25,000 bill! The CVT wasn’t available until later in the 2001 model year which makes them even harder to find. If you are serious about buying an Insight, I’ve priced it to sell. This car has been one of my personal drivers for the last few months and its time to let someone else enjoy it. I bought it at a dealer auction early in the year when prices are traditionally low, and I’m passing on the savings in this Ebay auction. If instead of selling it back at a dealer auction I can sell it here on Ebay for a similar price and avoid dealer auction fees and transportation expenses, and the new owner gets the car at a true wholesale price, then both buyer and seller make out ahead. Remember, you can get a great deal on Ebay with prices sometimes way below retail, but no bidder is going to “steal” a vehicle and no seller is going to give one away either. When comparing this car to the others listed, keep in mind that this car is a one owner vehicle, that was never in an accident or has any paintwork, comes with a clean Carfax, runs excellent, is fully serviced, hasn’t been smoked in and is clean inside and out. Also when comparing prices, remember the things that you won’t have to spend money on. With this car you won’t have to spend $400 for a new set of tires, you won’t have to spend $300 on a complete front brake service, you won’t have to spend $300 on a complete rear brake service, you won’t have to spend $300 on a coolant and brake flush, you won’t have to spend $300 on a valve adjustment, tune-up and filters service and you won’t have to spend $300 on any upcoming scheduled maintenance. If you are looking for a nice Insight in excellent condition at a good price, then this car is hard to beat. Also remember that we don’t charge dealer processing fees or document fees that many other listings have for $200 or more and bury in their fine print. And don’t be fooled by some other auctions that are advertised as NO RESERVE and start at $100 or some other low price. Since no dealer is going to risk loosing thousands of dollars if their auction doesn’t bring enough money, you can be pretty sure he has some “people” bidding on it for him. Especially those auctions that are private listings where it says “User ID kept private.” Gas prices are already over $4 a gallon in much of the country and analysts predict it won’t be long before we see $5 a gallon in California, possibly by the summer. When that happens, the demand for these cars will skyrocket along with their prices. This is in addition to the usual upward rise in car prices during the spring and summer. So if you’ve been putting off a car purchase waiting for a better deal to come along, don’t wait much longer as prices won’t be any cheaper than they are right now. TERMS OF THE AUCTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: Since this car may be advertised locally, auction can be canceled at any time (unless auction ended early with BUY IT NOW) due to prior sale without liability to any bidder. A down payment of $500 (plus any additional delivery charge) is required within 3 days of the close of the auction, balance due in cash on delivery or certified funds on delivery if I deliver it or you pick it up, or before it’s dropped off at the transporter if a shipping company is transporting it, but no later than 7 days after the close of the auction without prior agreement. I accept bank or certified checks, money orders, credit cards through PayPal (accepted for down payment only). If paying balance with funds other than cash, buyer to fax copy of monetary instrument no less than 24 hours before picking up vehicle. The car is sold as is. Buyer is welcome to inspect car BEFORE the end of the auction or to have someone check it out on your behalf provided you authorize whoever is checking the car to provide me with a copy of the results. I have tried to accurately describe this car, both mechanically and cosmetically but you can expect a certain amount of minor flaws on ANY used car including squeaks, rattles, drips, nicks, chips, scratches, blemishes and any other marks that are consistent with the age and mileage of the vehicle. There is no possible way to include all minute details and imperfections, however, I believe my listing accurately depicts this vehicle and if there are any issues they are noted in the description. Also remember that a vehicle is made up of thousands of mechanical parts and components and in an older or higher mileage used vehicle a part that is working fine now may go bad the next day, in a week, or a month from now. It’s nearly impossible to tell when a particular part or component will fail as most don’t exhibit prior symptoms, however, proper preventative maintenance as this car has received, can prevent most problems or breakdowns from happening. In fairness to all bidders the reserve price will not be disclosed so please don’t even ask. Buyer responsible for transportation and car must be paid for in full before it can be released. May deliver. Email or call for delivery quote or for any other questions. atikovi@email.com Maryland and District of Columbia dealer. Phone 202-246-5201. Please do not bid if you don’t intend to buy. FREE DELIVERY TERMS: Free delivery within 500 miles of the Washington DC area if bidder purchases vehicle with Buy It Now. (35 cents per mile for additional miles as shown in MapQuest.com from zip code 20001 to your address.) That is still the same rate as when I started on Ebay over 10 years ago even with more than double the gas prices. Remember, the Buy It Now option disappears once the reserve price is met. The Buy It Now price is $6,995. AUCTION ENDS: 10:00pm sharp, EASTERN TIME Tuesday May 24th unless Buy It Now is used. SPECIAL OFFER FOR QUICK SALE: DOUBLE THE FREE DELIVERY RANGE: Use Buy It Now before the halfway point in the auction, 10:00pm EASTERN TIME Thursday May 19th and I will double the free delivery miles to 1,000 miles total.On May-17-11 at 16:05:59 PDT, seller added the following information: NEW WARRANTY INFORMATION ABOUT THE IMA SYSTEM AND BATTERY PACK I called Honda at: Customer Service on 1-800-999-1009 and gave them the VIN of the car and was told that the car has an extended warranty on the IMA system and battery pack until 157,500 miles or February 14, 2012, whichever comes first. In addition, the battery pack was replaced October 2007. So you have another nine months or 12,000 miles of warranty left on these components.