Honda Insight Views

[asankabs]

hi,

im about to buy a car, my budget is around 3.4-3.8 m

still can't decide to by a hybrid or a regular car.

as i noticed in the advertisements, i can go for a 2009 used registered insight for 3.7m-3.8m. however 2010 model is above 4.2 m. does anybody know what's the different between these two?

and is that true that the hybrids has bad second hand market. i saw in AL someone saying it needs expensive repairs after 3-4 years.

or is it a good idea to got for a 10 year old toyota (allion, 121 etc)

still i can't decide because i have less knowledge about cars. and this is going to be my first car.

please give me some clue from your opinion. thanks

[Californikan]

hi,

im about to buy a car, my budget is around 3.4-3.8 m

still can't decide to by a hybrid or a regular car.

as i noticed in the advertisements, i can go for a 2009 used registered insight for 3.7m-3.8m. however 2010 model is above 4.2 m. does anybody know what's the different between these two?

and is that true that the hybrids has bad second hand market. i saw in AL someone saying it needs expensive repairs after 3-4 years.

or is it a good idea to got for a 10 year old toyota (allion, 121 etc)

still i can't decide because i have less knowledge about cars. and this is going to be my first car.

please give me some clue from your opinion. thanks

1) There are no major differences between the 2009 and 2010 Insight.

2) "The Insight needs expensive repairs after 3 or 4 years" is absolutely not true.

Thus far the second gen Insight has been a very reliable car. Hybrids have been on the roads around the world for over 15 years now and have proven to be reliable overall over the last 15 years.

3) Choosing a 10 year old Corolla over a 2 or 3 year old Insight is crazy. Just get the Insight.

[harshansenadhir]

hi,

im about to buy a car, my budget is around 3.4-3.8 m

still can't decide to by a hybrid or a regular car.

as i noticed in the advertisements, i can go for a 2009 used registered insight for 3.7m-3.8m. however 2010 model is above 4.2 m. does anybody know what's the different between these two?

and is that true that the hybrids has bad second hand market. i saw in AL someone saying it needs expensive repairs after 3-4 years.

or is it a good idea to got for a 10 year old toyota (allion, 121 etc)

still i can't decide because i have less knowledge about cars. and this is going to be my first car.

please give me some clue from your opinion. thanks

wouldn't recommend a used import hybrid which has again used in local context for sometime, for a first timer on a vehicle. You'll be better off with a commonly known / popular vehicle, such as Corolla 121 / Allion or even with slight stretch you can get into a 141. There are many options outthere for you to consider for that kind of a budget than jumping into a used hybrid.

if you consider buying a brand new hybrid from agents with warranty, that's a different story.

[harshansenadhir]

1) There are no major differences between the 2009 and 2010 Insight.

2) "The Insight needs expensive repairs after 3 or 4 years" is absolutely not true.

Thus far the second gen Insight has been a very reliable car. Hybrids have been on the roads around the world for over 15 years now and have proven to be reliable overall over the last 15 years.

3) Choosing a 10 year old Corolla over a 2 or 3 year old Insight is crazy. Just get the Insight.

Choosing a 10 year old corolla over 2-3 year old insight would make sense in Sri Lankan context, so to speak.

[Californikan]

Keep in mind that there are many local hybrid owners who are driving used hybrids, and are satisfied with their cars. Their experience is part of the local experience and local context also.

I would definitely feel comfortable buying a used Prius or Insight in SL (after getting it thouroughly checked out) because I have confidence in the reliability/durability of the cars. Many people don't yet and so a hybrid isn't right for them. Both the "Buy a hybrid" and "Don't buy a hybrid" camps have valid reasonable reasons for their recomendations, and ultimately it's a personal decision on the part of the buyer.

[Californikan]

The 'unproven local reliability' argument has been raised many times with many different cars and doesn't make sense to me because every global car brand or model that that I'm aware of that has had reliability/durability issues in SL, has had those same durability/issues in other countries. Conversley, if a car has proven reliability/durability around the world, it is highly, highly unlikely that SL will be the only country where reliabiliy/durability problems occur.

So can anyone give me one example of one car brand or model that is sold globally and has had reliability/durability problems ONLY in SL and nowhere else in the world?

[Scooter]

Cali, can give you one in another part of the world that was. The BMC 1800 Land Crabs got a terrible reputation for blowing engines in Australia in the late 60s yet no similar problems anywhere else in the world. BMC tore their hair out and eventually discovered a pattern where Australian owners were overfilling the oil in the sump in a "just in case and a bit more oil can't be anything other than be better in a hot climate" scenario. Solution? Revised, lower, markings on the Aussie dipsticks! All fixed. Course that didn't do anything towards sorting the crappy 1800 gear change mechanisms that all the world had problems with.

So local driving habits - such as the Oz example - may have an inpact on car durability. One thing I notice in SL is a tendency ( I said a tendency) for drivers to lug the car in a high gear which puts a bit of stress on the motor/drive train. Does this have an observable impact on general durability?

[asankabs]

Keep in mind that there are many local hybrid owners who are driving used hybrids, and are satisfied with their cars. Their experience is part of the local experience and local context also.

I would definitely feel comfortable buying a used Prius or Insight in SL (after getting it thouroughly checked out) because I have confidence in the reliability/durability of the cars. Many people don't yet and so a hybrid isn't right for them. Both the "Buy a hybrid" and "Don't buy a hybrid" camps have valid reasonable reasons for their recomendations, and ultimately it's a personal decision on the part of the buyer.

Thank you very much. you are the only one who gave me a positive replay. is this story same for a reconditioned hybrid?

Edited October 7, 2012 by asankabs

[Supra_Natural]

Thank you very much. you are the only one who gave me a positive replay. is this story same for a reconditioned hybrid?

If you were looking for only positive replies, why did you bother with the question?

If you already have your mind set on an insight then go ahead and get one, if it works for you then good. If it doesn't, then well you can't say you weren't warned.

[Californikan]

Thank you very much. you are the only one who gave me a positive replay. is this story same for a reconditioned hybrid?

Yes same story, but as with any used car have a very thorough inspection and check done, and exercise due diligence.

Globally, the Insight has been more a more reliable car than the Civic, just as the Prius has been more reliable than the Corolla. It is highly unlikely that the story will be any different in SL from the rest of the world.

Also I'll note that Honda and Toyota in Japan determined that their JDM hybrids can handle SL conditions out of the box with no changes necessary. So the hybrids that the local Honda and Toyota agents sell have needed no significant changes or modifications or differences for SL conditions, compared to the brand new hybrids sold to Japanese, and eventually brought over as reconditioned cars.

[Californikan]

Cali, can give you one in another part of the world that was. The BMC 1800 Land Crabs got a terrible reputation for blowing engines in Australia in the late 60s yet no similar problems anywhere else in the world. BMC tore their hair out and eventually discovered a pattern where Australian owners were overfilling the oil in the sump in a "just in case and a bit more oil can't be anything other than be better in a hot climate" scenario. Solution? Revised, lower, markings on the Aussie dipsticks! All fixed. Course that didn't do anything towards sorting the crappy 1800 gear change mechanisms that all the world had problems with.

So local driving habits - such as the Oz example - may have an inpact on car durability. One thing I notice in SL is a tendency ( I said a tendency) for drivers to lug the car in a high gear which puts a bit of stress on the motor/drive train. Does this have an observable impact on general durability?

Thanks Scooter, but a check shows the BMC 1800 had that engine problem everywhere in the world it was sold. The design flaw caused owners everywhere to overfill the oil.

So can anyone give me an example of a vehicle make or model that had reliability/durability problems ONLY in SL and nowhere else in the world? I want an example (if it even exists which I highly doubt) of a car that has been reliable globally, but somehow SL is the ONLY country where there have been reliability issues.

All the reliability/durability problems I'm aware of that are commonly attributed to SL conditions (such as the dashboard cracking on some Nissans ) all have occurred in other countries years before they happened in SL.

[Scooter]

Fair go, cobber, us blokes in Oz copped that oil Landcrab bandoogle first, those drongos in Pommy-land couldn't draw-up a car to handle proper like all the trials and tribulations of our sunburnt land and it was down to us chums to point the BMC trouble-hunters to the dip-stick fix....or so we all tell ourselves as we huddle around our camp fire recounting the stories of the old days over a beer or two!

Anyway, back to SL.....any genuine locally-induced car problems we can recollect?

[Supra_Natural]

Fair go, cobber, us blokes in Oz copped that oil Landcrab bandoogle first, those drongos in Pommy-land couldn't draw-up a car to handle proper like all the trials and tribulations of our sunburnt land and it was down to us chums to point the BMC trouble-hunters to the dip-stick fix....or so we all tell ourselves as we huddle around our camp fire recounting the stories of the old days over a beer or two!

Anyway, back to SL.....any genuine locally-induced car problems we can recollect?

If you do feel like recollecting any such thing, kindly open a separate thread (or do it over on Sylvis). Let's try and keep this on topic shall we?

[Supra_Natural]

Yes same story, but as with any used car have a very thorough inspection and check done, and exercise due diligence.

Globally, the Insight has been more a more reliable car than the Civic, just as the Prius has been more reliable than the Corolla. It is highly unlikely that the story will be any different in SL from the rest of the world.

Pardon me, but according to who exactly is the Insight "Much more reliable" than the Civic? The Civic is regularly top of reliability surveys worldwide, so how is the Insight "much more reliable" then?

The Corolla also tops reliability surveys worldwide, so the same question applies RE: the Prius

[iRage]

Also I'll note that Honda and Toyota in Japan determined that their JDM hybrids can handle SL conditions out of the box with no changes necessary. So the hybrids that the local Honda and Toyota agents sell have needed no significant changes or modifications or differences for SL conditions, compared to the brand new hybrids sold to Japanese, and eventually brought over as reconditioned cars.

Now that you brought it up... I am looking to buy a new car here and whatever i buy this time I will probably be bringing it over to SL within the next few years. The drive-train+"hybrid system components"+electronics come with 3 to 5 year warranties. Normally the warranty ceases once the car is out of Japan as it is no longer under the dealership's jurisdiction (as it is typically the dealership that honors the warranty on behalf of the manufacturer). Thus one of the primary questions was what will happen if I take the car to to SL within the warranty period.

For most cars...like a Toyota Mark X/Crown Athlete/Nissan Fuga/Honda Accord the answer was that if there is an authorized dealer they could look in to setting something up where I pay a fee to the local agents (in my case SL) for warranty coverage/labour and plus shipping charges, etc and they could probably cover the cost of the parts (which i guess is similar to what Merc/BMW agents in SL do ?) but even then that the local agent will have to verify that the cause of the failure was not a result of local usage conditions (which I presumed was type of fuel/oil used, driving it on a beach with high tide, etc..) but then for a japanese econo box with a few extra bells and whistles i figured it is really not worth it. Now what this implies to me is that the manufacturers do now claim that the JDM model will work in a country outside of Japan, but it probably will, but if it doesn't they want to make sure that someone is not going to come bite them back saying that the manufacturer claimed that it will and expect them to fix it.

Where the Hybrid components were concerned....every time they said they will get back to me and every time the response was that the car is designed for the JDM market and the recommended usage is as such and since the Hybrid system needs specialised technical knowledge for installation they cannot provide any of the components under a similar "pay-to-local-agents" scheme. Again, wiping their hands clean of any #@*& that might hit the ceiling <If it is still there you can read my experience with a bunch of Hilux double cabs in the Toyota Cabs thread>

So it seems like whilst some of the components are the same for export and JDM model hybrids the manufacturers really don't want to sell it to you outside of japan without knowing if the agents have the skill to keep it running and attending to it.

Mind you the above responses were from the manufacturers' own sales/customer support divisions and not from a local dealership.

I have nothing against Hybrids (apart from the weird "I got molested by an alien robot" like looks of the Prius and insight); whilst the tax incentives are making it really attractive (both here in Japan as well as import duties to SL) I am staying away from one because:

1. What I use the car for I don't think a normal hybrid will do much savings for me on fuel

2. Considering the current price of parts and limited technical skill available in SL I do not want to take the risk of having to spend a fortune on a small issue that might escalate to a larger one due to unskilled mechanics. Not that I expect it to break..it probably won't for a few years during which time hopefully the SL hybrid technical capabilities would increase..but who knows...

Should Mikee buy a Hybrid ? Like Californikan said....it is up to you Mikee...you get a good (in most cases extreme ends of) arguments for and against hybrids here and you should, and only you can, decide if you want to take the risk and if you can afford it.15 years ago or so people in SL stayed way from automatics like it was the freaking plague but now you can hardly find a car that is not an auto. So it is a matter of time and timing

[Pericles]

Also I'll note that Honda and Toyota in Japan determined that their JDM hybrids can handle SL conditions out of the box with no changes necessary.

I've not being following the press briefs closely enough. Got a reference for this bit of news?

[Scooter]

Fair go, cobber, us blokes in Oz copped that oil Landcrab bandoogle first, those drongos in Pommy-land couldn't draw-up a car to handle proper like all the trials and tribulations of our sunburnt land and it was down to us chums to point the BMC trouble-hunters to the dip-stick fix....or so we all tell ourselves as we huddle around our camp fire recounting the stories of the old days over a beer or two!

Anyway, back to SL.....any genuine locally-induced car problems we can recollect?

If you do feel like recollecting any such thing, kindly open a separate thread (or do it over on Sylvis). Let's try and keep this on topic shall we?

Supra, what is the topic? have you had a mo to read the whole thread or have u simply dipped in at this point? Who knows...Anyway, here's a little tip for ya from the Chinese Master:

"What is over and done with, one does not discuss. What has already taken its course, one does not criticize; what already belongs to the past, one does not censure."

Could be a great help to ya in learning how not to bug people. You will remember we have already had to alert you to what seem to be a tendency to prejudge and bully Members here. And, while we're here, what is all this emboldening of other's posts you seem to be fixated with? Real bad form, dontcha know? Anyway, gotta to bugger off back to me campfire for a cuppa and a wad with the blokes, ooooroooo.

[jdnet]

Anyway, gotta to bugger off back to me campfire for a cuppa and a wad with the blokes, ooooroooo.

kalu pukke suddek.

[Supra_Natural]

Supra, what is the topic? have you had a mo to read the whole thread or have u simply dipped in at this point? Who knows...Anyway, here's a little tip for ya from the Chinese Master:

"What is over and done with, one does not discuss. What has already taken its course, one does not criticize; what already belongs to the past, one does not censure."

Could be a great help to ya in learning how not to bug people. You will remember we have already had to alert you to what seem to be a tendency to prejudge and bully Members here. And, while we're here, what is all this emboldening of other's posts you seem to be fixated with? Real bad form, dontcha know? Anyway, gotta to bugger off back to me campfire for a cuppa and a wad with the blokes, ooooroooo.

Thanks for the advice, I don't know if you're aware that it is in fact a moderator's responsibility to read whole threads and clean them up but well there you have it. The topic of this thread is the same one that you can find at the top of it as far as I'm aware. "Honda Insight Views" is the topic that I and everybody else sees, I have no idea whether the particular outback blend that you appear to be smoking makes you see it differently....

Therefore my request to you (phrased as politely as possible since you outback boys seem so damn over sensitive) was to open a new thread if you wanted to recollect "locally-induced car problems", the "emboldening" was to highlight the part of your post I was drawing attention/replying to.

I'd also be extremely thankful if you can henceforth refrain from telling me how to moderate the forum because I do not have the slightest interest in what "bugs" you or anyone else. If you don't like it, don't let the door hit you on the arse on your way out, 'Kay Mate?

Edited October 10, 2012 by Supra_Natural

[Californikan]

Pardon me, but according to who exactly is the Insight "Much more reliable" than the Civic? The Civic is regularly top of reliability surveys worldwide, so how is the Insight "much more reliable" then?

The Corolla also tops reliability surveys worldwide, so the same question applies RE: the Prius

For the love of everything that is holy Supra, this hybrid reliability topic has been beaten to death, and the reliability studies demonstrating reliability have been posted umpteen times on AL.

For YEARS now the Prius has topped reliability surveys and is generally considered the most reliable car Toyota makes. You'll notice the Insight also is more reliable than the Corolla etc.

Prius is the most reliable car sold in Germany according to the demanding TUV study

Prius beats Corolla, Civic etc in the JD Power survey

Corolla has been 29% more reliable than the average

Prius has been 44% more reliable than the average

Aqua thus far has been 92% more reliable than average

[Californikan]

I've not being following the press briefs closely enough. Got a reference for this bit of news?

I talked with several people at Stafford and Toyota Lanka who separately told me that the hybrids the agents import into SL are unaltered JDM cars. Because after a thorough assessment of local conditions, Tokyo determined that JDM hybrids needed no changes or modifications for Sri Lankan conditions.

[Pericles]

I talked with several people at Stafford and Toyota Lanka who separately told me that the hybrids the agents import into SL are unaltered JDM cars. Because after a thorough assessment of local conditions, Tokyo determined that JDM hybrids needed no changes or modifications for Sri Lankan conditions.

Ah, so the source for this is a chap that is based in the US talking to local marketing types? Aren't you a busy fellow, running around Connecticut, sitting in Teslas and talking to chaps in Colombo.

Tokyo, huh... Gotta wonder what connection that has to Toyota, Toyota HQ isn't based in Tokyo...

You'll forgive me if I don't trust a damn thing you say, considering how much you have said has turned out to be fabricated. Track record doesn't exactly inspire confidence, you see.

[Californikan]

Ah, so the source for this is a chap that is based in the US talking to local marketing types? Aren't you a busy fellow, running around Connecticut, sitting in Teslas and talking to chaps in Colombo.

Tokyo, huh... Gotta wonder what connection that has to Toyota, Toyota HQ isn't based in Tokyo...

You'll forgive me if I don't trust a damn thing you say, considering how much you have said has turned out to be fabricated. Track record doesn't exactly inspire confidence, you see.

Phone or visit Stafford and Toyota Lanka and ask them yourself.

It's no surprise at all that Toyota and Honda in Japan decided that the Prius and Insights can be imported by the agents with no special changes needed for local conditions. The Prius and Insight are sold in over 80 countries. They are engineered from the start to be 'world cars' that will be sold and driven in many different countries, climates and road conditions.

[VVTi]

I talked with several people at Stafford and Toyota Lanka who separately told me that the hybrids the agents import into SL are unaltered JDM cars. Because after a thorough assessment of local conditions, Tokyo determined that JDM hybrids needed no changes or modifications for Sri Lankan conditions.

I would love to meet Mrs Californikan....

[Pericles]

Phone or visit Stafford and Toyota Lanka and ask them yourself.

Right. Because of course I would just take the word of the sales and marketing types whose job it is to sell me whatever they have there by saying anything they have to.