Honda Car Forum

Oliver Keating <oliver.keating@nospambtopenworld.com> wrote:
> I am quite interested in the worlds most envrionmentally friendly production
> car, but there are a couple of problems.

> It uses Ni-MH batteries, for which I understand are good for about 10,000
> charge/recharge cycles. From this what is the life expectancy of the
> batteries? Eventually they will need replacing right?

> Also, residual values (at least in the UK) seem to be very poor, I cannot
> see why

There are several reasons for the low resale value in the US on the Insight.

It is a very limited appeal car. People who are likely to buy them are
likely to buy them new.

Some people are disappointed in the ride quality. I know a couple who
commute a long distance each day, and have left their Hybrid sitting in the
driveway. it isn't comfortable enough for the long trip.

The Honda Civic Hybrid is attractive to a broader segment, and may be
forcing the price of the Insight down. With 1.9% financing on the Civic,
a new Civic might have lower monthly payments than a used Insight.

I shopped for a used Insight, but couldn't locate one in California. I was
not going to buy a new one, since the price is within a few dollars of the
Civic Hybrid. I bought a Civic Hybrid, which does seat five, instead of
two, although it gets quite a bit poorer gas mileage.

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Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5