Congratulations on your purchase, and thanks for building a website.
I am the owner of serial number 56, a Silver Insight I took delivery of in Renton, Washington on January 6th. I also had the cd changer installed (it took them 8 hours!), and have added floor mats, bag, cargo net and still waiting for the cargo mat.
I am interested in trying to put together an Insight owners website, and try to allow Insight owners to at least know that there are others out there. I was also thinking it may be a good source for troubleshooting problems, etc. For instance, I have been trying to locate the 0W20 oil needed for the insight. the closest I have found is 0W30 Mobile 1. I have ordered the shop manuals, so I wouldn't mind helping people possibly troubleshoot what may be wrong with their cars. Also it would be just a good source for people to learn about their cars.
I have found a couple interesting things. One is that the my insurance company (Geico) didn't really know how much to charge for insurance. Also the extended warranties that the dealerships offer, don't apply to the hybrids. The oil filter is similar to one used on a motorcycle, but I believe the bypass valve pressure setting is probably different than the motorcycle's valve. The Japanese Insight comes in different colors, has an available automatic (from what I can tell), has an optional IR system to gauge closeness to the curb, and also has a few options we can't get here.
I ended up paying MSRP, and got a 20% discount on accessories. Renton Honda is probably the best dealership in the NW, and is one of the largest in the US. They have been extremely accommodating, and have been really excited about the car as well. In theory they are supposed to get about 5 to 6 cars, and the total in the Seattle are is to be about 12 between 3 dealerships. I think the demand here is probably about 20 cars or so. I have had at least 2 people tell me that they want one as well, but I think that they are going to have a bit of a tough time....
BTW: I found that average fuel eco has been about 52 mpg in traffic. I though it was break-in, but I later found that my tire pressures were about 5-10 psi under. So hopefully I can get her up in the 60s. I'll let you know. It is kinda interesting to watch how many people look at the car, and have questions. If I park on a main street in downtown Seattle, I can watch quite a few people who come over and look at the car. I also have had many people at stop lights roll down their window and ask questions. One last thing. I was thinking of a license plate bracket that says "Does your SUV get 70 mpg?" but it may be a bit too much. The idea a friend gave me was to get a bracket that has the electric leds that bounce around.... may be interesting.
Enjoy the Insight,
I know I am.
Regards- Len Quiat
Seattle, Washington
lquiat @drizzle.com
[note: remove anti-spam space before @ to use this address]
I had another thought as to why my mileage may be lower, and that is because Seattle is pretty hilly. It would make some sense, since I weigh about 230, and I know from bike riding, that climbing the hills stinks. So I am really sympathetic to my car.