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2001 Honda Insight Hybrid Base Hatchback 3-door 1.0l Manual on 2040-cars

Year:2001 Mileage:119210 Color: Red /
 Gray
Location:

Santa Cruz, California, United States

Santa Cruz, California, United States
Advertising:
Transmission:Manual
Body Type:Hatchback
Vehicle Title:Clear
Engine:1.0L 995CC 61Cu. In. l3 ELECTRIC/GAS SOHC Naturally Aspirated
Fuel Type:ELECTRIC/GAS
For Sale By:Private Seller
VIN: JHMZE135X1T001161 Year: 2001
Make: Honda
Model: Insight
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Trim: Base Hatchback 3-Door
Options: CD Player
Drive Type: FWD
Safety Features: Driver Airbag, Passenger Airbag
Mileage: 119,210
Power Options: Power Locks, Power Windows
Sub Model: MT
Exterior Color: Red
Interior Color: Gray
Number of Doors: 2
Number of Cylinders: 3
Condition: Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ... 

I am selling this hybrid first-generation Honda Insight primarily because I trashed my left ankle and can no longer use a clutch. The car has recent undiagnosed mechanical problems and I don't want to get involved in repairs to a car I will not be able to drive--hence the incredibly low price.

I am the second owner and have loved driving it for the past three years. It is in very good physical condition for its age and everthing works. The only modification is that it has a Pioneer aftermarket stereo CD with bluetooth and microphone and upgraded speakers. I will provide the original stereo head unit (with cassette) with the car. It also comes with a cargo net, snow chains (there is only one kind that fits this car) and a shop manual.

The car was running well until January. In December I took it from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Seattle area with no problems. Between Bend, Oregon and Weed, California, I got 65 miles per gallon. Lifetime average mpg if 58.

In January it started to buck at low throttle (giving it a little gas). This is common on these cars and is usually the result of a faculty EGR valve. However, it continued to have the same problem after the following work was done: valve adjustment, new coils, new EGR valve, cleaning of the EGR channels in the exhaust manifold space, cleaning out the EGR port in the engine block.

It is now drivable but the EGR is disconnected, which effects the power and the battery charging. Several mechanics have suggested the problem may be a constricted catalytic converter. The check engine light is on with a P0420 code which usually means catalytic converter or oxygen sensor problems. The sensors on this car's exhaust system are notoriously sensitive, so the code often appears when there are no major problems. I had the dealership check the sensors and they are operating within normal parameters, which suggests the problem is with the cats.

Book on this car is about $4,700 and these Insights often sell for much more because they only made a couple thousand a year and no gas-engined, mass produced car has ever turned in better fuel economy. I have started this listing at $2,500 to allow for repairs. Majestic Honda sells the kit with both cats and most of the other parts needed (part number 06180-PHM-A00) for $1215.47. To replace the cats you will also need another gasket not included in the kit (part number 18393-SH3-S00) for $6.95.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=INSIGHT&catcgry2=2001&catcgry3=3DR+DX&catcgry4=5MT&catcgry5=EXHAUST+PIPE&vinsrch=yes

I want to be clear that while this is the most likely explanation according the to many mechanics and Insight owners I have spoke to, there I make no guarantee that this is the problem. I also don't know that there aren't other issues that might have led to clogged catalytic converter or whether back pressure from running with a clogged cat might have caused other problems. I only know the car was running well until January and since it started having problems I have only driven it enough to not let the battery sit (which can shorten battery life).

I bought this car at about 102,000 miles and replaced the tires. I also had a new engine control unit (ECM) with the latest software installed and replaced the battery, which was failing. The replacement battery has about 65,000 miles on it. Because it is from a later model, it has the later programming, which reduces fuel economy a little but extends battery life.

The car also has a couple of the annoying problems typical of these cars. The driver's side window sometimes comes off the track but it is easy to fix on the fly. The rear window wiper motor makes a lot of noise after a few wipes. It has a middle case of what Insight owners call "the wet seatbelt leak." Water can leak in above the B pillar. Like I said, it is minor and I have never bothered to fix it because I live in a place that doesn't get a lot of rain and I keep up in a carport. Fixing it involves pulling off a piece of plastic trim that runs from the A pillar to the B pillar and using silicone or some other method to patch it. The leak is often around a clip that that needs to be replaced (about $10).

Honda Insight for Sale

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Auto blog

Japanese spark plug giant NGK pleads guilty to price fixing, to pay $52M fine

Wed, 20 Aug 2014

The ongoing investigation by the Department of Justice into price fixing in the automotive industry has nabbed one more company breaking the law. Japanese parts giant NGK Spark Plug Company agreed to plead guilty to a felony count of pricing fixing and bid rigging in the in the US District Court in Detroit. Its punishment is a $52.1 million criminal fine and to continue to cooperate with the DOJ's sleuthing into the problem.
According to the DOJ, NGK conspired to fix prices on spark plugs, standard oxygen sensors, and air fuel ratio sensors on vehicles from major automakers in the US, including the former DaimlerChrysler, Honda and Toyota, in a scheme that ran from at least January 2000 to July 2011. The charge claimed that the company and its co-conspirators held meetings where they agreed on bids and price quotes that were submitted to the automakers.
With the latest plea, the DOJ has caught 28 companies and 26 executives for price-fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry, and they have collected $2.4 billion in criminal fines. In 2013, the feds brought nine Japanese suppliers down at once, to collect $740 million. Scroll down to read the DOJ's complete announcement of the case.

Honda, Hyundai and Kia get best word-of-mouth recommendations in US

Mon, 09 Dec 2013

Forget advertising, incentives and, yes, even our excellently crafted vehicle reviews, sometimes the best way for automakers to sell cars is still good ol' fashioned word of mouth. In an attempt to measure this "word of mouth" power, The Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, has created a new study called the Brand Advocacy Index (BAI). The index takes a look at how various industries perform from person to person. Those industries include automotive, smartphones, grocery, mobile telecommunications and banking.
The study polled more than 32,000 individuals across Europe and in the US to come up with the top 55 brands in these various industries. On the automotive side of things, the top brands in the US were Honda, Hyundai and Kia, all tied at 63 percent. On a global scale, Volkswagen and Toyota scored the highest with a 65-percent BAI rating (both in France). The average BAI for auto industry players tallied 50 percent.
As for companies in other industries, Apple's iPhone was the index's top-rated smartphone, Trader Joe's was the highest recommended grocery store, Virgin was sat atop the mobile telecom industry and USAA was the top retail bank. Scroll down for the full press release on the new study.

Honda Ridgeline to take two-year dirt nap before resurrection

Sun, 14 Jul 2013

Three years ago, Honda said there would be no new-generation Honda Ridgeline coming in 2011. In late 2011, when there was still no word on a replacement for the little truck that's been carrying on pretty much the same since 2006, within the space of a month both Honda's US truck planner and the CEO of American Honda said the Ridgeline would continue and that it was an integral part of the lineup.
But that doesn't mean it can't take a two-year timeout. A report in Ward's Auto says that the Lincoln, AL plant that builds the Ridgeline will cease its production in September, 2014 and a new one won't arrive until 2016. That's a walk-back from when the plan was to have the current truck run until a week before the next-generation truck went into production. Even so, Honda still says the Ridgeline isn't going away forever, a company spokesman telling Ward's, "Ridgeline continues to be an important part of our lineup."
2016 is a long way away, though, and we all know how quickly a product line put into a coma can end up suffering fatal consequences. Even though we keep talking about the Ridgeline, perhaps what Honda is actually saying is that the small pickup market is important to them, and they're working on a way to take better advantage of it than the Ridgeline was doing. We'll find out one way or the other in three years.