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Less than 30mpg at 60mph. I have a 130 mile round trip commute for one job, 12 mile round trip for my other two jobs. Its 5-20 dollars in gas per day (6-7 days per week) depending on driving style and jobs worked. Plus i drive to a state or national park a few times per month, usually 450-800 miles round trip
That **** adds up real fast.
Even before battery pack improving, this car will pay for itself in less than 6 months
I also wanted to be able to spend quality time working on the miata, like redoing the suspension bushings, installing the diff bushings, reclearing the drivers side panels, turbo kit install.... Without trying to squeeze one project into a single day, while still relying on it for transportation the next day.
Its a huge quality of life improvement. Ive also wanted an insight ever since I saw the concept car at the detroit auto show.
It makes the nut-sack tingle and gives you smiles. You are not supposed to enjoy commute - suffering and girls giggling while pointing finger at you is what's its all about.
It makes the nut-sack tingle and gives you smiles. You are not supposed to enjoy commute - suffering and girls giggling while pointing finger at you is what's its all about.
So basically.... commute with a Miata, is what i'm hearing?
If you got 3 jobs and are balling enough to justify 2 money pits then no worries at all
High mileage rare Honda's, esp ones with a ton of proprietary parts, are a money pit just like anything else. When you're bored you should sit down and do the math of what this is all going to cost you. I did when we had our 2004 civic hybrid and I was commuting 90mi/day. it still wasn't worth it. (don't forget all the consumables, registration, insurance, all the maint, all the repairs, and all the repairs down the road). I have nothing at all against having a dedicated daily, with the minor caveat that money is not an issue, at all.
If you got 3 jobs and are balling enough to justify 2 money pits then no worries at all
High mileage rare Honda's, esp ones with a ton of proprietary parts, are a money pit just like anything else. When you're bored you should sit down and do the math of what this is all going to cost you. I did when we had our 2004 civic hybrid and I was commuting 90mi/day. it still wasn't worth it. (don't forget all the consumables, registration, insurance, all the maint, all the repairs, and all the repairs down the road). I have nothing at all against having a dedicated daily, with the minor caveat that money is not an issue, at all.
But if it makes you happy, then carry on
I know. But I still want one.
Let us know how much gas mileage is at 80
I get where you are coming from but wouldn't a Prius be more practical? They are dirt cheap. I've been getting around 50mpg. Its a total appliance, so get some 10% tint so no one knows who's driving lol.
I get where you are coming from but wouldn't a Prius be more practical?
Probably.
A Prius would also be more practical than a Miata for all conceivable purposes.
But there's an undeniable cool factor which attends a first-gen Insight. It's a purpose-built vehicle, designed without compromise, and with a minimum of complexity.
That's a fair point. I also heard (probably here?) Honda lost a ton of money on it because it was more to show off engineering capabilities than mass-produce a product.
That's a fair point. I also heard (probably here?) Honda lost a ton of money on it because it was more to show off engineering capabilities than mass-produce a product.
This is true.
The body and suspension are almost 100% aluminum, and the finished car weighed less than 1,900 lbs. How many hybrids have more lightness than a 1.6 NA?
As a result of the insanely high production cost, Honda lost money on every unit sold, as is common for halo-cars. It was a technological tour-de-force, with a drivetrain which is the very definition of simplicity and yet produced the highest EPA fuel economy rating of any mass-produced car ever sold in the US. Ever.
Curious how they handle the NOx emissions with such a lean burn. If memory serves, NOx emissions is what killed lean-burn technology like that seen on the old CRX HF.
I love these things so much, congrats on the purchase. Keep us updated on how it's doing and what kind of mileage you get. I've wanted one forever, but just haven't been able to justify another 2 seat car (with 3 person family) and the crazy cost of IMA battery replacements. Also my wife hates them because "they look stupid".
^ Ive been getting 65mpg average, mixed city highway, lots of mild hills and all at 6000ft elevation. It required a major shift in HOW I drive, mainly using the LOOOONG gears properly. For steep uphills, i just go slower, stay in a low gear and putput along at 40-50mph, at 50mpg. Steep downhills, you are coasting/charging in lean burn the whole time, and essentially driving at over 150mpg.
One of the cool things about this generation insight is, most of your driving is without any electric assist. The IMA only helps for very short periods of time, it doesnt take over like a hybrid. Max assist length is less than 20 seconds, even with a bummblebee battery max pack.You can completely remove the battery pack, (or switch it off) and easily get 60 + mpg.
Curious how they handle the NOx emissions with such a lean burn. If memory serves, NOx emissions is what killed lean-burn technology like that seen on the old CRX HF.
They had to reduce how often they go into lean burn in the US cars, and the cvt doesn't do it at all. JDM cars on the other hand do...
This whole time, the ecu has been in "limp mode" because of how often the previous owner reset everything (trying to avoid a bad battery code, which was only caused by leaving the grid charger plugged in for years) and has been charging the battery constantly in the background.
Well, the ecu finally recalibrated this afternoon, and WHAT THE **** this car just got a HUGE boost in performance. It feels like the car has a tailwind compared to before. (or as I was mouth agape with disbelief, I described it as a black hole sucking me forward) I am averaging 55mpg at 84mph UPHILL 3-5% grades, at 4-8thousand feet elevation and now have no issues keeping up with traffic! (or slipping past traffic with the most aerodynamic vehicle on earth, tied with the Tesla model s iirc)
Before, I could barely keep the car at 45mph on the same exact road, in third gear.
This is all at 38psi cold tire pressures. I just bumped it up to 48psi cold, I can't wait to drive anywhere and see what a huge difference it makes.
I'm also looking into small aero tweaks that the 90+mpg lifetime average guys are using. (side view mirror delete plates with cameras, partially dammed fascia...)
05-08-2018, 01:38 AM
Finally found my commuting dream car!
1
My wife was getting about 48MPG on her highway commute before we sold it back to VW.
