I just bought one this morning! I paid $2k with 242k miles and a non-working IMA, but it was a factory A/C manual car. I’m excited to get it back in good condition.
Ha the beauty of fuel injected engines, fires straight up! I believe these insights can do silly high miles, they are still a futuristic looking car despite its age, great project.
Congrats on getting it running again. I saved one myself 3 years ago. Mine is a 2002 5mt that was not running due to a water damaged ecm. I love the thing. Best mpg for me has been 83.3 over 208 miles.
Having purchased 2 1st Gen Insights from out of state and then driven them home to Central Texas... I really know the combination of excitement and fear of mechanical failure you're experiencing in this video. There were definitely moments I didn't think I'd get the cars home. Each one was about 800 miles from home if I recall correctly. So that feeling lingered! Ha ha... I also love that you laughed took it all as a challenge and adventure the whole time. Good on ya! I'll be watching your other videos.
Great story Ben. I have a 2005 insight I bought in 2015 Nevada another 110,000 miles on it and now has 225. It’s been the best car I’ve ever owned, most fun to drive, and after paying $400 at Meiko for a white paint job I think it’s one of the coolest looking on the road these days. Not bad for a car that’s 17 years old. I just put new iridium plugs in it index see and pretty happy with the response at 2:25K. BTW possible articles of upgrade or the rear springs which are known to be saggy and bottom and a guy on the inside for him will sell a new set for the car, also it sits so low you need to darken your driver and passenger windows to keep from burning your cornea is out, and I recommend finding new fairing on the rear quarter panels even though it may cost you. Happy trails, Bob
I need shocks so bad. I bottom out on every single bump in the road. I’m somewhere over 3,000 miles I’ve drove on mine now and really enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun trying to get it to cruise around in the 70mpg range I just love glancing down at the real time mpg meter and adjusting my foot on the throttle to maintain speed but maximize mpg. On my first highway drive with it I wound up going 95 mph in fifth gear passing most people on the highway with the meter claiming high 50s mpg. That is real neat.
Hey Ben, been driving Honda Insights since 2001. Purchased an 03 14 months ago with the I'ma battery not functioning. Another Insight guru told me to disconnect the negative on the 12 volt battery for 10 seconds and reconnect it. The battery pack worked! Try it and you might not need to replace the Ima. Hope it works for you. Also recommend you switch to Amsoil synthetic oil and your gas mileage will go up at least 5 percent plus you won't need to change the oil again for at least 25,000 miles! Good luck!
Watching your video after a year and really liked the simple & modest approach and clean video! I found the car to be in exceptionally good condition cosmetically and supposedly mechanically (after some TLC). I am curious what is its condition and your thoughts on it right now. I am a hardcore gen-1 Insight fan by the way and own one.
It is my daily driver. I have electrical problem somewhere, after a rain I occasionally have a ignition failure that sometimes manifests as a green key on the dash coming on and off followed by the engine turning off for a second. Like a Hiccup it can be one and done or have a few in a row.
I loved these when they came out. But realistically you can get almost equivalent mileage from a three banger Mitsubishi Mirage. Much less headaches! But great job getting it going. A fun hobby car.
Hi Ben I have 2004 Honda Insight and my starter not running , I changed the starter and still not working just like you had on the first video, how did you get the starter to work?
How I got the starter to work in the first video was feeding 12volts directly from the battery to the small wire on the starter and it turns right over. Then after I fixed the IMA I’ve been IMA starting ever since. For my next video that I need to edit I bought a new ECM that wasn’t programmed for the immobilizer keys I have and found that it wouldn’t IMA start but the 12 volt starter would turn over. I installed an immobilizer bypass chip in the new ECM I bought and now it starts with the IMA start again.
I did. It works surprisingly well after I bought some used battery sticks from Bumblebee Batteries. Only $250 of used OEM batteries. I charged them up individually on the stick level and then installed them in the car myself, I’ve put about 3,500 miles on them so far and they seem to work perfectly. Might get lots and lots of miles out of them.
@@talentscout5135 I have had great success with the used bumblebee batteries in my insight only $200 plus shipping and lots of elbow grease. I doubt they work like new but they offer me full assist and and lots of regeneration. Used batteries staying fully charged most of the time. They only place they struggle is in the farm to market roads in the hill country. Using all that assist with not enough regeneration time the state of charge eventually get low enough that the car starts charging it when the throttle position is backed off a little.
I just bought one this morning! I paid $2k with 242k miles and a non-working IMA, but it was a factory A/C manual car. I’m excited to get it back in good condition.
Mine is my daily driver now. I’m very glad I made the effort.
Ha the beauty of fuel injected engines, fires straight up!
I believe these insights can do silly high miles, they are still a futuristic looking car despite its age, great project.
Congrats on getting it running again. I saved one myself 3 years ago. Mine is a 2002 5mt that was not running due to a water damaged ecm. I love the thing. Best mpg for me has been 83.3 over 208 miles.
Having purchased 2 1st Gen Insights from out of state and then driven them home to Central Texas... I really know the combination of excitement and fear of mechanical failure you're experiencing in this video. There were definitely moments I didn't think I'd get the cars home. Each one was about 800 miles from home if I recall correctly. So that feeling lingered! Ha ha...
I also love that you laughed took it all as a challenge and adventure the whole time. Good on ya! I'll be watching your other videos.
still own my 2000 and 2001, nice save :)
It’s like Vice Grip Garage but for Insights! ❤
Great story Ben. I have a 2005 insight I bought in 2015 Nevada another 110,000 miles on it and now has 225. It’s been the best car I’ve ever owned, most fun to drive, and after paying $400 at Meiko for a white paint job I think it’s one of the coolest looking on the road these days. Not bad for a car that’s 17 years old. I just put new iridium plugs in it index see and pretty happy with the response at 2:25K. BTW possible articles of upgrade or the rear springs which are known to be saggy and bottom and a guy on the inside for him will sell a new set for the car, also it sits so low you need to darken your driver and passenger windows to keep from burning your cornea is out, and I recommend finding new fairing on the rear quarter panels even though it may cost you. Happy trails, Bob
I need shocks so bad. I bottom out on every single bump in the road. I’m somewhere over 3,000 miles I’ve drove on mine now and really enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun trying to get it to cruise around in the 70mpg range I just love glancing down at the real time mpg meter and adjusting my foot on the throttle to maintain speed but maximize mpg. On my first highway drive with it I wound up going 95 mph in fifth gear passing most people on the highway with the meter claiming high 50s mpg. That is real neat.
Now...that is a cool car..😊
Hey Ben, been driving Honda Insights since 2001. Purchased an 03 14 months ago with the I'ma battery not functioning. Another Insight guru told me to disconnect the negative on the 12 volt battery for 10 seconds and reconnect it. The battery pack worked! Try it and you might not need to replace the Ima. Hope it works for you. Also recommend you switch to Amsoil synthetic oil and your gas mileage will go up at least 5 percent plus you won't need to change the oil again for at least 25,000 miles! Good luck!
That is a huge bargain if you fancy it up and resell it in about 20 years. Until then a great way to save on gas
Watching your video after a year and really liked the simple & modest approach and clean video! I found the car to be in exceptionally good condition cosmetically and supposedly mechanically (after some TLC). I am curious what is its condition and your thoughts on it right now. I am a hardcore gen-1 Insight fan by the way and own one.
It is my daily driver. I have electrical problem somewhere, after a rain I occasionally have a ignition failure that sometimes manifests as a green key on the dash coming on and off followed by the engine turning off for a second. Like a Hiccup it can be one and done or have a few in a row.
I loved these when they came out. But realistically you can get almost equivalent mileage from a three banger Mitsubishi Mirage. Much less headaches! But great job getting it going. A fun hobby car.
Eyyy Tx. I'm in East Tx btw.
Hi Ben I have 2004 Honda Insight and my starter not running , I changed the starter and still not working just like you had on the first video, how did you get the starter to work?
How I got the starter to work in the first video was feeding 12volts directly from the battery to the small wire on the starter and it turns right over. Then after I fixed the IMA I’ve been IMA starting ever since. For my next video that I need to edit I bought a new ECM that wasn’t programmed for the immobilizer keys I have and found that it wouldn’t IMA start but the 12 volt starter would turn over. I installed an immobilizer bypass chip in the new ECM I bought and now it starts with the IMA start again.
Is it the dc inverter not charging?
Great did you ever get the battery to assist?
I did. It works surprisingly well after I bought some used battery sticks from Bumblebee Batteries. Only $250 of used OEM batteries. I charged them up individually on the stick level and then installed them in the car myself, I’ve put about 3,500 miles on them so far and they seem to work perfectly. Might get lots and lots of miles out of them.
@@BenHuttash what charger did ya'll use to charge the BB/ima sticks?
5 yr old gas should be super performance gas
1 years later, how's the car?
is it really "low mileage" 200k miles ? for this car, or any other
what websites did you use to find one?
This car had sat at my dads neighbors house and I had known about for a while. I literally left a note on the door.
I got one for sale for $3000 as is but runs just needs ima battery refurbished.
@@talentscout5135 I have had great success with the used bumblebee batteries in my insight only $200 plus shipping and lots of elbow grease. I doubt they work like new but they offer me full assist and and lots of regeneration. Used batteries staying fully charged most of the time. They only place they struggle is in the farm to market roads in the hill country. Using all that assist with not enough regeneration time the state of charge eventually get low enough that the car starts charging it when the throttle position is backed off a little.
$700 wow