I'm currently shopping 1g insights for use as summer commuter / nerd-mobile.
The roads on my commute are about to get a lot crappier (new route to new job).
All the reviews of Insights mention that it doesn't do so well on rough roads.
I owned a 2000 Chevrolet Metro for a while (1.0, 5spd, hatch) and am wondering if the Insight is really any worse than the Metro in terms of crappy pavement competency.
Does anyone in GRM land have enough experience with both to weigh in?
Pretty sure Vigo does. He has a first gen Insight and it would blow my mind if he didn't have experience in a Metro, he's had about every other econo car built in the past three decades. If he doesn't pop in here shortly then drop him a PM and I'm sure he'll have an informed opinion.
I'll sell you a perfect rough road commuter.
So I have a good deal of first hand experience with a 1st gen Insight. It does decent on rough roads, the rear springs are a bit weak though, lots of people swap them for some from a Hyundai Sonata I think. The main things to check before buying one are the battery, see how often it has to charge and if it has any IMA lights on, check that the car goes into "Lean Burn Mode" at 50mph in top gear you should feel a noticeable drop in RPM and the MPG gauge will shoot up to 100mpg or close and should stay there if you are super gentle with the throttle. 2nd gear synchro when down shifting for grinding, they always wear out (not a deal breaker), check the rear transmission mount, the rubber insert breaks and will cause lots of vibration when reversing and hard gear changes. Check to see if it has the Bridgstone OEM tires, any other tire will drop you down by about 5-6mpg.
In reply to t25torx: Thanks for the tips. I've done the insight specific research.
At this point I'm mostly looking for someone that can say from experience, "The Insight does/does not ride any better/worse than the Metro on wonderful SW Ohio pavement."
If you decide Insight hopefully you can get one with the battery already replaced.
I've never owned one but the older I get the more I like that car.
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