Learn me older Prius?

In reply to Vigo:

I.... I must do this. Any links you could possibly share?

clutchsmoke wrote: In reply to Vigo: I.... I must do this. Any links you could possibly share?

Ditto. I read the other day that this 1.0L engine only weighs 125 pounds fully dressed. Add another 40 pounds or so for a turbo and you've got a REALLY good power:weight ratio in the powertrain.

Bryce

Turbo Insight

Just to go back on topic, briefly, I found photographic evidence of the incident of which I wrote earlier:

That's me in the right seat, pointing her where to go. :)

I have had a couple at work and their biggest problems seem to be they are no match for a poorly driven yellow Crown Vic. They were both totaled in rear end accidents, one at a red light and one parked. They both ran pretty much trouble free though if you left them "idling" for a long peoiod of time (1=hr) sometimes the power steering didn't come on right away. I have been forced back into a 99 XJ. They are nice Jeeps, but not after 130k of govt usage. Unless it's snowing I'd rather have a Schwinn than whats left of the Jeep.

Some of the threads are old with broken pic links but here are some:

http://www.insightcentral.net/forums/modifications-technical-issues/16317-turboing-rhd-insight-turbo-kit-stock-dyno-numbers.html This guy dyno'd ~80whp @ 5psi. LHT said one of theirs ran 16.2 @ 4psi, about the same as an old CRX Si afaik.

http://www.insightcentral.net/forums/modifications-technical-issues/7304-turbocharged-insight.html This thread is TLDR but gives lots of mpg info. I think he runs 7psi on it, and i THINK he ran a 15.7 with it at some point.

http://www.insightcentral.net/forums/modifications-technical-issues/18549-production-turbo-kit.html This is the setup that dynoed 130/220.. 220tq at the wheels in an 1800 lb car.. I can personally vouch for FWD performance, i know the owners and have worked for them and with them a bit myself. The customer here threw up a lot of drama looking a gift horse in the mouth over pricing, but the work itself is not in question, nor are the results. The dyno numbers i listed were @ 12psi.

There are also plenty of options for messing with the IMA functionality of the car as well. I cant wait to build a controller for mine. One of the things i think it will address that DOES bother the hell out of me is the slow revving of the motor. As someone who does a lot of aggressive driving and rev-matching it bothers me. It's a tiny 1.0L with a sizeable electric motor hooked to the crank on TOP of the normal flywheel, so it's understandable.. i think with manual electric assist i'll be able to change RPMs a lot more quickly, on top of all the other benefits.

Ive also looked into 1g prius, but frankly the conclusion ive come to is that what you see is what you get, whereas with the insight what you see is where you START. The insight seems to be a lot more mod-friendly and enthusiast-friendly on top of pulling down more MPG.

Did i mention mine has 304k on it? As far as i know its only had a set of spark plugs, a clutch it didnt need, and a belt tensioner i put on it a few months ago. It does need a swaybar endlink... Im completely serious.

Thanks for the links Vigo! I searched CL after you mentioned adding a turbo to the insight and found an '01 with 150K mi, rebuilt engine at about 100K and battery replaced around the same time listed for $4500. I keep thinking that the Insight would entertain me thoroughly in DD duties just trying to get the best mileage possible. And a turbo would make it more able to keep up/merge with traffic.

http://autos.aol.com/article/toyota-prius-reliability/

article came out yesterday. apparently the cars age well and go strong.

The battery management on factory hybrids is pretty sternly conservative, so the packs last a damn long time. A prius has a way more advanced pack than a 1g insight but in either case they tend to hold up well.

Its funny that every time i see a reference to a hybrid car with any kind of function for cooling the interior with the car off, they never mention that thats part of battery management. I think one of the new Priuses has solar panels on the roof to run a fan or something like that.

Thanks for the links Vigo! I searched CL after you mentioned adding a turbo to the insight and found an '01 with 150K mi, rebuilt engine at about 100K and battery replaced around the same time listed for $4500.

Insights that lived in certain states got their battery packs and battery controllers replaced under warranty in 06 regardless of whether they were 'bad' or not. Mine did. Might be something to ask about if you feel better about a 5 yr old battery than a 10yr old one.

I wonder how someone ruined an insight engine at 100k.. mines at 304k and other than a lifter tick it's absolutely fine. Ive never had an engine that could maintain good oil pressure on 0-20 @ 304k mile before..

Vigo wrote: I wonder how someone ruined an insight engine at 100k.. mines at 304k and other than a lifter tick it's absolutely fine. Ive never had an engine that could maintain good oil pressure on 0-20 @ 304k mile before..

The one I just got had a head gasket replacement under warranty many moons ago. No company makes a perfect car 100% of the time. The engine in mine is also noisy as hell on the top end, I am hoping the valves are out of adjustment, but looking at the paperwork that came with the car it's been doing it for a looooong time (so I'm not holding my breath). Mine has a salvage title, so the battery was never replaced under warranty, and is now on its last legs...pretty impressive for an 11+ year old battery pack!

Vigo, sounds like yours has seen a good chunk of highway miles, so might be better off than most. For people operating in the city most of the time, that "auto stop" feature with 20 weight oil has to be pretty tough on bearings. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool feature of hybrids, but starting the engine with no oil pressure a few times per mile instead of a few times per hundred miles has to have an impact on bearing life.

Bryce

This got me wondering what Insights were bringing on the market. I had no idea they had gotten so darn affordable! Found a handfull within a hundred miles for under $5k. One was $1.3k.

Wasn't planning on buying one, but at that kinda price, and with gas going up so high, I just might.

In reply to Vigo:

Yeah those were the terms used in the ad. My guess would be they didn't know what the hell they are talking about. Perhaps a timing belt change was confused with rebuilding the engine??

Mine was almost all highway miles from new and continues to be so. Im the 2nd owner.

I suppose the auto stop/start would contribute to wear if someone drove mostly city driving. I dont know what all the inputs for that function are but mine has started to flake out in the last 20k miles.

Nashco, what was the damage that totalled the car?

Foxtrapper, where are you seeing one for $1.3K? Id probably buy a second one for that if it was just mechanical issues.

Clutchsmoke, i kind of hope this engine has a chain, because if it has a belt its original on mine. LOL I keep meaning to look into that but i never do.

The Insight uses a timing chain.

Vigo wrote: Nashco, what was the damage that totalled the car?

No idea...yet. I inspected it as thoroughly as I could without getting it in the air and can't find any signs of crash damage, nor could the previous owner. Title says it was totalled and is rebuilt, but no idea why. Someday I'll figure it out, but for the price I got it at and for my intentions, it doesn't much matter.

Bryce

When I saw this thread about early Prius it made me wonder what else was out there that would be affordable. I had made up my mind on the Insight before I saw that two of you had one.

Seems like a no brainer to me. I figured it out, if I drive it 80% of the time I normally drive my truck (while not towing), it would pay for itself in 2.5 years at today's gas prices. Anything higher and obviously it would be faster. That is calculating a $5000 purchase price, and accounting for extra insurance for an additional car, registration and inspection each year, and an oil change every 5k miles.

Now, let the search begin.

This person is delusional as to what their Insight is worth:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/2284548980.html

That thing is a mess. I would gladly pay $500 or maybe even $1000, but that is not a $4000 car.

So the airbag is out, its badly repaired, it overheats, has a salvage title...

Its still worth more than $1k (maybe not to us). Insights dont go cheap, unfortunately. I paid $3800 for mine with ~288k on it, and it was the cheapest one i found at that time, and it was listed at $4500.

Im curious what Bryce paid...

And ive yet to EVER see one for $1300 though i did see mention of some CL scams to that effect when i googled for it.

Vigo wrote: So the airbag is out, its badly repaired, it overheats, has a salvage title...

And the front end is damaged, and the doors are damaged. So the bad parts are: body, engine, title, airbags. The good parts are: ...

I've seen wrecked insights with complete drivetrain sell in the $1000 range. This is a junk heap. I bet you wouldn't have paid $3800 for yours if it had all these problems!

Saw the $1.3 on craigslist. Not there now. Could have been a scam, but I don't think so. Private owner, car had some problems listed, looked like a classic "I wanna get rid of it" scenario.

Still a handful locally for under $5k.

I think the Insights are coming down in price pretty rapidly as they all drop out of the 10 year battery warranty. If you don't fear repairing or replacing a battery in one, or want to put in another powertrain or whatever, keep your eyes peeled and you'll find some deals out there.

Bryce

And the front end is damaged, and the doors are damaged.

Thats actually what i meant by badly repaired. The damage you can see wouldnt have deployed the airbag but you can tell from the pics it wasnt put back together well..

If i can find a really cheap, fixable CVT one i think my fiancee might enjoy it.

How much is a battery pack? Can you buy them at the parts counter?

Joey

The reason I was asking Prius is that I would rather not have a 2 seater.

Additionally, the low seating position of a car like a CRX is pretty rough on my older knees and back.

5 seater high mileage vehicles? Prius, TDI, anything else?

I love diesel, and have looked a lot at TDI's, but their price tag is a bit high.

SVreX wrote: The reason I was asking Prius is that I would rather not have a 2 seater. Additionally, the low seating position of a car like a CRX is pretty rough on my older knees and back. 5 seater high mileage vehicles? Prius, TDI, anything else? I love diesel, and have looked a lot at TDI's, but their price tag is a bit high.

I love the idea of a TDI, but their high price tag and realtively high maint requirements coupled with the VW badge; scares me. Though, I really want one.

I guess CR has now reversed their decision on used prius'... So... Maybe I'll look at one.