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Jeff's new beater project, pt. 2

jeff

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#1
Just bought another project to clean up and flip. Though I like this thing so much I just might keep it.

67mpg folks!!!

I never gave the G1 Insight much thought until I drove one recently while hanging out with a friend who had one. It's a tampon on wheels and awkward in every way. But Honda went no compromise on this thing. Everything the reviews say is true...2 seats, 1800 lbs, it handles amazingly and the 5spd is unlike any other. The car is simple and has great ergonomics. Most of them no longer have a battery and run on gas only, which Honda engineered brilliantly I must say. Reason is the car isn't worth much and the battery is $2000-$3000 to replace. These go for $4000-$6000+ with a warrantied battery, or $1500-$3000 with no battery in "gas only mode" depending on condition. This one has no battery which means about 50hp. It's kind of like driving a 1980 Honda Civic. But it's great, the car is still amazing.

I found a real nice one with low miles (138k) and negotiated the price to $2k. Cold air, new brakes, super well maintained. I cleaned it up real good and plan to drive it a few months and see what happens. Still needs a few things which I'm working on sourcing and installing. As is I could flip it now and get probably $2800 after the cleanup and repairs I've done, and make a few hundred bucks. Ones like this with a warrantied battery go for $6k++ on bring a trailer, so I might get a battery and get it in true perfect shape and then sell it and make a G. I dunno. It's a fun little car though.

Anyhow here are a few pics for anyone interested....

CEL is on because battery is bypassed...I got 67 mpg on the way home from Atlanta where I bought it.






 


Fiestig

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#2
No Joke, This is one of the best commuter cars ever made. I drove one a couple years ago for a day trip and liked it quite a bit. That is a great find for 2K
 


Ford ST

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I see that the bumblebee battery is about $1,800 are those any good?

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OP
jeff

jeff

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Thread Starter #4
No Joke, This is one of the best commuter cars ever made. I drove one a couple years ago for a day trip and liked it quite a bit. That is a great find for 2K
Thanks, yeah they are great. I'm gonna do a video series for my YT channel, I'll post the first and if anyone wants they can follow them. I lied, I actually paid $2500 but it came with the stock and S2000 steering wheel, which goes for around $500 in this condition on eBay, so in theory I could sell it, install the stocker which is in fine condition, and call it a $2000 car.

Appreciate you popping in with a good word.

I see that the bumblebee battery is about $1,800 are those any good?

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Yeah, they are, I've looked into all that. Batteries range from $1300-$2500 but then you have to pay for shipping which is like $200, plus if you want more than the base warranty it gets up toward $3000. There are lots of options in terms of quality and power. To get a mid-range battery with a decent warranty it would be $2500 which is kinda crazy to pay for a car like this. People do though. If it was my passion tree hugger project that was my daily, I'd do it. But it's one of a three cars I own (Fiesta, Prelude, Insight) all of which together have a combined market value of about $15,000. :( Just an observation there.

Anyhow yes they are pretty good batteries.
 


Fiestig

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I think finding one in decent condition is one of the difficult parts. The fact that you found one that looks properly clean at first glance is great
 


OP
jeff

jeff

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Thread Starter #9
I think finding one in decent condition is one of the difficult parts. The fact that you found one that looks properly clean at first glance is great
Yeah thanks most of them are beat, just like any other old car, most are neglected. This one has its issues but it has good bones and is pretty clean.

I’ve done a ton of work in the last 10 days owning this thing. Had a windshield installed, fixed some broken trim, installed some upgraded springs, short shifter and solid shifter base bushings. I also built an armrest and did some serious cleaning and paint correction. It’s getting there.

On order is a catalytic converter, motor mount, and yes I sprung for a battery which was $1390 shipped with 3 year warranty. All said and done I’ll have a low mileage super clean all fixed and upgraded G1 Insight with new warrantied battery for about $4300 total. These go for $5-$6k in this condition so I’m making money if I sell.

I don’t know though I’m loving this car more and more it’s so unique and different....might hang on to it a bit...

I've done three vids so far if anyone wants to check it out here’s the first, others are in my channel:

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xUbbs-CrEhY
 


Mikey456

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#10
Wow... that’s pretty good gas mileage. Makes we wonder about the CRZ as a “sport” hybrid. I’m sure the prices are out of the “beater” range. Cool project though...


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OP
jeff

jeff

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Wow... that’s pretty good gas mileage. Makes we wonder about the CRZ as a “sport” hybrid. I’m sure the prices are out of the “beater” range. Cool project though...

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Hey thanks. Yeah I'm getting low 60s around town. The CRZ isn't as awful as people make it out to be, I think it was the 2012+ models that got the power bump and were quicker cars. They can be had in decent shape for around $8k or less if beat on. Yeah not in the "beater" range otherwise I might have taken that route. I did look at a few. Though the gas mileage really isn't that great, nothing close to the old Civics or Insights. Still a decent car.

In the last week or so I've done a whole bunch to this little spaceship, here are a few pics...

+ DIY armrest from a 6th gen Civic
+ New windshield
+ Rear springs
+ Short shift adapter and solid bushings
+ Rear motor mount

This thing is like a toy it's so easy to work on. I did both rear springs in about 45 minutes (including jacking the car) and I did the RMM in about 20 minutes.

Next up is a front cat, some new stickers, and finally the IMA battery...all on the way.





 


Woods247

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Can you make more power with modern batteries and controllers?
 


OP
jeff

jeff

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Thanks Matt! Most people seem to inherently hate this car for some reason, nice to have someone who knows the deal!!!

Can you make more power with modern batteries and controllers?
The Nickle Metal Hydride that the car came with in 2000+ is outdated technology....some folks are building their own Lithium batteries and fabbing them in. This brings more scoot to the car. It's a process though and dangerous too and takes some brain power I don't have. No warranty either since it's DIY. The other option for better power/efficiency is use an 8.0 amp hour battery (available aftermarket) instead of the factory 6.5 amp hour battery. They're pricier but add performance, but it's marginal.

I talked in depth with the folks who manufacture all this stuff and decided a plain old 6.5 amp NiMH battery will be just fine for me. If I want to go fast I drive my Fiesta. :D

Big Turbo and NOS will get this car down the road... :)
Yeah...that sorts of defeats the purpose! When I go to the seafood place I get fish, not their cheeseburger...
 


MagnetiseST

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I see you bought one! I love the color, its so cool.

Also I'm willing to bet that the shifter in the insight is either VERY similar or identical to the one in the prelude lol
 


CarGuy

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We had one way back when I worked for Edmunds.com back when they were new. I enjoyed my time driving ours. The challenge was to get the best mileage out of it that I could get. I had a tank that did 69mpg. The car was fun to drive in a different way than other cars. It is crazy light and you get that feeling when you are driving it. It drive nicely and never felt underpowered. I rather enjoyed my time with it. Ours was gray in color and I nicknamed it the Cockroach because with the spats on that's what it reminded me of.

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OP
jeff

jeff

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I see you bought one! I love the color, its so cool.

Also I'm willing to bet that the shifter in the insight is either VERY similar or identical to the one in the prelude lol
Hey man thanks. I almost want to fab more Prelude parts into this car but I need to calm myself...the shifter is super short already in stock form and now it's even shorter. Need to curb my spending here...don't want to spend more than the car is worth.

We had one way back when I worked for Edmunds.com back when they were new. I enjoyed my time driving ours. The challenge was to get the best mileage out of it that I could get. I had a tank that did 69mpg. The car was fun to drive in a different way than other cars. It is crazy light and you get that feeling when you are driving it. It drive nicely and never felt underpowered. I rather enjoyed my time with it. Ours was gray in color and I nicknamed it the Cockroach because with the spats on that's what it reminded me of.

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It's so cool to hear people loving on this platform because so many seem to hate these cars. Yep, the mileage challenge...I quickly started playing that game. You're right about how fun it is to drive, so different from other cars. The feeling you're talking about is that it sort of coasts along effortlessly with little or no throttle...probably due to the low drag coefficient.

NOW

I need you guys to help me...I'm planning to go register it Thursday (2 days away) and I think for the first time in my life I'm gonna pony up for a vanity plate. Here are the 2 I keep coming back to...tell me what you think or suggest another. I get 7 spaces.


or
 


Ford ST

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Hey man thanks. I almost want to fab more Prelude parts into this car but I need to calm myself...the shifter is super short already in stock form and now it's even shorter. Need to curb my spending here...don't want to spend more than the car is worth.



It's so cool to hear people loving on this platform because so many seem to hate these cars. Yep, the mileage challenge...I quickly started playing that game. You're right about how fun it is to drive, so different from other cars. The feeling you're talking about is that it sort of coasts along effortlessly with little or no throttle...probably due to the low drag coefficient.

NOW

I need you guys to help me...I'm planning to go register it Thursday (2 days away) and I think for the first time in my life I'm gonna pony up for a vanity plate. Here are the 2 I keep coming back to...tell me what you think or suggest another. I get 7 spaces.


or
I like the first one.

I may not like the car, but I love what you are doing very cool. My mind could be changed though.
I was thinking you should put a sign in your garage Jeff's Honda restoration.

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#20
Hey man thanks. I almost want to fab more Prelude parts into this car but I need to calm myself...the shifter is super short already in stock form and now it's even shorter. Need to curb my spending here...don't want to spend more than the car is worth.



It's so cool to hear people loving on this platform because so many seem to hate these cars. Yep, the mileage challenge...I quickly started playing that game. You're right about how fun it is to drive, so different from other cars. The feeling you're talking about is that it sort of coasts along effortlessly with little or no throttle...probably due to the low drag coefficient.

NOW

I need you guys to help me...I'm planning to go register it Thursday (2 days away) and I think for the first time in my life I'm gonna pony up for a vanity plate. Here are the 2 I keep coming back to...tell me what you think or suggest another. I get 7 spaces.


or
Is "M P G" available?

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