Probably getting the Insight....

I hope it works out.

I think so many people using the C4C are settling on cars. Hopefully they won't regret it later on.

 

Get the car that you really like. Fly out of state if necessary and drive back. Later down the road, you may end up trading in for the Prius. I am sure it will be worth the extra a couple of hundred dollar for the flight.

 

Hi Eddie;

Too bad you cannot shoot for a Prius as it is the better car in so many areas.

However, depending on your expectations the 2010 Insight can also be a lot fun and based on the price you'll end up getting it for, it is still one of the better choices available today.

If your goal is fuel economy the Insight will not disappoint especially if your goal is meeting its EPA rating. It does so with ease on almost all driving regimens.

But on the other hand, if you learn to leverage the car's features (ask the community and we'll load you up with "how to" details) then nothing can stop you from getting tanks in the high 60's and even low 70 MPGs with relative ease.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Be patient. No rush for something you're paying that much for

 

A little tough to do, since he said he has a car to trade in.

 

Its a tough situation, I don't think the Insight is that bad. What is bad is the thought of settling on a 4-6 year commitment (unless you take a loss) of $17k.

Good luck.

 

Be careful not to allow C4C to drive you to make bad decision, but make sure you actually like the Insight. 2k is nothing in the long run.

 

How many dealers have you called? I had a business trip last week and decided to try and squeeze and try to buy a PII before I left. I found the dealer happy to help. I did not get my first color choice but was happy to have sealed the deal on the 25th.

I would call at least 10 dealers and go up to 100 miles if I had to do it again.

 

I would do this anyway regardless of time line availability or convenience.

Theres no reason to rush into buying a car. CFC or not.

 

This is another reason why the C4C implementation is so wrong. Instead of putting so much pressure on consumer and dealer, the govt should have designated junk yards where you could turn your car in for a coupon. Then you can take your coupon to a participating dealer and it would have a 6 month expiration date. Instead of being forced to buy a car, you could wait until you found the one you wanted. This would also spread the sales out a bit, eliminating the all or nothing crush that is happening right now.

 

To be honest, if you were to get the Insight you'll always have in the back of your mind if you should have gotten the Prius. I don't think it would be that way the other way around.

 

Don't be afraid to go to a neighboring region if you can't find the car you want where you are. Ihad a very successful out-of-region transaction. I stand with the happy Prius owners - don't compromise on the car you really want. It may take some effort - but it will be worth it!! Good Luck!!

 

eddie,

Did you like the Insight's dashboard? That's the part you're gonna see most of your car. To be honest, I found it a bit cluttered.

 

If you are in CT, my dealer has 3 II in stock

 

This was just released, maybe some more info for your decision: 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius - The Heavyweight Hybrids Weigh In

 

From Consumer Reports blog on the Insight:

Pet peeve: Poor line of (In)sight
[SIZE=-1] That the Insight hasn’t made a positive impression on us here at Consumer Reports isn’t newsworthy anymore. I personally wasn’t impressed with it during my time driving it, finding it very rough when the engine automatically shut off at stoplights. I also think the Insight is noisy, cramped, too slow, and overall unpleasant. But the coup de grâce for me is the relationship between seating, the dash, and the steering wheel.
I’m 6-feet tall and prefer to sit relatively upright with the seat cushion as low to the floor as possible. With the Insight, no matter how I adjusted the seat and steering wheel positions, I ran into a conflict between comfort and seeing the high-mounted digital speedometer.

In order to see the speedometer I had to lower the steering wheel…which resulted in my hands or the wheel rim impacting my thighs. If I raised the wheel enough to clear my legs, I no longer can see the speedometer, as shown in the photo.

Perhaps I’m outside of the percentile range of people to which Honda sized the car. But I don’t think I’ve ever come across a vehicle that forced me to make such a compromised choice between being able to comfortably and safely control the car and actually see all of the gauges.
[/SIZE]

 

Say what you will but that Honda Insight is one heck of a fine car built buy one of the if not THE best car company on the planet. Honda is long lived and has one if not the best resale value of all cars. If all you need is an around town grocery getter, you have it. It will take us years to catch up to the amount of money you are saving if it were used to buy gasoline. Insight owners are getting gas mileage in the 50's easily and that engine of theirs is state of the art. The seats are better but the leg room in the back is to small for us big Americans. I would be proud to have on in my garage.