2000 Honda Insight Oxygen Blue / Aquamarine Blue Metallic 5 Speed Manual

Price: - Item location: Southbury, Connecticut, United States
Description:

1980 Honda Insight

VIN:JHMZE1350YT200086

Up for sale is a very rare oxygen blue / aquamarine blue Honda Insight, year model 2000. I purchased this vehicle last year in Germany with 93,596 Kilometers and had it shipped to North America. It will have roughly 107,000 Kilometers (66,500 miles) at the time of auction end. For several years I searched far and wide to find a Honda Insight in this particular color and condition. It is my understanding that this color was not available in the United States. In the year 2000, the color was available in Europe and Japan as Oxygen Blue Metallic. I am uncertain of how many Insights of this color were sold in Japan. But I do know that 46 were sold in the UK and only 10 in Germany. In 2001, the color was no longer available in Europe & Japan but became available in Canada and was renamed Aquamarine Blue Metallic (same paint code: B-98M). Only 20 aquamarine Insights were sold in Canada. Based on these figures, I would guess that there is roughly 100 or so in total ever produced.

EXTERIOR: You’ll notice the Honda Insight decals on the side of the doors and rear bumper. This is a very unique feature but was not from the factory. This car was apparently used by the dealership as a promotional vehicle when it was brand new in Germany. The exterior of the car is in excellent shape with the exception of the driver’s door and front quarter panel. The previous owner was unfortunately involved in a minor sideswipe incident on the highway. However, most of the scuff marks were buffed out without having to repaint either of the panels. The last two pics are before & after images of the damage. There is a dent and a scratch mark that still exist on the driver’s door which can be seen in the last picture. I have not looked into having this repaired. I would hope that there is a way for it to be fixed without having to repaint it. There are also a couple features that are unique to the European models including the side marker lights and rear fog light. From the end of November to the end of April, I stored the car in a heated garage. I have another vehicle as my daily driver which is better suited for winter weather. I did bring the Insight out once every couple of weeks in order to keep it in good running condition.

INTERIOR: The interior of this car is very well preserved. There is no damage, cracks or scuff marks to the dash or any of the interior panels. The matching blue seats have no holes, rips or any other type of damage. I would rate the condition of the seats 9 out of 10. The factory head unit was replaced in Germany with a head unit from Becker. I am unsure how old it is but it appears to be a very high quality product. I was surprised to find out that it picks up North American frequencies. There is a functional six-disc CD changer next to the spare tire in addition to a CD slot in the head unit itself. With the exception of a few minor stains, the original floor mats are in excellent shape.

MECHANICAL: I cannot say enough about how well this vehicle has been maintained. The engine compartment is pristine and performance is flawless. I previously owned two other first gen Insights and can assure you that this Insight is performing exactly as it should. The buyer will receive all manuals and documentation that I received when I purchased the car. Some of the maintenance records are included, but are all in German. Another difference between the European and North American models is the odometer. This Insight does NOT have the button that allows the driver to switch from Kilometers per hour to miles per hour. The dash is in metric only. If you happen to live in Connecticut, the emissions on this vehicle is good until December of 2017. I have changed the oil twice since I began driving it; once at 95,119 kilometers and again at 103,117 kilometers. At 97,636 Km, I replaced two of the tires with RE 92’s which have now been rotated to the rear. Despite the remaining two tires not being RE 92’s, the car still achieves the equivalent of 70 MPG on the highway.

OTHER DOCUMENTS: I will be providing the buyer with a copy of the import documents. I also have the original German title (Fahrzeugbrief) which I kindly asked DMV to let me keep as a souvenir when I registered the car. The buyer may have that as well.

IMA: I am not certain how old the IMA battery is but it will need to be replaced in the near future. I invested in a grid charger from Hybrid Automotive which has made a huge difference. I first installed the grid charger at the end of April and performed a deep discharge followed by a grid charge to 172 volts. I noticed the battery getting weak again recently and performed another grid charge to 170 volts. The charger, discharger and harness are all included in the sale of the vehicle.

FEATURES: According to the VIN number, the car did not come with factory A/C. But the A/C does work and blows ice cold air. So A/C must have been installed by the dealership. All other electric features of the car are fully functional with no issues. The buyer will receive two keys and one key fob.

I bought this Insight as an investment and have no doubt that Insights are the collector car of the future, especially the rarer colors such as citrus and aquamarine. A lot of things changed in my life both personally and professionally shortly after purchasing the car and I now have other financial obligations that are more important. I am very sad to be selling my dream car. But I have thought about this for a few months and this decision is ultimately the best option for me at this time. I really would like to see this go to someone who loves Insights and appreciates the future collector value of this car. I hope I have answered most questions in the description. Please contact me if you need more information or would like more pictures. Potential buyers are welcome to come and see the car in person before bidding. I am located just outside of Waterbury, Connecticut.

Regarding the sale process, there are a few things I would like you to know before bidding. First and foremost, a non-refundable $500 deposit is required within 48 hours of auction end via PayPal. The remaining balance is due within 7 days of auction end. This is pretty standard. I have done some research on different methods of conducting big transactions such as these and I want to ensure peace of mind for both parties. My bank, USAA, will act as an escrow for the purpose of receiving the remaining balance from the buyer and mailing the Connecticut title. The remaining balance can be in the form of a personal check or cashier’s check made payable to USAA Federal Savings Bank. The title will be mailed to the buyer’s address once the check has cleared. Once I receive the $500 deposit, I will email the buyer a copy of the title as well as paperwork required by USAA.

I may be able to deliver the car depending on location. But my travel expenses would need to be covered by the buyer. If you are flying in, I would be willing to pick you up from the airport. Bradley International, just north of Hartford, is the closest airport to my location in Waterbury.

On Jun-06-16 at 09:15:07 PDT, seller added the following information:

I would like to clarify a couple things regarding the vehicle title and year. The car is a year model 2000. I was forced to select 1980 when creating the listing because eBay does not recognize foreign VIN numbers. On the Connecticut title, this Insight is registered as a 2000 Honda Insight. The exact VIN that you see above as well as in one of the photos is the exact VIN on the title. Once again, the buyer will receive all customs documentation that supports the legal import of this vehicle. I would also like to state that I did nothave the engine removed when importing this. In some cases, engines are removed, allowing the buyer to import the vehicle as a parts car. That is not the case here. See the link below for more information on VINs.
http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclopedia/enserialno.html