Day 1: Just bought my car

I bought my car off a 82nd car lot for $4800.00 bucks. It was pretty cheap considering these cars go for $7k to $8K in decent shape. The title is clean and the car has all of it's original panels, so no major wrecks. The car is in good condition. The tires are new. Original glass. The car is powered by a 3-cylinder 1.0 liter gas engine. The engine produces 67 horsepower. In addition, it has an electric motor assist that is part of the engine which runs off a big battery in the rear of the car. This electric motor boosts the horse power (+ 13 hp) and gives the car the equivalent of a 1.5 liter engine (total hp = 80). The transmission is a manual 5-speed. One interesting fact is this car is the most fuel efficient vehicle ever sold in the USA to date. Even the newer hybrids cant match the 68 mpg rating by the US EPA when the car was first made available back in 1999. The 2-seat hatchback was the first hybrid introduced in North America, beating the Prius by 7 months. The car weighs 1850 pounds and is made of aluminum and plastic when ever possible. The fuel tank is plastic. Every ounce of weight was reduced to make a light-weight car to increase the fuel efficiency. The power steering is electric to reduce drag on the engine. The Insight body is tear-drop shaped and has a low wind resistance (or drag). It is the most aerodynamic hybrid ever sold. My friend calls it the James Bond Car. It has rear wheel covers to streamline it at higher speeds. Another unique feature is the power consumption is very low. The light bulbs are all low consumption and it has power saving devices everywhere. Dome lights don't come on automatically and if you leave the lights on and try to get out of the car it lets you know with a beeping noise. High pressure, low rolling resistance tires and the use of low viscosity "0W-20" synthetic oil also enhance fuel economy.

There are at least two things wrong with the car, so far: The battery light is on (not good + expensive $) and the synchro mesh is going out when you downshift into 2 gear.

The 2000 Honda Insight has all kinds of neat gizmos and gadgets. One feature is the dash panel with the speedometer and all of the computer information available while you drive in real time. It tells you when to shift (up or down) and it lets you know when you are charging the battery (good) and drawing off the battery (not good). The car automatically shuts off when you come to a stop. This saves fuel instead of idling at stoplights for minutes. As soon as you put the clutch in and shift into first, it starts up. This takes a little getting used to, because the car "dies" when you stop at a traffic signal, and a little panic can set in at first. But, it turns back on when you put it in gear, so you just have to trust it.
I filled up the car with fuel (it has a 10-gallon Tank) and I drove the car out to Banks and back. I continued to drive the next day and fuel gauge didn't move until I had put 99 miles on it. It cost me $37.50 to fill it up.....gas being $3.95/gallon. It is really fun driving that far and not having the fuel gauge move at all!