2000 Honda Insight - A delightful alternative.

I have had the Insight for 30 days now and have logged 2700 miles. My lifetime mpg is now 63. My best mileage trip (130 miles over mixed highway and rural roads) was 78.8 mpg. In normal driving overall I get 60-65 mpg. About 40% of my mileage comes from my job, which involves driving through neighborhoods at 5-15 mph checking for newspaper delivery, with frequent stops. For this punishing use, I still average 55 mpg.
When I first decided to check out this car, I made a quick stop at the dealer, just to sit in the car and see how I fit. I am 6'1" and many cars have insufficient headroom. The Insight not only has ample headroom, the seats are comfortable and passenger compartment space is very generous for a small car.
From a stop, acceleration is very good, and with the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA), acceleration is very acceptable under all conditions, except while climbing steep grades at already high speeds. Handling, steering response, braking, and road holding is very good.
The car has numerous design aspects that make it so efficient - aerodynamic shape, electric assist with internal recharging, engine auto-off at idle, aluminum construction with light weight, constant computer monitoring of mpg, etc. The amazing thing is that you can ignore all this, and just drive the Insight as a normal car without noticing the difference. But by monitoring the instantaneous mpg, you can learn to drive more efficiently. I quickly learned the efficiency of shift patterns of 1-2-5 or 1-2-4, depending on the cruising speed of the road I am on.
The air conditioning/climate control is excellent and cools the interior rapidly without being a drag on road speed. The stereo (cassette player - no CD) is adequate, the speakers can be upgraded easily as a do-it-yourself project, if you so desire. All dash displays are digital, and are easy to read in bright sun.
The maintenance and service schedule is the same as for any standard car. The only extra onus of ownership is taking the time to explain the car to admirers and the curious.
The Insight replaced a '91 Integra with 190,000 miles on it. The Integra was still in good working order, so I wasn't pressed to get a new car. With Honda's reputation for quality and reliability, the demands of my job, my high annual mileage (~30k), and the current cost of gas, the Insight seems to be the best choice for me.
I am very pleased with my decision to date. I would highly recommend this car to anyone whose needs can be satisfied by a two-seater.