Went to my local Honda dealer yesterday, and found out that a Base AT in the color I want will be in in a few weeks... although there is a Sport AT on the lot in the same color that I could also buy. (I'm in no rush, so that's not going to affect my decision! )

The salesman looked at me like I had three heads when I told him I preferred to get a Base with alloys rather than go for the Sport (which obviously has them standard). He said I might as well get the Sport if I want alloys.

One of my main reasons for preferring the Base over Sport is the interior color. Here in the mid-Atlantic, it gets HOT during the summer... and a care with a black interior makes it worse. Plus dirt & stuff shows up more easily. The other reason is that the underbody kit of the Sport is more likely to get scratched (IMO I don't like the look) and I also can't put splash guards.

The pluses on the Sport are hard to ignore: fog lights, cruise control (which I probably wouldn't use much in the stop & go traffic in DC!), security system, remote entry... otherwise I couldn't care less about the USB thingie (I don't have an iPod and don't plan on getting one ), paddle shifters, spoilers, fancy headlights, underbody kit, chrome exhaust, etc.

Anyway... want to hear from the masses on whether I'm just being too picky regarding "my" cons of the Sport and deciding to get the Base and possibly miss out. So -- any of you with the Base, do you wish you had gotten the Sport?

 

Don't be quite so quick to dismiss the USB connection. You don't need an iPod to use it. Even though I have an iPod, I prefer to use a flash drive because of the convenience and portability. They only cost a few bucks, so they are very cost efficient and can hold a ton of music. And they work great with the Fit's USB connection.

Aside from that comment, it is really all about what YOU want. I didn't even consider the base because a lot of the things that are unimportant to you are very important to me. That is why they sell more than one model

Bottom line, get what you want.

 

It's up to you, but I prefer the Sport. Which I ended up getting.

 

It's hard to argue your reasoning for not wanting a black interior, and not liking the look of the ground effect kit on the Sport. Those two alone, if they are serious negatives for you, might be enough to sway your decision.

Regarding the other perceived negatives, I don't think the ground effect kit will get scratched up any more than the body would without the kit. The splash guards can be added to the Sport with a little surgery to the flaps ... I think someone here posted that they did it successfully.

Going with a Base over a Sport has a lot of negatives though, which you pointed out. What you didn't mention was how much you'll be charged for alloy wheels for the Base model, that makes the Sport a little more within reach I'd think.

 

Yeah, I'm being a total dork and making a spreadsheet... basically seeing how much adding options to the Base are going to cost (Honda-installed and 3rd party) and then comparing. Essentially the difference in cost with the Base & alloys to the Sport would be around $700.

This sounds silly, but is it possibly to get the underbody kit removed?

 

I'm still on the same boat. I don't know whether to get a base or sport, however, I'm leaning more toward the sport model because I do like the black interior, and I know I would be buying upgrades for the base. It would be so many that it would match or maybe even beat the price of the sport, It would be most likely be cheaper to buy a sport in my situation, and if I ever change parts (like the spoiler and/or front bumper + fogs) I can always sell them for those who have a base and looking to upgrade.

 

I don't have an iPod either but I bought a 4 gig USB flash drive for $10 which works great. Now I can't imagine how I managed to drive cars all these years without it. CD's are so yesterday.

Remote entry is something you should re-consider. You can scratch the keyhole very easily by having insert the key so many times. The steering wheel is leather wrapped in the Sport too.

The Sport has a 160 watt stereo too... There's night and day difference between the base unit.

How much is your dealer charging you for Alloys vs the price difference for Sport?

 

He actually gave a rough estimate of ~$800 (which is lower than what the Honda site says). IIRC, it's harder to get a 3rd party to install non-OEM alloys due to the tire pressure sensor... correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Excellent post. IMHO, to me anyways, those extra features come with the Sport are way more bang for the buck than getting a base model. However, if interior color and body kit bugs you that much and those extras are not something you need, it's nothing wrong buying the base.

Or, it might be a pita, you can buy a Sport and swap out the seats, interior panels and body kit with a same color base Fit, just a thought.

 

It's a matter of personal preferences. To me the Sport is a no-brainer but there is no point of paying a more if you're not going to use any of the extras; perhaps for re-sale value maybe but that's all.

 

I'd probably serious re-consider if there was some way to remove the side molding. (I don't know why, I just don't like it! The spoiler I'd keep, though. )

OK, so looking at my spreadsheet... if I took a Base model and added alloys, fog lights, and a security system/remote entry... $300 MORE than the sport, $100 LESS if I bought the latter two third party.

 

i have an '08, but if i were getting an AT i would have gotten the sport for the paddle shifters. but since i wanted an MT, i got the base. i like the look of the base model without lip kit and wing and without foglights. i am getting aftermarket rims anyway, so no need for the sport wheels either. i added keyless entry to my fit for $120 and installed it myself in 15 minutes. i'm very happy with my base model.

 

The sport has a lot more to offer than the base. It has rear sway bar, leather wrap steering which feels 100 times better than plastic steering wheel, I am sure there are more that you and I didn't list. The interior is not a big deal since it's cloth it won't get that hot, plus black doesn't show dirt. If you want splash guard there are aftermarket ones I am certain will fit. You could probably trade bumper and body kit with some one with a base model. I am sure there are plenty of people out there with base who would love to have the body kit and the front bumper.

 

exactly my reasoning..

 

I had the same decision problem when I purchased my Fit -- there were some things that came with the Sport I wanted and some I didn't. However, the fact was that buying a Base and adding the things I did want would have cost more than simply buying the Sport. The black interior is a real negative for me too. I installed pretty decent seat covers in a lighter color and preferred material, and the cost was much less than the difference in price between the Base and Sport. My guess is you could have the seats reupholstered for less than the price difference between Base and Sport. I think I've seen posts about Fits from the dealer with leather seats where the extra cost was only about the same as the price difference between Base and Sport.

 

You obviously know what you want and don't want.

That being said the sport will offer you more of those options at a better deal than buying them seperately. From the initial looks of it the side skirts/spoilers look like they can be removed. I think I recall an old post saying that some one did that.

You can probably remove any parts accessories that you do not like and sell them to compensate the cost of the sport, and keep what you like about the sport. The seats might be a bigger problem.

I had a similiar problem between the Sport, and Sport w/Navi.

 

Does the base have an armrest?

 

Im pretty sure the side skirts will be an easy removal. They are usually just held on by some double sided tape and maybe a bolt or two on the bottom. As for the base vs the sport I would say test drive them both if you haven't already. For me one of the main reasons I got the sport was because of the paddle shifters I like having control of the gears when I need it. Also the alarm and remote entry is a convience even if you don't want it. But in the end I think you get a better value if its only a $700 difference between base w/ alloys and a sport.

 

No, but I'm not 100% sure the Sport has one, either. (Looked around Honda's site and couldn't find anything that said it did or didn't.)

Also... not like this is going to affect my decision, but just did an insurance quote through my carrier... the Fit Sport actually has a higher premium than the Base! You'd think the addition of a security system would make it lower.

 

I would not even consider a base. In case you did not understand that, let me say it again. I would not even consider a base. No matter what you add to a base it will always be a base. The day my Fit came in there was a base sitting next to it, both ssm, the difference was night and day. You can add wheels, get Chip Foose to paint it and its still just a base.