I'd like some opinions from some people who know a lot about Hondas regarding a car I'm considering putting an offer on.

I just came from a dealership where I wanted to test drive a 2010 Fit Sport AT with Nav/VSA. Turns out that right now there's nothing much around in S. FL (I want a Taffeta White or Tidewater Blue). The salesman checked inventory and not much if anything will be delivered the rest of the year most anywhere in the entire state. However, there was a lone 2009 Fit Sport AT with Nav/VSA on the lot in Blackberry (not my 1st or 2nd choice of color).

1. On the inside of the door of the '09 it said it was made 10/08. I don't know exactly when the car arrived at the dealership, but in total it's been "hanging around" for over a year, no? It has 25 miles on it. Should I be concerned about the battery going dead, the tires drying out, or the fluids not being "fresh" since at only 25 miles, it hasn't moved around much. It's possible this car has been in the dealer's garage most of the time. The saleman said he could put in a new battery.

2. This '09 has a rear spoiler and an armrest (not the one with storage, just a simple armrest). Are these bonus "extras"? I didn't see either listed on Honda's website as accessories but then again, they are only showing 2010 accessories on the site.

3. I'm not in a rush to get a car ASAP, however I am ready now to purchase. Should I settle for this car or wait until most likely Jan '10 at the earliest to get one in the color I really was waiting for (plus it would be a 2010 model)? I know the '09 and '10 are the same.

4. Do I have much negotiation room? I told the saleman I'd think about this car and I am not sure if I should put an offer on it. Since this car is an '09, it is "older" and I would assume they want this one off the lot first. But since there's not much out there w/Nav and VSA, do I have room to really bargain?

5. Does the Fit offer any sort of cargo cover to hide what's in the back? I would assume it would come with something but didn't see anything listed in accessories, only a cargo net, tray, etc.

6. If anyone thinks this is a good deal of a car, what would be a good price to pay? I can't remember what the sticker said, maybe around $19,200 which included destination. I'm thinking for an '09, it should be worth quite a bit less at this point, but I have only been researching '10s so I don't know where to start the offer at.

I know it's a lot to ask in one post but any input would be a great help! Thanks!

 

Hey bro i just picked up my Taffy white last sunday at Rick case they have a nice Black and Blue nav..go there..its off of I-75 and griffen.. Go in there asking for JP..and say you were reffered from Paul Andrianis..he will hook you up..tell him your greek and italian..he loves them.lol..im 18 but my dad did all the talking.

 

Hmm...

Ok, well hopefully Beast gave you a good dealer to check out.

I will tell you that the spoiler and arm rest are standard on the sport model, so they aren't extra.

Also, yes there is a cargo cover available for the fit. You can find them for like 115 on collegehillshonda.com plus shipping..it's proved an asset for me.

Good luck man!

 

Consider the 09's are depreciating a good $1000-1500 about now.
So say in 3 years if you want something else, the 09 will be worth a grand or more less than the 2010 on trade in.
So unless you are getting a $1000 off on the 09 (doubtful I bet) the 2010 would be my choice.

 

I think it depends on what sort of deal you can get with the 2010 versus the 2009. The 2009 isn't in the color you want, so that might be worth a couple hundred to you... I'd just see how low you can get the dealer to go on the 2009.

1. As for your questions, my Fit, which I got at the end of July, also had a manufacture date around 10/08, so it was sitting around for 9 months or so... I haven't noticed anything wrong. I think the Nav models tend to sit a bit longer because people aren't really interested in an expensive cheap car .

2. Sport models do have a real spoiler and an armrest for the driver as standard equipment (see the list of standard features: 2010 Honda Fit - Options and Pricing - Official Honda Web site)

3. I think it depends on how low the dealer's willing to go on the 09.

4. I was able to bargain for my Nav/VSA Fit to a little bit below invoice at the beginning of C4C... so it really depends on the dealer. It was also the only AT Nav car they had left.

5. They sell a cargo cover, ~$120 from College Hills Honda (not sure why it's not listed on the Fit site though): http://www.collegehillshonda.com/sto...cargocover.jpg

6. I think lower $18k would be a decent target.

Good luck!

 

Personally, I would hold out for the color of my choice, because you may end up never being satisfied for settling on something else and end up selling it at a loss later on. Are you just taking this one dealer's word for it or have you actually checked every single other dealer available? The salesman is probably just trying to offload a unpopular color at a still inflated price.

Like clicq said, 18k is decent for this, but make sure they don't kill you with additional accessories. I wouldn't pay any more OTD than the price that was on the sticker, $19,200 on the bottom line at most.

Black Friday is coming up this week, and according to a recent report, it is the single best day of the year to buy a car because of lower prices on average. So if you get it, do it this Friday.

 

I'm pretty new here, so take what I say with a grain of salt. One factor that hasn't been brought up is how the low mileage of the car will affect its resale value. Because it's been essentially parked for a year, it will have significantly fewer miles on it than other '09 models, thereby boosting its value should you ever decide to sell it. It might not mean that much to you now, but it's certainly worth mentioning. I'd still try to get it as cheap as possible, but it doesn't seem likely that the dealer will knock off huge sums.

 

Having a car sit still for long periods of time doesn't hurt it. My dad's 05 Pt Turbo was sitting in a lot at Carmax in Atlanta for nearly 10 months. They checked the battery voltage and made sure the gas tank was full and the tires were filled up right, and they handed us the keys. 20,000 miles later, it hasn't missed a beat.

 

Get a 2010. It'll be worth it.

Checked you CV joints recently? I always heard the turbo pt liked to eat them when driven hard. But still, i'm sure the 180hp is fun.

 

I debated the same thing, 09 vs 10, i checked with 2 car dealership managers (friends of mine), 2 sell new cars, 1 sell only used, we checked book values, in the prior year (generation) honda fits there was only roughly about a $400-500 difference in price, if you were going to sell one with the same equipment and mileage, between lets say a 07 and a 08, so as long as you saved more than that, you should be good to go...I picked up an 09, saved about 1200 off sticker, If i would have bought a 10, i would have only gotten about 400 off sticker, then i would have had to wait about 2 months before they would have had one in stock.

 

My dad picked up the '05 high output turbo, the year they tweaked the software, and the last year they offered the high output turbo. It puts out around 230 HP, and I think it's 240 or something for the torque rating. And it came with one of the best transmissions I've ever felt stock, a Getrag! Awesome!

 

If you can wait to get a car, wait.

IF the BBP is still there by the time the 2010s come in, then it should be even cheaper!

Since it's not a color you want, and you don't need a new car ASAP, might as well wait..

Which is more important to you? Saving money, or being happy with your purchase 110%?

 

I was in a similar spot as you in early October. I chose to wait. I now have a 2010 Silver Sport with Navigation sitting in my driveway and I'm very happy. It's new and up until now has seen more time in a container than in the California air.

 

Thanks for your replies, everyone.

Apparently there are no light colors w/Nav coming in the rest of the year to S. FL.

I offered $18K for the '09, they countered "around $18,500.00 plus tax, tag and fees" so unless the guy gets desperate to sell by the end of the year, I'll be in a holding pattern.

 

You're going to lose out on the car because of $500? There is very little markup on the Fit to begin with, and now there is no hold back money available to the dealership because of how long the car has been sitting there. The Fit sells well, I don't know what that 09 is still doing there, but it's either going to be you or someone else at $18,500. Even in a bad economy when you have a car like the Fit that sells itself and is in high demand you don't really need to lower the price of the car.

Blackberry pearl is my favorite color on the Fit too, I would jump on that one, but each to their own. Depending on credit score $500 is an extra $7-$10 a month in the car payment. If $7-$10 a month makes or breaks your budget maybe you need to look at something less expensive than a fully optioned Fit.

 

It would be $18,500 + about $1100 in tax + $700 in dealer fees + whatever the tag $$ is. So it's way more than the $18K OTD price I was offering. Only really about $1000 less than a new '10.

 

I've been looking to buy a 09 fit too, Edmunds.com TMV have some good information. Seems like $18,500 (including destination) is a pretty good deal because they are quoting $19,100 on Edmunds,com.

But $700.00 in dealer fees seems like a lot. Is that normal in FL? Just asking because dealers tend to give you a good sales price but then make their profit on you on all the misc. fees. I don't plan on any unnecessary fees other than TTL.

 

700 bucks in dealer fees is retarded. If that can't be negotiated to nill, I certainly would walk as well. That kind of slap in the face certainly isn't doing you any favors. I got my 09 at 18.5 WITH tax and tags back in August, and being in NY the tax was large as well. So frankly, for an 09 I think this deal quite sucks balls. I'd hold out too. Good luck.

Dan

 

Dan, did you get one with Nav? If so, 18.5 with Tax/tags is great.

 

i would offer them 18,500 and wave the dealer fee, i can't see you getting a much better deal on a fit sport with Navi then that.
there's no difference between an 09 and 10 fit...they are 99.9% the same car and Honda will not discount the FIT because of the supply from Japan, its not a cheap car.