Hello....

i'm in the market for a FIT for my family.... narrowed down to the Fit Sports.

now, dealer has few 2011s that willing to sell at invoice (about 17K)
2012's are coming in October... must pay MSRP for it.

does anybody know the exact difference between 2011 and 2012?
given the price will be different, should I jump on the 2011?

Please help......

 

The difference is mostly cosmetics - the only thing that matters is 2012 has better sound insulation from what Honda says, but is that worth the difference to you?

 

There isn't much margin from invoice to MSRP on a Fit. They are offering .9% financing on the 2011 model. That would be about $30 monthly savings if you get 5% from a Credit Union ($1800 savings to full term) with the lower rate. You just have to decide if the differences between the 11 and 12 is worth it.

 

The 2012s are here now in California. I take delivery of mine this week because I wanted a specific color.

The sound insulation was a factor in my decision to get a 2012. One dealership in San Jose beat the best price I found and gave it to me for $18,100. That's still above invoice but notably below MSRP. It's also about the same as what they sell the 2011s for after final negotiations (except for the orange-colored ones which are being discounted further).

Most other dealerships wanted MSRP or slightly below it. It didn't matter that I qualified for the Costco or AAA car-buying initiatives.

If you are financing the vehicle, the 2011s have a 0.9% APR financing available as part of Honda's ongoing "Labor Day" promotion. The 2012s do not. I believe the promotion extends well past Labor Day.

My recommendation is that you drive both models and decide if the sound dampening is worth the premium.

 

Were you able to drive both? Just curious on the difference level.

 

The dealer doesn't even have 2012 in stock but told they will sell at MSRP

For me, looks doesn't really matter.

Does 2011 Sport has steering volume control?

 

Yes. IMHO, the difference isn't substantial but it is perceptible and would make a difference over long drives. For us, buying the 2012 was a no-brainer since the price was lowered to the 2011s and since we didn't need to finance.

 

Which dealer was this? And do you have any negotiation tips? I'm also trying to decide between a 2011 and 2012 fit in the Bay Area.

 

If it was an even situation I'd buy a 2012, just because its a 2012, but I wouldn't pay much of a premium for it, especially considering the low rate offer on a 2011.

I really don't like the rims on the 2012 sport model, but the sound insulation and steering audio controls would be nice to have.

The styling is subjective, my wife already bust my balls about my Fit looking like a 3/4 scale version of her 2006 Mazda5 "mini" mini-van. The new front bumper on the 2012 Fits looks like it came directly from the Mazda5, crazy.

 

Stevens Creek Honda.
Honda Dealer San Jose | Honda of Stevens Creek | Serving Fremont | New Honda & Used Car Dealership

Negotitiation tips?

Geez. They already offer the 2011s at $18,180. I called (on the phone) asked for $18,111 on the 2012 which was the lowest offer I got from Concord Honda. The salesperson calmly said he thinks he can match or beat that and asks for a few seconds to confirm with his sales manager. In less than a minute, he comes back on the phone and says they'll do it.

It didn't feel like much of a negotiation.

Walnut Creek and El Cerrito wanted close to MSRP. Livermore, Fremont, Milpitas and Tracy had no stock at the time that I called. Dublin reluctantly offered the Edmunds "True Market Value" of $18,269 and wouldn't budge from that.

 

18180 - 18111 = $69.

you guys crack me up. if were're talking several hundered dollars, yes that is worth it. sound deadening is low priority for a car of this level. i'd just get the 2011 for 17K and call it a day.

 

I'd agree if they were selling the 2011s for 17k but the best price I know of is 17.9 on the orange colored ones. Most dealers want MSRP for the 2012 so getting it at 18.1 is 400 less and on par with 2011s in the popular colors.

 

Would have to disagree here - the noise levels get tiresome on longer commutes. Didn't bother me as much when I had a short commute but it was much more irritating when I had a longer commute even those I was only doing that 1-2 days a weeks.

If you had a short ride, it might be a non issue though. The steering wheel audio controls aren't a biggie, its so easy to reach/manipulate the audio unit controls on the Fit.

 

Notice that all those are within a hundred bucks.

You may need to take a couple trips to the dealer for paperwork/delivery; so there's something to be said about choosing the more convenient or dealer with better customer service over the small savings. It's like going out of your way to save .01 on gas.

Overall on the Fit is an entry priced car. There's not so much wiggle room that can be had once you've spent a medium amount of deal finding. I found it pleasant to not try to negotiate, and just went with the dealer with the lowest internet department quote. No hard sell when I got there, just got the paperwork and delivery finished within 1hour.

If you were buying for example a $50k car there's much more savings that would make a difference. When you're in that range, potentially you could go as far as getting a price from a SoCal dealer and having it transported up.

 

i guess i got a very good price, i just ordered my 12 sport $17,600

dont listen to dealer BS that have to sell at MSRP.

 

not AT, ordered MT red.

 

$17680 is msrp.

 

They had the color that I wanted inbound. Dealer swaps weren't yet happening (except for dealerships under the same ownership) as there were few 2012s confirmed in the lots.

I can't fault Stevens Creek Honda on customer service either. They gave me 60-mos 0.9% APR financing on my 2012. Only the 2011s were eligible at the time that I made my purchase. This was a courtesy extended by their management due to an error on their part.

 

It is the dealerships job to extract as much cash as possible from you.

They are not "your" salesperson, their loyalty is to the dealership!

Time is your friend, take a long time to buy.

Trucar tells you what others are paying. Their is NO reason you should pay more!

Empower yourself, do not be a victim!!

New 2012 Honda Fit Price Quote w/ MSRP, Dealer Cost & Invoice

JIm 0311

 

I bought my 11 Fit for 15,400 in January of 2011.

The best thing to do in a dealership is know what you want to pay (I broke it down to what I was willing to pay monthly) and don't budge from it. I was on the way out the door after they said they couldnt swing the price I wanted only to have them sudden retract the statement and give it to me at the price I wanted.