Ok, so here's the background information.

In 2000 we bought an Accord. A green one. Honestly, the car has about as much personality as Al Gore but has proven to be very, very reliable. Other than some problems with the power door locks and windows, it has served me very, very well and since it only has 72,000 miles on it, it will probably never die.

But my wife HATES the Accord. The seats don't fit her (if you ask me, the Accord seats from that generation do leave a lot to be desired.) Fortunately, she never has to drive it. In 2005 we got a Volvo S40. Hence my wife's new mantra:

"I only drive European cars."

The problem with the Accord is that I can literally count on one hand the number of times somebody has ridden in its nice, plush, luxurious back seats. But almost daily, I find myself needing to carry something big that won't fit in the trunk - usually a bicycle or two. And the Accord takes up a lot of space in my garage that could be used for bikes (that won't fit in the car). I want a car that can carry at least two bikes, allow me to plug my Mp3 player into it, and take up as little space in my garage as possible. These things do not matter to her. She doesn't hang out in the garage, has a 6 cd changer in her Volvo, and does not share my bicycling passion.

Otherwise, the Accord is good. For me. I don't NEED a new car. 19k is a lot to spend for what are really some very superficial needs on my part.

But my wife dislikes the Accord enough that if Volvo, VW, Audi, Mini, or even BMW or Mercedes were offering a deal, she'd be interested in replacing it. For me, though, all of those cars are very expensive and do not work for my lifestyle as well as the Fit.

But in her mind, another Japanese car would be another car she would hate driving.

At some point, she would need to test drive the Fit. I drove one myself the other day. It isn't as gutsy as our Volvo S40 and doesn't ride as smooth as the Accord. She may notice those things on a test drive. If the seats work for her, that will be good. I'm concerned that the Fit has no height adjustment for the seats - she's 5'3.

So what angle should I use, considering I don't NEED a new car, and the car I want is one that (she thinks) she may very well end up hating?

 

1> Your wife has expensive tastes. If you're rich (high income and high net assets) that's fine, but otherwise developing a liking for European luxury cars is a bad idea.

2> A cheaper option than buying a new car would be a small utility trailer. Harbor freight offers some cheap trailers for under $300, some that even fold up and can get pushed to the wall of the garage. Combine that with a bike rack on the hitch and you've got a pretty good option for much less than the cost of a new car. Add in an aftermarket stereo to get decent mp3 integration and you've got a killer combo.

3> If she's not going to drive the car and you're ok using her car for long trips, then it shouldn't be her call.

 

Kind of a tough one but not impossible

I would just let her test drive a new fit and see what she thinks.It looks like a small SUV may be what she wants or something like the Toyota Venza.

The Fit works great for me and my Family and our bikes fit with room to spare.
You can always get a rack for bikes.

 

I actually somehow talked my wife into a Fit for herself after having to maintain a 2001 Jetta and 2002 Audi for her. The Jetta was fairly reliable but the Audi had "issues". Audi has actually been fairly successful at making their cars difficult to diy too.

If she hates the Accord she'll probably hate the Fit. Might be a tough sell with the Accord having lots of life left in it. Shouldn't be a problem if it's going to be your primary car and she has her own car that she likes.

My wife hates both of my cars and her Fit but it gets her where she needs to go and is reliable so she's ok with it.

She does miss the Audis+Porsche we used to have but as the house mechaninc I'm much happier.

 

I was originally looking at the CRV or RAV-4. Both solve my hauling issues, but take up more garage space than the Fit (less than the Accord, however). Mileage is respectable (I actually don't drive very much, as I use my bike for commuting). But the SUV's cost several thousand more than the Fit.

I prefer to put my bikes inside my vehicle. I know a few people who's bikes have either fallen off, or they have driven under something and it has not ended well.

We're not rich, but we're DINKs who can afford to spend the college fund of our non-existent children on things like cars and vacations.

You're not helping!

I've actually had the trailer idea. But I'd need to keep the trailer someplace. As for a stereo, I'm reluctant to spend money on a 12 year old car. We just spend $450 to fix the rear door window and the power locks. It was that which prompted the whole conversation about a new car.

Well, yes, that's true. But the other thing is that she would want a car that we could take on long trips if we wanted to. Personally, I think the Fit would do well in that capacity.

I've thought of using the "ticking time bomb" issue with the Accord. 12 years old, with 72,000 miles, most mechanics would recommend a new timing belt. That's a $600 repair. Facing that, I'm pretty sure she would be open to replacing the car before it started having nickel and dime maintenance issues.

Specifically, why does your wife not like the fit?

I'm hoping she'll like driving the Fit better than the Accord. The reason is that it behaves more like the Volvo, which she loves more than any car she's ever had. The seats in the Fit have a more European feel than the seats in the Accord, and the car is less boat-like.

So, new question: What features about the Fit might be emphasized to get her interested in the car?

 

If your wife doesn't like the Accord seats, she will probaby vomit all over the Fit seats. They're some of the least supportive, most uncomfortable and least ergonomic seats I've ever experienced.

BTW, a fold up trailer takes up very little space in a garage.

 

Well I should ask her but off the top of my head I would say coming from the 2002 Audi A6 Wagon her gripes are, noisy, slow (for her. she wont give any car more than 1/2 inch of throttle), bouncy, weak A/C. (she had to have black)..she likes the seats. I hate the seats but love the car so I fixed that on mine.



The Fit also not something that will impress the neighbors. Especially around here since the Fit is very popular you see yourself coming and going all the time. Not a big deal to me as I love the form follows function looks of it but she would much rather have something bigger.

We've barely got 30k in 2 brand new hondas though. Can't get one very nice SUV for that.

Well trying to tell her it's more "european" than the accord might be a stretch. The fit is very japanese and less "american" than the accord for sure.

Emphasize utility, fun to drive, economical. Reliable, will have a warranty etc. Nice to have a brand new car and they are pretty cheap to purchase.

Oh I just asked my wife what she hates about the Fit the most and she said "I hate that it looks just like your car and you wont shut up about how much you like it."

So I guess it's not so much the Fit itself.

That probably is the worst aspect. You do kind of look like a douche for liking a cheap little car so much.

 

With the Recaro seat, do you lose any leg room or functionality? How much was it?

 

We were joking that if I got one, I'd need to get a Hello Kitty license plate frame.

 

I used price point and actually my wife was concern about speeding tickets. I looked at the Ford Focus ST and VW GTI both around $25k both hatchbacks with a little more power. The problem is I drive allot not really for work just drive. Both cars use premium gas and with high mileage may come high maintenance. I decided on the Fit for the cargo room and $8k less to start. So I got the 2012 Sport M/T which can get gutsy with down shifting. I have had less than 2 months and put 6,500 miles on it.

As far as the seat does your wife also drive your car?

I have grown accustom to the seats but my last car was a 2006 Corolla.

 

Quit hatin' on the hellokitty.

 

I'm going to say something otherwise rude, but you do NOT need to take it seriously. I don't know if you need a different car, but I think you need a different wife! That was my first thought.

I am not going to try and tell you exactly how to convince your wife to like a certain car. I have a friend, in fact several, who are European car snobs, and I cannot really imagine succeeding in convincing them to "lowering themselves" to being seen in a compact Japanese car. There's a mental block there, and I don't have to agree with it, but nor do I feel compelled to try and convince my friends that I'm right and they're wrong. Their BMWs and Mercedes and stuff are extremely nice and I like riding in them or driving them, but I wouldn't like taking them to the dealer when they break, which they do; and I wouldn't like paying for them even though I could afford it. It's rarely (within reason) "what you can afford"; it's usually more what you can justify to yourself

The Fit's strong points are the massively convenient cargo space, and to me, the extreme comfort of the front seats. But as you've seen some people hate the seats, so you really won't know if a body will fit them until you try. Maybe your wife loves the lumbar support in the Volvo (usually a strong point) and she'll love the Fit seats; maybe she likes the leather and she won't. My one piece of advice is to ignore the Base and go for the Sport; the interior quality is up near a very spartan Acura level in the Sport, and it's all black rather than grey.

I expect that one of several things will be the outcome for you. You may buy a VW, which have some fairly bad points but also have a bunch of strong points (styling, image, road feel, comfort) at a price pretty far below the rest of the Euro cars. You'll decide that your wife can buy what she wants to buy, and you can buy what you want to buy, which seems fair to ME but hey everyone is different. Or your wife will insist that you need to save money by driving the old beater so you can buy her an expensive car instead.

Good luck. I can't recommend the Fit highly enough to someone with a decent head on their shoulders, which you clearly have. I think you'd love it.

 

If I remember correctly, the Volvo S40 is based off of the same platform as the Mazda3 and the european Ford Focus... so it's not about the country, it's about the car for me.

In regards to the seats, they are nothing really special...

However, my wife is just shy of 5 feet tall, and she loves the fit because the seating is actually rather high for such a small car. she has no problem seeing when driving the car. I bought her a german car this year, and she has no problem with driving my Fit.

I love the car... it is the perfect car for the commuter.

 

I'm afraid that pushing the Fit on your wife will only result in strife for your relationship. She will never allow you to replace the Accord with it, and will consider it an embarrassment if it's ever parked anywhere near her Volvo.

Dude, I believe you're screwed.

Enjoy your vintage Accord. You have my deepest sympathies.

 

My wife is 5'3" and has no problems driving our Fit.

Some selling points:
1. It's a utility vehicle. With the seats folded down, it puts a lot of SUV's to shame. My Fit does regular weekend runs the Home Depot. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a workhorse.

2. With the Fit doing daily beater duty, it will keep the mileage and wear and tear off her S40. This will improve the S40's resale value so when you trade it in...

3. With the money you save on the Fit, and a better kept S40, she can get a nicer Euro-car. The S40 is nice but it's the entry-level Volvo; let her move up into something nicer.

 

The used car market is very strong right now, it would be a good time to sell the Accord privately. That way a new Fit would only be about $10k and you can be happy. She gets to be happy with her car choice, why shouldn't you?

2000 Honda Accord EX V6 coupe Black, AT,NICE, **moonroof*************

 

As a married man myself, I recognize all marriages are different but here is my take:

Sounds like she got what she wants (the Volvo) and now it's your turn to get what you want (the Fit). She wants to make her partner happy right? Any other rational merely supports this!

 

$1500 Best $1500 I ever spent on a car. Full power with heat and cooling fans in the base and back. I sucks air right through your nutz. Love the recaro seat.

Only funtionality loss is that it takes a long time to recline as it's electric instead of a latch. That's about it though. My back always feels better after I've been in the Fit.

You just don't realize how bad japanese seats are until you've had several audis/porsches in a row equipped with recaro seats. They are waaaaay better than any seat in a jap car.