I am new to the forums. I just bought a 2013 Honda Fit Base, AT, (and the OEM rubber floor mats) OTD was $17139 (including title, registration, etc).

I have about 100 on the odometer so far.

I looked at Corolla, VW Golf, Impreza, Hyundai before settling on the fit.

I really, really wanted the Golf, but the MPG on the gas model is just too low. And my wife liked the fit better. It helped that the Fit was about $2000 cheaper, too.

My initial impressions so far:

1. Great acceleration and handling for such a small engine.
2. The seat configuration is great.
3. I love that the iPod dock was included on the Base.
4. I hate the sun visors. I was blinded driving home from the dealership and had to hold up my hand. I "fixed" with a CD holder to extend the visor.
5. I was surprised that the door to the gas tank doesn't lock. I guess they had to cut something? Very minor gripe.

Top things I want to upgrade:

1. When I buy winter/snow tires in a few months, I'd like to upgrade to the 16" rims that come with the Sport. Anyone know if there is any concern in doing this on the Base?

2. Get windows tinted.

Thanks for listening.

 

You can swap the wheels over no problem, you will need to swap your tire pressure monitoring sensors over though, unless you want that stupid yellow light on in the dash. And window tinting is a good idea, considering this car has more windows then a greenhouse. I got my fit tinted and it made a HUGE difference for me.

 

Put you snows on your steelies and save the 16 alloys for the summer.

Mine on 15" snows



Summer set-up

 

Just an FYI, if you go with separate Winter wheels, your VSA will be engaged all of the time with no TPMS sensors installed in wheels. if you do have TPMS sensors installed in both sets of wheels (summer & winter), you'll need to have them re-calibrated.

for Those who haven't purchased yet and plan on doing separate wheels for seasons, work this into your Purcahse of the car (FREE lifetime sensor recalibration).

~SB

 

A few things, in no order:

1. Can't you do TPMS recal yourself? (Assuming you have two sets).

2. Are TPMS usually included if you buy wheel/tire combo?

3. LOVE your white winter wheels. I probably don't need winter tires - I don't drive to work - but if I did those would be the ones.

4. Locking gas cap: I once owned an old Mercedes with an automated locking gas cap. It entailed a thick steel pin that would motor sideways internally to lock the cap after you closed it. When I bought the car this was not explained to me. Spent several apprehensive days wondering if I would be able to add gas to the car.

5. OP what were your impressions of the Corolla, Accent and Impreza? I think the Toyota and Impreza are compelling choices, albeit at a slightly higher price point. Neither was appropriate for me though :P

 

Without a Specific tool, the TPMS Sensors can't be calibrated. tirerack sells a quickset tool but I'm not sure if it would work on the factory TPMS sensors or just the ones they sell.

TPMS sensors are extra when ordering wheels/tires.

IIRC, the element Locking Gas Cap (uses a key) works on the fit.

The Corrola (In my opinion) is a decent car. It is boring from a styling standpoint and it lacks the "fun to drive" feel that the fit has. You can't knock toyota reliability though. i've always thought of Toyota as a "Riders" car and Honda as a "Drivers" car.

~SB

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I didn't realize TPMS would be such a hassle.

Re impressions of the various vehicle, here goes:

Corolla: Toyota has some great deals going on now. I almost got a Corolla. Pricing was about the same as the Fit, but they had 0% interest specials. The drive itself was uninspiring, though. Acceleration was OK, but not great. Same with brakes. The LE trim line -- the one on par with the Fit -- had Bluetooth. It was simply not a fun car to drive. I have been driving minivans for almost 18 years -- I definitely wanted something a little more inspiring this time around.

Golf -- the ultimate fun car. It just wasn't a practical purchase for me now with gas prices shooting above $4/gallon. The Golf averages about 27 mpg or so. Also, wife did not like it at all

The Accent -- I didn't actually test drive it. I was looking at the Elantra, but gave up because there were no dealers in my immediate area if we needed service.

The Impreza was great. Fantastic brakes. Great acceleration. Definitely a driver's car and very fun to drive. The ride itself was noisy, but not awful. There were a few things that concerned me about the CVT transmission. It is still relatively new in Subaru. But I also read that in the colder winter months, there is about a 2-second delay when switching between D and R and vice-versa. I have to back out into a busy street by my house, so wasn't thrilled with any delay in shifting. I imagine the Honda has something similar but it is not as pronounced as far as I've read. The hatchback version was several $k more than the Fit, so perhaps not fair to compare them too closely. Cruise Control was only available in the Premium trim line, not Base. The MPG is very impressive for an AWD vehicle. It gets high to mid 30's on the highway.

The Fit seemed to be both practical and fun to drive so ultimately won the battle.

 

I just bought a 2013 Honda Fit on August 22nd.

My fiancé loves it as much as I do.

The Fit, along with my scooter, are our only two vehicles.

We just sold our 1997 Honda Civic with 156K miles for about $800 over KBB and wanted another Honda.

We are sure this will last us just as long as our previous Honda.

I found this site and already found something useful, the $30 diy cargo mat:

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...iner-pics.html

Here we are with our new Fit, with Austin, TX in the background.

 

Welcome to the club. Great photo, btw. You both could be Honda models

Had I been thinking ahead, I would have gone for the DIY cargo mat. I jumped on the all weather mats from the dealer before my wallet knew what had happened.

Our other car is a Toyo Sienna. It rains too much here for a scooter, but that's not a bad idea for the nicer weather. My teenage son would probably go for that.

 

You guys are so cute! Hope you have much luck with the car

 

Congrats on the purchase.

Gas tank fix:

Honda Locking Gas Filler Cap (Element, Fit) - Bernardi Honda Parts and Accessories

I've had that on mine for over a year... without issue. I had a locksmith
key the cap to my ignition key.

Window tint is a must here in Texas. I had the dealer install Texas legal
tint all around. Even with the tint the a/c has a hard time cooling on
short trips... to the point it is hardly worth operating the a/c on
short trips.

I have no regrets with the Fit purchase.

 

Many happy miles with your new Fit. Welcome to both of you to the Fit Forums. Now get in there and try out those magic seats!