Talk me into/out of buying this car!
#41
08-01-2008 | 12:22 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,963
From: Houston TX
Hi Juliane!
I think you will find the Fit is a very good value for the money. It sips gas, it is nimble and fun to drive and will be very very reliable. You might find the ride a little more coarse than what you are used to and it's going to have a bit less power than what you have driven in the past but as an economy car it is outstanding overall. I live in South Florida were it's quite hot and I find the A/C is totally adequate personally. I have tinted windows which helps a bit too.
The Fit is very safe for a small car, I'd say easily the safest subcompact car you can buy. That said, it is a 2500 lb car so the laws of physics dictate that if you are in a serious accident with some yahoo in a giant Ford SUV you are going to take the brunt of the damage. That is just the reality. It is as safe as anyone could reasonably expect a car of its size to be though, 6 airbags and a very sturdy structure overall. I don't worry about my safety in this car at all personally and it is so light on its feet that I'd say an alert Fit driver has better odds of AVOIDING an accident in the first place than any big SUV barge on the road does.
I say go for it.
I think you will find the Fit is a very good value for the money. It sips gas, it is nimble and fun to drive and will be very very reliable. You might find the ride a little more coarse than what you are used to and it's going to have a bit less power than what you have driven in the past but as an economy car it is outstanding overall. I live in South Florida were it's quite hot and I find the A/C is totally adequate personally. I have tinted windows which helps a bit too.
The Fit is very safe for a small car, I'd say easily the safest subcompact car you can buy. That said, it is a 2500 lb car so the laws of physics dictate that if you are in a serious accident with some yahoo in a giant Ford SUV you are going to take the brunt of the damage. That is just the reality. It is as safe as anyone could reasonably expect a car of its size to be though, 6 airbags and a very sturdy structure overall. I don't worry about my safety in this car at all personally and it is so light on its feet that I'd say an alert Fit driver has better odds of AVOIDING an accident in the first place than any big SUV barge on the road does.
I say go for it.
Now that I KNOW I want one, in Blackberry Pearl, hubby tells me that he sees me in a Rav4!! Arggggghhhhhh.....well, he doesn't have the last word....but if I can't find one, wah!
#42
08-01-2008 | 12:37 PM
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 174
From: Ottawa, Canada
2WD Rav4 mileage = 24 mpg combined
Fit automatic = 30 mpg combined
according to Fuel Economy
Best of luck finding a BBP; it's worth it!
#43
08-01-2008 | 12:38 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,963
From: Houston TX
If I can get a Blackberry Pearl Fit Sport AT, you bet I will be in love with my car!!! In fact, hubby won't even want to drive it, which would be fine with me! Heh.
#44
08-01-2008 | 12:56 PM
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 174
From: Ottawa, Canada
#45
08-01-2008 | 01:10 PM
Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 192
From: Perryville, MO
Same boat my wife and I were in. She wanted like a Pilot or a CRV. I wanted one of these... or something like it.
And since the whole purpose of buying it was to replace my 98 Ford Ranger... it's sorta mine. But we are going to share it... since I drive about 600 miles a week for my job. If she drives it 6 days a month it will cut the miles by about half.
And since the whole purpose of buying it was to replace my 98 Ford Ranger... it's sorta mine. But we are going to share it... since I drive about 600 miles a week for my job. If she drives it 6 days a month it will cut the miles by about half.
#46
08-01-2008 | 02:18 PM
Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 68
From: Houston,TX
Hey there Juliane! I'm in Houston too, so I know what kind of heat and traffic you are facing. 
The size of the car isn't much of a problem. Sure Houston has a ton of trucks and SUVs, but I see more and more smaller vehicles out there lately thanks to the gas prices. What you'll find is the Fit makes it easy to weave in and out of traffic, and you get used to the size in relation to the monster vehicles. I find the Fit easier to drive, and a whole lot more fun. The Fit handles very well, and it is more nimble than an SUV. Even in Houston I feel safe and fine on the freeways.
Heed the advice here and get the tinting. The A/C is fine, although I have noticed lately with the extreme heat it takes longer to cool the car off in the afternoon. But I never put it above the first setting, and somehow it's always comfortable 10 minutes in to the trip. I don't have tinting, and it's next on my list!
Getting one is tricky. Have you tried Russell & Smith Honda at Kirby and 610? I dealt with an Internet Sales manager there, and he was very good and low pressure. I contacted him through their site, and at the time I bought they had tons of Fits in all colors. Though when I went back for service last weekend I only saw four on the lot - all Vivid Blue Pearl or Storm Metallic varieties. It was two bases and two sport models. Pricing there seems fine, and my sales rep was actually "no nonsense".
Good luck, and I hope to see you on the road soon. When I first got my Fit back in November I felt very unique, but now it seems there is a whole flock of Fits every time I commute to and from work. Strange feeling!
The size of the car isn't much of a problem. Sure Houston has a ton of trucks and SUVs, but I see more and more smaller vehicles out there lately thanks to the gas prices. What you'll find is the Fit makes it easy to weave in and out of traffic, and you get used to the size in relation to the monster vehicles. I find the Fit easier to drive, and a whole lot more fun. The Fit handles very well, and it is more nimble than an SUV. Even in Houston I feel safe and fine on the freeways.
Heed the advice here and get the tinting. The A/C is fine, although I have noticed lately with the extreme heat it takes longer to cool the car off in the afternoon. But I never put it above the first setting, and somehow it's always comfortable 10 minutes in to the trip. I don't have tinting, and it's next on my list!
Getting one is tricky. Have you tried Russell & Smith Honda at Kirby and 610? I dealt with an Internet Sales manager there, and he was very good and low pressure. I contacted him through their site, and at the time I bought they had tons of Fits in all colors. Though when I went back for service last weekend I only saw four on the lot - all Vivid Blue Pearl or Storm Metallic varieties. It was two bases and two sport models. Pricing there seems fine, and my sales rep was actually "no nonsense".
Good luck, and I hope to see you on the road soon. When I first got my Fit back in November I felt very unique, but now it seems there is a whole flock of Fits every time I commute to and from work. Strange feeling!
#47
08-01-2008 | 02:52 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,963
From: Houston TX
Exactly!!! He says "I think you deserve a better car!" Give me the PURPLE ONE honey!!!!
#48
08-01-2008 | 03:06 PM
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,371
From: NC USA
I am ready to get a new car. My current car, a well-loved '95 Camry with 120+K miles on it, will go to my 17-year-old son to drive himself and his younger brother to and from school. When hubby and I first started looking at new cars for me, we were thinking to just get a new Camry - we've had 2 and he drives a 4-runner now. But then we found out that the '07 Camry has a real problem that causes it to hesitate just when you need extra power, like getting onto the highway. Evidently it's a drive-by-wire feature but it's freaking people out, and causing a lot of people to get rid of their Camrys.
So then hubby brought up the Rav4. It's a LOT bigger than it used to be, which I thought wasn't that great, but I kind of liked the idea of a hatchback. This was before gas went so high - last year. We looked at them, test drove one, and then I got swamped by all the options and pricing and just shut down on the whole project. I also found a few reports of the same thing happening on the Rav4 that has been happening on the Camry, and I got nervous. Also, if I spend upwards of 30K on my car, and then son's car craps out, we're going to have problems buying HIM something.
My brilliant idea was to buy a used Camry, the year before the problem started, and save the extra bucks in case the older car konked on us, and buy son a newer used car (maybe an Accord or something) to take to college. BUT, and there always is a BUT - finding a low-mileage '06 Camry in this area is almost impossible - 20K miles a year is not unusual.
Frustrated reading this yet??? Gas prices shot up and I started thinking about getting better gas mileage - I do mostly city driving and I get maybe 21 mpg in the Camry. I picked up Consumer Reports' car issue, leafed through it, saw the Fit, and was interested. (I toyed with buying an XB when they first came out - it was weird enough to be interesting - but at the time, we didn't need the 3rd car and by now, they've ruined the car, so that's out too.) One reason I've never seriously considered a Honda is the road noise issue - it really bothers me that a brand new car should have so much road noise. But with the Fit, somehow it...doesn't seem so important. Maybe it's because the car is so darn inexpensive...
I've seen, handled, driven the Fit now. I was a little torn between the MT and the AT, but am leaning toward the AT, just because I do so much city driving. I think the paddle shifting is an interesting gimmick but tricky to use at first, and I probably wouldn't use it much, maybe for getting onto the highway. I was impressed with the high revs though.
I guess my main concerns are: It's just so darn small! I know it has safety equipment and all, but there are so many HUGE trucks and SUVs in my area. Can I feel safe in it? I want to have a fun drive, I want good gas mileage, I HAVE to have a reliable car, period. One other concern is the AC, as I said in another thread. It seemed pretty puny when we drove the other day. We use our AC from March through October or November down here, and it HAS to work, and work well.
I'm a suburban mom of teenagers - maybe it's my mid-life crisis car? If so, hubby is getting off pretty cheap. Tell me what you think of my story and if I can be happy with the Fit or if I should go back to the Rav4, which is way more comfy but LOTS more $$$.
So then hubby brought up the Rav4. It's a LOT bigger than it used to be, which I thought wasn't that great, but I kind of liked the idea of a hatchback. This was before gas went so high - last year. We looked at them, test drove one, and then I got swamped by all the options and pricing and just shut down on the whole project. I also found a few reports of the same thing happening on the Rav4 that has been happening on the Camry, and I got nervous. Also, if I spend upwards of 30K on my car, and then son's car craps out, we're going to have problems buying HIM something.
My brilliant idea was to buy a used Camry, the year before the problem started, and save the extra bucks in case the older car konked on us, and buy son a newer used car (maybe an Accord or something) to take to college. BUT, and there always is a BUT - finding a low-mileage '06 Camry in this area is almost impossible - 20K miles a year is not unusual.
Frustrated reading this yet???
Gas prices shot up and I started thinking about getting better gas mileage - I do mostly city driving and I get maybe 21 mpg in the Camry. I picked up Consumer Reports' car issue, leafed through it, saw the Fit, and was interested. (I toyed with buying an XB when they first came out - it was weird enough to be interesting - but at the time, we didn't need the 3rd car and by now, they've ruined the car, so that's out too.) One reason I've never seriously considered a Honda is the road noise issue - it really bothers me that a brand new car should have so much road noise. But with the Fit, somehow it...doesn't seem so important. Maybe it's because the car is so darn inexpensive...I've seen, handled, driven the Fit now. I was a little torn between the MT and the AT, but am leaning toward the AT, just because I do so much city driving. I think the paddle shifting is an interesting gimmick but tricky to use at first, and I probably wouldn't use it much, maybe for getting onto the highway. I was impressed with the high revs though.
I guess my main concerns are: It's just so darn small! I know it has safety equipment and all, but there are so many HUGE trucks and SUVs in my area. Can I feel safe in it? I want to have a fun drive, I want good gas mileage, I HAVE to have a reliable car, period. One other concern is the AC, as I said in another thread. It seemed pretty puny when we drove the other day. We use our AC from March through October or November down here, and it HAS to work, and work well.
I'm a suburban mom of teenagers - maybe it's my mid-life crisis car?
If so, hubby is getting off pretty cheap. Tell me what you think of my story and if I can be happy with the Fit or if I should go back to the Rav4, which is way more comfy but LOTS more $$$.I'm past seventy and have owned more than 140 cars; raced many of them, and had a few wrecks, thankfully almost all on track, and am an engineer who worked on safety systems during my career.
The Fit is subject to the old rule that 'big squashes little'. The more mass you have around you the better. That said, with gas at $4 a gallon lighter weight is necessary to obtain higher mpg. There are things that can be and are done to improve safety in lighter cars: more and better airbags, better desgned chassis frames that absorb more of impacts before getting to the driver, and better seat belt systems. The Fit is as good as any now. Long ago in my racing life I tested a Formula Ford and frankly it scared the heck out of me; I liked all that metal in a NASCAR Ford. It was then far easir to get hurt in a formula vee than a Corvette. Things have changed since then. Even though speeds have vastly increased the formula cars today are pretty much as safe as racing sedans.
I have crashed a NASCAR Ford at Charlotte at well over 100 mph and gotten banged up worse than my last crash in a econobox in FL at 100 mph because the econobox had some of those improvements.
And there is the case that smaller, more responsive vehicles have a better chance of avoiding being hit than their larger brethern.
The Fit is the best driving econobox out there so you might as well be warned: your husband may pirate it from you when he can ("lots better mpg").
I was in the same situation as you and chose the Fit over a bigger sedan to get my local running around done more efficiently - read lesser cost gas - and have not regretted it one second. I doubt you will either.
cheers.
Good luck.
Last edited by mahout; 08-07-2008 at 10:40 PM.
#49
08-02-2008 | 02:16 AM
Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 146
From: California
That can be true that some of the Big SUV's/Truck's are safe, my bro had an accident with his truck, he rear ended the guy in front who slammed on his brakes because the guy in front of him dropped a refridgerator on the highway. Well lets say my bro got his hip broken, lungs collapsed, broken ribs, face in the steering wheel(he lost a chunk of his lip) They had to saw him out of the truck. He was going about 60mph. So it all depends on what the situation is. Bigger truck=heavier which is more momentum, so slamming on brakes, you're still going. Our little cars will slow down a bit faster and can prevent a bigger accident.
#50
08-02-2008 | 02:23 AM
Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 146
From: California
Exactly! I stepped out of my car and the first sales guy was right there! And then it was over to the cube and wait for the other sales guy, and wait for the test car, and wait afterward for the price, and they wouldn't give me the actual price with options and TTL, and finally the Manager came out to speak with me. That is so old-school! Then when I explained that I need to drive the paddle-shifter, before I decided, I told the manager to call me when they had one on the lot. I got the call that said they had not one, not two, not even three, but 5 Vivid Blue Pearl Sport ATs!!! How amazing! I confirmed this twice with the girl who called. "Yes, yes," she said. I went over there (it's a long way out!) and no car. GRRRRR. They even called me back the other night and asked if I wanted a light blue base!!! NO I DO NOT AND DO NOT CALL ME AGAIN!! If all the dealerships were that way, I would totally be sitting at Toyota right now.
I highly recommend it, as I vehemently detest the traditional car buying process.
Getting your quotes, and coming to an agreement over the Internet eliminates a lot of wasted time and trips. Good luck.
#51
08-02-2008 | 02:46 AM
New Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 18
From: West Texas
Thanks for all that fine information! Your opinion on the AC is great to hear. Some of the accident avoidance, however, depends upon the quick reflexes of the driver, I think. I sometimes have reasonably quick reflexes, but I am 50...Not as sharp as I used to be!
Now that I KNOW I want one, in Blackberry Pearl, hubby tells me that he sees me in a Rav4!! Arggggghhhhhh.....well, he doesn't have the last word....but if I can't find one, wah!
Now that I KNOW I want one, in Blackberry Pearl, hubby tells me that he sees me in a Rav4!! Arggggghhhhhh.....well, he doesn't have the last word....but if I can't find one, wah!
Juliane, I'm almost 54, female -- and I don't consider that to be a hindrance in driving or anything else. BUY A FIT! The Fit is GO! I would have liked a BBP, but my husband and I decided on bright blue because we're just "blue" people -- and it was hard enough to find that one. We had quite the ordeal finding one out here where we have the same dealership running all the nearby Honda sales in the 3 nearby cities.
Our 1st choice would have been Taffeta White, had it been an option for 2008. I was sick to death of the last three cars I've had that were silver. Ready for a change. So Vivid Blue Pearl for us, but that purple one is PURTY.
I'm used to Civic Hatchbacks, and had to switch from manual trans to AT because I have MS and can't hold a clutch down anymore.
I do love the paddle shifters on the AT sport and I have to say ... I've had 3 Hondas and this one is my absolute favorite. It gets up and GOES. People lined up at work the day I drove it, wanting to know what the cute car was. They'd never heard of a Fit! Where have THEY been?
If this is your mid-life crisis car choice, go for it and enjoy it for a long time! I kept my last Civic Hatchback for 11 years and sold it in June for almost half what I had paid for it (only 39,000 miles on it)
I hope you get your Blackberry baby and don't apologize for being 50 driving a Fit, to anyone! Buy what you love, and believe me, you will LOVE how this car drives, very responsive. I bet you'll keep it til you're 60, and why not? (unless we're all driving space cars by then...)
Get it, love it, and don't let anyone else in the family drive it!
oh -- one last bit of encouragement, regarding safety of the Fit. My husband does business with dealers and saw a new, totaled Fit behind the body shop of the dealer here who sells several makes of cars. It was a brand new one from the Honda lot that had been loaned to someone having their own car repaired.
They were in a terrible wreck in the loaner Fit and all airbags deployed. The driver walked away without a scratch. The car's a mess, obviously. Beyond repair and frightening to look at. But it did its job.
I have a friend whose college age daughter has seriously wrecked 3 Civics (not Fits, but older,smaller Civics...) and again -- walked away without so much as a headache. The continue to buy her Hondas, needless to say!
I repeat these incidents as I hear them to my mother, who insists her "big car" (Lincolns) are much safer. Her new town car was hit from behind by a van, which caused her all kinds of pain and grief and surgery. Big cars just have more mass to transfer impact and more metal to crumple. I feel less safe in a big car, as if I'll be tossed around. Give me a padded little car any day. The Fit's full of air bags and they WORK.
Get it and beat everyone from the traffic light, like I do. Cracks me up when some "sports car" has to run to catch up with me to see what jumped off the line and blew past them. Me, a little old lady in 4 doors of Bright Blue Awesomeness. Just this week, I've had a new Mustang and a BMW 300-something sporty little thing finally catch up to me and look at the car like "what ARE you?" Oh, and a guy in a Dodge RAM, gunning his truck at a light looked stunned when I took off like a little rocket and left him in my rear view mirror.
Be careful with your Fit. Even my AT zips up to 80 easily and sits happily in that pocket, if you let it!
njo/TexFit
Last edited by TexFit; 08-02-2008 at 02:21 PM. Reason: adding info
#52
08-02-2008 | 08:46 AM
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,371
From: NC USA
I don't disagree with anything you have said, and in fact, I think the Fit, with its superb agility, might be able to avoid a fair number of collisions. My only point is that if the Fit happens to collide with a much larger vehicle, the occupants of the Fit could be much worse off than the occupants of the much larger vehicle. Be that as it may, I like my Fit, and I would not drive a Hummer even if it, and the gas for it was free.
Well said. Exactly.
#53
08-07-2008 | 08:02 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,963
From: Houston TX
Thanks Everyone!
I won't reply to everyone, but I appreciate all the personal responses and experience of others! It is less likely that I will get that AT at this point...and certainly NOT a BBP...but I will take a VBP if I can't get the BBP. I am out of town at the moment but I'm going to call ALL the Honda dealers in town and out of town to find out what is left. As the days go by, my hopes dwindle...I wish I liked the '09 but I just don't. Why do they have to change a model in just 2 years??? And so drastically...The rear window is smaller, and the back is messed up, IMO. I don't like the stretched front end. It seems that every car I look at has got smaller windows and less visibility! What's with THAT?? The Matrix sucks for that reason to. I'm sort of toying with a Mazda 3 - at least I can see out of the windows!!!
I'm so sorry that I found the Fit too late...Usually I've got really good timing for stuff but not this time...wah...I want my car!
I'm so sorry that I found the Fit too late...Usually I've got really good timing for stuff but not this time...wah...I want my car!
#54
08-07-2008 | 11:33 PM
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 174
From: Ottawa, Canada
Juliane, The Fit's actually been around since 2001 in Japan, but only made it to North America in 2006. Honda probably looked at the the largest market for gas guzzlers in the world and figured they wouldn't do so well earlier. Well, Honda timed the Fit's entry into NA pretty well, since most are screaming and scrambling for fuel-efficient cars now.
I myself didn't want to get an '09 Fit based, despite it fixing probably every single little niggle I have about the current Fit's interior. I admit it's also because of exterior look.
Supposedly, the NA Fits have extended hoods to accommodate NA-safety standard bumpers. I don't know why they didn't just keep the same hood but extend the front bumper, like they did for the current Fit... no, they had to reflow the entire hood area
I myself didn't want to get an '09 Fit based, despite it fixing probably every single little niggle I have about the current Fit's interior. I admit it's also because of exterior look.
Supposedly, the NA Fits have extended hoods to accommodate NA-safety standard bumpers. I don't know why they didn't just keep the same hood but extend the front bumper, like they did for the current Fit... no, they had to reflow the entire hood area
#56
08-08-2008 | 10:36 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,963
From: Houston TX
Thanks for the photos, ProMed, but from the side they look more different and I just don't like the longer hood of the '09. From the photos you posted it almost doesn't look like a redesign, but....
:P
:P
#58
08-09-2008 | 10:39 AM
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 519
From: North Carolina
Lol, this is true. My lady seriously could not tell the difference between the two of them.
#59
08-09-2008 | 02:52 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,963
From: Houston TX
I think my love affair with the Fit must end...(crying)
#60
08-09-2008 | 03:36 PM
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,032
From: Fayetteville, NC
im sure another honda tech will say so... but im a line tech at Lumberton Honda in Lumberton, North Carolina... im 20... i drive stupid sometimes... but i also see what comes in the shop and im nosey so i find out why... every new 08 and some 09 hondas have recalls on major and minor stuff... the 08 accord seatbelt has a bad habbit of throwing the cel. the 03-05 accord have a ton coming back to fix wiper motors... on teh honda tech website there isnt a recall for the fit... and its been out since 06... so i say were safe... plus... i bought mine in jan of this year... ive put 16k miles on it... and i started to trade in for a 4Dr Si yesterday... they offered me payoff of over 14g still... its reliable, fun, 100k no tune ups or scheduled maintanance... get it lol