If the manual is a "high demand car", you'd think Honda would build more Fits equipped with one. Ah, salespeople talk.

 

Manuals dont sell the US that well period regardless of the car and I can almost guarantee you that this is also Honda's thoughts also and why they are importing more Automatics to the US then Manuals. The only reason it would be considered in high demand is because there wont be as many of them to go around, the demand is more then the supply so naturally getting your hands on a Fit Sport Manual is going to be rather hard.

 

I grew up in Kent, Ohio, a small university town in the northeastern part of the state. I believe one of the first, if not The First Rick Case Honda was a motorcycle shop on the corner of Main and Mantua streets. I knew he had gotten into cars, but didn't realize he had moved to south. Must have followed the snowbirds. Old Rick had a reputation for being a tough negotiator.

"Tin soldiers and Nixon coming..." Yes, that Kent.

 

Kent State. Arghhhh I remember THAT!

 

How soon we forget - four dead in O - Hi - O

 

Lunar Mist.. Looks nice in person. Far better than Rust Orange.

 

No offense to the Rick Case dealership. But out of the 5 Cleveland area dealerships I called I'd rank them as 4th place. The guy I talked to not only never adress my concerns of what shipments they will be getting but instead even before asking what model it was I wanted told me that I should leave a $500 deposit. I asked him to check the shipments first, to see what they ordered and what they will most likely be getting. He said he would get back to me in 5 minutes - that was two days ago and still no call. If your in the Cleveland area I have had the best experience at Jack Matia.

I have purchased used cars before and obviouslly dealerships can negotiate prices on those but when purchasing a new car how far can or should I expect them to bend on price. I understand that trying to get it right away will diminsh a lot of my negotiating power but under normal circumstances what is expected?

Are dealerships able to go way below MSRP?
How much markup are new cars at dealerships?

 

Ken,

Dealerships can still negotiate the sale of a new car. There are a lot of variables that determine how much they can knock of the MSRP. Generally, the more expensive a car is, the more potential profit for the dealer, and the more wiggle-room they have. There are also other areas to look. Dealer Prep is huge. The dealer does very little, and charges a decent sum. Dealer add-ins like Fabric Protectant, and any so called paint sealant, or rust-proofing is just them trying to steal your money. Unless there is a sticker on the window from a third-party rust-proofer, and an invoice with that vehicles VIN, and you can see the protectant oozing out of somewhere on the car, they did nothing. Anywhere the dealer throws in a charge, question it and try to work on it. Don't believe the dealer invoice, that means very little. Try to get the dealer cost from a third party. There are a few out there, thanks to the internet.

Be firm, but be fair. The person you are dealing with is trying to make a living. He is not necessarily trying to rip you off, but his (non-gender specific use of the third person indicative pronoun, your sales person/consultant/guide could be a women) income is derived from the sale of that car, and you might be the only person he has talked to in a couple of days. You want the car and he sure as hell wants to sell it to you, so don't don't try to kill the guy. Typically, only the sales managers can approve the deal, they are the only ones who know exactly how much the store stands to make from a specific sale. They know the exact cost of the car, along with any factory to dealer incentives. The sales manager is your enemy, not the sales person in front of you. The salesman is trying to do whatever he can to get you in the car, so work with him against the manager. Even if the store makes nothing off the sale of a car, the salesmen typically get a "mini." For me in 1989, that was $75.00/car
I was trying to be nice to Rick Case. Tough negotiator was another way of saying son-of-a-bitch.

 

The Honda website Fit page has been updated, which makes me ask this question...

What color is the car that is featured on the "Intro" page? It's definitely a Sport trim, but looks like Lunar Mist, which in theory, is only available on the Base trim level. I ordered a Vivid Blue Sport, under the premise that Lunar Mist wasn't available...

If Lunar Mist will be available on the Sport, do you think my dealer would allow me to change my mind??

 

That's not Lunar mist. Its a new color they haven't told us about before. It is a Sport in the pictures with the spoilers etc. Go back to your dealer and make a switch.

 

On second look it could be lunar mist. Is there a link to ask the Honda website directly? But its certainly a sport shown.

 

I called my dealer, and they confirmed the color availability has not changed. No Lunar Mist for the sport.

Someone else has suggested the pictures are actually of a Storm Silver Fit. If you look at the color of the pavement, it is also tinged blue, which would explain the "too dark to be Lunar Mist, but too light to be Vivid Blue" color. They photoshopped the images, which messed with the color (see #5, 7 & 8). The one picture in the set, where the pavement doesn't have such a blue hue to it, that the car does look more grey, than anything (#8). Photo #10 really is of a Lunar Mist base Fit, though.

Sigh... would've been nice.

 

After talking to the salesman who took my deposit, it seems like Silver will be one of the least imported colors of all the Fits. I originally wanted a Silver Sport 5MT but the closest ones were a 3 hour drive away so I settled for Black on black which I can live with much better then some of those other bright colors.

 

does anyone know can we add Nav to the FIT??? i want to get the Stom Silver or the Black sport, did anyone get a quote on how much is the fully loaded Fit sport?

 

Navi will not be available in the Fit. At least Honda has made no provision for it. Best bet is to go buy an aftermarket navi system. As for MSRP, your guess is as good as anyone elses. I have seen gueses from $12K to $16K. Nobody really knows yet. It's all just speculation. As soon as I know, I'll be a'postin!
Thanks!
PAHD

 

There was discussion in another thread about GPS. I have a PDA and bought a Garmin cf Que 1620. It works very well. Someone else said they had gotten a Garmin iQue (PDA and GPS in one unit) from Costco for less than $300.00. Mine came with a neat bean-bag holder for the car, that also has double-backed tape for more permanent mounting. There are a number of stand-alone options. GPSCity.com is a good place to get some ideas.

Pro: You can take it with you when you get out of the car
Con: Not a sleek factory install, and if you leave it in your car, anyone else can take it with you.

 

I was watching the Honda Classic PGA tournament this weekend and noticed there was a red Fit on display just off the 18th green. It was in the background from one of the camera angles. I also saw a brief glimpse of a orange or bronze one during a cut-away. I haven't seen the final round yet, and in Bangkok, we aren't allowed to see commercials on international broadcasts. Did anyone watch? Were there any Fit commercials?

 

Thank you so much! The photos show two-tone grey/black, which besides avoiding monotony, should keep the interior from getting too hot. Like the beige, too. Why can't my local dealer give me this info? After I grumbled about Honda doing away with wagons, one of the sales people told me to look up the Fit on the Honda website. That's how I got started fitfreaking out!

 

I spoke to the salesperson at my local dealer about the colors. They're only getting in black, red, blue and storm silver. I was interested in lunar mist, but wondered how reliable the color is when viewed on my computer monitor. He said it is actually a very pale blue, close to what was used on the Civic hybrid. Storm silver looks like it has a hint of beige to it, but he said it should be silver. The "Vivid Blue Pearl" is an intense shade, like one called "Fiji Blue". He said it was one of those love it or hate it type colors. The dealer is not taking deposits, so I offered to pay in full. They're reserving a Storm Silver for me. Hate buying a car this way (I wait for leftovers from the previous model year), but after doing a lot of comparison shopping, I really think this is the right "Fit" for me. I've had 2 great Hondas and I don't usually have brand loyalty, but they earned it.

 

Could this be "Alabaster Silver Metallic"???

I just ordered "Alabaster Silver" LX 5 spd Manual in Toronto, Canada.

Can anyone confirmed which "Alabaster or Storm Silver" is it on Honda.com???