View Poll Results: And your reason is.......
Price
7
14.89%
Fuel Economy
13
27.66%
Reliability
14
29.79%
Looks
6
12.77%
Standard Features
7
14.89%
Power
0
0%
Voters: 47. You may not vote on this poll
Why did you buy a Fit?
#7
09-11-2009 | 07:20 AM
No idea why really. My Dodge Caravan is 5 plus yrs old with only 36,000 miles on it. Retired and no need for a second vehicle. Looked at new vans and did not like them as well as mine. Also the Dodge Jorney and Csliber turned me off. Then sort of noticed the Toyotas. Seems to be more of them here. Anyhow got to exploring subcompacts and after doing multiple builds on line I took one for test drive and had signed papers that day.
Now I have two vehicles as my wife cannot travel far in the Fit. THe seats are just too narrow and rub on her bilateral hip replacements scars/incisions. So I have my playtoy. I say it is like my old Austin Healy Sprite with all the amenities. People just shake their heads when i point out some of the mods. They think the old guy has lost it.
Now I have two vehicles as my wife cannot travel far in the Fit. THe seats are just too narrow and rub on her bilateral hip replacements scars/incisions. So I have my playtoy. I say it is like my old Austin Healy Sprite with all the amenities. People just shake their heads when i point out some of the mods. They think the old guy has lost it.
#8
09-11-2009 | 09:37 AM
Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,421
From: Upstate New York
I've always loved small cars, and I've owned a succession of small Chryslers for nearly 30 years (Omnis, Chargers, Shadows, Neons), partly because of tradition, and the only car dealer in my town is a Chrysler dealer. Chrysler no longer makes a car I'm interested in (the Caliber does nothing for me), so I had to look elsewhere.
I wanted a small car with tremendous fuel economy (remember $4.50/gal. gas?) and room to carry whatever I needed to carry (mostly guitars, amps and band gear). "Fun to drive" also rated high on my list.
To answer your poll, fuel economy and standard features put the car on my short list. Handling and performance and Honda's reputation for reliability sealed the deal.
I wanted a small car with tremendous fuel economy (remember $4.50/gal. gas?) and room to carry whatever I needed to carry (mostly guitars, amps and band gear). "Fun to drive" also rated high on my list.
To answer your poll, fuel economy and standard features put the car on my short list. Handling and performance and Honda's reputation for reliability sealed the deal.
#9
09-11-2009 | 11:03 AM
Price was what got me looking at the Fit, but the final decision was based on the entire package, including how fun it was to drive. I also liked that it wasn't all that popular when I got it and Honda's redesign 2 years after it was release in the US kinda sealed that for the GD3. woop woop
#12
09-11-2009 | 12:35 PM
flexibility
It's the Swiss army knife of cars! It doesn't score a ten at anything but gets 8 or 9 in most categories. It's resale value supports this claim. You should have made flexibility as one of the poll choices. The magic seats and the resulting cargo choices are amazing!
#13
09-11-2009 | 12:42 PM
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
I'm cheap?*
*meaning I'll keep the damn thing for 15 years and 300k miles and need something that will satisfy my transportation needs at a minimum cost both in initial purchase price and maintenance, but especially given the upward trend in fuel prices. Hybrids don't qualify as they will need expensive battery replacement before that period. If money were no object I'd probably drive a Porsche Cayenne
*meaning I'll keep the damn thing for 15 years and 300k miles and need something that will satisfy my transportation needs at a minimum cost both in initial purchase price and maintenance, but especially given the upward trend in fuel prices. Hybrids don't qualify as they will need expensive battery replacement before that period. If money were no object I'd probably drive a Porsche Cayenne
#16
09-11-2009 | 10:19 PM
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 351
From: philadelphia, pa
The C4C program. I had an old minivan that I expected was only gonna last me a year or two more. I had to put MORE money into it to fix some problems. I had heard about the legislation being discussed but had no idea they would pass it so fast.
Next thing I know, the legislation is long since passed, and is already active.
I have to read up, and decide what car to get, if I am going to be able to take advantage of the program at all (I still wasn't sure if I could or not -- that is, I knew my car would qualify, I didn't know if my economics would make it feasible.) It only makes sense to participate. I mean, $4,500 for a car that is barely worth $1000 if that, and that I need to pour hundreds more into rather soon, and who knows how much after that? Or my other option is wait another year or two for my car to die and then buy used for only a few thousand, getting a whole new set of problems..
So I decide on a basic price point -- read: cheap. I go to each of the major manufacturers websites and look through their vehicles. I write down sedans/coupes, hatchbacks, and pickups. I read a bunch on many of them.
The idea that I could get a sedan for WELL under 10K is very attractive. However, going with A/T raises the price up a bit. I can't confidently learn M/T in time to make it reasonable to buy a M/T vehicle (if anybody wants to teach me in the area, I still wish to learn.
)
Most pickups wind up being eliminated because they are wayyy too barebones for the price; if I were to get what I want with a pickup, it would have been too expensive in most cases. .
I really need cargo space so I almost eliminate the sedans/coupes. I do look at a few. The main one I look at (Nissan Versa) I decide looks/seems WAY too cheap. I mean fake plastic fog light indentations? And a cheap looking interior? C'mon! Possibly a decent choice if I wasn't as flexible in my purchase price.
Many cars just arn't available locally. (well, I could have traveled a wee bit to see some of them.) I go to one dealership that's supposed to have three different brands that I want to look at and they have one -- the hyundai accent which I decide looks like it's styling is no different than a 1980s era ford escort. The guy comes down in price majorly (for a stocked model) without much of any effort on my part. The guy is also clueless and when he says he has no dealer plates available to test drive, when I said "I'll wait.. I'm not in a hurry" he thinks I mean I want to leave. I meant that I'd wait for someone currently out on a test drive to come back, DUH! I eliminate the Hyundai, Kia(s) (which they didn't have), and Chevy Aveo which hadn't really made the list anyways.
I go to the Toyota dealer. They are out of most of the Scions I want to look at, and they don't have any Yaris Hatchbacks. (I could have travelled 20-30 minutes away and looked at them, but nah... I basically had almost already decided on the fit.) I DO like one of the scions, but it's a bit more expensive than I wanted, and the one I thought I wanted I felt seemed too small (they only had a used one on the lot to look at anyways.) I could have driven a bit further to check out the scion i wanted and the yarises but I decided not to. Toyota build quality seems really nice.
There really wasn't much of anything from GM or Chrysler I wanted (well, one or two of the pontiacs but they are killing the brand anyways.) Most everything in their lines was too expensive for my price range. (People wonder why they're losing billions of dollars and failing... uhm... how about making some cars for the average market?)
Sadly there wasn't much from Ford I wanted, except a small pickup which I had already eliminated. (We've been a ford family for several cars now.) Our Fords have done pretty decently each lasting 13 years or more before we had to get rid of them due to diminishing returns.
I quickly eliminate the Cube, and a few other cargo-like vehicles for various reasons.
From the begining I had basically focused in on the Fit. Overwhelming positive reviews, a large number of really nice features STANDARD, really nice advanced styling (doesn't look like a car from the 80s as previously mentioned), a half-decent price point (although a bit more than I wanted to spend). . . . and tons of cargo space, probably best-in-class if not nearly so. I also like the idea that they are sold in 70 countries and have been out several years. This means that if something happens and I need parts, I might be able to find them on the used market -- in contrast the Yaris 5-door hatchback model is brand new, not widely available, and even the 3 door doesn't seem so common.
In the end my research took probably two weeks. I only test drove the Fit, and only looked at other cars very casually. By the time I was ready to buy, they had had that thurday night "the money has run out" scare (even though earlier the cars.gov website said they had 756 million dollars left.) By the time I bought, congress had approved additional funds.
And here I am. Now I just gotta spend more $$ on my vehicle. Thanks FF.net!
Next thing I know, the legislation is long since passed, and is already active.
I have to read up, and decide what car to get, if I am going to be able to take advantage of the program at all (I still wasn't sure if I could or not -- that is, I knew my car would qualify, I didn't know if my economics would make it feasible.) It only makes sense to participate. I mean, $4,500 for a car that is barely worth $1000 if that, and that I need to pour hundreds more into rather soon, and who knows how much after that? Or my other option is wait another year or two for my car to die and then buy used for only a few thousand, getting a whole new set of problems..
So I decide on a basic price point -- read: cheap. I go to each of the major manufacturers websites and look through their vehicles. I write down sedans/coupes, hatchbacks, and pickups. I read a bunch on many of them.
The idea that I could get a sedan for WELL under 10K is very attractive. However, going with A/T raises the price up a bit. I can't confidently learn M/T in time to make it reasonable to buy a M/T vehicle (if anybody wants to teach me in the area, I still wish to learn.
) Most pickups wind up being eliminated because they are wayyy too barebones for the price; if I were to get what I want with a pickup, it would have been too expensive in most cases. .
I really need cargo space so I almost eliminate the sedans/coupes. I do look at a few. The main one I look at (Nissan Versa) I decide looks/seems WAY too cheap. I mean fake plastic fog light indentations? And a cheap looking interior? C'mon! Possibly a decent choice if I wasn't as flexible in my purchase price.
Many cars just arn't available locally. (well, I could have traveled a wee bit to see some of them.) I go to one dealership that's supposed to have three different brands that I want to look at and they have one -- the hyundai accent which I decide looks like it's styling is no different than a 1980s era ford escort. The guy comes down in price majorly (for a stocked model) without much of any effort on my part. The guy is also clueless and when he says he has no dealer plates available to test drive, when I said "I'll wait.. I'm not in a hurry" he thinks I mean I want to leave. I meant that I'd wait for someone currently out on a test drive to come back, DUH! I eliminate the Hyundai, Kia(s) (which they didn't have), and Chevy Aveo which hadn't really made the list anyways.
I go to the Toyota dealer. They are out of most of the Scions I want to look at, and they don't have any Yaris Hatchbacks. (I could have travelled 20-30 minutes away and looked at them, but nah... I basically had almost already decided on the fit.) I DO like one of the scions, but it's a bit more expensive than I wanted, and the one I thought I wanted I felt seemed too small (they only had a used one on the lot to look at anyways.) I could have driven a bit further to check out the scion i wanted and the yarises but I decided not to. Toyota build quality seems really nice.
There really wasn't much of anything from GM or Chrysler I wanted (well, one or two of the pontiacs but they are killing the brand anyways.) Most everything in their lines was too expensive for my price range. (People wonder why they're losing billions of dollars and failing... uhm... how about making some cars for the average market?)
Sadly there wasn't much from Ford I wanted, except a small pickup which I had already eliminated. (We've been a ford family for several cars now.) Our Fords have done pretty decently each lasting 13 years or more before we had to get rid of them due to diminishing returns.
I quickly eliminate the Cube, and a few other cargo-like vehicles for various reasons.
From the begining I had basically focused in on the Fit. Overwhelming positive reviews, a large number of really nice features STANDARD, really nice advanced styling (doesn't look like a car from the 80s as previously mentioned), a half-decent price point (although a bit more than I wanted to spend). . . . and tons of cargo space, probably best-in-class if not nearly so. I also like the idea that they are sold in 70 countries and have been out several years. This means that if something happens and I need parts, I might be able to find them on the used market -- in contrast the Yaris 5-door hatchback model is brand new, not widely available, and even the 3 door doesn't seem so common.
In the end my research took probably two weeks. I only test drove the Fit, and only looked at other cars very casually. By the time I was ready to buy, they had had that thurday night "the money has run out" scare (even though earlier the cars.gov website said they had 756 million dollars left.) By the time I bought, congress had approved additional funds.
And here I am. Now I just gotta spend more $$ on my vehicle. Thanks FF.net!
#17
09-11-2009 | 11:20 PM
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
From: somewhere
too tired to write...
Used the C4C to get rid of my truck and I needed a new car. It had to be small, good mpg, handle nice, decent power, and look nice. I will never buy an american made car... ever! (long story)
Yaris- My fiancee in Bangkok has one and we went many places in it, but with me as a passenger. It was cool and looked nice. When I drove one I was not impressed with how it felt to drive. The seat felt too high, power was not too great with just a 4speed auto and the dash lights were worse than a BKK model. Price was great. mpg was great
Corolla S- looked great, interior was pretty good and the power felt ok. It seemed a bit bleak with just a 4 speed auto, but ok. The price was too high for what I got. mpg was good
I just happened to do a Google search for #1 subcompact and the Fit was rated #1. I looked at Honda before but didn't think I could afford an Accord or Civic. I looked again and loved the Fit. I saw many Jazz models in Bangkok and thought they were nice, but I never took it seriously. The first time I saw one in person on the lot I fell in love with it. The pearl blue was amazing, and the looks were nice. I loved the dash and gauges, It didn't look like a cheap car. The low profile tires and wheels were good. Not crappy like the Yaris.
When I drove it I was more impressed with the handling and the really perky acceleration. I remember going through a curve and it just handled and drove perfect. The mpg was great. The price was great. I loved the interior and seat too. I was sold.
I called my fiancee and she was all for it too. I signed the deal the next day.
Used the C4C to get rid of my truck and I needed a new car. It had to be small, good mpg, handle nice, decent power, and look nice. I will never buy an american made car... ever! (long story)
Yaris- My fiancee in Bangkok has one and we went many places in it, but with me as a passenger. It was cool and looked nice. When I drove one I was not impressed with how it felt to drive. The seat felt too high, power was not too great with just a 4speed auto and the dash lights were worse than a BKK model. Price was great. mpg was great
Corolla S- looked great, interior was pretty good and the power felt ok. It seemed a bit bleak with just a 4 speed auto, but ok. The price was too high for what I got. mpg was good
I just happened to do a Google search for #1 subcompact and the Fit was rated #1. I looked at Honda before but didn't think I could afford an Accord or Civic. I looked again and loved the Fit. I saw many Jazz models in Bangkok and thought they were nice, but I never took it seriously. The first time I saw one in person on the lot I fell in love with it. The pearl blue was amazing, and the looks were nice. I loved the dash and gauges, It didn't look like a cheap car. The low profile tires and wheels were good. Not crappy like the Yaris.
When I drove it I was more impressed with the handling and the really perky acceleration. I remember going through a curve and it just handled and drove perfect. The mpg was great. The price was great. I loved the interior and seat too. I was sold.
I called my fiancee and she was all for it too. I signed the deal the next day.
Last edited by lostpacket; 09-11-2009 at 11:24 PM.
#18
09-11-2009 | 11:24 PM
Plain&Simple...
I was driving a 01 Ford Ranger 2x2 and I remember seeing the FIT around town. It was love at first sight, I knew it was a Honda so reliability never was a quesiton, power.... LOL, gas mileage was a pluss not a deal breaker, and the standard options are WEAK; no floor matts, no center console. Aside from that, I love the change and it's my first new car(up to date).
.... I missed one, Price: could have been lower for what we get, but it's not outrageous.....
That is all
.... I missed one, Price: could have been lower for what we get, but it's not outrageous.....
That is all
#19
09-11-2009 | 11:26 PM
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 61
From: Colorado
I have a lot of reasons. The main one is probably the safety ratings. The fuel economy is going to be a bit better then my old Suzuki Grand Virta but I had to give away 4 wheel drive so that is kind of a bummer. I really love the way the car looks and I liked driving it from the second I pulled off the lot in the test drive. I just got it today and I just have to learn to park it b/c it is so much different then the old vechical but I will get use to it. I could say for my dog but that is a lie he gets in and out of a 07 Dodge 2500 with bigger tires and a leveling kit all the time. LOL And I love my dog and he is going to make a 400 mi trip with me in the car next week but I will not love the fur.
