Been lurking the board for a few days and I finally came up with a question to ask. My fiancee and I are currently looking into purchasing an 08 Fit(non sport model), found one for a pretty decent price with a still intact factory warranty...yadda yadda yadda.

My question is, does the 2008 base model feature a vtec engine?

 

yes but it's a different design from the 09s and newer.

From what I understand, the older vtec is mechanically activated at about 3k rpm to enable full breathing. The newer i-vtec is electronically activated and will come into play at any rpm if needed.

 

wow, so the 08 non sport version does have the vtec engine?!?!? that's awesome!

 

That's right. Have you driven one yet? (they're not exactly fast, but they have other redeeming features).

The only mechanical differences between the base and the sport are a rear anti-roll bar and paddle shifters/sport mode on the automatic. The manual transmission Fits have exactly the same drive-trains between the base and the sport.

There are threads detailing the trim difference. The main one (for me) is the base doesn't have cruise control. Others will point to the smaller steel wheels on the base.

Someone more familiar with the 08s please confirm?

 

the base lacks the body kit, alloy wheels, the audio jack, cruise control, has a different shift knob(MT only) and has 2 more speakers. pretty sure that sums up the difference. but as said before drive train is the same, 109 bhp SOHC VTEC motor. just a not on the wheels, the tires are MUCH narrower on the sport, so if you do any spirited driving the handling will suffer compared to the sport. enjoy the car if you go with it, you wont regret it! its a fun little thing that is very practical great on gas and its a Honda... so it will run forever!

 

Very good to know! I look forward to getting double the gas mileage I get now. First "Honda", but we just junked a 98 Rodeo. Looking forward to something different.

 

I think we're going to on Monday and discuss financing options, etc etc. I'd imagine wider tires are something I can add when the time comes. The little car was great when we took it for a test drive. I'd like to go on a second test drive, just to make sure, but it was fun like our old Dodge Neon 5 speed. It won't be MY daily driver, but I'll be driving it a lot. The Fit totally killed the other cars we tried out(used Hyundai Elantra, Ascent and Scion), plus it's a Honda, so hopefully it runs till our un-born children our in HS, LOL!

 

don't expect miracles on the gas mileage. The EPA estimates are honest. You should be able to do a bit better. I suspect people reporting 45mpg are going downhill a lot.

 

if its MT 45 is realistic if you drive like a grandma... i did it the summer gas was like 5 bucks a gallon... shifting to 2nd by 3500 and other gears by 2500, i also bumped up the tire pressure to about 45 psi...

 

Last honda I retired had 225K and was still going strong after 12 years (sold it to a liquor store for running stock around). It was getting a bit expensive repairing odds and ends (but I obsess about everything working perfectly). The engines are pretty bullet proof.

 

I already know how to drive auto's like a grandma(i currently own a "grandma car") and our rodeo was just terrible on gas. I probably won't get 45mpg, but if I can get mid to high 30's I'll be happy with the purchase. Her commute is 75% highway, mine is 65% highway so we should both do fairly well depending on who is driving. I'm a bit more conservative then she is.

anyway, I've never had a car go over 160k, so I'm looking forward to this car going the distance. Every time a car purchase is made, I never listen to everyone and I end up buying American. I will say this, my Buick is super comfortable, but I'd trade that comfort for a better quality auto.

Surprisingly enough, the Fit was a perfect fit for me. I'm 6'6", 338lbs. Due to the slightly taller interior height the Fit was perfect. I was shocked how much more room it had over the Elantra 5 door.