I found a Fit to test drive today at least. White A/T Sport with beige interior. (If I wasn't sold before I am now!) However, upon calling around to all the Honda dealerships in St. Louis, none even seem willing to tell me if they have any manuals coming in. I refuse to buy an automatic. For those that love the paddle shifters that's awesome - but I seriously would just be annoyed by them, and I refuse to buy the base model without them because I want cruise/foglights/keyless entry. Thus it's M/T sport or nothing. I'm flexible on color though - White, Orange, Black or Silver would make me a happy camper (listed in order of preference). I pretty much decided that tranny choice was WAY more important than color choice.

I'm not ready to buy quite yet anyhow - my tags on my current car expire in October and I'm hoping to be in something new by the end of that month. However if I'm not my parents have an F-150 just collecting dust (my pop is a carpenter but he doesn't drive the truck unless he has to haul his own tools for a job) so though the gas comsumption will suck, it's better than the car payment I'm about to take on!

At the end of July when I'm ready to put a deposit down on something if there's a 4+ week wait, I'll shop the dealerships again. They are still selling at MSRP here despite demand, and I won't pay a penny more (excepting the accessories I want). If they don't tell me what I want to hear I'll shop again at the end of August.

This will be my first new car too, so I feel your pain on not settling for the auto if that's not what you want. Sorry this happened to you, but be patient - better to have what you want then regret not waiting a few extra weeks later.

 

Oregonfit, give Beaverton Honda a call, they were suppposed to be getting a black sport manual in over the weekend. I know it was still available last Thursday. My daughter picked up a silver Sport automatic in McMinnville on Sunday, they're website says that they also have a black sport manual but I didn't see it there.

 

thanks for the help, I just called both places and left messages, hopefully one of them will still be around. thanks again.

 

so, the dealership didn't even call me today. which is just pathetic. they ordered the wrong car after making me wait 8 weeks and they didn't even call me to update me on the situation. any loyalty i have just left the building. i will go over in person tomorrow morning and will post whatever happens here. thanks to everyone who has given me tips and consolation, especially those who have encouraged me to hold out for the stick, it makes it that much easier for me to do.

 

Good luck with it man. Shop the other dealers around you. I had a great experience today finally getting to test drive a Fit (White A/T Sport). The salesman knew I wouldn't settle for an automatic but he let me drive it anyway so I could get a feel for the car. I'll start with him because of that, but if he doesn't tell me what I want to hear I'll go elsewhere.

I know it's hard to hold out - I'm driving a '94 Saturn SL that was one tire in the grave a year ago, so believe me I know - but since it's your first new car (and will be mine also) you'll be much happier a year or two from now when you're driving what you want instead of what you settled for.

Maybe if you're flexible on color you'll have better luck? If not, I understand, but I basically sat down and ordered the colors from most desirable (white) to least desirable (red), and I figure I'll use that as a guide when talking to a dealer as the M/T is so much more important to me than the color. Whatever you decide good luck.

 

The Fit is a great car at a great price, it's just finding one at MSRP that's the trick. I guess by now all the earlier dreams of being sold at invoice have completely evaporated.

In any case, it's particularly bad in that there are so few other hatches for sale in the U.S. and their prices when equiped to the level of a Fit Sport are equal or more.

A car I've always wanted is nearing the end of the current design run in 2006 with a big 2007 redesign upgrade. The 2006 model is being discounted by the manufacturer right now. On carsdirect a 2006 G35 6-speed manual transmission is $27.6k or so.

Now that's a big step up in price from a Fit, but my point is that maybe look around and do some test driving. For a few thousand more you might get a vehicle that you'll hold onto for 10 years whereas I've got to think after 5 years or so, the Fit will be getting tiresome.

 

ex_MGB,

I think it really depends on what you want out of a car. I've always driven cars that I've paid cash for, because it worked best with my student budget. Now that I'm working full time, completing school part time, and commuting all over STL like nobody's business, it's time to trade up to something that will be reliable and that can handle the massive mileage I'm going to be putting on it.

I don't look at the Fit as a forever car, but I do look at it as a fun and practical car that fits my student budget. It will get my past my bachelor's degree (4+ years on a part time basis - man I wish I could afford to stay in full time) and my first couple of years in the real world. I don't care if it's not worth a penny when I'm done with it - if it serves me the way I need it to and lasts as long as I need it to, I'll be more than happy.

It's by far the best car for me in my budget - I was pricing '03-'04 Civics before I came to the Fit, and wasn't considering a new car whatsoever. I could not be happier with the Fit as it is everything I wanted but couldn't find in a car - gas sipper with cargo capacity that didn't make me yawn.

 

its kind of crazy that the 5spd is hard to find...i had a choice for a sliver, red, white , and black...well chose the black...looking at the silver i should have reconsidered it, but the black alwayz gets to be more sinister

 

just ran a locator for you.

no black sport manual in your state in stock, none on order, one dealership is showing a silver manual (no other color available at all).

closest black and manual is in washington state. pm me if you want either of the dealership's name.

 

I've seen a 50/50 split between M/T and A/T Fit's.

Funny thing, when I walked into the dealer and saw two Fits, one was a Base Fit with A/T and the other was a Fit Sport with M/T.

Walked out with the purchase contract for the Sport.

 

It seems like in St. Louis all I can find is A/T Fits.

Then again, the Midwest market probably didn't see them as quick as some of the bigger markets so dealers may still be adjusting to the demand for automatics. The one I test drove today (and the one that sold me) was a White A/T Sport w/Beige interior and the dealer said he hasn't sold it because people want M/T and white has been the least popular color (less standout-ish I guess). Car already had almost 200 miles on it from test drives.

Nice guy though, and he was awesome to let me test it because the dealership got really restrictive on it seeing as it's racking up miles fast. Didn't get to go far, but I went far enough to get a feel and that's all I wanted.

 

For most people a car is along term purchase.

Wait for the one you really want.

 

Next time they give you a build date (if there is a next time) get the VIN from them and confirm it is actually a manual. When I ordered mine it was already being built so I got the VIN immediately.

 

Yeah, I see everyone on here talking abotu VINs and build dates, but after many times of asking I could never get either of them from my dealer. the car (the wrong car) just magically showed up one day, that was it. sigh.

 

Well aywwsd did the locate which is what I was going to suggest you have your dealer do. That's what I had mine do. If they have your car on the lot already they just have to find the car you want and trade it for the one they have. Originally I wanted a silver sport 5spd but settled for a white sport 5sp. My dealer called me this morning to tell me it's sitting on the showroom floor now. I'm jazzed Your best option is to get your dealer to locate the car you want or will settle for (color wise) and trade them. You can always tell him you want your deposit back and walk. I talked with every dealer within 50 miles of me and multiple dealers told me "they're not even letting us order 5spds" that just totally blew me away, so when she said they found a white sport 5spd I told her GET IT NOW!!! I've been waiting almost 3 months and I'm at the top of their waiting list so they traded for that white one.

Good luck! btw, I think you should snag the black manual in WA... you live in Oregon, you don't pay their sales tax, so it's all good

 

yep, i wish I knew where that black one was in WA, but dude made me PM him, which I have done, still waiting for a reply. and silver was my second choice so if that's still around, i'll snag that one. hopefully he will reply soon. this is killing me.

 

DAMMMMMMMMM!!!
nonononononononoNONONONONONONIO.....wait for the other one and they should giveyou something to compensate the pain. In my case was something like it. I get the deal, but not the car. They doen't have it red manual, by the way they couldn't find not one whit the manual tranny, and that is how I ended with a taffeta white manual, the dealer managed to find two (2), but both were taffeta, and I have to give up for the color, but never surrender with the auto tranny. So my advise is "SURRENDER....... NEVER!!!!!!!!" WAIT FOR THE MANUAL REGARDLESS OF THE COLOR

 

The Automatic has some nice features that might even satisfy a stick head. That feature is the paddle shifter for up and down shifting (without a clutch) and without touching the shift lever. This can be done whether in the drive mode or in the "S" (sport mode). Both my cars now have paddle shifting capability. My other car is a Mazda RX-8 and I use the paddle shifters exclusively. When I drive the new blaze orange Fit Sport I use the paddel shifters while in the drive mode. My wife drive both the cars in the Automatic mode but uses the down shifters in both cars when she wants to decelerate without braking.

 

i DRIVE THE AUTOMATIC CAUSE AT THE DEALER THEY HAVE ANY COLOR YOU WANT BUT IN AUTOMATIC, AND ALTHOW I AM A STICKHEAD, I WAS EXITED ABOUT DRIVING IT WITH THE PADDLES, THEY ARE IN THE WHELL NOT IN THE COLUMN, SO IT WAS VERY CONFUSING WHEN IN THE TWISTSAND THAT WAS A DEALBREAKER FOR ME CAUSE I DRIVE AN HOUR TO THE MOUNTAINS AND BACK AGAIN 5 TIMES A WEEK SO IT MAY KILL THE FUN AND I WAS MORE CONVINCED ABOUT THE MANUAL. I SOMETIMES WISH NOT TO CHANGE GEARS BUT IS BETTER LIKE THAT NOT TO MENTION THET IS SLOWER

 

manual to automatic ratio is 1.5:10

a lot more automatic then manuals.