Hey guys, I am going to be buying a fit in the near future, yet I'm conflicted on what to do. There are a couple of 10's-11's out there Certified for around 14k, an '08 for about 11k, all around 30k miles. Now the question is would be getting one of the newer ones be worth the 14k, as in if I'm going to pay 14 for it, might as well go brand new, maybe wait til the end of the year when they are trying to clear this years model's off the lot and see if I can get a good deal. Or should I just go for the '08 for less and see if I can get it for around 10. For me, it doesn't matter if it is a Sport or Base. Manual would be nice but not a deal breaker if I couldn't get one. I'm just indecisive on what route I should go.

Any thoughts for a torn soul?

 

Sounds like you really want a manual. You should get one.
You don't want to be telling yourself "I could have had a manual"
To me driving a m/t Fit is like driving a sports car, compared to a a/t Fit.
It's nice having the transmission shift, when you want it to, as opposed to when the computer thinks it should.
$17.000 including sales tax and everything, should get you a new Base, m/t

 

Buy a new base model M/T at the end of the year if you don't care about the exterior add-ons, wheels, Navi, etc.

If it's a difference of a few grand i'd rather have a car that I know exactly what's been done with and to it from day 1, but I keep my cars a long time.

The 08' is a completely different car than the 09'+

 

With the 10-11's, you'll be in essence getting about $2000 in exchange for a car that's been through 30K miles and a few years of use (when compared with a new base model). If you assume that the life of the car is about 250K miles or 20ish years, that's even money, assuming no inflation. I think a new one makes more sense, all other things being equal. Conventional wisdom is that used cars are a better deal financially, since their initial depreciation is quite high; but in this particular case, that's not really true.

I went through the same sort of thinking a year ago, though it was even more obvious in my case. In my case, I could have gotten a used sport (with its extras that I could hardly care less about) for just about exactly the same money as a brand new base. I of course got the new car with the new car warranty, and am quite happy with it.

 

Used cars used to be a much better deal, but with the price being not that far apart, especially for the Fit, keep in mind what you're giving up when you get a used car:

1. Resale value- a 2013 is 3 years newer than a 2010 and that is something that affects how much you get back when you sell it. Of course you pay more for insurance on the car and if you keep it till it falls apart the sale price won't be that different.

2. Owning the BEST part of the car's lifespan- when it's new- fewest problems, full warranty, fewest squeaks and other stuff that just starts to show up after a few years.

3. Choosing the color, etc.

4. Knowing that you're the only one who's driven it- you know some idiot didn't drive it with no oil for four miles, etc.

5. Being the original owner makes a small bit of difference to some buyers when you go to sell it (I was asked that by two potential buyers of the last couple of cars I sold).

6. Adverse selection avoidance- if you buy a new car you know it's being sold because it's new. If you buy a used car there's some chance the reason it's being sold is that the owner had more problems with it than expected.

So- if the difference between new and 30k miles is only, say, $4000, that's 20-25% of the car's cost and maybe 15-20% of the car's life- wouldn't you want to be the one with the best part of that deal?

 

Where's that article again? The one titled "cars you may as well buy new." The used fits are so expensive just went new. I'm keeping my car for at least a decade anyway.

 

Yahoo!

 

This post sums up my stance quite nicely. Luckily economy cars like the Fit are a bit more durable anyway (and likely won't be too sensitive to any lack of pampering), but it applies for any car. There's something nice about peace of mind when making a (low) five-figure investment in a car that you need to go to work and back on a daily basis.

That being said, it's not like buying used is going to be a guaranteed fail, or that buying new is going to be a guaranteed win. But again, you never know what the previous owner did (or didn't do) to it, and it's not like the CPO process means that they will find every problem (especially if it hasn't happened yet but is on its way to failing) or even fix it. I worked at a dealership before, and they would just put the CPO sticker on it without doing anything to it beyond washing it. Nothing was inspected or fixed, unless it was something really obvious. Again, it's not to say every dealership cuts corners like that, but it's something to think about. Sure, the CPO warranty will likely take care of it, but I'd rather not have that inconvenience.

My first car was a five-year old 1995 Honda Accord EX coupe (not certified though), and while I enjoyed it (and, given the time when I had it, installed intake/exhaust, coilovers, wheels, etc.), I had more problems with it than I wanted. CELs (which wouldn't have been caused by the mods), water pump failure and then an oil leak (AFTER I took it in for some recall involving it, though it didn't leak a drop of oil before that).

And my last two cars were both brand new, and it has been virtually trouble-free. 62k miles later, I think the only things that I ever needed was a re-alignment at 800-900 miles since it felt off (covered by warranty) and then a fuel door spring replacement (also covered by warranty -- though it's a $3 part that I wouldn't have minded changing on my own).

 

Re posting this article https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...49478099,d.cGE

/end thread

Friend just got a 2013 Milano Red Sport AT out the door for $18.2K

 

Brandon: I think some important points are missing from some of these posts. First, you have given us essentially two options: new or certified used. Both mean that you are buying from a dealer. If you really, really feel the need to buy from the dealer, which I avoid like the plague, then you should use a buying service such as USAA or your credit union to buy the car, be it certified or new.
Since dealers all across the country are sending out their minions to "vacuum" up cars on e-bay, craigs list and the like, it is hard to get a good used car deal now. However, since I like the thrill of the hunt, and i will do whatever it takes to beat the dealer, I ended up getting an incredible deal on my 2007. At $6500, I had more than enough left over cash to get all the fluids replaced and get the valves adjusted. My car had only one owner, and he and I spoke at great length so I could be fully at ease on how the car had been driven and what had/had not been repaired/replaced. Since many sellers are now aware that dealers are flipping cars and making $4000 on their car without any improvements, some sellers are refusing to sell to a dealer. There are great deals still to be found on used Fits sold by their owners. However, they may not be in your neighborhood and you may have to drive some distance to get one. I had to drive over 2.5 hours to get mine. If you can find an original owner, the likelihood of you buying a reliable vehicle goes up considerably and the savings is substantial. If money is not an object, then you know where you can throw it away. I yearn for the day when dealerships won't exist anymore. They hardly serve any useful purpose in the internet age and I will continue to try to dissuade anyone from buying a used car from them given the multi thousand dollar markup for just vacuuming out someone's trade in.
And most of all, the Fit is the closest thing to a "bullet proof" car on the road today. My mechanic laughed at me when I was concerned that the previous owner had left the transmission fluid in over 94,000 miles. "Hardly anything goes wrong on these cars," he said. So finding a used one should give you confidence. It is hard to screw up a Fit. Good luck with your choice.

 

07-08 Fits should max out around 10k in cost. any more, and you might as well get a newer model that has better features and better POTENTIAL gas mileage

I paid approx 19900 all said and done (taxes, paperwork, etc) for my 2013 in december. its worth several grand less now


I think you should stick with either a 08 or a 2011 or newer. 09s and 10s had a few recalls that were very important. 2011s had a few but nothing severe.


2012s and 2013s so far no issues I can recall in memory

 

My 2010 had no recalls, and anyway if they fixed the problem it probably doesn't matter.

 

you can find a 2007 or 2008 for $8,500; it just might not be in your neighborhood. Your local dealer will indeed charge at least $10,000. I found some good certified models through USAA in the $8,500 range, but they were a bit of a hassle to take a train/bus to and I didn't feel like paying stupid dealer add on charges to boot. At a minimum, if you decide to go the used car route, check cars.com and craigslist every day until you find what you want. Currently there are 3 Fits sold by owner that are at/under $8500 on cars.com.

 

Thanks for all the great replies!

I work 12 hour shifts so I have a lot of time to think. I am very much a flip floper on a lot of things. I love the Fit, but the mpg is a little disconcerning for a 2013 model. How much are you guys averaging?

 

If I stick around Fort Hood, I tend to average in the high 20s (Traffic, sitting and idling waiting on formation,etc). If I spend most my time on the highway it tends to be mid or high 30s depending on speed, traffic, and my foot. Occasionally it gets 40mpg average if I relax on my right foot


My usual mixed driving gets me 30-32mpg average. It varies so much that its hard to put it solid.

When teh car was brand new, I drove it 1200 miles home (KilleenTX to WI, holidays), and the 1187 mile trip back, I averaged 33mpg doing 65-90mph the whole way. Even took pictures of it lol

This was before it was even at 5k miles!!

 

29 mpg in all suburban driving. For comparison sake, that is at least 2 mpg less than I get with my 1.8 liter Corolla engine, so the values I've gotten out of the 1.5 liter Fit are a bit underwhelming for sure.

 

Over a year and 25K+ miles, I've averaged between 39 and 40 mpg all time with my 2012 M/T base. (That's nearly all highway driving, observing the speed limits.) Note that there are no mechanical differences between the 2012 and 2013 model years. The Fit is a car that can do rather better in the real world than the EPA milage might suggest—or, put another way, it seems that Honda has tweaked it more for real-world milage than for milage on the EPA tests specifically. It's also possible, as with any car, to get poor milage through inefficient driving practices.

fuelly.com is a useful site for comparing real-world milage of various car models (and for tracking your own milage, if you care to do so).

 

Brand new, I can get a Fit base for around 16500, but now newly listed are a 2010 Insight EX, and a 2009 Prius, both around 13k with 40k miles; I will be moving to Denver soon and am wondering if I am better off going with a higher MPG car due to city driving.

 

moving to Denver?....wow, am I jealous. You are very lucky. It is a great town. I'm not sure how well a Prius or Insight would do should you decide to venture to the West of town. These cars might not do well in the hills of the front range nor in the mountains. Although Denver's traffic has gotten much heavier over the past 10 years, given that it is not NY or LA, and if you still decide on a small car, I would consider getting a manual transmission if you do plan on taking road trips out of the Denver area. The stick will help in the mountains and other than during rush hours, you will be driving free and clear most of the time.

 

If you really want to save huge amount of money, then going in for a certified one would help you a lot. Performances of certified cars are considerably up to the mark and so the mileage you are getting is quite low which is a good thing. If the car is in good shape and condition then I would say go for it.