I'm shopping for a new car to replace my 2006 Corolla and am strongly leaning towards a 2010 to 2013 Fit Sport. My wife has a 2010 and it seems like a great car! The Corolla is just, well, boring and it's developing some rust and age related issues too.


One thing I was wondering about is how to gauge how hard a car has been driven by previous owners? There are some great prices on Fits in Chicago and Milwaukee, some of them with a lot of miles in only a few years, but I'm worried they've been abused in stop and go traffic.


I was hoping that OBD2 might provide some useful data (number of lifetime transmission shifts, net engine runtime, number of redline events, mpg history, etc.) but it seems that these stats, if they're even recorded, would only be available using specialized equipment at Honda dealers - not via a basic OBD2 scanner. Is that true?


Then, I was thinking about how the car's computer calculated the oil change interval. Somewhere I read that the interval can range from 3,000 to 12,000 miles, I'm seeing a lot with around 5-6k. Does anyone have data to correlate this interval with the predominant type of driving (city vs. highway)?


Any other ideas? Will a good independent shop be able to assess this? Does it even matter with a relatively new Honda?


Thanks, hopefully in a few months I'll be posting some mods...considering adding more sound insulation to the cabin and making a plywood "bed-liner".

 

Look for a '12 or '13 with under 36k miles. Most likely was a lease vehicle that someone traded back in to the dealership to avoid paying extra miles.
Honestly, my wife's 07 Civic Hybrid was a Chicago car that only had like 5k per year on it when we bought it and I'm sure it had been used solely in stop and go traffic, but has treated us fine.

 

I'd just buy a car that drives well, though brakes are a good indicator of driving style in most cases.

That said, I drive in stop/go traffic fairly regularly and I almost never touch my brakes, but I'm an extreme outlier.

 

Thanks for the input. I've decided to not worry too much about the history on paper and just go with my gut and get a mechanics opinion.

As for the oil change idea, turns out the range isn't very wide so I don't think it's very meaningful. A few 2012 and 2013s registered in clearly rural areas were still averaging about 7k between changes whereas the ones I looked at in Chicago were about 5.5 or 6k.

 

I wouldn't worry much, really. Age matters almost as much as mileage with most cars...rubber deteriorates whether it's sitting still or in motion. Highway miles are obviously more gentle, but maintenance and driving style matters more than anything. I've put 200K miles on cars in city traffic without needing a clutch replacement, while others need two clutches doing the same on the highway.

 

I think you should drive several cars with different age and mileage within a single weekend. That way you get a feel for them and can compare how the car feels much better. Pay attention to engine noise, steering feel, braking feel. Also check the tires and see the wear patterns. Only after you're happy with those, then try out all the small things, music, hot/cold air, all buttons and gadgets, all doors, windows, etc.

I bought a used 2013 M/T last year with 25K miles. Was involved in an accident, but was fixed up real nice, I inspected everything and all checked out. Got a great deal, a bit over half the price of a new Fit.
Changed oil then and after 10K miles still had 20% oil life on the dash.
I'm used with oil changes at 5K, so I sent an oil sample for testing at Blackstone Labs. Just got the results yesterday: all good, nothing out of ordinary and they said the additive package in the oil was good another 2-3K and recommended I go to 12K next oil change. Using 0W20 synthetic.
I drive about 50%city-50%hwy, very cold winters and hot humid summers. Had to idle it 30 min several times last winter when ice rain got my car covered in 1inch ice.
I can't imagine what would make the oil last only 5-7K. Maybe daily long idling or redlining it all the time...

 

I have heard to check the wear on the pedals(assuming they havent been replaced)

If there seems to be an abnormal amount of wear for the amount of miles on the vehicle then it probably has been used more for city driving.

Also if it is a M/T i would check the trans fluid, mine was jet black when i purchased the car so it probably had never been changed ...

 

As a point of reference, not that it may be especially helpful, I do almost all highway-ish driving (or at least not city driving) in my '12 Fit, and my oil change intervals have been around 11k - 12k miles per the maintenance minder.