Hi,

I'm looking at buying a 2008 Fit, it has 336000KM on it though. Is that a lot for a fit? They asking a good price but that seems like a lot of millage.

I've been reading up on the subject though and with a timing chain instead of a belt I was thinking it might be a good deal as long as the body is good. Any thoughts?

Halo

 

It depends on how much they're asking and what your intended use is.

I have to convert to miles still (sorry, silly yank): that's 208K miles.

I'd say it has 50 to 100K miles left before major work (transmission/engine), but medium work things like CV joints, shocks/struts, alternators, starters, exhaust etc. etc. can be expected to fail with regularity or already need replacing.

I'd ask for service records; that will go a long way to telling you how much has been done and if it's likely to make it to 300K miles (roughly 500,000km...). If it hasn't had oil changes at least every 10k miles (15,000km) and other services I'd stay away. It should have had valves adjusted at 100K miles (160,000KM) and is due for valves and plugs again. That's about $400US. If they don't have service records it's a bigger gamble.

 

They're asking $4000. I'm only looking for 2 years and 40K miles out of this. Then I'll be done university and will have to reassess my needs. The only reason for this is my old car just won't give me another 2 weeks let alone 2 years.

Halo

 

As long as it runs and drives smooth, doesn't smoke on startup, doesn't have lots of creaks and groans while driving, etc. I'd say go for it. $4,000 sounds like a pretty good deal to me, especially if the interior and exterior are in decent shape.

Just for reference I sold a 2002 Honda Civic coupe with 207,000mi a few years ago for $4,850. It was in good shape, but not pristine cosmetically. It did run and drive perfectly though.

As long as you take pretty good care of them these Hondas will run for a long time typically and have great resale value. I bet you could buy it for $4,000 now, drive it for 2 years, and then sell it for somewhere around $3,000 without too much trouble. It would be like renting the car for ~$50 a month.

-Dustin

 

.....or you could just keep it after 2 years, start modifying it, and have a nice little spare/project/track car.

-Dustin

 

20,000 miles a year is a lot. Budget for repairs. Check comparables. $4,000 sounds good (here edmunds gives an 08 with that many miles a value of $4,400US on a dealer sale.

 

I've actually been averaging right at 30,000 miles a year on my 2012. I drive a lot for work and most of that is interstate miles. The 2002 Civic I mentioned above got the same treatment and went from about 80,000 miles to 207,000 miles in the 4 years I had it. If most of the miles are highway/interstate miles they aren't nearly as hard on a car as city miles.

-Dustin

 

It's not a lot if it's under 150K. 20K miles per year is a lot if it's over 200K. I'm not saying the car won't perform, but it will need repairs for random stuff.

What it has going for it is age, it's only 6 years old. Most age related failures don't start until later. 10+ years.

I think it could be a great car for $4,000 with 200K miles, just don't expect miracles. It's gonna need a $400 repair or 3 over 40,000 miles.

And ask to see service records. If he doesn't have any, it could still be a good deal, but negotiate down.

 

It is a high mileage. If it has been done by several owners I would look for something else.
Honda prices are high there. In Italy a car with that mileage is worth maximum 2000 euro - especially Japanese cars...I know it is incredible. Here the prefered cars are VW.

Honda engines are great but i would prefer high mileage with just a single owner and proof of all services carried out.

 

Very true. Even if the engine, tranny, and suspension parts are still in good shape the little electronic parts start to go out about that time. The only thing I had to have fixed on the Civic I had was the ECM module (~$300 at a local shop including parts and labor).

Honda's do seem to be much more reliable in this area than some other brands I've owned before though. I had a few early 90's model Chevy trucks that had something going out on them almost once a month. The reliability of the electronics in those were pitiful.

-Dustin

 

European roads and drivers are much less kind to cars than North American roads. We tend to drive more on expressways and less aggressive in either expressway or city driving. Cars last longer here (and retain more value).

(former Côte d'Azur resident and grand prix de monaco participant... with lots of saturday shopping trips to San Remo)

 

Thanks for all the great the input guys.

Going to check it out today, if there's no rust and it runs good I'm going to take it.

Halo