I've decided to sell my daily driver and buy something bigger. After checking out the Scion xD, Vibe/Matrix, Versa, and Fit I liked the fit the best. There was ALOT that I liked about it. The head room was surprising (I'm 6'2") the amount of cargo room is good, the fit and finish seems nice. I think my 2 favorite things was how the rear seat belts kinda recess into the back windows to keep them out of the rear view and how the rear seat bottoms fold up for a nice storage area right there... genius!


One thing that bugged me is the lack of center armrest but thats about it. But I have heard some bad things about from other people. Things like the drivers seat, that it almost has a minivan like feel to it, like the seat is raised up and almost feels tilted forward like it wants to dump you off of the front of the seat. I didn't notice anything unusual about it when test driving it but then again my test drive was like 5 miles. I've also heard about paint "issues"... nothing specific, can anyone shed some light on that? Another thing I've heard is that a Fit 5-speed with an AEM intake will break the 40 mpg mark so long as you keep your foot out of it. Next is the long term reliability, is it worth it for an extended warranty? And finally, mountain bikes, what the best way to go about transporting a par of bikes with a fit (roof rack setup, hitch with bike rack attachment, etc..) pics and or info would be greatly appreciated.

As of now my plan is buy a brand new 08 Vivid Blue Fit Sport 5-speed as soon as I sell my car. I don't see any of that changing but I am buying this for long term so I'm trying to research as much as possible.

Thanks in advance.

 

If you didn't notice anything with the driving position, then I wouldn't give it a second thought.

The only other things I can chime in about are the paint and the warranty.

Honda paints always gets a bad rap (somewhat deserved), especially in regard to chipping up front. After owning a slew of HMC cars, I can't say I've had any major first-hand issues but I've heard the stories. 3M clear bra might be an option depending on your commute, but if you take care of your finish you won't have any worries.

As far as the warranty goes, I just got the Fit, but out of the 10 Hondas I've owned I've had exactly one repair...a bad water pump at 33k on a CR-V. Not a hint of trouble on any of the other cars, and they've ranged from 28k - 86k before I've swapped them out.

If you're planning on keeping it for 10 years (or drive crazy miles) it might be reasonable, but I'd personally like the odds that I'd never need it. Especially true on a small displacement, low h.p. Honda engine ....the deck is stacked way in your favor.

 

With the paint issue... its not the greatest paint... but do u expect that on a car of this price? i have never had any problems with the driving position...and milege wise i have gotten over 200 to the half tank in my MT... hope this helps... welcome to Fitfreak! and hope your search for the right car goes well!

 

personally there is nothing wrong about the fit but the power. we all know that the fit needs that extra umph in it to be GREAT.


today i was torn between a srt4 and my own fit.

but at the end of the deal, i parked the two cars next to each other and i was like...pssh im keeping the fit.

they were even going to PAY off my fit, and gave me a killer deal nobody else would have probably passed up.

i was really torn about the power, but in the long run my fit will be so much better overall. from the cargo space...to the handling i love the fit.

once i actually go boost, i think ill deeply fall in love with my fit and never decide to let it go.

 

Interesting, I'm about to trade in my ACR SRT-4 for a Honda Fit Sport 08...I need a daily driver and this seems to fit the bill right now. I'll probably end up getting a 135i as my weekend vehicle but it's nice to hear that people with decently quick cars (i.e.: SRT-4, S2K, etc.) have been able to live with the loss of power in the in Fit (this is the only thing that worries me).

 

I did not see any specific questions. There's thread on here that lists all the items that most dislike, read that 1st. Some I did not see and was surprised like the lack of carpet and the poorly designed ele throttle in the M5.

I have had mine for 2 weeks now and fell I got just what I paid for. I have no illusion of turning this 109hp Sub Compact into anything other than it was designed for. As gas goes to $4 or more, I am more interested in Hypemilling mine so my commute to work is not eating my money up. I have a scanner now, but on gas tank one, I managed to get 38.4mpg over 350 miles with 70% of that on a free way at 65 with CC. That's 13% better than EPA.

Good luck with your move.

BTW Almost every review with other sub compacts has Fit's on the top.

 

I broke down the specific items I felt I could address, so here goes...

1. Zetaproducts.net sells two variants of an armreast for the Fit, a Folding one that sells for $114.00 and a non-folding one with a rear cup holder that sells for $99.00. I'm currently torn between which one to get, but plan on getting one before to much longer.

2. I'm 6' and I feel the Fit is a bit tight in the front leg room department, but then I was driving a full sized GMC Pickup as my daily driver before the Fit, so that took some adjustment. I am starting to adapt (I'm only had it 2 weeks) and have tweaked the seat to where it's now comfortable for me. I'nm not sure what you meant by mini-van feel, but I don't think the seat sits like a mini-van or a pick-up, but you don't feel like your sitting on the floor like a sports car either.

3. My daughters have had 3 Civics between them over the past 7 years, and my wife currently drives an Acura, I'm not noticed any issues with the paint on any of these vehicles.

4. It's a Honda, need I say more?

Good luck in your search and I hope you find what works best for you!

 

You don't need a bike rack

 

The lose of power moving to a Fit isn't that big of a deal because it's such a fun car(I traded my 2007 STI in for it)As for the question's 1)I thought I'd miss the center armrest in my Fit(l didn't have 1 in my Lexus IS300 either)But I don't at all,more room I think.If you do go aftermarket(cheap and easy to install) 2) Seat's are great.I go around corner's so fast that and me and passager's are surprised that they don't throw us into the window's(cloth seat's are great for not throwing people around,that's why real racing seat's aren't leather) 3) Paint is not ANY Japanese strong point(issue's with IS300 in 1 year of use)but the Fit I have(SSM) seem's good so far.4) NEVER BY EXTENDED WARRANTY.It is 1 of the biggest scam's in almost all field's of business(TV's/Car's/Electronic's).It's so bad they have had 60 Minute's do a report on it and I've read and heard may stories of people having the warranty and them not vailidating it.BUYER BEWARE.Also thank's BAF for the breakdown list.

 

i bought my 2008 fit sport back in december (BOM). And i haven't any complaints with it. This is first car that i have owned that i have truly fallen in love with. I know double park at the back of the parking lots so no one hits it. I'm 5'8" and have no problem with any space. It's a great car. as for the loss of power, i could barley notice it, and i came from an 04 chevy blazer. It's a small and nimble car, it doesn't need a lot of horses.

 

You don't get anywhere real fast, but it has a very go-kart-ish personality that gives a nice illusion of quicks. That 109/105 looks anemic on paper, but not something that crosses my mind behind the wheel.

 

i dont like armrests on MT cars so the lack of it never bothered me.

the only thing that i really miss on my FitS is the ambient temperature
gauge... that's about it.

you'll get use to the driving position. car handles pretty well in stock
form. i still look forward to driving my car every day so that's a good
sign.

 

Hey, I just traded in my trusty 03 Matrix xr with TRD SC for The FIT S Vivid blue just two days ago and like Mc Donalds say " I'm loving it" I don't regret it at all. Don't get me wrong, it really did hurt seeing my Trix leave, but the FIT conferted me very quickly. I personally believe you are making the right choice. I use the the S feature in the city cause it will save me more on gas. (tricking the Computor) Also, you will find allot of info on this site as well...

 

The Fit is a great car if you don't mind the paint and putting time into detailing it to keep it looking good. I have to say I've been purchasing cars since 1978 and the Fit is my favorite car among them all. I have added Mugen appearance parts to the car and I just enjoy the fun of driving this car. I've never owned a vehicle that got so much attention from other drivers and from the police That Milano Red makes them think I am fast but little do they know at 109 hp and 105 lbs of torque - isn't fast for long!!!!!!!!!!! I always drive the speed limit but if they are radaring the highway, they always look hard at the Fit. Ok this hanging on the back of my car may not have helped with that either!



Cat :x

 

First....Welcome and second read the red inserts below VVV

Its a fun and versatile car, there are lots of "well if it only...." or "it would have been..." or "why didn't they..." but the bottom line is that it is very, VERY versatile!!! in very unique and enlightening ways.

 

hey...Congrats!!!
and Welcome to you too!

 

I can't speak to all of your issues, but can suggest that if you're not sure about the driving position and seat, take more test drives. Simply go to other Honda dealers and test drive a Fit there too.

When I was looking, the first car I test drove was a Fit and I fell so in love it was hard to make myself go and look at the other cars on my list. I did that and then went to the Honda dealer in the area that gives flat prices with none of the negotiation nonsense and drove the only Fit Sport MT they had on the lot and to my surprise didn't like it! Was so disappointed and was ready to expand my search, then couldn't resist going back to the first place, planning on driving the silver Fit that I'd first fallen in love with again, just to see. Got there and saw a Blackberry Pearl sitting next to the silver and test drove it instead and was in love again. I still don't know why I didn't like the one silver car. It had 78 miles on it as opposed to the 3-5 the others had when I got in them, so maybe I wasn't the only one. Anyway, drive more than one if you're unsure.

My car has just under 5,000 miles on it. I've made no effort to get better mpg, I just drive it, and that means giving it enough gas to get it going from stops fast enough and bombing along highways with 70 speed limits at 80. I don't do much city driving, more town and country. I've averaged 36 mpg.

And I don't understand the complaints about power. I guess if roaring away from stops is important to you . . . . but this car has enough get up and go to be fun to drive and I can't imagine not being able to keep up with anything in normal driving. Being picked up for speeding is more of a concern for me as it's quite easy to forget how fast you should be going and start zipping along because it's fun.

My paint is fine, really beautiful when it's clean, but I have seen posts complaining about paint. Probably something to inspect the individual car you intend to buy for carefully, not just looking but rubbing it a bit here and there.

 

Good grief, you're saying a Fit is bigger? What'd you have? a bike? or Metro?
If you want a driver's car the Fit is best. If you want more room, especially baxck seat, and more features for same mpg look at the Versa but expect to drive a miniBuick.

 

Wow, I'm impressed at this forum. Its not often you get this many helpful responses this fast. I appreciate it everyone.

A couple replies to comments. I'm glad to here the seat position isn't an issue. Like I said I drove it a few miles and it was comfy but nothing long term. The leg room isn't a problem for me, I don't drive laid back with a gangster lean. I don't like my legs to be completely straight when pushing in the clutch etc.

As for the paint. I have no problem taking car of the car. I'm a Volkswagen Technician at a dealer. My car gets washed AT LEAST every saturday regardless of weather. In the summer even more and I always keep a coat of wax on my cars. I'm a clean freak when it comes to my cars. My last car (the car I'm selling now, its been parted out and but back to near stock) was a weekend driver and a show car... nothing special but it got me all of these



But my point is, I properly take care of cars and keep them clean. So long as that will stop the problem I wont have a problem.

I'm glad to see a pick of 2 mountain bikes in the back. I don't want to do that but its nice knowing there is no hurry on finding a rack. I can lay down a blanket and do that for the time being.

As for extended warranty thing... again I'm a VW tech, you would have to be crazy to buy a VW as a daily driver with no extended warranty. I definetly don't believe they are a scam. Different companys cover different things, extended warranty doesn't mean its a bumper to bumper warranty. Some companys cover more then others, it just that people don't read what they are actually buying. For now I think I will pass on one for the fit though

I wont have a problem with driving it hard. Like you guys said its 109 hp, its not a fast car and with the 1.5L it never will be. I'm not buying the Fit to modify it, I'm buying it to be a driver. Granted knowing me that wont last long LOL, I always end up modding my cars. I wont do anything crazy but chances are I'll end up putting wheels, short through, sway and strut bars on it. I've pretty much done that to every car I've had. I don't need this car to be fast nor am I going to try to make it fast... I have a fast car in the garage for the winter for the that, and its a Cavalier of all things (thats what my sig is from, my cavi)

One last question, the Fit emblem on the rear... are there holes in the body under the emblem to line it up or just stuck on? Badging and dealer stickers usually don't last a day with me.

Thanks again for the replies, I apreciate it everyone

 

not to get off topic, but i remember a year ago when i got my fit, i had to drive to a dealer 45 minutes away to be able to test drive one- there were simply none available that the dealers were willing to let fitfreaks beat up for a few miles

anyways, welcome to the forums!! my biggest complaint with the car was the paint issue (there's a huge sticky about the peeling issue a lot of us had) but the dealer fixed it no questions asked and it's been fine ever since.