Need to replace a Fit with something cheaper... suggestions?
#1
06-07-2015, 02:34 AM
Need to replace a Fit with something cheaper... suggestions?
Well, it may have to be a fond farewell to the Fit community. My 2010 Sport MT was totaled recently, which means I'm in the market for a replacement of some sort. Importantly, I'm trying to save money. So I'm looking for a similar car but somehow cheaper.
I loved having a hatchback, so I'm thinking of trying to get my hands on a 2002-2005 Civic Si, the sort of bullet-shaped one with the dash-mounted shifter. It seems like a lot more fun than a late '90s Civic hatchback. But are there other suggestions? Different makes are fine, but I do love me an older Honda...
The only requirements:
- Affordable (to purchase, but more importantly to maintain)
- Reliable
- Not mega miles (I'd like at least 100,000 left in it)
- Manual transmission
- Hatchback much preferred
- Pricepoint: $4,000 - $7,000
For reference, I've seen a couple of that Civic Si body style with ~150k miles listed for about $6,500. Can we beat that, realistically?
Thanks much.
I loved having a hatchback, so I'm thinking of trying to get my hands on a 2002-2005 Civic Si, the sort of bullet-shaped one with the dash-mounted shifter. It seems like a lot more fun than a late '90s Civic hatchback. But are there other suggestions? Different makes are fine, but I do love me an older Honda...
The only requirements:
- Affordable (to purchase, but more importantly to maintain)
- Reliable
- Not mega miles (I'd like at least 100,000 left in it)
- Manual transmission
- Hatchback much preferred
- Pricepoint: $4,000 - $7,000
For reference, I've seen a couple of that Civic Si body style with ~150k miles listed for about $6,500. Can we beat that, realistically?
Thanks much.
#2
06-07-2015, 08:05 AM
Badlin: you have lots of options. First, I'm sorry for the loss of your car. I hope everyone was OK in the accident and is looking forward to the future.
Now for the car. The obvious answer is a used Fit. With the 3rd generation out on the street, used Fits continue to fall in price. I suggest you find one BY OWNER on Craigslist, and avoid all the annoying dealer markups and profiteering. Staying with the reliability angle, a 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. Their prices have fallen dramatically simply because of the Pontiac name plate. I own the 2009 (Corolla Vibe). You can also get a Camry engine (2.4 liter) with it so be careful which engine comes with the Vibe/Matrix you look at. If you get the AWD, it will also come with Rav 4 components. Vibes are VERY cheap with a standard tranny. I'll also recommend the other car I own just in case your family is growing and you need a bit more space: the 2009-2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring (HET). If you get the manual, you avoid the ONLY weakness of the HET: the automatic transmission. Otherwise, the car is fantastic, holds a ton of stuff, has luxury style legroom, and like the Vibe, can be had VERY cheaply since no one seems to want the manual transmission. Again, check cars.com and craigslist DAILY to find a used car for sale by owner. This will ensure you can ask the actual owner what maintenance was done to the vehicle and know you are getting a straight answer. A dealer knows nothing of the used cars they sell and are there only to take their $4,000 profit on the used vehicles they sell. Best of luck with your choice and let us know how it goes.
Doing a quick check on craigslist only showed one 2009 Vibe in Fontana, but it was an automatic. No HETs came up. They normally have automatics as well and are more expensive than your price range, but when one is posted with manual tranny, they are heavily discounted. Doing a quick search on cars.com revealed only first generation Vibes. They too are a great car (having had one) and come with the corolla engine only. Either way, I think you'll see that you don't have to go back as far in model year as you initially thought. I think a more modern model will be within your reach.
One last thought: when I bought my Fit for $6500 2 years ago, I know I got a bargain for such a great car. With all the intensive research I did looking nationwide for a car, my advice to you is that you do not go below $6000 in your search. The closer to $5,000 I got, the more headaches I encountered in potential repairs/scheduled maintenance. If possible, I would keep your target higher than $5,000, and if you can stretch it, bump up the high end to $8,000. You'll find something in great shape the closer you get to $8k. Again, best wishes.
Now for the car. The obvious answer is a used Fit. With the 3rd generation out on the street, used Fits continue to fall in price. I suggest you find one BY OWNER on Craigslist, and avoid all the annoying dealer markups and profiteering. Staying with the reliability angle, a 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. Their prices have fallen dramatically simply because of the Pontiac name plate. I own the 2009 (Corolla Vibe). You can also get a Camry engine (2.4 liter) with it so be careful which engine comes with the Vibe/Matrix you look at. If you get the AWD, it will also come with Rav 4 components. Vibes are VERY cheap with a standard tranny. I'll also recommend the other car I own just in case your family is growing and you need a bit more space: the 2009-2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring (HET). If you get the manual, you avoid the ONLY weakness of the HET: the automatic transmission. Otherwise, the car is fantastic, holds a ton of stuff, has luxury style legroom, and like the Vibe, can be had VERY cheaply since no one seems to want the manual transmission. Again, check cars.com and craigslist DAILY to find a used car for sale by owner. This will ensure you can ask the actual owner what maintenance was done to the vehicle and know you are getting a straight answer. A dealer knows nothing of the used cars they sell and are there only to take their $4,000 profit on the used vehicles they sell. Best of luck with your choice and let us know how it goes.
Doing a quick check on craigslist only showed one 2009 Vibe in Fontana, but it was an automatic. No HETs came up. They normally have automatics as well and are more expensive than your price range, but when one is posted with manual tranny, they are heavily discounted. Doing a quick search on cars.com revealed only first generation Vibes. They too are a great car (having had one) and come with the corolla engine only. Either way, I think you'll see that you don't have to go back as far in model year as you initially thought. I think a more modern model will be within your reach.
One last thought: when I bought my Fit for $6500 2 years ago, I know I got a bargain for such a great car. With all the intensive research I did looking nationwide for a car, my advice to you is that you do not go below $6000 in your search. The closer to $5,000 I got, the more headaches I encountered in potential repairs/scheduled maintenance. If possible, I would keep your target higher than $5,000, and if you can stretch it, bump up the high end to $8,000. You'll find something in great shape the closer you get to $8k. Again, best wishes.
Last edited by BurntZ; 06-07-2015 at 01:20 PM.
#3
06-12-2015, 04:51 PM
Personally, if I was in the market for an EP3 I would look for a 2004-2005 Civic Si. They did a MMC for the '04 model and it looks much nicer than the 2002 and 2003.
$6500 seems steep for one with 150K miles.
$6500 seems steep for one with 150K miles.
Well, it may have to be a fond farewell to the Fit community. My 2010 Sport MT was totaled recently, which means I'm in the market for a replacement of some sort. Importantly, I'm trying to save money. So I'm looking for a similar car but somehow cheaper.
I loved having a hatchback, so I'm thinking of trying to get my hands on a 2002-2005 Civic Si, the sort of bullet-shaped one with the dash-mounted shifter. It seems like a lot more fun than a late '90s Civic hatchback. But are there other suggestions? Different makes are fine, but I do love me an older Honda...
The only requirements:
- Affordable (to purchase, but more importantly to maintain)
- Reliable
- Not mega miles (I'd like at least 100,000 left in it)
- Manual transmission
- Hatchback much preferred
- Pricepoint: $4,000 - $7,000
For reference, I've seen a couple of that Civic Si body style with ~150k miles listed for about $6,500. Can we beat that, realistically?
Thanks much.
I loved having a hatchback, so I'm thinking of trying to get my hands on a 2002-2005 Civic Si, the sort of bullet-shaped one with the dash-mounted shifter. It seems like a lot more fun than a late '90s Civic hatchback. But are there other suggestions? Different makes are fine, but I do love me an older Honda...
The only requirements:
- Affordable (to purchase, but more importantly to maintain)
- Reliable
- Not mega miles (I'd like at least 100,000 left in it)
- Manual transmission
- Hatchback much preferred
- Pricepoint: $4,000 - $7,000
For reference, I've seen a couple of that Civic Si body style with ~150k miles listed for about $6,500. Can we beat that, realistically?
Thanks much.
#4
06-13-2015, 06:53 PM
Well, it may have to be a fond farewell to the Fit community. My 2010 Sport MT was totaled recently, which means I'm in the market for a replacement of some sort. Importantly, I'm trying to save money. So I'm looking for a similar car but somehow cheaper.
I loved having a hatchback, so I'm thinking of trying to get my hands on a 2002-2005 Civic Si, the sort of bullet-shaped one with the dash-mounted shifter. It seems like a lot more fun than a late '90s Civic hatchback. But are there other suggestions? Different makes are fine, but I do love me an older Honda...
The only requirements:
- Affordable (to purchase, but more importantly to maintain)
- Reliable
- Not mega miles (I'd like at least 100,000 left in it)
- Manual transmission
- Hatchback much preferred
- Pricepoint: $4,000 - $7,000
For reference, I've seen a couple of that Civic Si body style with ~150k miles listed for about $6,500. Can we beat that, realistically?
Thanks much.
I loved having a hatchback, so I'm thinking of trying to get my hands on a 2002-2005 Civic Si, the sort of bullet-shaped one with the dash-mounted shifter. It seems like a lot more fun than a late '90s Civic hatchback. But are there other suggestions? Different makes are fine, but I do love me an older Honda...
The only requirements:
- Affordable (to purchase, but more importantly to maintain)
- Reliable
- Not mega miles (I'd like at least 100,000 left in it)
- Manual transmission
- Hatchback much preferred
- Pricepoint: $4,000 - $7,000
For reference, I've seen a couple of that Civic Si body style with ~150k miles listed for about $6,500. Can we beat that, realistically?
Thanks much.
#5
06-18-2015, 12:19 AM
Badlin: you have lots of options. First, I'm sorry for the loss of your car. I hope everyone was OK in the accident and is looking forward to the future.
Now for the car. The obvious answer is a used Fit. With the 3rd generation out on the street, used Fits continue to fall in price. I suggest you find one BY OWNER on Craigslist, and avoid all the annoying dealer markups and profiteering. Staying with the reliability angle, a 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. Their prices have fallen dramatically simply because of the Pontiac name plate. I own the 2009 (Corolla Vibe). You can also get a Camry engine (2.4 liter) with it so be careful which engine comes with the Vibe/Matrix you look at. If you get the AWD, it will also come with Rav 4 components. Vibes are VERY cheap with a standard tranny. I'll also recommend the other car I own just in case your family is growing and you need a bit more space: the 2009-2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring (HET). If you get the manual, you avoid the ONLY weakness of the HET: the automatic transmission. Otherwise, the car is fantastic, holds a ton of stuff, has luxury style legroom, and like the Vibe, can be had VERY cheaply since no one seems to want the manual transmission. Again, check cars.com and craigslist DAILY to find a used car for sale by owner. This will ensure you can ask the actual owner what maintenance was done to the vehicle and know you are getting a straight answer. A dealer knows nothing of the used cars they sell and are there only to take their $4,000 profit on the used vehicles they sell. Best of luck with your choice and let us know how it goes.
Doing a quick check on craigslist only showed one 2009 Vibe in Fontana, but it was an automatic. No HETs came up. They normally have automatics as well and are more expensive than your price range, but when one is posted with manual tranny, they are heavily discounted. Doing a quick search on cars.com revealed only first generation Vibes. They too are a great car (having had one) and come with the corolla engine only. Either way, I think you'll see that you don't have to go back as far in model year as you initially thought. I think a more modern model will be within your reach.
One last thought: when I bought my Fit for $6500 2 years ago, I know I got a bargain for such a great car. With all the intensive research I did looking nationwide for a car, my advice to you is that you do not go below $6000 in your search. The closer to $5,000 I got, the more headaches I encountered in potential repairs/scheduled maintenance. If possible, I would keep your target higher than $5,000, and if you can stretch it, bump up the high end to $8,000. You'll find something in great shape the closer you get to $8k. Again, best wishes.
Now for the car. The obvious answer is a used Fit. With the 3rd generation out on the street, used Fits continue to fall in price. I suggest you find one BY OWNER on Craigslist, and avoid all the annoying dealer markups and profiteering. Staying with the reliability angle, a 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. Their prices have fallen dramatically simply because of the Pontiac name plate. I own the 2009 (Corolla Vibe). You can also get a Camry engine (2.4 liter) with it so be careful which engine comes with the Vibe/Matrix you look at. If you get the AWD, it will also come with Rav 4 components. Vibes are VERY cheap with a standard tranny. I'll also recommend the other car I own just in case your family is growing and you need a bit more space: the 2009-2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring (HET). If you get the manual, you avoid the ONLY weakness of the HET: the automatic transmission. Otherwise, the car is fantastic, holds a ton of stuff, has luxury style legroom, and like the Vibe, can be had VERY cheaply since no one seems to want the manual transmission. Again, check cars.com and craigslist DAILY to find a used car for sale by owner. This will ensure you can ask the actual owner what maintenance was done to the vehicle and know you are getting a straight answer. A dealer knows nothing of the used cars they sell and are there only to take their $4,000 profit on the used vehicles they sell. Best of luck with your choice and let us know how it goes.
Doing a quick check on craigslist only showed one 2009 Vibe in Fontana, but it was an automatic. No HETs came up. They normally have automatics as well and are more expensive than your price range, but when one is posted with manual tranny, they are heavily discounted. Doing a quick search on cars.com revealed only first generation Vibes. They too are a great car (having had one) and come with the corolla engine only. Either way, I think you'll see that you don't have to go back as far in model year as you initially thought. I think a more modern model will be within your reach.
One last thought: when I bought my Fit for $6500 2 years ago, I know I got a bargain for such a great car. With all the intensive research I did looking nationwide for a car, my advice to you is that you do not go below $6000 in your search. The closer to $5,000 I got, the more headaches I encountered in potential repairs/scheduled maintenance. If possible, I would keep your target higher than $5,000, and if you can stretch it, bump up the high end to $8,000. You'll find something in great shape the closer you get to $8k. Again, best wishes.
Thank you for this wonderful advice.
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