Hi everyone!

I'm looking into purchasing my first car and have narrowed to a Fit! Although I've spent some time reading through the forums and reviews, I wanted this forum's opinion. I'm looking to purchase a used 2008 model with roughly 170 000km for $5700 CAD. The only issue that a mechanic found was a minor leak in the front struts. Otherwise the car is in great condition. CarFax/CarProof shows it is clean. Do you guys think that this is a good deal?

 

It's an ok deal but that is a considerable amount of mileage. I might try and find something's it's less mileage. I love my GD3 fit but seeing as you are in canada I might try and look for a GE8 (second gen). Mileage aside, us Canadians a always get stuck with rust sooner or later!

Get a manual transmission !

 

I saw quite a few Fits on Kijiji with low mileage and relatively inexpensive. So much so that it was a bit depressing because it means I wouldn't be able to get a lot for my 75k km 2008 Fit Sport.

Considering the issue I'm dealing with at the moment, I'd say make sure the spring coils are intact. Mine snapped recently due to a bit of corrosion and original parts are on backorder for the next 2mths.

 

I actually just bought an 08 Fit Sport about a month ago with 145k Miles roughly 230k km. To be fair I'm in the middle of the US so probably much less salt seen in my cars life. I haven't had any issue and the one you are looking at should be pretty reliable as long as you see all the necessary maintenance has been done.

 

Sounds like a good buy, I would try to shave a couple hundred off if possible as with buying any car. Strut work is relatively cheap and doesn't impair your driving it dramatically, so if you're tight on cash you can sill drive it carefully till you have enough to fix them. Shouldn't be more than a couple hundred to fix both front struts depending how much of the suspension needs work. Struts only are about $50 (for aftermarket) a piece plus a hour labor. good luck!

 

The Fit is a great car but that sounds a bit steep for a car this inexpensive and with that many miles. Check local prices and blue book value for some data points on what the current market will bear.

Other things to look for:

- bad coil packs - does the engine stutter at constant normal road speed?
- does VTEC kick in above 3K rpm, you should feel it in your butt dyno? If not, the VTEC switch is bad (I replaced mine)
- has the serpentine belt been replaced? An easy DIY but don't risk driving on one that's original with that many miles
- is the electric power steering assist working? There were some early failures on some of these units.
- get an OBDII scanner and see if the computer has stored any codes
- has the coolant been changed? Should have been done at 120K miles.
- if auto tranny, was the fluid changed at the maintenance intervals?
- was the safety recall on the driver side window switch done (note there were actually two recalls on the same switch)
- were the spark plugs replaced at 100K miles? Even if they were, I suggest regapping at least every 50K miles to help reduce the likelihood of future coil pack problems.

 

I just bought my fit ~2 weeks ago. (2008, 110k, for 4k in Calgary). One thing that got me was that the rain rail seals by the hatch were cracked. Definitely worth taking a look at. That, and the driver's door tumbler was jammed. Both of these are known issues.

 

Sounds like a good reason to put coilovers on it. I would negotiate the price. It isn't bad, about $4,400 USD. The miles aren't terrible either. But try and get it down a little bit. $5,000 CAD would be a sweet deal!

 

Fits are great cars

 

The first question I'd ask: Does the original owner have service records available? That's the most important issue in my mind - how has the car been serviced up to this point.

I have ~140,000 mi. on my '08 Sport 5MT. Recent valve adjust, plugs at 110K, cleaned the original coils at that point and still runs strong. I have not only all service records but a running log of all costs including gas, oil, repairs, etc. Doesn't burn a drop of oil through the ~30 oil changes it's been through.

 

The price is on the high side, but I guess that's also depending where in Canada you are from. And us forum members really can't tell what condition the vehicle is in.

If the seller have maintenance records, get it and look at it. You need to know how the vehicle was maintained.

And yes, the leaking strut is no big deal. Also a goo excuse to go straight to coilovers.