lifespan of a 2nd generation fit?
 

Any guesses as to what the average lifespan of a 2nd gen fit would be in miles?


Looking to buy one for my sister. There are base models with fewer miles or sport models with higher miles; both about the same price. She prefers the look of the sport but doesn't want something with too high of miles.
The base model is 117k for $5500 and the sport is $6000 for 132k. There are others too with lower miles.
We just don't want to get one and have problems with it or have it die within a few years.

Thank you. And that is awesome that the car has made it over 500k.

but what do you guys think is the average mileage before people replace their Honda Fit?

I'll be honest I'm keeping mine until parts are gone, I total it or die. Such a fun car, no reason to get rid of it. Mine's an '09, just ticked over 80k a few days ago. Gonna spend some money on some maintenance stuff and rear disc conversion but that's the first time I've put money into it since i bought it.

Funny how I was in Reston last week and someone from Herndon mentions my thread :D

I bought my Taffy white about a week before you. I have around 75,000 kms on mine. Other than routine maintenance by the book I have had no problems. Well the battery but I think a lot of that was my additions somehow. I have no plans to replace the car. I still like it too much.

OP - I would think either one would be a good deal.

I felt the presence of the half million mile Fit .

To the OP I just bought my 2009 with 131k miles . When I was looking around I frequently saw 150-200k mike Fits in decent shape . It all depends on how it’s driven and how it’s maintained. I’d feel like anything under 150 has , in general, a decent amount of life left in it

Like any car, as long as there is a proper maintenance record, I feel like it'll last you a long time. And of course with any used car that has no warranty, you have to assume you'll need to put aside some maintenance money for the first year at least.

Even if the motor in mine craps out, I wouldn't hesitate to find a normal mileage motor and swap it in after I go over some things. This car has really impressed me and I can't see myself willingly get rid of this car unless it rots out at an exponential rate or someone in a truck rams into me.

:D

A practical car owned by practical people. Its plenty reliable and has an outstanding support network should you encounter issues and want insight. Parts are reasonable, maint. is cheap. Shop for one in good shape, have it inspected by a third party pre-sale and split the price with the seller.
If she likes the sport, get the sport. Probably take better care of a car she likes aesthetically.

The car doesn't get replaced, the people wear out first :)

Honestly unless its neglected or ran dry of oil the internals will last well past 500K (as Julian has proven). Of course the higher the mileage the more likely an alternator or starter will go out on you but even those I wouldn't worry to much until closer to 175-200k.

I have 245k miles on mine now. Minor stuff. I did replace the suspension about 10k ago.
Also my car has had the oil changed at the maintenance reminder, so roughly 10k between oild changes... No ill effects.

I change the oil when the reminder light comes on & no problems. Have about 75,000 miles on 2013 Fit Base 5M. Bought it in Jan 2014, was a repo (altho I didn't know that).

Okay thank you for the input. We decided on the 2013 base. It was listed at $5500 but we offered $5000 and they took it! haha, it is a sweet deal. We got it looked at by a different mechanic and he said it looks good. Hoping it'll go at least another 100k.

Though, at points, the clutch felt a little sticky. Most of the time it felt great. But occasionally a bit sticky. How long have your clutches gone for?

Thanks.

That is a good deal, especially as your mechanic did a PPI.

My experience is that the clutches go a long time, but they just start to feel worse and worse. We changed our first one at 132k just because if made noise and didn't feel great. Was still grabbing fine though.

I'm about to hit 160k on my '09 Sport Manual. I've changed the battery twice (OEM went ~6-7 years), front brakes twice, rear shocks, AC blower fan and sensor, wiper inserts twice, sway bar connector rod thingy, random lights, and 4-5 sets of tires. I'm quite happy with the lack of necessary repairs.

I think in the near future I'll be replacing all 4 shocks and rear drum shoes. Been thinking it might not be a bad idea to change the spark plugs.

Infinite! Well, the plastic parts anyway.

Low mileage upkeep question
 

I have a 2009 Fit Sport five-speed, bought new in June 2009 that now has 35,000 miles on it. I'd like to use it more, but don't drive that much because I walk to work. It's needed two batteries and one new set of tires - the Bridgestone's it came with only lasted about 15k miles - and I bring it to the dealer once a year to do what they want and so far - I'm not complaining - the scheduled maintenance hasn't cost me more than $1500 total in ten years and a bit less than half of that is the cost of annual oil changes.

Do these cars need different sorts of attention when they're not racking up miles? If I relied on the maintenance minder light, the oil would be changed every other year. It was last changed in early December and now says 70%. It's garaged, seldom driven in the snow and still looks great. I'd like to keep it because it's been fun to drive when I do, super reliable, and cheap to own. I'm wondering if inactivity is worse than driving it a lot and if there's anything I'm not doing that I could to extend its lifespan..

We change engine coolant every 5 years or so as corrosion protections deteriorate; I don't remember Honda's recommendations.

Your brake fluid should be changed every 2-3 years else the system can rust from inside essentially as corrosion "protection" fails.

I suppose your transmission fluid oil should have been drained at least once since new.

As Boston uses a ton of salt rather than putting the effort for proper snow removal, you should be washing car in the winter with frequency (especially the undercarriage). When spring comes around do a super salt removal cleaning.

I would replace the accessory belt as that rubber is getting old.

Check out the recent spark plug threads; it seems the Honda factory undertorqued some plugs. Replacement spark plugs at dealer are expensive but damage of failing is more expensive.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...90ae4c8b51.jpg
HI Bostom. I am about the same here. My 09 Auto will be 10 yrs in July and I only have approx 45,000 miles. I change my oil and filter every Jan. The rest of fluids I follow the service manual. This week it is going in for a brake fluid change.

I have had no repairs other than regular maintenance items and batteries.. Front pads and rotors changed once.I try to wash it on a regular basis in winter. Been through a couple of batteries and finally switched it to a 51R a couple years ago and added a trickle charger for those really cold spots during winter.

Can't say there is anything out there I would want to trade for. Being old I find a Civic just to darn low to get in and out of.