Hi all. So it may sound odd... but I kinda sorta accidentally bought a Fit this morning. OK, not really... it just feels that way because in the past I would research the car to death and be SURE it was what I wanted prior to pulling the trigger. But luck, circumstances, and business prevented that this time, and I find myself this morning having put down a deposit on the car over the phone.

I'll try to explain:

Up until recently, we had two cars - a 2008 smart Fortwo and a 1997 Suzuki Swift. If you're familiar with the smart at all, then you'll appreciate how our Swift was our "big" car . Last weekend, the Suzuki - which we knew was on its last legs - decided to eat one of its own cyliners and shove it out the tailpipe. It is now in junkyard heaven. We knew the time was coming, so we half-assed shopped for cars over the past few weeks. We knew we wanted a 4dr hatchback w/A/C and auto and good fuel economy... that list included the Toyota Prius and Yaris, Honda Insight and Fit, Nissan Versa, Mazda 2 and VW Golf TDI. The golf was the nicest, but 10k more than any other so it was ruled out. Hated both Toyotas. Versa was the most "vanilla" of them so I never really considered it. That left the two Hondas and the Mazda. They all had their pro's and con's... but of those, the only one that I could get a "deal" on was the Insight and I was just hours away from signing a deal at my local Honda dealership for a '10 Insight LX for $6400 off MSRP ($4000 factory, $1500 because it has 4000km on it, and another $900 because I always get a deal). The ONLY issue was we weren't thrilled with the colour.

BUT THEN!!!

I'm in another town this morning, and I stop by their Honda dealer to see what Insights they might have... and they don't. The sales guy asks if there is anything else we're lookin at and I say the Fit but only if there's a deal. He says there isn't, so that's that. I go to leave when I see someone I know! He was the manager at the smart dealer so I asked him when he moved. [This is where the story gets interesting]. Turns out he didn't move... he was promoted! I wasn't aware, but the smart dealer and Honda dealer (and a bunch of others) are under the same ownership group, and he's been made head manager. So... as it turns out, I don't own a smart just cause I love them (I do) but also because I develop parts for them... including a cruise control that my company designed and manfactured back in '07. I've always wanted to get a deal with the local dealership but they've hesitated. SO!! he says if I take the Fit, he'll purchase some units for the smart dealer! So if I look at it just as a "deal", that's basically like I'm getting $1500 off the Fit - in a way. But it also means he'll have to promote the product to his smart customers to move those units, and I'm confident it will result in a lot more units being purchased.

So yay! Good business, and good car.

The only thing that has me going, "gulp" (besides the fact I haven't told my wife yet ) is that I don't really know a lot about the car. And that's why I'm here.

Not that it matters... its a done deal... I'm just hoping you can help sum up what I might want to look for. Like problems that are common, or helpful tips for breaking in the car or whatever.

I know I love the cargo capacity/configuration of the Fit. That's genius. The only "problem" I had with it after my test drive a couple weeks back is that my right knee touches the center console and I thought that might bug me on long trips. I'm tall (6'4") with long legs and big knees. If anyone else has that issue and found a way (or a product?) to help... please do tell.

Otherwise, I very much look forward to being an active member here! I was always a very active member of the smart forums and I hope to get just as excited about the Fit!

- Steven

 

Awesome, congrats on the purchase! Welcome to the forum, you'll find a lot of good info here

 

Welcome! There hasn't been a whole lot of issues with the Fits as far as I can tell.

I'd consider getting the Honda accessory armrest (About ~180 bucks) to replace the dinky flip-down armrest. You'll also gain some storage room.

Other than that, Enjoy! I'm a short driver so I can't help you there.

 

You have picked a good one.

There are a lot of threads to read here, the Fit seems to keep its value, so you should be in good shape.

The 2011 models should be out in November, they would likely be more willing to deal on cars on hand then...

I researched similar cars and got a good price on the Fit (which I liked best) and pulled the trigger!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice!

In the USA, you guys get a lot better pricing than we do it looks like. Especially on slightly used ones. I briefly considered flying to Dallas and driving the 2200 miles back for the $4600 it would save me even after airfare (about $400), import fees ($200 - $300), duty (6.1%), gas for the 2200 miles plus hotels along the way. But then I found out that Hondas imported from the USA to Canada have no warranty at all and that concerned me.

The 2011's don't arrive here until January and all the dealers seem confident they'll move their 2010 stock at MSRP. There's a "Honda Clearance Event" going on now with up to $6k cash back on some models ($4k on the Insight) but zero on the Fit.

Our models and options I think are a bit different too. Do you have the LX model? I've only seen mention of "Base" and Sport. We have DX, LX, and Sport. We can't get that cool Blackberry color you have. I think our DX is much like your Base and our Sport is like your Sport. The LX is in between I guess.

- Steven

 

For what it's worth, I think a lot of people who end up researching to death end up choosing the Fit. I certainly did.

I've only had it for about a month, but I'm not complaining so far. At the end of the day, I do wish it had a little more power (don't we all), especially at low RPMs with the A/C on (though I'm not sure how much you use A/C in Canada).

Some stuff you might find helpful:

Service bulletins, etc.:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-info-ge8.html

100k miles of maintenance history in 30 seconds:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/1st-...ual-sport.html

How to make ALL your doors unlock when you turn off the ignition:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...rs-please.html


As mentioned, you'll find tons of other good stuff--and really helpful people--here. Enjoy.

Oh, and tell us more about your Fit! Color? Trim? Transmission? What's your wife think?

 

Comforting

I think I mentioned we have a smart car and had a Suzuki Swift? Yeah... we know about lack of power! My focus since the 90's has always been on fuel efficiency over power so I'm cool with that.

Seriously? Don't tell me our comedy shows are accurate when they portray American as thinking we all live in igloos. Typical summer weather for my region is 30 to 36 degrees C (86 to 100F)... plenty hot enough to need A/C. I'm not sure there's any significantly populated part of Canada that doesn't wish they had A/C in the summer at least. Where I live in particular, Canada's only (technically) desert, I probably have the A/C going from April thru November. I certainly had it on today, although it was on low.

Thank you very much!
Its a Fit LX for sure. I'm not sure on color yet... I told him I liked the grey the best. Automatic transmission for sure (thanks to my wife's refusal to really appreciate driving). I'll tell her tonight after dinner.

- Steven

 

Wait eh, you don't all live in igloos eh? I'm confused eh. don't the mounties spend most of their time staying in Igloos? Do they ride polar bears for fun? I thought it never stopped snowing there eh? aboot how long does it take to get to the major metropolis of toronto? A bit longer than most as there's always a game of hockey being played?

I'm not writing in french so do you understand this?

JK... naturally

i'm in Vermont, we love our maple syrup too

i think the USDM Base is between the DX & LX (LX has alloys right?) and I think the Sports are identical other than the Block heaters, Heated mirrors?, among other things.

~SB

 

Welcome!
6-3 and I do wish it had a couple more notches ;-)'
but besides that it is wonderful
I did floor mats right away and seat covers

 

Very nice, congrats on the new fit and welcome to the forum...

 

You have chosen...






Wisely.

 

My boyfriend's Aunt almost bought a Fit a few years back. I figured all the meticulous research she did would still apply. I may as well have done all the research for how long it actually took to get the Fit. I placed a deposit on it the day before it was built and took delivery a couple months later. I had been looking at it for even longer.

Sometimes I wish the ride weren't as bouncy. Sometimes I wish for just a little more leg room (I'm 6'2".) And I'm still trying to kill all the rattling bugs. The passenger seat head rest ticks if it's raised, the center console has a rattle sometimes and there's a mysterious rattle in the upper rear end.

I've always been pleased with the amount of cargo space. I'm always pleased with how smooth the transmission shifts, and the paddle shifters come in useful almost daily. Although the stereo sounds low-fi, I like its clear display and speed sensitive volume adjustment. Even though I despise blue lights, I'm somehow very pleased with the appearance of the gauges. The road noise could be better stifled, but I can live with it. The interior lights are much improved when replaced with LED's and wired so the map lights are joined to the dome light. The accelerator pedal was far too light for me, but a trip to Home Depot for some springs resolves that. I originally wanted the orange paint, but ended up with Blue Sensation and it has grown on me a lot.

My recommendation is that you find something to shield your A/C radiator with. I found metal gutter guards at Lowe's that can be zip-tied to the inside of the upper and lower grille to protect the radiators.

I'm sure you'll love your car. Have fun!

 

Thanks for the tips!

I'm 6'4 and other than my knee touching the plastic to the right... I didn't find the leg room lacking in the test drive. According to specs, it has 1" more room than my smart car, and I'm fine in that. Although.. perhaps I'm just used to compromised leg room. I'm also used to road noise, mysterious rattles, and crappy car audio so I don't think those things will bother me too much. Then again, maybe it should? $20k (or there abouts) is a lot of money and maybe I should expect better.

Ahh... I'm easy going (I think). The Suzuki died after giving us good service for many years and I think the Fit will be an admirable replacement.



So I told my wife. Her only question was, "what colour?" During the test drive a couple weeks ago, she really liked the Fit. Her biggest concerns were for me (knee/comfort) so I figured she'd be good with it.

- Steven

 

I'm 6'1 and long legged - it'll take some finagling perhaps, but the Fit can be acceptably comfortable.

A cool trick I found was to unbolt the accelerator pedal from the firewall (it is DBW, and the pedal arm is attached to a black control box). Three narrow screws stick out from the firewall, and the box slides over these, followed by nuts to tighten it in place. If you place several washers over the top screws, and then tighten the box in place, it will angle the pedal down slightly, and it will give you another inch or so of legroom. Like all hondas, the Fit seems to have rather sudden tip-in, and the last 1/4 of pedal travel does nothing of note. This should get your knee off the dash.

Removing some of the sound insulation around the accelerator pedal should give you more right foot space (I'll venture to guess that at 6'4, you don't have petite little size 10 shoes. At 6'1, I wear 12's, and it felt a bit confining down there. I came from an Element, and frequently wear combat boots, so make of that what you will.

The third cool trick is to put a washer or two under the front seat bolts (I added longer bolts to ensure that it was still equally secure). This should give you extra support, as your knees will be higher and more bent than the shirt drivers that were surely used as models to index the required seat dimensions.

Trick #4: I'm tall and lanky, and the cushions feel a bit thin to me - I could easily feel the seat frame through the seat. I stuck a cheapie drivers seat cushion from an auto-parts store beneath the seat foam, between the foam and frame, to make it a bit more supportive, and added extra material to the front corners of the seat.

 

Awesome tips, thanks!

I do have "small" feet... for my height at least. 11.5.

Since the Fit is drive by wire, its almost too bad (for me) that they have cruise control It'd be super simple for me to adapt the smart cruise we designed to work with the Fit. Not only did we give the smart world cruise control, but most of the owners testify that its the best performing cruise control they've used in any car (that made me proud since I did the algorithm). Hills, gear changes, wind... whatever... it kept the speed rock solid within the limits of the car's power.

Maybe I'll find something in the Fit to build

What I can do with my cruise though... is use the "brains" of the box to change the gas pedal's behavior, if necessary, to work better with the repositioned angle that you suggested. That's at least give me something to do

Cheers.

- Steven

 

It still seems a bit weird to me when the pedal doesn't move with the cruise engaged.

 

S Mack,

The one thing that tends to bug me is on the Fit's electronic throttle is that it "hangs" when you press the clutch pedal to shift gears. Like it takes too long for the throttle body to close when you lift off the gas. You have to sit there and wait for the revs to drop down to smoothly engage the next gear.

So, if you can come up with an electronic gizmo that detects when the clutch is pedal is pressed to the floor (via the clutch interlock switch that kills the cruise control) and if the gas pedal is at 0%, returns the throttle body plate to completely closed rapidly. That would improve drivablilty IMO.

 

Only in the crudest of systems is there a directly linkage between the cruise mechanism and the gas pedal. Most modern vehicles do not. That physical separation is what allows for superior smoothness of operation.

Obviously I have zero experience with the Fit, but what you describe sounds to me like the Fit employs ratio matching, like the smart does. And it is a good thing in terms of longevity of your transmission. If I'm correct.. it is attempting to get you to drive better (or rather, more appropriately for the powertrain).


Interesting that you mention "clutch interlock switch that kills the cruise control"... are you saying the cruise disengages when you shift gears? In a drive by wire system... that is entirely unnecessary (and a bit on the retarded side in my opinion). I know some people think that cruise and manual transmissions don't play nice, but there's really no relation between the two and absolutely no reason for the cruise to disengage when shifting gears. I'd refer to the smart again, but its tranny is a different animal altogether... but look at recent (say > 2004) VW's with manual transmission. They'll happily keep the cruise control engaged while you shift through the gears. In low gears, its a moot point because you aren't really "cruising" at low speeds anyway, but if you're on a highway with steep terrain, there are cases where you need to downshift to maintain speed and that's no reason to turn the cruise off.

 

Are you saying that a VW will "pause" the cruise control between shifts? Because otherwise the engine RPMS will keep climbing as you slow down between shifts and you won't be able to match engine speed to the transmission. I'm just curious as to how it works.

Back on topic, Yes if you step on the clutch the Fit will terminate the cruise control. It keeps the previous set speed in memory, you just have to manually hit the resume button when you're done. It makes sense to me, usually if you're downshifting you're either passing somebody or going up a steep hill (where everyone else probably slowed down too) and you'd want complete control over the throttle.


I'm sure that is the intent, and it makes it easier to people who've never driven a standard transmission. But I personally find it difficult to do a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd while I am accelerating briskly. Anyway, you should be able to see what I'm talking about when you get the car. It's not a big deal, just something different from my previous cars with a mechanical throttle.

 

This was in a 1992 Accord that I drove for about 60,000 miles. Loved that car, should've never parted with it. No car I've owned since then has been nearly as comfortable!

I can't remember if my Civic did it. My truck didn't have cruise, nor did my Wrangler. The cruise moved the pedal in my CR-V, but not in the Element.

It's nice that it doesn't in the Fit... the footwell is kinda small, so nowhere to actually put my feet if not on the pedals. I have twisted sideways somewhat so I could stretch my right leg in that space where the clutch would be, until my left foot gets annoyed being stuck on the little dead pedal and wants its spot back!

(I'd probably not like it as much if I drove it now, but man is that car something awesome in my memories. First car too, so that might have something to do with it. I got it when it was 6 years old with 60,000 miles, and had been babied and mostly driven on the highway. Perfect car for a high schooler... that sucker was indestructable! I can't believe how big the Accord is now - that was only marginally bigger than the current Civic... and had only marginally more interior cubes than our Fits!

Okay, done digressing down memory lane now)