Hi guys. I'm new to the forums but the information you guys give is very useful.

After weeks of researching what car to buy to replace my worn down 2002 Honda Civic, I decided on the Honda Fit. Now, I can't decide on whether I should get the 2011 or 2010 Fit Sport.

Here's why I am on the fence about which one I should buy...

2010 Pros:

-I just graduated from college so I can qualify for the special 0.9% APR financing. I have a great credit score but this is the first car I will be buying so I don't know if they will try to smack on a high interest rate for me.

-I can probably bargain for the invoice price because they will be trying to get rid of the 2010s to make room for the 2011s.

2010 Cons:

-VSA is only included with navigation, which I do not care for. I have a smart phone that does everything so I don't need the mediocre navigation that Honda offers. My question is, how important is VSA? I don't think I have ever driven a car with VSA and I am pretty confident in my driving skills but who knows. I live in San Jose, CA where it barely ever rains. Is it really worth it?

2011 Pros:

-Comes with VSA on all trims

-Floormats comes standard <-- Not really a big deal.

2011 Cons:

-Can't negotiate price

-Because VSA is standard, there might be a large upcharge for that year.

-Can't get the 0.9% financing.


What should I do guys? I am leaning more towards the 2010 w/o navigation/vsa just because I can get the best deal for the car. But my concern is, how important is VSA? Thanks for any help.

 

vsa isn't a big deal in SoCal, mostly in high rain or snow applications and SoCal doesn't qualify for that.
the nav is good for me since i don't know my way around SoCal yet, but if your living where you know everywhere it's probably a big deal for you,
if you can get a great deal on a 2010 then do it ASAP, but don't wait cause 2010's will have a "used" car value very soon, and even though your will have low miles for the year it will matter if you ever wanna get rid of it IMHO

 

save money and go for the 2010... vsa = not really needed with the fit.

 

If exterior color choice is important to you, you might want to wait and find out what the 2011 colors are, as I know they are changing a few of them.

 

agree with vtecfit1. couldnt say it better.

 

do what i did get a 2010. if you want to sell it in the future it'll be worth a bit more because mileage will be low. for example by the end of next year, if i were looking to buy a used car, i would buy a 2010 with 12,000 miles rather than a 2011 with 12,000 miles.

VSA on a fit?! come on, i would think of getting that option on a high end sedan or sports car. just don't drive and take turns like an idiot driver.

 

Like other cars the VSA is mated to traction control. I can see where VSA might be desireable...but the traction control is a PITA, and has to be turned off every time you start the car, and turning off the traction control also disables the VSA...

Why pay more for this dubious feature?

Especially if you might not even need it.

 

Living in the Bay Area like you do, you can find the car at below invoice easily (sent you a PM and you can read my dealership review post too), I bought mine for below dealer actual cost and got the 0.9% financing which is very nice, you'll have really low monthly payments and a great car. While the 2011 may be around the corner, it's worth going for the deal if you are approved for the financing because your interest payments will be so minimal.

If you're doing lots of coastline, mountain road driving with your fit, maybe think about the VSA - but if you're just doing everyday driving, the regular model should be fine.

 

Only fit worth waiting for is going to be the 2012 IF they do a refresh

 

Well, another thing to consider is that VSA (stability control) is mandatory starting in 2012. If you do decide to sell your car... that may decrease its value (or maybe it will increase it because people don't like it... who knows).

Just because you don't get rain or snow doesn't mean VSA isn't useful. Maybe you need to swerve out of the way of something on the highway... sort of like what they do in this test: YouTube - Euro NCAP | Honda Jazz | 2009 | ESC test . I basically had to do that same maneuver (darn deer), but at 70 mph in a minivan without VSA... and let me you, that was the scariest moment in my life (so far), since, though I avoided the deer, I lost control of the car.

I will also say that as ugly as the interface looks on the navi, it does have one big advantage over portable/phone GPSs -- it has an external antenna, and it hooks into the cars speed sensor. What this means is that it'll update your position when you're in a tunnel, and the GPS fix is a little faster and more accurate. If you've ever driven in NYC before, you take a tunnel into the city for 2 or 3 miles, and then there's a crazy intersection after the tunnel where you need to make a turn. Complicating things is that there's tall buildings all around. My phone was useless, as it couldn't get a GPS fix before I had to make a turn. I had a Garmin, and it had me off by a block. Still, all that being said, you could get all those advantages by getting an in-dash system for a lot cheaper than the Honda system.

You also get steering wheel audio controls! Which are kind of nice, though I guess you can add them yourself now though it seems like a lot of work.

You might actually try to see what sort of deal you can get on a Navi equipped car. I don't think they sell all that well (more so that VSA is going to be standard on the 2011 models, since a lot of people only get the navigation for the VSA), so the dealer might be willing to deal on the price. I think it was in the 2010 new fit thread that somebody said they got a Navi A/T fit for around the price of a 2011 sport.

So the short answer -- VSA good, 2010 cheap, get a 2010 with navigation .

 

Buy a 2010 now with low 0.9 APR, then when the newly designed 2012/2013 Fit comes out... trade it in or just buy a 2nd Fit. My monthly payment is $290.

 

the fit 12s just might carry the IMA

 

The other big advantage of the navi is significantly improved control of an ipod. It's minor, but if you listen to an ipod far more than the radio, it can be handy.

 

navi on the crosstour suck hence I opted with a non navi... navi on the fit suck 2x as much. until the navi systems on cars mature and matches a standalone, you will never find me paying extra for a factory navi.

as for the ipod controls... try to use the playlists, favorites, etc etc function on the ipod for a more convenient and hassle free driving.

 

What is the difference, other than being able to control from the steering wheel?

 

multi line display is the big one. I'd hate to scroll through even my playlists one line at a time, much less something sizable like artists or the like.

 

I bought my 2010 fit 2 weeks ago and went through the same dilemma. They dealt with me on the price and gave me a great deal on my trade in. You will also save thousands over the life of your Fit loan with the 0.9% financing. I'd also venture to guess that there will be a higher MSRP on the 2011s (but who knows, the segment is getting more competitive).

I did want the VSA but wasn't willing to spend $2,000 to get it with the lousy nav package.

 

can you skip directly to a specific song?

 

i wouldnt get all the stuff on my fit, it feels so slow and weighted with just the rear seats in go for the lightest one u can get. ull get better mpg and it will be moar fun

 

yeah, when its playing, you can bring up the track list and select whatever song you want.