wanderer- if you can make a short version of your argument, it would be a great fortune cookie line!

 

Mo' money mo' problems

 

blahahaha!!

 

Remember that it's not everyone who is cheap/frugal/poor; someone is buying all those BMW, MB, Audis, etc. A huge number of Americans also feel like they have to "buy" a 3 series once they have a job title of manager. And buying things we can't afford was a big element in causing the Great Recession.

For me, if my net cash flow per month were $1000 (i.e. I only could save $1000 a month) I'd try to stretch buying a new car out as long as possible.

 

Confucius say: "Man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok."

 

Pre-owned Chevy Aveo. You can probably find one that someone has discarded on the side of the road and save yourself a lot of money.

 

My advice is this: Think about what you need the car for. Civic has some extra features (here in Canada) on the luxury side, like heated leather seats, and a few other features. It also has four doors and a trunk (or two doors). Fit has a hatch, but no four door sedan, or coup (no car with a trunk). Loaded Civic costs probably around $3,000.00 (Canadian) more than a loaded fit.

For me, I want a hatch (although now that my wife has a wagon, I would enjoy the slightly larger size, and more features of the Civic) for cargo hauling. But, the fit has everything I need and want, so I don't really need to buy a Civic for the extra features. Heated leather would be nice, but it's not necessary. So, I have a fit, and I love it. I bought it new in 2010, but I barely drive, so it only has 17,000km on it.

On the other hand, when I bought the fit, I probably wouldn't have been able to afford the Civic. And, it was a little outside of my preferred budget, anyway. So, for me, fit it is. I'll keep it for another five years, maybe longer, depends on what our needs are at the time.

On the other hand, I won't even consider a Cruz. Personal taste, I think it's ugly. For the money, it's probably not as well equipped as the Civic (are side airbags, side curtain airbags, and ABS standard equipment on a Cruz? They are on the Civic). Also, Cruz has had two massive recalls since the beginning of summer, Civic has had none that I've heard of. And, I won't get nearly the money on trade in five years for the Cruz that I will for the Civic.

My advice? If it takes you six months to make back the $6,000.00 difference, go with the fit. $6,000.00 is a lot of money to spend.

One last thought. People on this forum can tend to be reluctant to give advice on something that boils down to personal choice and preference. That's because everybody is different. There are people here who think the Fit, with 120HP is slow and underpowered. It has all the power I need and more.

 

I doubt that any of that stuff applies on the Asian market.

 

I don't know about Bangkok, but the Philippine version of the Cruze suffers from a huge body with an overtaxed engine and a sluggish automatic transmission. Otherwise it's a nice car.

Much better with the diesel mill, though. I heard those are coming to ASEAN soon.

The 9th-generation FB Civic is...errh...I really can't see much of a difference between it and the older FD Civics. I honestly don't think it's worth the money it's fetching.

 

I do not think my Fit has 120 hp. Or maybe it does but there's so little torque down low that it's not really a meaningful statistic.

 

keep the fit! It will last forever

 

I know this thread is a few weeks old, but I wanted to chime in here for two reasons. First, at one point I owned a Fit and Civic at the same time. Secondly, I work at a dealer that sells Chevys and Hondas, so I am pretty familiar with how the Civic compares to the Cruise.

As far as Fit vs Civic, they are each great vehicles, but they excel at different things. If I was going on a long highway drive, I would much rather be in a Civic. It rides better, has more power, better highway MPG, and is generally a much more refined experience. On the other hand, the Fit offers much more in the way of utility with the "magic seat" and hatchback layout. I also personally find the Fit to be much more fun to drive... it just has a lot more personality.

As far as Civic vs Cruise, they are similarly priced. However, the 2012 Civic is inferior in every way to the previous generation Civic. Between these two, I would go with the Cruise, but of course a lot of this comes down to personal preference.

Considering bang for the buck, the Fit would still be my first choice, by a huge margin.

 

Neither the Civic or Cruze are worth 6 grand more than the Fit. The Fit has fallen behind in technology and efficiency, as have most Hondas. But, I don't know of any car that can equal it's utility.

 

I'm a big fan of hot hatches. If the Civic came in the hatch form like in Europe and Asia then I would ditch the Fit for that and pay the extra $6000. For now, I take advantage of the Fit's cabin space and still drive it like a go kart.

 

The Fit is a proven, reliable, versatile car. It would be my first choice, until you get to the highway that is. A larger car will usually be more comfortable, however you most likely will pay the penalty at the pump for that size and comfort. It takes energy to get that mass moving.
Either way, you just need to determine what your needs from the vehicle are and decide accordingly.

 

You mean like SO?

 

Technologically, that may be a fine car, but styling is purely granny boat. Honda really needs to hire some designers. Most of their recent cars look like boring barges