I have a 3-year old Honda Jazz right now which I would like to trade for either a new Honda Jazz (Fit), Civic or Cruze. I will use the name Fit from now on.

I am just very confused on what to do right now. I need help. I have already driven the Fit for 3 years and the other two cars are more refined and powerful but they also cost $6k more than if I would buy a new Fit. Another but very unlikely option is to wait for the 3rd gen Fit but it would need to come out pretty soon.

I would really appreciate it if you guys could give an opinion and steer me in the right direction. Thanks alot

 

Why do you need to replace a three year old car? I plan on keeping my fit for at least 10 years.

That said, test drive them all and decide if the price difference is worth it.

 

in some countries they have vehicle inspections that make keeping older cars expensive...and unlike the used car market in the US, prices of cars can depreciate much faster.

so in some cases selling while still sort of new makes sense.

in my case, i would keep my '12 for 5yrs or 30K miles whichever comes first.


to the OP- test drive.

 

What do you like about:

The Civic vs. the Fit?

The Cruze vs. the Fit?

I almost pulled the trigger on a Cruze for my wife but she shut it down after she saw how small it was and how huge the bowtie was on the trunk I think the bowtie was the deal killer more so than the size.

I actually like the Cruze but it and the Fit are two very different cars.

 

Wrong choice of window film, dealer put spoilers on it which are fake and which he drilled holes in the body of the car for, I need a new set of wheels, insurance is running out which I need to extend, I believe the warranty is also about the expire.

Then there was the flood thing. Water came into the interior of my car. They replaced the carpet but I don't know if my chassis is just rusting right now cause I can't see anything. And I did spot some rust on the on the rear seat mechanism which they told me is because of normal wear. Even animals damaged my cars. A cat with paint on his feet walked across my car and now theres green stuff on my wipers. A rat chewed on some plastic parts in the engine compartment (some of it is replaced at my costs). Furthermore my version of the Fit does not have airbags yet the new version does. +normal wear from 75.000 km.

I don't want of all these to cause me any problems and lose money but I dont want to deal with it. I don't know if I am getting fair value from the dealers here but if I trade it in I would need to pay $6k more for a new Fit and $12k for a new Cruze or Civic. Any opinions on that?

 

Hey come on man. Why is the community here so passive? I asked for some advice cause I am struggling, confused and I am in pain.

I already know that I should test drive. But a quick 5min testdrive isn't going to tell me the whole story.

 

I would say between Civic and Fit. A newer Fit won't really feel like a new car since you somewhat accustom to it. A Civic will feel brand new but also feel totally different. Depending what model you get will make a big difference as well. I say an EX would be comparable to the Fit. Honestly, all cars will have their pros and cons. Cars reflect their driver. So choose what you like not what we prefer.

 

Dude,

The fact that we all compare this slow little fun to drive car with cars of other classes already show two things:

1) its the best car in its class still
2) it is a better car than those in other classes


given that I think you have your answer: keep your fit or get a new one....that way you can transfer over your parts!

 

I say go with a new Fit if you want hatch, or Civic if you want 4 doors.

I usually buy a new car every 3 years, because I put a lot of miles on them. Like 15-20k a year. That said, I do plan to keep the fit longer because I love it.

 

Preferences are irrelevant. I prefer a Lamborghini but I am not going to buy it.

Its about compromises. I wanted to hear opinions if it is worth spending $6k more for a Civic that gets better gas mileage, can use E85 fuel, has a more refined cabin and it is probably slightly faster. Although I don't know how it is in twists and turns.

 

yes it's totally worth it...go buy it....

 

The community sucks hard here. No wonder there is barely any activity around here.

If you dont have anything constructive to say then dont say anything at all.

 

It wasn't worth it for me to spend extra for a larger class of car. But my financial situation probably looks nothing like yours. For me, the hatchback body style wins. If there were affordable wagons beyond Subaru, I might have considered that.

How important is that $6k? If your total debt load, retirement plans, emergency fund , etc are all ok and can afford the price, then sure spend the extra.

 

No, it's not worth it. It doesn't get better gas mileage despite what the EPA says and is barely faster than the Fit.

 

I've driven in Thailand. I'll tell you what - I'd want a very solid car like a Mercedes around me considering how those truck drivers drive over there. But if your just limiting your driving to just Bangkok, the Fit would be my choice. But if you are planning on traveling up country...

 

Actually there no activity because all we get are people asking for dumb comparisons to other cars.

Your getting other opinions here, WTF else did you want? The name of this forum is fitfreaks.net, not fitvscivic.net

 

Hey man, don't get so upset from the lack of response from one post. Maybe it was a tough day in the US markets and everyone was busy. Who knows? As for me there was a very distinct reason why I didn't reply, which was ..

I don't know anything about the things that might concern you. I'm guessing most people felt similarly. I could give you a reply for the sake of giving one, which I guess is what I'm doing based on your later request, but in general I don't try to talk about things I'm not qualified to.

The one thing I CAN talk about is how these cars compare. The Cruze is relative to the Fit a more comfy car, but it has a terrible rear suspension design and I would discard it based on that. The Civic is not a bad car but very different from the Fit - more comfortable.

But here's where I CAN'T help you, in case you are still curious
1. Is it "worth it" to spend $6,000 upgrading? I'm not sure - have you got $6k? How attached are you to your dollars of which you have 6,000? How quickly are you going to make another $6k? How much are your current and future expenses? Obviously strange questions; all I'm trying to illustrate is, what is "worth it" to me might be very different than what is "worth it" to someone making USD600,000/yr as an oil exec in Dubai or USD10,000 as a low-level programmer in Bogota. Between the fact that we all have different wealths even in the US, and the fact that Thailand is a country with an entirely different wage/cost of living structure (although I expect the cars may not be any cheaper) ... very difficult for any of us to even start sharing an opinion on value :/

2. Your car concerns seem to be very different from anything I have encountered. Is flooding normal where you live? It's a downside to resale value here. I don't know why removable accessories like window film or spoilers would make any difference to my replacement decision; I'd just remove them if I didn't like having them. I don't know anything about rats although I hear we have some raccoon experts in house. Rats are not, in my mind, a normal car problem in my part of the globe. Yet. Wish me luck on that one :P

 

It takes me about half a year to make back $6000 with a very modest lifestyle. I am just confused because I don't get any financial advice over here at all.

I am reading reviews from american and european websites where they are already discussing the pros and cons of the civic and the fit when the price difference is only $1000. In my country people wouldn't even think a second and go for the civic.

I just don't understand it with the salaries in America why are people already discussing $1000? In my country people buy the civic and prius even though they cost $6500 and $20.000(!) more than the fit. For the price of 1 prius you can buy 2 fits. They also pay $1400 extra just to get an automatic.

 

Different cultures, different priorities. That is why I didnt want to give you any advice. I know that the Fit and Civic have different engines and transmissions in your market, for instance. Reading European reviews can be misleading for the same reason.

Ordinary Americans, despite our collective wealth, are cheap. We demand lower prices, and usually pay less for things than people in other countries.

 

Salaries are higher in the U.S. but so is cost of living, it's not like everyone here has money falling out of their pockets, even if they do make a decent wage.

Even a lot of people WITH money look for the best deals, that's how they got their money in the first place, by being frugal

The only person that can decide if it's worth working half a year to pay off the extra money it costs to get the Civic is you.