I'm looking at trading my 2009 Acura TSX for a 2013 Honda Fit. It appears as though I can save on the order of $10k over the next 5 years should I trade to a 2013 Fit (maintenance, repairs, depreciation, fuel).

I'm trying to decide whether or not the $10k I'll be saving is worth the drop in car class. I do love the Fit's cargo capacity -- I more than occasionally lug lots of music equipment, which does fit in the TSX, but would fit much easier in the Fit.

However, my main concerns are as a daily commuter (~80 miles/day), whether or not I'll be comfortable in the Fit (road noise and seat comfort are my two primary concerns). However, according to Edmunds, the 2009 Fit is only 2.1 dB louder at 70 mph cruise than the 2009 TSX... and isn't the 2013 Fit quieter than the 2009 Fit? (sources: TSX and Fit).

As far as seat comfort, it's hard to tell on a test drive how I'll feel at the tail end of an hour long drive, but they didn't seem to bother me that much. I'd look at putting a set of Clazzio's on them to help here.

Looking for thoughts on the overall "comfort" drop (specifically in noise and seat comfort) that anyone who has any experience to compare TSX-like-sedan and a Fit. I have the Tech package in my TSX, and I've always hated the radio/bluetooth system (though the sound itself is very, very good). Part of me thinks that if I put in a nice aftermarket nav system I'll be just as happy with a Fit as my TSX.

Thanks!

 

I think you will lose out on a bit of comfort moving to a Fit. You mentioned road noise and comfort as important, from my experience coming from a Maxima road noise is worse and seat comfort was a lot worse (personal experience, yours may vary). I've gotten used to the seats somewhat so its not so bad now but initially i had back pain whenever I made longer trips. I miss the lumbar adjustment, which the Fit doesn't have. Some of the comfort is also due to the Fit having a firmer ride, I feel pretty much everything on the road. The car is also lighter, it feels less substantial and strong winds do have an effect on the car.

Another thing I noticed was decreased road presence. There's was a noticeable increase in people cutting me off and generally doing inconsiderate things, probably because it's a small nonthreatening type of car. If this stuff bothers you, then maybe something to consider.

The car has its upsides as you probably already know, there are tradeoffs and a question if you are willing to accept them.

 

My parents bought a 2012 last June. My Mom has already put 20k+ on the car and all four of us (my parents/brother/myself) rode in it from WI to Denver, CO in one day. None of us had any issues with comfort, all (except my Mom) are 6'+, no issues with noise, etc.

My grandparents traded in a Volvo S60 for their 09 Fit Sport, no complaints once again, they've put around 60-80k on their Fit, all of which come from longish journeys; they LOVE it.

I've not experienced people cutting me off in this car moreso than my past cars; although my past cars have also been small.

People who complain about their Fit really are just looking for reasons to complain, its the perfect car for 99% of the population.

 

Sorry, I have to disagree with this. Unwarranted complaints are one thing, but I don't think that any of the points I mentioned are unwarranted. if you do a search on these forums or google elsewhere you'll see others with the same complaints. Just because you and the people you know do not have the same complaints doesn't mean they're unjustified. Besides, the OP wanted a comparison from a TSX like sedan and I gave him that. In all truth if you're moving down to a Fit from a larger sedan, you will experience a drop in comfort.

The Fit also probably isnt the perfect car for 99% of the population. Single, married with a kid or retirees, sure its great. A familyu with 2-3 kids not so much and I would guess families with >2 kids make up more than 1% of the population.

All in all, its a subjective thing, like I said the Fit has qualities that make up for its shortcomings, but honestly comfortwise that isn't one of its strong points.

 

I sold my 2006 330i (with tech and premium package) last October to buy 2013 Honda fit sport in November. Main reason being high cost of maintenance, premium fuel, low mpg and depreciation. I can't be more happier with my decision to buy Honda Fit.

As sy_edison said, long trips give you aches. Had backache after a trip to DC from NYC (~500 miles round trip in a day). I believe clazzios will solve this issue, if not I will rent a car next time I'm planning to go on long trip. Other than that no complains. It's a great little car to go to work(2.5 miles each way) and drive around.

 

Manual or Auto? I had a 2010 Auto which I traded for a '13 Manual. 70 mph in the auto was around 2500 rpm as opposed to 3500 in the manual. 75-80 is okay with the auto, but it downshifts if the road begins to even slightly rise. 2012 and up have more sound deadening than earlier ones, but it's seems about the same to me. With the manual, the engine starts to drone above 70mph, and gets quite buzzy around 80 (4000rpm), but I just turn up the radio a bit. I'm 6'1" and drive about 25k a year. I stuffed a strip of foam under the front of the seat bottoms for more thigh support. Also put in a center armrest since my base doesn't have one. In the Auto, I averaged 36 mpg from Charlotte, NC to Daytona Beach, FL (500 miles) averaging 75mph. I did the trip again in the manual (I work in NASCAR) getting the same mpg. I averaged 36 mpg on my 50 mile commute (30% hwy, 70% backroads) in the auto. 37mpg with the manual.

Fit's hold their value okay, but the Sport and Sports with Nav depreciate more than a base auto on trade-in. Private sale isn't so bad.

 

I am part of a family of four.

We're all taller than average.

We can all fit without issue.

So yes, it is perfect. The only people the car doesn't work for have:

3+ kids
People who really want to mod their cars in a certain fashion

Everyone else, may as well get a Fit.

 

im not a big fan of the GE's with AT. i have a '09 and i am not comfortable in it.
on the other hand, my GE with MT is different. in my '12 can go for hundreds of miles with no issue.

the pedal position seems to be different between the AT and MT. the AT feels cramped (i have long legs). and my wife uses the AT most of the time and she complains of back pain often. i think it's from the congested traffic to her clients place.

i think the tsx is better equipped to handle comfort.

 

Thanks for the replies. Lots of varied responses, as I expected

Thinking of the AT for the exact reason of the lower RPM @ cruise. Also thinking of going with the base, since my main reason for the switch would be to save money, so can't really justify the Sport for almost purely cosmetic reasons.

Lots to think about. I wish there were a place I could rent a Fit for a weekend to get a better feel for the comfort. It doesn't seem like any rental fleets have one, however.

 

in the long run i think you will save more money just keeping your 09 tsx and just pay it off early.

 

TSX is already paid for. Here are the numbers as to how I figured I'll save ~$10k over the next 5 years. This is assuming an even swap in terms of sales price of the TSX vs. cost of the Fit, which I think will be true +/- $1k.

Depreciation, maintenance, and repairs figures are from Edmunds' Total Cost to Own tool.

MPG numbers are from Fuelly.com. I think the TSX's number is accurate with what I've observed, and I'm hoping 31.9 is conservative for mostly highway driving in the Fit.

 

you dont buy a new car to save money. drive your paid off car to the ground.

your maintenance cost is rediculously high along with repairs. you should start there.

GL!

 

Yeah... I agree the maintenance/repairs costs for the TSX do initially seem high. Unfortunately, I haven't kept good records of what I've paid for service thus far, but it does continue to shock me how much the TSX costs in maintenance and repair, and it's only going to get worse, as the car is nearly 4 years old with 60k+ miles. I admit this is one of the hardest costs of ownership to estimate, but I've corroborated estimates from both KBB and Edmunds' 5 year cost to own calculators, and both are similar. Of course these are only "average estimates", so my actual experience could be completely different.

However, I think it's a fairly safe assumption that I'll spend less on maintenance and repair on a '13 Fit than an '09 TSX over the next 5 years. Even if I take out the maintenance and repair savings, I'm still looking at $7k of savings in just fuel and depreciation.

I agree buying a new car seems to go against logic that I could save money (and of course, I could save MUCH more if I were to buy a older used car... just not sure I'm willing to do that), but I think in this case it works because I'm moving from a car that, when new, was almost double the purchase price of the Fit.

Additional thoughts welcomed though

 

31.9 mpg is highly conservative for Fit's highway mileage, I suppose WHERE you drive in OC is going to effect that greatly. If you're a 55 or 405 commuter like I was I expect it to only he slightly higher than that, but if you commute south with less traffic you should be able to get high 30's no problem. I actually bought my Fit at Honda World Westminster

As far as comfort, I drive thousands of miles over 2-3 days several times a year and 4-5 hour trips almost monthly, I have a bad shoulder, and it's definitely not unbearable. Seating position is key, I find that I have to sit much more upright in the Fit than I ever have in my other cars to be comfortable.

It sounds like a Fit would be good for you, but if the TSX is paid off it doesn't really make sense financially. I can't believe a TSX would cost that much in maintenance, it's not a BMW or MBZ. Maybe drop $60 and take a general automotive class at a CC and learn to DIY? Dealerships are expensive haha

 

Thanks for the response! Yeah, I'd be driving in very little traffic, so I would expect high 30's as well.

As for the financials, as much as I understand the mentality that a new car is going to be more expensive than a used car, I really am having a hard time convincing myself it's true in this case. No matter how hard I try, I can't make the numbers show that I'll save much less than $10k over 5 years by switching. I suppose depreciation is the big one, but by all accounts (perusing the used market, and KBB/Edmunts/IntelliChoice calculators), the '13 Fit will depreciate LESS than the '09 TSX over the next 5 years. Add that to ~$5k in fuel savings, and less maintenance and repair (don't think anyone would argue I will save at least SOME there -- how much is definitely arguable)... the bottom line is that from a purely financial standpoint, I don't see how this could be a losing transaction...

Of course, I just need to decide how much money downgrading my car is worth to me.

Thanks for all the insightful discussion points!

 

Do you plan on keeping the Fit for the full 5 year window? It seems your calcs work out if you keep it that long. However if for whatever reason you're not happy with the car and want to trade it again before 5 years, you'll be losing some money there. At this point your TSX has already taken the bulk of the depreciation hit, whereas the Fit hasn't. Personally i'd keep what you have, but if you really want to switch have you considered leasing?

 

Good point -- I'll have to think about the ramifications of a switch in less than 5 years.

Yeah -- would never consider leasing a car. If my primary motivation is to save money (which it is), that would certainly not be the best option.

 

I beg differ.

Old ride:
2003 4runner V8 Limited w/ 140k miles 15mpg, costing me $85 a week to fill which is $340 a month, plus $93.10 a month insurance.
Total cost per month $433.10
Monthly payment $0.00 paid off
Bottom line $433.10

New ride:
2012 Honda Fit 38mpg, costing me $36 a week to fill which is $144 a month, plus $63.44 insurance.
Total cost per month $207.44
Monthly payment $291.57 w/ zero down.
Bottom line $499.01

The difference is like soo close, it can be a draw since oil changes alone would make up the difference, my fit uses half the oil and intervals are soo long its a draw especially because maintenance is way cheaper in the long run. In the end i ended up dropping off the car at Carmax, and got $9850 for it and stashed the money in my savings.

Yes it was a big downgrade for me since i went from a total Lexus like luxuries with all the bells and whistles to a basic transportation. With gas prices fluctuating so much i couldn't take paying nearly $100 at times each week to fill the tank.