I've got 90k on my 09 fit. Haven't had a single issue with it. Haven't even had to change the brake pads on it!

 

Pat, that's cool. My corolla went 200 k before I sold it and went Fit. When I looked at Yaris, those engines went forever. Someone w 600k on one. What can one expect out of a Fit?

 

I think you can expect a good 200k+ of relatively pain free ownership. Here is a good thread of people sharing their experiences:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/1st-...eage-fits.html

 

Thank you!

 

Honda over Toyota any day!

Plus, the XD looks super ugly, even when modified. Kinda looks like a Japanese PT Cruiser.

 

That's true. Saw an XD and a Yaris side by side in Baltimore. Wish honda had more dealers in this region. But I'm real pleased w the Fit.

 

If you drive in snow for winter or otherwise, I'd strongly consider the Fit. Scions tend to get poor ratings in inclement weather handling.

 

I've had less issues with my fit than any honda i've ever owned...and i've owned 11 of them.....

the 2012 civic model change was junk. it's a good thing you avoided that heap of shit.

 

@Atmos - Good to know that the Fit does well in winter driving. I'm wondering if I can get by w the tires that came on it for the 1st winter. Also wondering about ice build up in the wheel wells. My Corolla had issues w that and had larger wells. Any winter Fit snow driving trips welcome!

 

i would suggest really good winter tires on the fit. the difference it makes is night and day....

the minute i put x-ice 3's on, i was plowing thru shit in the fit that big douchebags in f150s were stuck in. LOL. good times.

 

In terms of winter tips, I don't think there is anything specific besides the general ones you can pick up that are good for any car which you can read anywhere.

In terms of the fit be sure to pay extra for fancier chains. The ones I got when I go to Tahoe and occasionally need to put on chains are thule cs-10 chains.

The stock tires are not known for performing well in snow or ice, especially after they are worn. They probably will be ok, 1st season.

When you are looking for a replacement, for all-season tires, many people have gone for the alternate 205/50 r16 size that fits fine on the sport rims. There are also rave reviews of the continental dws tire as the go-to replacement. This is best tire for light snow (that is non-winter).

If you still get chains, the chain choice should also fit on both the stock and 205/55/16 size. you will not need to rebuy

 

Nice. My beetle was an awesome snow car. Who knew. I'll price tires. Only 3-4 bad commutes/year but still.

 

Thanks, Ray. I may see if I can do 1st winter w stock tires. I don't drive the passes in snow if I can avoid it. My commute is flat and occasionally gets snow, blowing snow and ice. When I drove the passes regularly, I studded and what a difference. We have had such odd weather in CO this year it's anyone's guess.

 

I was somewhat considering the XD back in 2009 but opted for my 2009 Fit Sport. I have ~29,000 miles with no brake issues. I have driven the XD and trust me, you won't regret choosing the Fit and will start laughing at yourself later for even considering the XD.

You can carry more cargo, get better mileage and have more fun driving. You can't go wrong.

 

If like me, you are not used to ABS brakes, it takes some getting used to. It's happened a few times that my Fit has gone into ice mode in relatively non icy situations. One time in particular, I was not driving quickly and the street was not covered in snow. I pressed the brake and felt the ABS kick in, and my car just kept moving right through an intersection and I came to a stop with my back wheels about level with the stop sign! Thank god there were no pedestrians.

Another time i was in traffic and down shifted in 2nd but applied a little too much gas when rev matching (I had only had the car a few weeks). The traffic ahead was not only slower but was at a dead stop! In this situation there was snow on the ground. Again, the ABS kicked in and my car wasn't really slowed much at all; I went from maybe 35km/h to 25! I managed to save the situation by apply the parking brake. My car skidded slightly because of the locked rear wheels and ended a little at an angle about a cars length away from rear ending the other vehicle.

I wish I could disable ABS as any experienced winter driver knows that skidding your tires a little when braking just happens and it's safer that way. I know you can remove the fuse but if you get in an accident and it is found the ABS system was tampered with, you won't be covered by insurance. I absolutely hated my Champiro Icepro studded tyres and have ordered a set of Xice 2 tyres (non studded) at close out prices from tirerack.com. I hope they will be a large improvement. I also got stuck nearly every time I parked (but have since bought metal rails that make getting out on ice easier). The problem is that I must street park my car and unfortunately with temperature fluctuations, the "wells" created by your tyres can turn to ice overnight, making it near impossible to get out the next day.

I think the brake failure report is simply due to drivers like me, who are used to older brakes, that get surprised by ABS. I think this probably applies to any modern car with ABS, perhaps certain cars with rear discs work better, who knows. I recommend simply that any driver that is used to an older brake system keep greater distance from traffic ahead and slows much earlier when approaching an intersection. If you are going to plow through a row of school kids as your brakes decided to go into ice mode, use the hand brake, works for me.

That being said, I find the Fit to be a great winter car, mainly due to my remote starter and my 51r battery. The original Fit battery is really weak (330 CCA) and it really struggles after very cold nights. My costo 51r is rated at 500CCA! Starts every time!

My remote start is absolutely great, it is totally worth it! When I get out of my car, I make sure to turn on the rear defroster and turn the front window defogger on (with the heat on max) so when your remote start the next morning, after 5 minutes you'll have no trouble getting any ice of your front and rear windshields and the car is nice and pleasantly warm! Another great use for my remote start is that it has a separate fob I can use to lock my keys inside my car that way, I can leave my engine running when poping into a store for a quick errand. My Fit is 5 years old an the cabin seal is still good so it retains heat nicely.

 

So, when the ABS kicks in you can't use the brakes anymore?? That doesn't sound normal. I don't think I've driven a car with ABS before...and that's like the fifth comment I've read about someone not being able to brake and that's why I'm hesitant to buy the fit :\

 

I don't have enough experience driving different cars with ABS so I can't say but it seems the results I'm getting are consistent with regular ABS operation.

It's not that you can't brake anymore, it's just that since the sensor detects that the wheel would lock and skid, it simply hammers the brakes on and off rapidly. Slamming and locking your brakes is not good driving technique anyway, but in very slippery situations where a driver would want to lock the wheels and skid, ABS will do everything to prevent that. So if you are braking and hit a patch of ice, rather than have you skid, the ABS will basically attempt to slow your car as fast as it deems possible which might result in longer braking distances than if you locked your wheels. At high speeds this is key because if you start to skid, you might start to rotate and lose total control of your vehicle but at low speeds, I find ABS to be a nuisance.

The Honda Fit is a really spunky spirited car so if you drive in a spirited way (quick acceleration and sudden braking) you are basically asking for trouble. I don't think the Fit brakes are any different than on the scion but since the car lends itself to spirited driving, on might be more inclined to get it into situations where it might skid and call for ABS. I guess you have to use personal restraint

I don't like much computers interfering with my driving and I think Toyota is even worse than Honda when it comes to that. With my parents' Matrix (with winter tyres), the traction control beeps (like the seatbelt chime) whenever the car skids. When driving in snow, your car is basically constantly losing traction so this means the damn thing is constantly beeping so I have to turn it off. Once, I got caught going up an overpass and the Matrix detected that my wheels would spin so it went in ultra limp mode (while beeping) and even with the pedal to the metal, I was crusing along at about 15 km/h. Needless to say all the other drivers were honking and overtaking me!

I really disliked my previous set of winter tyres and I hope that better tyres will equal better traction and better performance from ABS (less damn ABS). Like I said, the handbrake is there to avoid plowing through an intersection.