So, we bought our 2009 brand new, and it had 192,000 miles on it last week. We have only had one problem with it in 6 years - I had to replace the starter in November. No big deal - I did it myself and it only cost $150.

I was talking to my wife last week about how we had to put some money into the Fit. We needed to replace the cracked windshield, buy new tires, get a front-end alignment and replace the struts/shocks (neither of which have ever been done), and she said...."why don't we just get a new car?" As a husband that realizes an opportunity when he sees one, I immediately went to work

I thought about a new Fit, but from reading these forums I'm a little hesitant. Half of them are assembled in Mexico, and there have been some issues. Plus, the new CVT transmission scared me a little.

It turned out that GM just released the 2nd generation 2016 Volt and had cut the price by $5,000, so we were interested. They also had a $1,000 discount on top of that...and then there was the $1500 California rebate plus the $7,500 Federal tax rebate. With the savings, the car cost $26,000, so we went for it.

We love the car. It has a ~50 mile electric range, and the gas mileage is 42 MPG. I can plug in for free at work. We have heated seats and steering wheel. Not missing the Fit

 

Mmmmmmmkay.

 

It is always a great idea to get rid of a reliable car that's paid for because it needs basic maintenance. Especially when you replace it with something way more expensive.

 

Sounds like a terrific deal, and you'll save a fortune on fuel, if not now, later. Good looking car, too. Good luck!

 

i just traded a fork for a spoon. like mine, why is this post here?

 

At 192k miles, it seems like they've had a good run on the basic maintenance thing. At some point, the risk that basic maintenance turnx unexpectedly into major repair rises.

 

Congrats on your purchase!
Consumer Reports reported this car last as far as fuel efficient hatchbacks go. Owner satisfaction has been rated excellent from previous models though. Good luck!

 

If they haven't replaced the struts/shocks at 192k miles...they haven't done basic maintenance.

 

Congrats! I like the Gen 2 Volt better than the Gen 1. I was reading up on it last night. Pretty neat that you can drive for 52 miles with the electric motor only. Infotainment on the latest GM cars are quite impressive.

 

When we recently purchased our middle daughter her car, a 2015 Toyota Prius, also heavily discounted due to a generation change (last of the 3rd generation, in anticipation of the soon to be released first year fourth generation), the discounts also were in the $4,500.00-$5,000.00 range.

While we were happy with the discount, what we were not ready for was the Insurance bill. Granted, we were insuring a 20 year old girl, but the coverage was significantly higher than what State Farm charged for her sisters 2015 Fit.

It seems those electric/Hybrid cars are full of advanced electronics/Batteries, and are expensive to repair.

Live an learn.....

 

 

That's something I hadn't thought about when I was comparing the two. The Fit was cheaper than the Prius but the better gas mileage would have evened out the difference in no time.I hadn't thought about the insurance difference at all. It's water under the bridge as I bought the fit because it was a more engaging car to drive than the Prius.

Out off curiosity would you mind posting the difference in insurance?

 

i don't know maybe some people like paying a car payment every month. personally i'm done in 18 months and i can't wait. i don't mind paying maintenance costs which is like 80 bucks/yr for oil, 10 bucks wiper blades, 30 bucks ATF every 3 years, maybe tires in the future.

 

Between our two Fits the maintenance is definitely killer.

$250 on oil changes (b/c apartment won't let me do it there, will do on my own when I have house), $350 (maybe less) every two years to change all other brake & trans fluid (again apartment, will do once in a house) and $400 for coil packs & valve adjustment every 100ish thousand miles.

My brake pads at 58k are still well over half life....so yeah, Fit and expensive repairs go hand in hand.

>____>

 

wise man once told me, if what you are spending on maintenance/repairs a year is equivalent to a car payments for a year, then its time to buy a new car.

 

I would say closer to 2/3 of what a payment would be.

That said, I'm paying 250 a month, I'd need a lot to break to get to even 2/3 of that

Can change all fluids, disks/pads/shoes, brake lines, belts, coil packs/plugs, shocks for 2k pretty easily.

 

i did eff up my axles and spent too much money getting em fixed. i shuda traded it in lol.

 

The Volt actually looks much nicer than I thought... Congrats on the new car! I wonder if they'll make some nice coilover kits for it...

 

Congrats on your new Volt.
I have actually been contemplating replacing my 2011 Fit LX with a hybrid or plug in electric car. The Fit only has 30K but I have a hard time resisting the temptation of "new & improved so rarely keep my cars more than 5 years. I need the utility of the Fit so ultimately any Fit replacement will be a hatchback.
I've been debating between a 2016 Fit or Nissan Leaf for several months now and have driven a Leaf twice. I really like the overall feel of the Leaf better than the 2016 Fit - although I like the Fit quite well & feel it would be an upgrade from the 2011. The Leaf's performance, comfort, & quality are superior to my Fit & to the 2016 Fit. While the utility isn't quite as good the cargo area is slightly better in the Leaf.


However, no matter how I figure it out, the 5 year cost to own the electric is far greater than the Fit. Starts with initial cost & gets worse with severe depreciate of E car vs Fit's minimal depreciation.


Yet I long for the E car. It is almost an irrational, mental affliction. The biggest attraction to the E car is not having to stop at gas stations & seeing the amount of money (not really very much & the majority goes into our Outback) spent on fuel each month At the same time my mind downplays the fact of how little Fit is driven & the fact that any fuel cost saving do not remotely compensate for the significantly overall higher cost of ownership of the E car.


Such a quandary, especially with significant improvements in the pipeline for the E cars. Think I will at least look at the Bolt before making a decision.

 

Its not like you're doing these things every year... and you shouldn't be doing them all at once anyway.

What is average car payment? 300-350 dollars? That is over $3500 a year. If your maintenance EVER gets close to this number in a year (for a FIT), I suggest you burn the car to the ground and start riding a bicycle because cars are clearly not for you...