Hi forum members,
I am considering buying a 2016 Fit from a dealer for around $10,500. It has 74000 miles. it is currently throwing a p0420 error (catalytic converter). The dealer said he just replaced the fuel injector and spark plugs. The VIN number looks like it's after the series posted in the fuel injector TSB. The dealer is handling the catalytic converter with the dealer (emission still under warranty).

Should I be worried there is still something wrong? Is it unusual for these parts to fail given that they are outside the TSB? How would I know if he replaced the catalytic converter, I'd I buy the vehicle, that something else won't go wrong?

Thanks in advance. My knowledge is a bit rudimentary.

 

Just my thoughts here.
Why buy a 2016 with 74k miles for 10,500?
You can buy a new 2019 for 17,000.

 

Exactly my thought too.

 

Well it's an auto EX CvT. The same car would by around $18,700 which is around $8000 or around 40% more.

 

You mentioned the dealer just installed injectors. Do those come with any kind of warranty?

Only reason I ask: The injector / rail assembly is still a problem area, even on the latest Fits, not just the 2015s and early 2016s. I don't think they've worked all the bugs out with the 2016 redesign.

Other than that: Starters are known for early failure, esp. on the pushbutton start models.

The VTC actuator is a known problem. Horrible grinding noise at cold startup but doesn't seem to affect anything otherwise. My (early) 2016 has just started doing it, doesn't bother me.

Keep that all in mind as you shop. Every vehicle has issues. These are the known ones.

 

I hope to never buy a new car again. Wife's CX-5 was full sticker price, but my Fit was two years old and half what the local Honda dealer wanted for a new one. Both cars are the same year, and both have similar mileage- but someone else took the depreciation hit on the Honda.

If I had a choice to buy a used Fit where someone had already had the injector problem and had it fixed with the new parts? Even better. Of the potential common problems, it's by far the most expensive. My car is still a question mark on injectors, it's fine so far, but if it goes bad in the future it might make the K-swap seem like a cost effective alternative.

I had the starter problem, but it's a cheap part by comparison and I fixed it myself in the garage- and I'm not a master mechanic by any means. There's no way to guarantee you won't have problems with either car. If they could, they wouldn't need a warranty.

 

74,000 miles is a lot of miles for only 3 years. Since there's an ongoing unresolved issue with the catalytic converter, buying this car shouldn't be under consideration at the moment. I'd keep looking. If the dealer does resolve all the issues with this car you could consider it again if you haven't bought something else BUT I would first take it in to an independent mechanic to get a complete evaluation before signing anything.

 

If the dealer is working with Honda to get the cat replaced under warranty, they ought to be able to produce paperwork to prove it when they are finished. If they can't or won't, then I'd be suspicious of them in general, not just for that particular car.

Independent mechanic evaluation is a good idea, if you have an independent that you can trust. I've seen some great ones and some terrible ones.

 

I'd say if everything is fixed, there is a 30-90 warranty for anything that goes wrong, and your state has a good lemon law, it's a good deal at 9500-9750 if the car has good service records for oil/filter/cabin air/eng filter changes AND they change the CVT fluid prior to purchase (with receipts).

 

I see this all the time from independent used car dealers and private sellers. It's just a $35 sensor. It's covered under warranty. If it's that cheap, easy to fix or under warranty then why wasn't it done prior to the sale of the car? Then the seller wouldn't have to worry about trying to convince the buyer. It's obviously BS. I'd stay away from that car and that dealer.

 

Kost kutting & metrics (they can only spend so much labor time and parts costs on a given vehicle[*1]) - why did my Dealer charge me for rotating my tires when the tires weren't rotated; lost a customer only to eek out a few bucks more margin.

*1 Larger nationwide dealerships like Lithia and Hendricks look at individual dealership metrics that role up to margin and volume (margin and volume...margin and volume): repair margin, car sales margin (used is spearate from new), car volume in sales, [you the individual customer] $ and margin, and internal service department metrics (stu=cars repaired/service tech). Service manager metrics hover over their jobs every month and really matter. The Manager that sits around the dealer sweats everyday about those metrics from Corporate ("what's Medford thinking today about my place" is spoken at Lithia). -from a friend at Big L.