I have an 09 and I freaking love it. looking to hurry up and get a 20 before low mileage ones become rare unicorns. what should I know about that year and are there any weird problems with it that should steer me towards a 19?

 

Welcome. It's the last year in the US market.

Problem areas:

--Fuel injector / rail design - they still haven't figured this out yet. Extremely prone to carbon fouling, it's happened with as little as 10K mi. 2015-16 covered under extended warranty to 150K, but later model years still have the problem. It's almost mandatory to run Top Tier fuel unless you want to deal with fouling.

--Starters & start switches on pushbutton start models. I believe the circuit design doesn't buffer the load properly at startup, and as a result, both starters & start switches are prone to premature failure. Honda has start goodwilling the switches, but not the starter.

--VTC actuator failure. They still haven't figured this out yet. Severe cases lead to timing chain stretch, and once that happens, your engine is gone.

--Door, sunroof, hatch & spare tire well leaks, worse since the '18 redesign.

--Fuel pump recall on '18 and later models if memory serves.

Too many strikes against any GK5 ('15-20) for me to recommend it anymore. Love the form factor, but not the problems. GK5 has taken a huge hit in reliability compared to the first two gens.

 

The 2015/6 should absolutely be avoided. First years of the GK series with lots of problems. After that things significantly improve. There are still some issues but not above normal. See the chart here:

Fit ProblemsQuick Reply

 

My 2019 has been in the shop for two weeks due to water leak inside. I am thinking to get rid the car and get a civic hatchback instead. @bargainguy is right. The reliability for this 3rd gen Fit is very bad compared to the last gen. I had a 2010 Fit for 14 years with no major issue. It has become a headache to worry about the car that is going to break down and other issues in future, so I don't recommend it.

 

Nearly all new cars these days are DI, so carbon fouling is just something you'd have to deal with in modern cars. The L15 with the intake on the front should be an easy one to clean.

Find yourself a well-maintained one, and keep up with the maintenance, and it should be fine.