We have a 1981 Corolla wagon which needs retiring to local use only (3 tows + 2 other repairs in the past 5 months, too chancy for road trips). I'm used to:

- Reliability
- Storage space
- Good visibility
- Good fuel mileage (33 year old Corolla still gets 32 mpg highway which is better than many new cars)
- Not being dependent upon gadgetry (I don't even have a cassette player)
- Not burning rubber at traffic lights

Thought about Subaru but Consumer Reports is so-so about reliability 5 years+ and mpg is worse than I get now; road clearance is nice though. Seems the Fit matches most of my criteria. Yaris just isn't as good in many regards, though I do love the manual windows!

Most of the things reviewers criticize in the Fit probably don't matter to me. Coming from a 33 year old car I'm used to a 1.8L engine, road noise, not the most comfortable seats. Frankly even the Fit has too much fancy stuff for me -- the more gadgets there are the more there is to go wrong, but the only option would be the Yaris.

Okay, the basic question is, should we try to grab one of the remaining 2013 models, go for the 2015, or look for a used older model?

I like the better mileage of the 2015, though as has been argued in other threads, with our current annual 5000 miles driving we'd not see a payback in a few mpg. Most of the other changes in the 2015 are not must-haves from what I have read, and possibly more a liability in terms of things going wrong. Still, if we should need to sell the car at some stage the 2015 would be a better re-sale and the base 2015 is only $1200 more than a 2013.

My main concern about the 2015 is body redesign. It looks like they made it more streamlined. They also added backup cameras. I haven't seen a 2015 in town yet but this suggests to me the visibility may not be as good in the new model? Backup cameras are fun toys but I don't want to have to be in a situation where you absolutely have to use it. When it breaks in 5 years and costs $1000 to replace but you have to in order to back up anywhere? Does anybody know how the 2015 compares to earlier models on visibility? I've driven some other cars such as the Ford Focus, Chevy Cruze (rentals) and even the Toyota Matrix and visibility was terrible. Is the new Fit this way?

I seem to recall reading about nicer back seats in the 2015, but is this at the expense of storage?

Anything else about the 2015, since they haven't turned up in town yet?

 

Back up cameras weren't added so much because visibility decreased, they were added for safety and because there are upcoming government standards that require them. Every car will have backup cameras in a few years.

 

The difference between the 13 and 15 in price is probably not that great and what I have seen is the Fit retains a lot of its value. It really is a matter of what you want. I could have got the 13 but didn't care for the dash layout as much as the 15. Plus I have 2 years before the car is old! LOL

 

2012 CPO base Fit, good as new and less gadgets to break.

2009 and 2010 base have the least amount of gadgets, but I don't think you're looking to go back that far. I am the same as you as far as gadgets are concerned and why I will be keeping my 2010 base.

Pics of the wagon?

 

I have a 2013 base with 5 MT that I bought used in Jan 2014, with 4,000 miles on it. I really like the car and use it mostly to and from work. Have gotten as high as 41 MPG; never worse than 30.

I had a 1996 Toyota Tacoma P/U with 4 cyl, auto trans (still have it) that I drove before (197,000 miles on it) the Fit. Sounds wierd but I miss the hand crank windows. Thinking like you, when will the electric motor go out in the windows. heh

 

The gadgets that the 2015 lx has are pretty old technology.. Should be pretty solid. Power window motors will probably burn out before the rear camera will haha. Although the visibility does seem worse judging on pics of the '15. Tiny c pillar windows and seemingly higher belt line. I learned to drive in a chrysler 300 and a hummer and hated it so i deff get why you appreciate visibility, i don't think the '15 will disappoint you.

 

Part are so cheap for Hondas that fear is mute. Now if we are talking European...

 

dunno if you're open to it but would you consider a used vw jetta wagon diesel. your list of needs really sounds like a diesel solution to me. probably used to keep the costs down

 

Thank you all very much for your responses so far.

I'm looking at the Fit as having received one of the better car reliability estimates in Consumer Reports magazine for compact hatchbacks. Hondas are up there with Toyotas in terms of reliability and coming from 33 year old car that's something I appreciate (but to be honest I don't know if any modern car will still be running in 33 years). VWs didn't seem to score all that high, plus I don't know if being in MN might raise winter issues with having a diesel engine. I know people have them but you do have to be selective about gas stations.

A dealership called me today and said they have one 2015 just delivered for test drive purposes, so we may head down there soon. It's getting kind of urgent now because I just heard back from my mechanic that my wagon's mechanical fuel pump replacement (the reason for the most recent tow) didn't work because a cam is likely worn in the engine. A few hundred to extend the wagon for a few more months yes, but an engine rebuild no. Maybe they can retrofit an electric pump but I'm not sure if that goes beyond the creative abilities of this car place and my car will be on the way to the crusher Monday.

 

Tech isn't impressive in the 2015, and besides tech, the only other upper hand it has to the 2nd generation Fit is better MPG (with the sacrifice of a great driving experience if you get the CVT) and interior fit and finish.

I swear by hell I will never get a CVT so I'm a bit biased on that end.

The styling if that's even a deciding factor when you're coming from an 81 Corolla Wagon, lol, the 2nd gen Fit trumps the 3rd gen in that regard.

And yeah, I'd go for a 2013 Fit especially if you're not looking for a ton of tech.

 

Since you are stepping out of the Stone Age (I know what that's like, my daily driver is a '71) and seem to keep cars for a long time you would be happy with either a '13 or a '15. I'd say that if a dealer makes you a screamin' good deal on a '13 it would be a good idea to take it. You might find such a deal since there is a considerable difference between the two cars and dealers might be motivated to move any remaining '13s. OTOH, if you buy a '15 you'll have a new-looking car for the next five years if that is important to you.

 

New looking won't last very long in my opinion. The 3rd gen doesn't look like it'll age very well, the 2nd and 1st gens however aged nicely. 2nd gen still looks up to date in my opinion.

 

And the '13 doesn't have direct injection.. Which I'm not necessarily saying is a bad thing for the fit, but after my previous experience with a VW direct injection motor (I'm still having DI nightmares) I just don't have much confidence in that technology.

 

Electric fuel pump should be super easy even for the most basic automotive shop. I wish I was closer, it'd take that car off your hands for sure instead of letting it get crushed . Sell it on Craigslist, I think you'd be surprised how much interest it may get.

I think you are 100% correct in thinking no modern cars will last 30+ years. The reason those cars last so long is their simplicity.

YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH

 

Yes, except I was the one who had to suggest the possibility. You normally don't see any of the mechanics who work there, just the guy behind the counter who told me the cam was worn, without any suggestions. I mentioned replacing the cam would involve an engine rebuild and he said yes. Then I said that would mean junking the car and he said yes. He could find a place to take it if I wanted. I said I would think about it over the weekend and hung up. I then came up with the electric pump idea which I see online others have done. Called back and the guy said, "Oh, that might be possible but I'll have to talk to the mechanic on Monday." No, I will talk to the mechanic because I seem to have to do a lot of the creative thinking when it comes to getting my car serviced and I might as well do it straight to the guy who knows cars. On two other occasions they told me they could not find a part, then I did a web search, found locally within 20 minutes, ran to the parts store and delivered to the service place myself. I probably need to find a new place to take cars but since the wagon is not running at all right now it would be a $75 tow to another place and I don't know if there are any other places nearby that are any better.

Oh, we're still wanting a Fit anyway, but I would like to keep this second car on the road for a while longer because for sure we can't afford two Fits. This car is old enough we pay only about $100 more in insurance per year on a second car which is almost nothing for the occasional convenience of a second vehicle.

 

Yeah, you'd be doing the right thing talking to the mechanic directly... those counter guys are salesmen. Good thinking with the E-pump... lots of people do that on those old 2TC-3TC motors anyway, should be plenty of info online. I hope you're able to keep it on the road.

I have a soft spot for j-tin and 80's Toyotas thus my interest lol

As far as Fit I still recommend 2012 CPO base if you get a good price break. The base models don't seem to keep their value as well as the sports, so you might be able to get a deal, not sure, I haven't been keeping track lately.

 

We ended up getting a "used" 2016 Fit EX CVT. I put used in quotes because the car had only been used by the dealer to run errands so it had 2500 miles on it and we got $3000 off it. CVT seems to just get great mileage and coming from an '81 Corolla it is plenty zippy for me. Personally I like manual shift but there's no super high gear even with 6 speeds and most of our driving is city where you get through costly clutches. We're starting off with something that is more or less a known quantity in terms of history and it was only a bit more than a recent model used.

I did get an electric fuel pump installed in the Corolla and it works but it isn't the way I would have done it (it still flows through the now disabled manual pump ).

 

Sorry it took a while. Took this one June 2019.

 

It's too bad wagons are not in demand. If the Civic or Accord still made wagons, I might have bought one of those instead.

 

Same here, my car history includes a Peugeot 405 wagon and a Jetta TDI wagon, and they were both great. The Honda engineers did a fantastic job with cargo room in the Fit, but it's just not the same as a wagon. I'm starting to get used to the looks of the Civic hatch, but not enough to spend my own money on one. Maybe in a few years.