To Buy or Not To Buy, That is the question!
 

Hello Fit Freaks,


My wife and are looking to purchase a 2015 manual Fit Ex (in steel metallic) late next week. Fortunately I looked over a post yesterday that mentioned the 2016 model (40k to be made in Japan) will be shipped to dealerships in October of this year.


While we have two reliable vehicles as a family, switching to the Fit from my daily driver will save us around $100 a month in gas, and lower our monthly payment by around $30. (trading my wife's beloved CRV in the process :( )


My questions to you.

• Would you wait until October to try and buy a model manufactured in Japan?
• Do you think prices will drop enough on 2015's when the 2016's hit the dealership that it would pay to wait (approximate cost to wait to October around $500)
• Would you wait and hope for 4th of July deals, or other promotions before pulling the trigger?

I think we have a good offer of $17,300 before tax/title, but we do not buy cars often so I would love some advice from anyone with experience.


(cannot guarantee I will take your advice, but I will listen, learn, and say thank you for any input you may have)


Thank you for your time and I look forward to being a freak on the road with the rest of you.

I don't think it's worth waiting. I've seen numerous instances of how to make out by buying at the end of the month, especially since it's half year. Try 6/28-30.


Then again I bought mine 6/26 last year and only overpaid by a thousand or two!

Issue in the St Louis region was finding an EX manual... No one seams to like manuals anymore...

Ive had mine 3+ months. Made in mexico and not a single problem. My last car averaged 25mpg and I did the math just now and I've save $186 in gas alone since I bought my Fit CVT (40+mpg).

I've played the waiting game before searching for a replacement for my last car. If its a Honda you're interested in I have my doubt's you'll see much of a drop if you wait. If you find what you're looking for at a price you think is acceptable then get it. Not sure what you're replacing but odds are you'll be happy with your Fit (assuming you get one) whether that be next week or next year.

Eh, I wouldn't worry about saving money by waiting. Pull the trigger around July 4th to save a couple hundred extra, but don't wait until October. It's likely there won't be any significant discount on 2015s and you might not be able to find the color/trim/transmission combo you want.

I admit, there are others here that have much more experience at this about when and why. But here's one of my rules in life, if what I'm wanting has a price that is reasonable and I did my research to prove that, and I really want it, then just go ahead and get it.

Although I put a high value on patience, I also put a high price on time. Let's say you waited till October, and you still have no assurance of better quality or price, you missed out of driving the Fit for all those days previous to October. I bought the MT Fit '15 when they first rolled out and Honda was not budging on "deals", but I have no regrets because I got to enjoy it then rather than later. Anyway, that's how I think.

While I agree with you're line of thinking of buying something if the price is right for something you want I will put this out there...

My last car was 12 years old when I traded it in for a Fit...I started shopping when it was 10 years old. The 2015 Fit was not available back then and at the time I was convinced the last gen was too small for me anyways. So I had other cars in mind. In fact I had a couple picked out and saw acceptable prices but...I held out for a better price. Life interfered and the car search went off and on for two years. Had I not " waited" 2 years I wouldn't have gotten the Fit. Now sure I might have been perfectly happy with the other car but I am extremely happy with my Fit and know in the end it is the better car and overall deal.

1. There is no guarantee that the Japanese Fits will be available in the model/color that you want. There is no guarantee that they will be available in your area. 40,000 Japanese cars isn't really a lot, especially spread over an entire model year.

2. Prices drop on the 2015 with the arrival of the 2016? Sure, of course by then the lots will be empty. With no production for several months you simply won't find any 2015 Fits anywhere. The longer you wait the harder it may be to find what you want.

I am going to go against the flow here though and suggest that if you wait for the 2016 model you might some small improvements they make to fix problems from the 2015 model. No guarantees and any changes they make will be extremely small but still worth keeping in mind. Prices though for the 2016 might be a bit higher and as with any new model year dealers will probably be taking a harder line on price initially.

So, bottom line if you're going to buy a 2015 buy soon before inventory dries up. If you're going to go for a 2016 you might - or might not - see some improvements but price might be worse.

There, simple!

tottaly agree. If you wanna wait but to get the 2015 at a lower price. It has had some problems the car no doubt as any new realease in a new plant with a new model. But so far all problems has been solved. Many components form tesla and other luxury relable parts are made in mexico. All plants are autonomous.

Then, too, I understand Honda has temporarily suspended Fit production at the Celaya plant in order to introduce the HR-V (also built there). Fit production won't resume until fall. Therefore, I don't expect to see a lot of "leftover" '15 Fits to "blow out" at big discounts. Supplies of new Fits are already limited to what's on "the lot" or on the truck already. Finding a specific model/color will only become more difficult as the summer goes on. Especially if you want a manual transmission.

Also, with no real changes expected for the '16 models, Honda will have little incentive to deeply discount any remaining '15s. In any case, offering "incentives" (discounts, rebates) just doesn't seem to be the Honda way of doing business.

I'd probably look at an LX for even more savings, plus when I went for my car, they didn't budge on cost at all. It was actually cheaper for me to use my Costco plan. Everything is going good nowadays.

I wouldn't worry so much about Fits from Mexico especially in a newer plant. So much is automated with robots these days.

Thank you all for your advice and experiences. We are still shopping to see if we can get a little better deal, or if we can get a few extras for the same or similar price.


However I think that by the end of this week or early next, we will be sitting in the Fit.


Thank you again, and I look forward to hearing from you all once, I can find a forum dedicated to upgrades and modifications. (I think tinted windows are a must considering 50% of the Fit appears to be glass)


Take care,

I just got my Fit last week and I am kind of lucky to get the color/trim I wanted as I waited and waited and no significant savings but when I got the car there was only 1 in 50 mile radius that had Ex-L + Navi + White Orchid Pearl color. So Like was said above by someone I would not wait as your choices will be limited and you will not save much $$$.

I would wait for the 2016s if you could. They are most likely going to fix any subtle problems with the 2015. They might also have Android Auto and Apple Carplay in the newer ones. That is what I am holding out for. If they don't have in the new ones, it will be a Chevy Spark for me:)

Also the 2015 models will not be updated with Android Auto and Apple Carplay (I got that from customer service). Which is a shame because Consumer Reports called Honda's infotainment "one of the most frustrating designs we've seen" (although this was with the CRV but it is the same as the 2015 fit).

So if you are not concerned with "infotainment" and integration with your smartphone (and its GPS rather than Honda's horrid design), then I would go with the 2015. I am a power commuter so I need the best......so I wait:)

Philly,
Can you elaborate on the smartphone connection failings? Or point me to a thread that contains that information? I have a Galaxy phone, and one of the reasons for getting an EX trim is to run navigation through my phone to the tablet in the dash.


Please and thank you!
EcoBoost

I have a 2009 made in Japan fit and can attest to the quality.

Go to the 2nd gen boards and look at Jan- Mar postings in 2009 and see if anybody spoke of any quality issues then (the 2nd gen came out in about Sept/ Oct of 2008 as a 2009 model, if I'm not mistaken).

My guess (and poor recollection from then) is that there were far fewer problems going from 1st to 2nd gen (Japan to Japan) than 2nd to 3rd (Japan to Mexico). Also, Canadian buyers who bought Fits made in Thailand (I think, not sure) seemed to have more problems than American buyers (made in Japan).

What Galaxy Phone do you have? I would go over to the ICE forums for specifics:

3rd Generation GK Specific Fit I.C.E. Sub-Forum - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums

I can tell you that Honda said they were going to support Android Phones (but I believe they removed that statement from their site). With that being said Android Auto is an "app" that would run on the existing cars "infotainment". You would almost get full functionality of your Galaxy on the touchscreen (although modified to simplistic format so to limit distraction). It will also allow you to use Google Maps (and later Waze). You would have to have Lollipop or greater to run it.

Honda has not announced support for Android Auto even though many other major car manufacturers have. I would hold out for it if they offer it in the new 2016 models. Basically you can have top-notch navigation, apps and something that will be upgraded throughout the years.

I have used both Android Auto in my buddy's car and Honda Infotainment (in its current form). If I had to rate them it would be:

Honda infotainment: 2 (and that is really pushing it)
Android Auto: 8 (but remember they are always improving it)

Honda has shown no love/support for Android users and so I would hold out unless in a couple of months you want to feel totally cheated/outdated.

Here is a video on Android Auto:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht8yzpIV9M0

Honda has stated officially that the Mexican plant relies more on hand labor than the Japanese plants because labor is so cheap in Mexico. With robots the parts have to be correct or the lines shuts down. Humans tend to move to a "bash to fit" mentality if the parts aren't right. Good for keeping the line running, bad for quality. On this forum we've seen new cars delivered with issues of panel fitment that wouldn't have left a Japanese factory.

I'm holding out for a '16 "J" car unless something better comes along. Japanese manufacturers have been improving slowly on reliability, but the Koreans have surpassed them, according to JD Powers:

http://www.autonews.com/article/2014...y-for-1st-time

Of course, the scores are so close that you won't do badly with any car, with the exception of Fiat that is living up to its "Fix It Again Tony" reputation. 206 problems per 100 cars sold!

A lot of the quality issues have to do with infotainment systems, so if you want to avoid problems you might want to avoid the bells and whistles. I haven't heard of many people complaining about their LX infotainment systems!