Longtime lurker on the forums here! Here's the situation:

My brother is getting rid of his 2015 Honda Fit Ex Manual with 45K. It seems to be in good shape and has some fancy bells and whistles, but is virtually the same car as my 2009 Honda Fit aside from the fact that mine is an automatic with 70K. I bought my 2009 with 38k two or three years ago and it has been pretty trusty. He is offering to sell it for $8k and i'm figuring that I could sell mine for around $5500-6000 best case. I'm open to driving manual as most miles are in city, but I'm in ND so there are occasional stints of long distance travel at 80mph.

I've read about a lot of issues with the 2015s and wondering if I should stick with my 2009 that hasn't had any issues so far. That being said it is a pretty good price and even with the cost of replacing fuel injectors I would still be getting a pretty decent deal.

Am I missing anything? What would you do? Is the $2500 worth the upgrade in years, mileage, and tech?

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

I've been very happy with my 2015 EX. I've had zero problems so far (38k miles). I've religiously used Top Tier gas, which may or may not help. Mine has a CVT, so I'd be sure to see if you can live with the rev band of the manual at 80.

 

Would I make the change? No.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't.

My thoughts are just based on me not fitting the 2015+ as well I fit the 2009-13 (That is already cramped, but I deal with it) and not feeling a need to spend more money.

Okay, I also prefer the looks of my 2012 to a 2015+

They're both good cars that do the same basic job, 2015+ should get better fuel economy but it won't change your life.

 

A clean 2009 is harder to come across than a 2015, and that's me saying this even though I have a 2019.

 

I can't speak to the reliability of the 2015s but I had a 2010 Sport and now have a 2016 EX.

Happy to have made the change:

Back-up camera (I don't need it but in parking in NYC it's helpful that I can get a few inches closer to the car behind me when parallel-parking).
More airbags (hope never to need them, but...)
Second thumb drive input. May not matter to everyone but I have one full of music and the other is podcasts that I listen to, then erase for new ones.

I think the phone pairing may be useful for some, though I don't use it.

Better gas mileage (went from around 30 to around 36- note, I had an AT and now have CVT)

My new car has a sunroof which is a bit useful when the car's really hot (I don't have a garage)

Possibly faster although neither's exactly a race car.

Negatives: lack of armrest for driver's right arm. Also one less glove box.

 

I'm in the "stay away from 3rd gen" camp.

With all the known problems: injectors + rail, starter, VTC actuator, water leaks in the newer models - it's a no-brainer for me. I would have stayed away had I known what I was getting into. Gen 2 is looking a lot better than it did before if something happens to my '16 LX.

 

No.
I would keep my 12 until something breaks (some things commonly do go wrong, sometimes disastrously).

Then, I would get a civic hatch. Assuming I wanted a similar car. The new fits are ok, but especially the early ones seem to have been designed too quickly.

In practice my family will probably warrant a bigger car. But I do like the civic hatch. For so many years your only good choice in that size was an expensive Saab 9-3, and then, nothing ... So I really appreciate having a "just right" size hatchback on the market that isn't all stubby looking like most of the compacts (Elantra gt I'm looking at you .. Why does wanting a hatch imply I would want LESS trunk space?)

 

114K miles. No problems other than things that are annoying (radio and phone don't get along).

 

I can only offer this.
I owned a 2010 Honda Fit Sport, today I own a 2016 Honda Fit EX.
There are quite a lot of differences between the two Generations. But IMO the main difference is in refinement. The 2016 has an IMO tamer, homogenized dashboard. It also has touch screen infotainment , and blue tooth connectivity...things that weren't yet available in just 2010. Don't know how important that might be to you, or not.

I like my 2016.
But I also would admit that for pure driving feel, I think the 2010 had an edge. It was just slightly more fun to drive. And even though it had a pure plastic dash, and NO touch screen interface...just the classic radio knob stereo, I really liked the interior and dash of the 2010. It was different than most dashboards. Had a double glove box, and some ingenious spaces for storage.

Basically, and this will be no help, but basically I feel either decision is valid.
I would go with just personal gut feel. I mean, it's your brother so I'm guessing he'd be willing to allow you an extensive test drive. Hang out with the vehicle for a while. If you feel you really would enjoy it more? Then do it.
If you drive it, sit in it, and don't really feel it offers enough difference to you? Then just keep your current vehicle.

You'd be reversing some age, and some mileage but IMO not really significantly enough that I would use that as a major decision making factor. To me, it would have to come down to which vehicle I'd rather own. If I found myself indifferent about the "upgrade"...I'd feel perfectly content keeping what I have.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Other than having something newer and shinier, anything wrong with your current car? If not, I personally just keep whatever I had. Insurance and property tax would probably be cheaper on your vehicle so you can save some money on that front for years and years, probably offsetting any increase in MPG with the GK.

If you want some tech like bluetooth/backup camera, that 2500 can go a long way in that department.

 

to piggy back / add to what Fitchet says, I can agree that the gk5's (out of the box) was wimpy in the "fun to drive" dept. if owner is the type to mod a car, I'd like to mention that its not impossible to make a gk5 "fun". there are tons of ways to pull this off, but i'll keep it simple (ie, easy to install mods) and stick to cost effective options for the op:

-add a rear sway bar = car corners more flat now (under $200)
-add a super cheap front lca brace = car corners even more flat (under $50)
-torque rod and/or shifter bushings and/or weighted shift knob for a more crispy shift/down shift experience (forget the price point, sorry)
-do rigid collars = car handles like a go kart, and is more compliant to road imperfections (under $50 if buying the no name brand stuff)

-plenty more options, if op wants to pay more and put more effort into install (ie, coilovers, camber bolts, bushings for lca, other strut bars, etc etc etc)

 

Thanks for all the feedback so far! Im thinking it is a horse a piece and not sure if the less miles and years is worth it. Tough call. 😵

 

With only 110 miles on my 2019 Fit LX - the LX seats stand out as the biggest complaint and are barely comfortable (hard seat bottom, no lower lumbar support). I bought this as a low cost commuter and vacation car - with ZERO options. I might add a seat cover/cushion for me and floor mats.

I knew what I was purchasing - and that the Fit LX model with no options was not an Acura MDX in comfort.