Hello everyone,

I'm typically more of a Mazda guy, but my wife needs a new daily to replace her aging Hyundai Elantra, which means I'm picking her new car since I drive it half the time anyways. At the moment, I'm looking at getting a Gen 2 sometime around March. Looking to find out what to look out for when buying and recommended modifications. Mostly looking at doing light cosmetic modifications (tint, lowering springs, wheels & tires, and interior upgrades) as I want to keep it DD friendly.

For anyone that's interested, this is my daily:

If you're interested in know more, check out my build thread here

 

So far, the biggest problem appears to be spark plugs:

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-out-head.html

 

Wow, thanks for the info

 

Nice Miata!!

Yes spark plugs are the big issue.

For lowering I highly recommend Tein Coliovers.

 

Do you guys know if there is a similar issue with the 3rd gen? I might rule out 2nd gen on that basis.

 

Each gen has their own issues. Do some digging between the three generations' sections on the forum and I'm sure you'll be able to decide what you'd want to deal with from there.

Your results may vary.

 

3rd gen, 2015+ has direct injection, which comes with a whole host of other problems.

 

3rd gen issues:

-injectors failure
-gauge cluster going out for no reason
-water leaks
-vtc rattle on cold startup




When I sold mine, I was at 75k and was able to somehow dodge ALL of the above. So ... YMMV.

Some of us were lucky, some were not very lucky and ended up hating their cars. I love the heck out of mine... I just wanted something faster

 

Interesting. Those seem a bit more manageable than spark plug blow outs. I'll keep those in mind.

 

I still haven't seen anyone on the forums mention any problem directly related to the GDI design. Sure there are the ones for fuel injectors, but is that from bad fuel injectors or the fact it's GDI?

I'm at 86K and I do have the VTC actuator noise periodically at startup. Still starts every time, I get nearly 10k OCI and over 40+ MPG routinely.

OP - Why not a Mazda 3? A little more expensive than a Fit, but you say you're a Mazda guy

 

I have not seen any GDI issues (carbon buildup) from Honda like other manufactures have. Faulty fuel injectors seem unrelated to the direct injection.

I had a GE8 with almost 95k miles and never ejected a spark plug.

Get the style, features and how it drives that you like.

 

The car is for my wife. She likes the Mazda 3, but the visibility is not so great. I'll probably still look at a previous gen 3 when we start shopping, but she's fond of the Fit.

 

That's true, I sat in one (didn't drive) and was surprised at how bad it was. I thought the latest CR-V was bad till I sat in the 3.

 

The latest problem (3rd gen) I read about in this forum was rear alignment issues.

Like GolNat, I also did not encounter the spark plug issue. If you can find a good condition, low mileage (meaning the spark plug hasn't blown out) 2nd gen, just check/replace the plugs and install with whatever knowledge gained in this forum and you should be fine.

 

Previous owner and I haven't experienced the spark plug issue. That's mildly more manageable than the '16 ND's transmission failure.

 

The spark plug issue isn't as bad as it is being made out to be. Change the plugs every 50k or so and you should be golden.

 

Fair enough, luckily my trans hasn't had any issues to date

 

I owned a 2010 Gen 2.
I currently own a 2016 Gen 3.

I like my Gen 3.
But if I was starting from scratch? Looking at used across generations?
I think I'd get a Gen 2.

I liked the almost whimsical interior dash design with the ridiculous amount of cup holders. Dual glove boxes.
I think the driving feel of the Gen 2 is a little tighter and firmer, really slightly less civilized, and I like that.
I think Honda had a LOT right with the Gen 2.

If safety is a priority? The Gen 3 varying from year to year, offers more safety features. Even with the Gen 2, safety additions are added with passing years.

The Gen 3, IMO is a really nice, superior sub-compact hatchback. It's more refined, but also more homogenized.
The Gen 2 Honda Fit, was really different in comparison to other Honda products at the time, with it's sloping dashboard, and interior.
The Gen 3 interior, very much has the DNA of any and all "regular" Honda products. It's very nice, but will remind you of almost anything and everything else.

You have to evolve, and the Gen 3 product is the more sophisticated in terms of refinement, safety and infotainment system options.
But the Gen 2? IMO was a great product for it's time. And from a purely usage and driving standpoint, I have to say I think I enjoyed it more.

The caveat would be, I really like the factory sunroof that came with my 2016 Honda Fit EX.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

at 70k, my gk5 was starting to show random signs of vtc rattle on cold mornings. I just shrugged it off and moved on with life

TougeMonster_GK5 did clean a little bit of carbon buildup while he was fighting faulty injectors. nothing worth writing home about, but there was a decent amount of build up for how low mileage his car was