Hi guys, I have been looking at used fits because I absolutely need a car. But the prices are through the roof right now. I looked at a 2018 white ex yesterday that drove like a dream. Dealer came down to $18,344 plus ttl and fees. It had just over 46,000 miles on it, saw the carfax and it didn’t show hardly any maintenance done on it. The dealer did front brakes and a couple of other little things but I am concerned with the lack of knowing what was done on it in the last 5 years. Of course no warranty, tires looked to have been changed but were cheap tires, westlake. I asked the salesman if I could take it to a mechanic and have it looked at and he said he had never heard of anyone asking that before. Of course he also didn’t know it was on the lot for a month. This was at a Chevy dealer not a Honda, I offered him $17,000 but he said $18, 344 was as low as he could go on it. Should I keep looking, maybe at a Honda dealer? I have to have reliable transportation and being a 70 year old female on a limited budget can’t afford huge repair bills. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

They are pretty reliable cars. The previous owner may have done maintenance themselves or you may want to take it to a shop you trust to have them change the car’s fluids for piece of mind. Ditto the tires for something that’ll be a bit better in the rain.

Charging what the car cost new five years ago with no warranty and 46,000 miles on it is pretty gross. The used car market is bonkers and the new car market shifting evermore towards bigger, more expensive, higher profit vehicles is only likely to make it worse.

That said, I do wonder if the dealership is trying to take advantage of you for being a 70 year old female. I have read many reports of sales people playing hardball with women in a way they do not with men. I hope you can find something that works for you for the right price!

 

My local Honda dealer has a 2019 Fit on their lot for $21K, if that is any indication. No idea what kind of mileage there is on it.

I thought I paid a lot for mine but if has only half that many miles..... And it wasn't $18K.

 

I have a 2015 that has been very reliable and I've only done regular maintenance. I'm at a little over 100k. It's mainly seen oil/filter changes, 2x CVT fluid changes, 3rd set of tires, brake fluid, and several engine air and cabin air filters. I'm still on the original brakes as most of the miles are highway. I will warn you that white Honda have issues with paint peel. I've had the wing repaired, but now has another spot on my front passenger door.

The car fax won't show you all the maintenance. For example if the work was done by a smaller independent mechanic, they may not report the work to car fax. When I had a longer commute,I used to do my own oil changes, that won't show up on any report but the work was done.

One red flag to be would be the cheap tires. That tells me the person wasn't willing to put decent tires on a vehicle, so what else did they also cheap out? Maybe it was just the dealer putting the cheapest tires to get it to sale condition though?

It's kind of funny, but the sales price on that car is more than what I paid on my new 2015 .

 

Used car prices are ridiculous right now, but if you can't wait, and if you need a newer car because you're not comfortable doing your own maintenance or assuming a slightly higher risk of issues with an older/higher mileage vehicle, there's not a lot you can do about it.

Any salesperson telling you that no one asks to have a mechanic look at a used car (while not offering any warranty) is pulling your leg. If you want the Fit from the Chevy dealer, insist that they allow an independent inspection. If they refuse, take your business somewhere else. I've never bought a car from a dealership but I thought that you generally got some sort of warranty. Am I wrong about that? If a Honda dealer would offer a warranty on a Honda, it might be worth it (for you), even if you pay a bit more.

Regardless of where you look at cars, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring along a burly and bearded son/nephew/male coworker/male neighbor, especially if you can find someone with automobile knowledge. Even if your salesperson is an angel who would never take advantage of you, it won't hurt to have two sets of eyes on the car.

Regarding the white Fit that you asked about in your post, why not go back to the Chevy dealer and have your proxy look at it while you stay out of sight. Have them go for a test drive. Have them look over the car closely while rubbing their chin and sighing a lot. If they do know about cars, have them give it a good inspection (e.g., did the dealer really put on new front brakes, or did they just tell you that they did?). If it checks out, your proxy can offer $17K (or whatever you decide on). If the salesperson again claims that they can't come down on the price you know they're a straight shooter. If they agree to the lower price you swoop in and say "Ha ha!" and wag your finger in their face while saying "For shame, for shame!" Seems like it would be difficult for them to back out at that point. Heck, you might be able to get you a decent set of tires for your trouble.

I personally think the previous generation (2009-2013) Honda Fit is a bit more reliable than the new version (issues with direct injection engines in the newer version), but that is offset by the increasing age of the previous version. Unless the 2019 shows obvious mistreatment it *should* be okay if even minimal maintenance was performed, but if you're not getting any sort of warranty and you don't have maintenance records you're taking a leap of faith. Previous commenters have pointed out some obvious issues that you can look at yourself. Given your location, if you get this car you may want to budget for a better set of tires.

Good luck.

 

Man I paid that in 2010 for a new one. What's crazy is that's ballpark for that mileage on AutoTrader. Regardless, I still have it 147k miles later and it's great with no major issues. I would look on facebook and go private seller for a better deal.

 

I agree the cheap tires are a red flag to me. No the dealer didn’t put them on. Maybe a Honda certified with warranty might be a better option.

 

Hondas are very reliable and a good bet in the used market. I'm almost your age and bought and sold many cars in the last 51 years, even sold Hondas for two years in the mid 1980s. My 2009 has 175,000 on it with no issues other than usual maintenance. I have also owned or have family members than drove Hondas well over 200,000 miles. When my kids turned 16 I bought high mileage Hondas for them (161,000 mile Civic and 150,000 mile CR-V).

I wouldn't link the inexpensive tires to lack of maintenance. We don't know if the car needed tires when it was traded in and the previous owner or the dealer wasn't going to invest any more money than necessary to put new tires on it. Round, black, and hold air is a low bar for certain but is inconclusive in and of itself. Cheap new tires look better on a car for sale than worn expensive ones.

What bothers me is the dealer's reluctance to let you take it to a mechanic you trust to look it over. On the other hand it's a crazy seller's market right now and a low(er) mileage Honda that looks good and has a clean accident record will hold a high price. They will sell it before long and have no incentive give you any concessions. A 46,000 mile Fit shouldn't have required much maintenance to show on Carfax. The PO might have been a DIY type or took it to a neighborhood indie shop that doesn't report services done.

Lacking service records and a known history.... things I would do is to pull up the carpets where you can and look for rusty fasteners under the seats and in the well the spare tire sits in. Rails the seats slide on have plastic covers over the fasteners, pull one or two off and look underneath. Lots of flood cars have been circulating in the used market. Check all the lights and electronic devices. Dealers or private owners can replace carpets but they won't replace fasteners in hidden locations. You might get lucky and find a previous owner's name in the owner's manual or on a service receipt in the glove box though dealers usually get rid of these items. If they won't let you take it to a mechanic, insist on taking it for a long test drive and on the test drive insist on driving the car more than the usual 5 or 6 right turns right back to the dealer's lot. Pick a road you can go 70-80 mph on and one that is rough and very bumpy. Find a place you can get up to at least 50 and apply the brakes very hard. Does the brake pedal pulsate under hard fast braking (not anti-lock brake activation but a pulsing in the brake pedal or steering wheel that changes as the speed drops) or does the car pull to one side. Listen for odd clunks from under the car on rough roads and noises from under the hood under hard acceleration.

Finally I would keep looking if you have time to but I've had too many cars get sold out from under me because I wanted to "think about it." If the Fit is what you are looking for try and take a male friend with you and make a deal after the test drive.

 

Hi guys, I have another question for you. Of I went and test drove a 2020 fit lx, it rode so differently than the 2018 ex, an I just imagining this or why would the ride be so much better? I know it has larger tires but the ex was smooth, the lax felt like an economy car. If it was an economy price that would be fine but it was $20, 000. So I figure if anyone can tell me if this is indeed how they ride if you can tell me why I would appreciate it. Thanks