I'm going to be selling my 2004 Jeep Wrangler and using the money (roughly 13k) to buy a new, much more fuel efficient car.

I saw a FIT in the beach parking lot and had to go check it out to see what kind of car it was. I don't think I'd ever seen one before and was interested.

The things I like are the gas mileage (around 30? I would be more happy with 35-40), I like that the seats fold down for sleeping space and storage space. I'm 5'10" so I don't know how sleeping will do, but it's gotta be at least sleep-able, I hope!

I'd dig if I could fit my 7'10" sufrboard in there somehow. With all the doors closed and what not. That's not a must, but would be very awesome.

I dig the hatchback, never drove one of those but they seem very sensible. I need a car that is going to be reliable and cheap or easy to repair (for minor things) and that will last me a good while.

I'll probably have to buy a used one, so tips to look for on used fits would be nice too.

Anyway, is this car right for me?

Thanks!

Rotz

 

The newer, sharper-looking GE8 Fit would be a better fit for you simply because it's more accommmodating of bigger physiques. By "bigger," read that as any combination of tall, big-boned, full-bodied or long-legged.

I'm a medium-build 5'8" guy and fit well in the older GD3 Fit though.

Fuel economy is highly variable and dependent on how hard you drive/thrash it, as well as your choice of transmission. Do be advised that it's not going to set any speed records (although coming from a Jeep Wrangler, I don't think that's high on your priority list).

Everything else seems to tick your proverbial boxes. Your surfboard should fit.

Good luck

 

I'm going to have to take my Jeep Wrangler on one final off roading hurrah to... you know... make sure everything is working and it's a highly capable, well built machine.

5'10" and less than medium build. Thanks for the info on the surfboard, that makes me happy. Also I'll be coming from one of the worst security vehicles I could imagine (soft plastic windows... I didn't even lock my door for fear of losing a window to a knife), so I am curious to know how safe it is. And how the sound system is; is there an AUX for the stereo? Also tho, coming from a jeep I really only hear half the songs anyway because of wind noise, so I'm sure anything will be amazing to me.

Also, as far as how I drive it, its usually short distances at a time, well, short as in 15 miles anyway. I like a manual transmission, and I'm pretty slow when I drive and spend a fair amount of time in neutral coasting down a hill or up to a stop light. I do want to have enough power to pull out at a busy intersection between two cars that are moderately distanced. So some slightly dangerous situations I'll get myself into. So it's good to have the power when you need it - but I don't have very much need for it often.

How do you think that type of driving style would fair for gas mileage? Oh- when I drive my jeep i'm usually less than 2k rpm or slightly above 2k.

Thanks for the response! Getting myself interested in this venture.

 

Crap... I hope this doesn't change things, but I'm sure it well. I typo'd in regards to the surfboard size. It's 7'10" not 5'10". Long boards are easier to ride... I need to master shortboarding still, hehe.

 

The fit is a great car.. I'm on my second one..
with the front seat down ur board would definitely fit.

I beat on my car quite a bit, And never see less than 32 MPG.

Hope this helps a bit!

 

Ah that rocks! Thanks! 32mpg being the least you've seen has to be good!

Good news on the board too, it likes to stick its ass out the back of my jeep which is not very fun.

Why are you on your second FIT? What happened to the first one? I hope these are very reliable cars that are low maintenance.

Thanks,

Will

 

Well, I'm 6' tall and about 180 lbs (so not big). I'm very comfortable in my GE Fit. I just "switched" from an SUV too, 1999.5 Nissan Pathfinder.

My avg MPG is under 30, but it has a lot to do with my slightly more aggressive driving (or is it poor skills?) combined with doing deliveries with the Fit.

My main reason for buying the Fit? I miss driving a hatchback and a manual transmission. The main car I drove when I first learned to drive was a 1987 Ford Escort hatchback. Bad heater, no radio, no power anything... and the driver side keyhole was missing. It meant I had to open the passenger door first every time, bored and froze my ass off on my way to school. By the time the heater got warm enough, I'd already be in class. It was also a manual with no power steering, so that gave me a workout too! Alas, it was my brother's car and he sold it a while after the starter failed. And yes, my other brother and I used the "start the car by pushing it in 1st gear" routine.

re: type 100

Your avatar makes me miss my PG Wing Gundam Zero Custom model. $200!!! But it was cool, especially putting it together.

 

I hope you don't mean to imply that all those memories are associated with your fit because of the escort! haha - now you're scarin' me away!

 

No, everything*** in the Fit works!

*** I think I messed up a setting in the radio... now, after my ipod resets itself, if the radio picks it up, it starts on repeat mode (even though the ipod wasn't in repeat mode when I plugged it in). strange.

The thing about the Escort... I learned to really drive in that car. Being a manual with no power steering, you have to learn quickly to put your body to use.

Plus, how many of you can say you put 10 people in a little 5-door hatchback? Granted, we were all Asians, but 10 is still a lot. HAHA... acceleration practically disappeared... braking required the ability to see into the distant future.

That car makes me appreciate the Fit oh so much more.

 

I was thinking about a Jetta or a Golf too - I think they get about the same gasmileage - even the mini cooper does, but that car would end up being way too tiny for me.

Oh, or a Ford Fiesta - those are pretty damn good gas mileage and look pretty badass. I think they are in their first year tho, so I'd have to wait to get one years!

 

The Fiesta also lacks rear leg room and the seats don't fold completely flat like in the Fit.

With the Jetta or Golf, I'd worry about long term reliability issues if you planned on keeping it for more than say 3 years.

I have a similar driving style to yours and get between 36-40mpg

 

Oh man, 36-40 mpg has to be nice!

My parents have a prius and when I look on their average mpg reading it says around 40mpg. So that's pretty impressive for the fit to do nearly as well!

And yes, I'd like if the fit was comfortable for 4 people to sit in it. Meaning the people in the back don't feel like they are sandwiched in and want to get out after 15 minutes.

I think i'll have to go to a honda dealership and test and play around with a fit they have on the lot. I'll have to look into the differences between the newer and older fits too. Since I will probably be buying used, the new one at the dealer probably will be slightly different.

Anyone know of major changes to look out for between the different years? Major changes to the engine or transmission, or changes with seating space etc.

Thanks!

Rotz

 

gas mileage is great, i get around 40 on highway if im driving at around 60-65 and i once had a guy in my car that was over 6 feet tall and he fit in it comfortably. oh and i drive a ge8 btw lol

 

OK, from what I can tell, they changed the car model a bit in 2008? I still don't know what GD3 vs GE8 is. GD3 is for models before 2008 and GE8 are for models 2008 and later?

Thanks,

 

For the US and Canada the GE was released as a 2009 year model and everywhere else the GE was released as a 2008 model.

As for your surfboard, you might be able to get it in either generation. Just be sure to have the rear seats down, the front passenger seat flat and measure to see if you have the room.

Mileage wise, I could flog my '08 A/T GD3 around town most of the time and still get over 30 MPG. Driving normal yields around the mid 30s and driving conservatively I'll be upper 30s, sometimes close to 40 MPG when driving around town.

 

The diesel vw jettas are pretty rare it seems, but they get something around 40mpg. The diesel ones do, not the normal gasoline ones.

Or I could just get a geo metro from something like a grand... hahaa... That is what my friend suggested to me when I said I wanted a fuel efficient car. :P

 

ok seems like a geo metro is more like about 3k. That doesn't seem so worth it for such a crazy car.

 

The major difference between the GD3 and GE8 in terms of interiors is the reach-adjustable steering column. The GD3's adjusts only for rake, which sort of limits how well drivers can fit into it and get into a comfy, proper seating position.

The GE8 is a little roomier...fractions of an inch here and there but they make the cabin noticeably airier. The wheelbase is also extended a little and the suspension bushings changed out/redesigned to improve ride quality. Unfortunately, it's also slightly heavier.

 

Ah ok - so nothing really major it seems. I like to know a lot about the cars I have and don't mind adjusting them at all and making modifications if I have extra money. I'm not a speed freak, but if new shocks will make the ride smoother or something to make the car more fuel efficient, I'll probably do that eventually.

Any idea on how many miles I should expect an engine to get? I'm seeing used ones for a good price with about 50-60k miles on them.

 

Engine is long lived - 200K if you show the love.