Hi all. Thanks for building a nice forum for the Fit. Browsing has been helpful so far, but I'd love some internet advice on a potential Fit purchase. Shopping for a used Fit as a 3rd car (Currently own a '10 Accord EX-L and '12 Ody EX-L) for kids to drive and for shorter trips where the van is gas guzzling overkill. I found a '16 EX CVT with 75K miles that appears to be in nice cosmetic shape and runs well. There are a few red flags that bother me:

1) Mismatched tires -- oddball on front driver side, all tread is in good shape though and in pretty much the same depth
2) Climate control knobs that are really stiff to turn. I'm aware of the cable issues and instances where it's a trip to the dentist to get it worked out. This car had "heating and A/C checked a couple times in the span of a month Summer before last
3) Control arms were replaced at 40K. Maybe not a big deal with a car driven as frequently as this one.
4) Class I trailer hitch rail is attached. Nobody really trailers these right? Had to be for a bike rack.
5) Non-specific "glass checked" service a few times.

Also worth noting that it is being sold by a Honda dealer and has had their 100+ point check with tire balance/rotation, brake rotor resurfacing and fluid replacement.I think I can get it for $11,500-ish before tax and title. Good deal? One alternative is a '16 LX for 27K miles for ~ $13K (private seller.)

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

I'd go for the lower mileage one personally especially for only $1500.

40k on control arms is not much. Honda ones are usually good for 100k in my experience but environment plays an important role in that. Around me NJ roads suck so I would expect a Jersey car to have more wear on those type of items. The hitch was probably for a bike rack.

 

 

Does the EX come as a CPO vehicle? That would provide some peace-of-mind if you choose that car.

Do you have maintenance information on the LX? As the seller is private party, perhaps he would be more willing to fudge the numbers on the paperwork for "sales price" for the car, meaning you would pay less in taxes (at least in California; I am unsure how registration fees are assessed in NJ).

 

Disappointing to hear the general uncertainty for GKs, but that is sort of the vibe I got from lurking the 3rd Gen forum too.

My understanding is that the EX has too many miles to be CPOed. Going to check out the LX in a couple hours and will shell out for a VIN check if the owner seems up front.

Thanks all for the quick replies.

 

Hey from the detached perspective of internet description and commentary what can you do but just go on gut instinct?
The dealership Fit could be just fine. BUT...
Yeah, there have been reported problems with Climate Control Knobs, so that could be an instant issue.
The other red flags? I don't know, it could all be in the normal realm of normal problems.
But I've never liked or felt good about used cars with mismatched tires.
IMO a dealership, should replace those before even selling.
Really, it also might not be a big deal, but I like my tread to match on all 4 wheels. And at the very least, it reveals to me that the previous owner either did not have the financial means to replace all 4 tires at once, or just didn't want to make the investment.
OR worst case, there was/is something wrong with the alignment/suspension that IS causing one set of the tires to wear out significantly faster than the other. Which might connect to the control arms being replaced. The replacement of just two tires, might be camouflage applied to hide a bigger problem.
Even if it is nothing, I feel better when a vehicle has a matching set of 4 tires.

Total gut feeling, but I feel the price is no super bargain, and there are enough red flags in play, that I'd pass.

 

yah, good luck with your search. and make sure you open/close all power windows to double check that the window regulators arent binding.. or glass wanting to fall out of the door frame like mine did originally. lol

 

Fitchet: There's only one mismatched tire, not two. Just not cool. And my wife informed me that there was a 2" section of the rear hatch gasket missing, as if it had been cut out. She said they told her they would fix it.

On the other hand, the LX was super clean, and had only 24K miles. It was first purchased in May of 2017 by the seller, so there's a good chunk of warranty left. Seller had all service records and they matched the VIN check. I pulled the trigger for $12,750. Probably not a great deal, but I'm happy with it.

Thanks for chiming in all (even Mr. Sunshine, kenchan... just kidding!) I know these questions aren't the most compelling. I'm going to hang around and hopefully repay you guys with some useful contributions.

 

Thanks for all the input. Just got home with the '16 LX. Nice to have 17months/11k miles on the factory warranty. Really impressed with the whole package.

 

Congrats!! May it bring you years of motoring bliss!!

 

grats. dont forget to save this sticky thread, it will come in handy one day:


https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...nce-guide.html

 

Fantastic. Thank you!