So, I had a 2007 Sport MT for 11 years until 2018 when it got totaled in an accident. Not much damage but an 11 year old Fit with 175k on the odometer, it was enough damage for the insurance company to call it. Forward to August 2020, my 2018 Si was totaled out by the insurance due to a hurricane and some water going where it shouldn't have.

So I am once again looking for a new car. I had originally intended on getting something bigger... something more CRV like but then I remembered how much I loved my GD3/MT so here I am. Since losing my GD3, I haven't kept up with these cars so I don't know if they're as awesome as they used to be. Mine went 175k on the stock clutch and other than coil packs and an alternator, I didn't have to change anything other than brakes and oil. Suffice to say, it was an extremely reliable car. How are the latest ones? I'd be getting a new 2020 so I'm mainly interested in hearing about the latest Fits.

Now we all know how rare it is to find a MT Fit these days and I've started a conversation with a local dealer to see if they can help me with this but I'm not going to hear back for a couple of days. In the event that I can't get my hands on a MT, do you think buying a CVT model would be a good idea? I haven't owned an automatic since 2003 so it would definitely be something to get used to and small displacement vehicles are just more fun with a MT.

So, any advice, warnings, info or anything else you guys can provide would be very helpful.
Thanks

 

In a word... Yes? But if you're asking for gotchas, there's not many...

There's a few little reliability things, the only big recall for 3rd gen refresh models has been this fuel pump issue (that I'm still waiting for them to call me in for). North American fits are all made in Mexico, and the last few years have been pretty decent, even if not up to Japanese made standards. There's some talk about people having loud VTC actuator noises on cold start up, but they are rare and don't affect anything except sound at startup. There are also some rare fuel injector failures that have come up, that's an expensive repair but it's not super common. The Fits don't seem to have the oil dilution issue that current L15 turbo engines seem to be having. Most of us recommend installing a catch can on the PCV tube to reduce the amount of coking. Otherwise you might have to walnut blast your valves 5-10 years in the future but it's again not a common thing at all. There's been one or two mentions of the key less starter button having issues, and its a pain to replace because you gotta kinda go behind the dash, but again not super common. I am sure I'm missing one or two things other people have mentioned, but even these things that I recall people have posted about are not really common.

We have a 1st gen and a 3rd gen, and the driving feel is completely different between the two. Interior space usage wise I prefer my 3rd gen over the 1st gen, and daily driving wise the 3rd gen is much more refined (before I did my exhaust and engine mount anyways). The sound system on my LX is pretty dinky compared to the 1st gen Sport. Visibility was better in the 1st gen. Low end torque was a bit better on 1st gen, but it dies out as RPMs climb where as the 3rd gen is much peppier at higher RPMs. Pretty much everything else is better on the 3rd gen.

I've never driven the CVT so I can't speak to it. If you can find some models locally (even if they're used) go test drive them to see how they feel. You're going to notice the lack of power coming from a Civic Si though, so keep that in mind that you're going to be almost halving the HP/Torque figures.

Let us know if you find the Fit you're looking for! It's the last generation for us in NA for a while ... This price segment is shrinking and all the other cars in it kinda suck. Yaris, Versa, Sonic, Fiesta are all bleh to me, not useful and not fun. If I had a million bucks and was buying a new hatch in 2021, I'd get the Yaris GR, but thats two Honda Fits for that price. But for what I paid, I'm happy with my Fit.

 

My vote is yes.

 

I love my 2015, so yes.

As to manual or CVT, examine how you drive. If, like me, you spend almost all of your drive time stoplight to stoplight and on interstates, you may want the ease and lower gearing of the CVT. But those rare occasions I'm on back rural roads, I sure wish I had the manual (paddles aren't the same).

Mine has been reliable, economical, and fun. We've driven every state east of Wyoming in the 6 years we've had it.

 

I had a 2017 MT, now in a 2020 CVT. Hardest thing to get used to in the breaking.It feels harsh after the many more ways I had to slow down in the MT.

 

So, since I couldn't get a MT Fit, I went with a CRV Hybrid instead. Part of me still really wants a Fit but I got a really good deal on an EX-L. So no Fit for me. Thanks for the advice, guys. Wish I could join you all but I REALLY didn't want an automatic Fit lol

Best wishes!