Hi,

i totalled my GD3 and I have to buy a new car. I can get a GD3 for about 3000, a base GK for 5000$ or a nicer GK from 11k or more. Prices on Canadian dollars.

i have not seen any GK3 « sports ». Only DX , LX or EX. I will only consider a manual car.

what do you recommend? Is the GK really worth the money? Are there better GK year? Are the trims that different ? Open to other manual hatches but the civic and Corolla hatches are quite expensive (15k+)

thanks.

 

Maybe consider a GE8?

Mine will be up for sale very soon.

 

I think "Sport" was only available as GK5, not GK3.

 

When I bought my GK3 LX (6-speed) I saw some previous-gen Fits for sale. What it came down for me was that the GK3 had more rear leg room (I do carry passengers), has somewhat less cargo space with the back seats up, and it passed tougher crash tests than the GD3. So I went with the newer Fit. If none of those things matter to you, stick with the older one.

The other thing is that the GKs are newer. Car parts age and go out of stock. I was driving a 21yo DD and knew there were some factory parts that were no longer manufactured and I had problems with parts just aging out even if the core of the car was okay and repairable (for $$). I can't do too many repairs at home and I don't need another hobby. I went with newer. It's still a very good car.

 

One more thing to note is that newer generations add to gadgets and various systems interfering driving. If those features tend to annoy you or you are concerned about the reliability, then older generations are preferrable. Also, direct injection does have its own issues in the long run.

 

That is a consideration. I was coming from a DI car so I already knew fuel quality was important and I was prepared to accommodate it (wasn't hard for me).

As for the new tech, the GK3 LXs got almost none of it, which was fine with me.

 

Lucky you! I have way too much of those in my GK5 "sport".

But it was surprise to me that you have GK3 in North-America. I thought you only have GK5 with 1.5 liter engine. And I thought GK3 has always 1.3 litre engine.

 

Actually, you're correct. I saw GK3 and thought GK5. I will blame a lack of coffee. 🙂

My GK5 LX, though, lacks the infotainment center and the driving assists (like LaneWatch) that the EX versions do. And I don't mind that at all.

 

In Europe 1.5 litre engine (GK5) was only available in "sport" trim level. Or actually it was called Dynamic, but it's essentially the same as sport or RS in other market areas. If that engine were available with the lowest trim level, like LX in Canada, I would have been happy to buy such.

 

@MTLian Sorry for the loss of your Fit, buddy.

Your Canadian prices seem very low compared to our market in SoCal. Manual transmission cars are rare here, and I wouldn't care much about trim level. All Fits are Fits.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

Hello. Here's an update:

first, I have 2 sets of wheels: 14" acura rims with winter tires and the OEM 2007 Fit Sport allows with summer tires. I took the winter wheels off because they are more "rare" and I just bought new winter tires for about 400$ before the accident. The summers tires on my OEM wheels are in bad shape. Did I do the right thing? I'm likely going to be selling these. Should I keep the OEM honda alloys? I can always go and retrieve them since the car is not gone to the junk yard yet.

I went to see a 2008 Fit Sport and it was a disaster. Very rusty, dude was driving the car without the plastic shield under the engine so there is considerable rust in the engine bay. Also the exhaust is severed behind the resonator causing a loud audible exhaust leak. Oddly, there is this front double tow hitch modification (explains the absence of the plastic shield). I will include pics because I thought it was interesting.

If found a few cars and I think I'm leaning towards the 2015 Fit. It is red (I don't like the colour) and has the annoying lack of knobs and only a touch screen. As long as I can control stuff on the steering whel it shouldn't be too bad. It seems the HVAC still has a knob at least.

What do you think of these choices (all these are manual transmission / all prices are in canadian currency (1.44 CDN = 1.0 USD):

Honda Fit:
GK5, 2015, don't know trim but doesn't have fog lights, it has heated seat though, 200k km, 5000$ I've included a pic.
GE8 LX: 2013, 160K km, 7000$ (I find that expensive for a 2nd gen but comes with a 3 year warranty, not even sport trim though so no alloy wheels)..

Found a few Mazda 3s:
TrimL GX, 2012, 250k km / 2000$.
Trim: Mazdaspeed?, 2013, 190k km, 6000$.
trim Gx Sport, 2011, 210k km, 3700$

Mazda 3 looks like a neat car. Dunno about reliability.

Found a pretty cool Fiesta ST: 2015, 228k km, 5000$. Dash looks pretty stupid but apparently a fun car. Car styling looks better than the GK5 to my taste. Dunno how reliable it may be. I usually like honda interiors personally. I've also heard the Recaros are uncomfortable.

Found a few Scions:
trim: iM, 2016 113k km, 11000$ (expensive)
trim xD, 2012, 215k km, 4000$

Also found a 2008 volvo C30 that is super cheap (1800$) but needs a new clutch.

I looked at a few Subarus (not WRX) but I recently drove my buddies Crosstrek and I absolutely hated the shifter and how the first gear. Literally no acceleration compared to my GD3 and it is a long gear compared to most manuals where you use first only to get going and shift right to second. Perhaps this is just the Crosstrek?

GK5 i'm considering:


Fiesta ST I'm also considering

Weird underbody mod on the GD3 rustbucket I saw

Two front facing hitch receivers connected to the weird underbod frame

 

The Red Fit looks to be an LX.

Red is a great color.

My vote is to get the Red Fit.

 

ive been hearing rave reviews of the Fiesta ST but at high mileage, turbo and timing belt on an interference engine has me hesitating. Timing belt job is likely over 1000$ and it’s not for the faint of heart. I’ve also heard the st was prone to rattles, harsh ride (may city is famous for potholes) and the trunk space isn’t great.

im thinking sticking with Honda may give me some piece of mind. I’ve heard 2015 had some problems, such as the VTC actuator. Anything I should watch for?

also, is it possible to upgrade the head unit for something with Apple car play?

 

Got a nice GE8 for sale! 126k km, 2014. Super well taken care of.

 

Gah! The red Fit was just sold today as I was calling to organize a test drive... man, what a nightmare. I might just go ahead and check the fiesta ST tomorrow. I'm concerned though because I don't want my insurance to triple because it is a "sport" car.

 

The front attachment points on the GD3 you looked at are almost certainly for towing the car behind an RV, although generally they don't look quite that crude. Maybe it was a DIY setup.

I feel for you. Winter is the worst time to look at cars as it's more difficult to look them over carefully, especially if they're being test driven and are covered in muck and salt.

 

DO NOT GET A FORD FIESTA!!!!!!

Shop around for another Fit.

Eventually you'll find a Fit to your liking. It will take time.

Don't rush into buying the first pretty car you see.

 

The reality is that I'm in dire straits. I need a car for work yesterday. I found a seemingly not rusted LX with not too many miles for a good price. Might get that. I'll just buy a spoiler and front fascia from the junk yard if I find it. Also I kept my stock sport allow rims.

 

For the price range you mentioned, I'd lean towards the base GK for $5k if you're looking to save some cash. It's newer than the GD3, so you'll get some tech upgrades and probably fewer issues in the long run. The higher-end trims (LX/EX) are a bit more, but they do come with more features like better interiors and tech (though if you're after manual, they may not be as common). The GK3 isn't a "sports" model, but it’s still a solid, reliable car.

If you’re considering other manual hatchbacks, keep an eye on the Mazda3 or a Hyundai Veloster, which might be priced lower than the Civics or Corollas.

The GK is definitely worth the money if it fits your budget! The trims aren't drastically different but the EX does have some nice extras if you care about that. Just make sure to check for rust and condition in used ones.

 

Had a GD3, it got totaled by a red light runner. Got a GK5 to replace it.

Having lived with both - I would not buy another GK5 because of the known issues, which are not insignificant:

--Carbon fouling extremely common with the GK5 DI engine, sometimes with as little as 10K. My injectors were replaced under warranty at 88K, but I don't expect to be free from this issue. When the injectors go, $3K + repair. I run Top Tier fuel exclusively, but who knows.

--Start/stop switch on keyless models. Often gets blamed on the starter. Honda has begun goodwilling these, but it's not a guarantee.

--VTC actuator issue. The spring inside the actuator is weak. It wears the timing chain on startup, and over time can destroy the engine. You can replace just the spring, but have to tear down half the engine to get there.

--Fuel pump recall on '18 and later models.

--Door, window and hatch leaks. These became more common since the midcycle refresh. Apparently Honda hasn't figured this one out yet.

There are more, I'm just citing the ones I remember easily.