It seems the majority of fit owners here have the sport model. Has anyone chosen the base over the sport? and why.........

 

I chose the base over the sport and here is why:

- They had a base in the color I wanted on the lot
- Cost: I thought the cost difference was too much for some wheels, ricey body work, and an AUX jack.
- I don't think some side skirts and a chin spoiler make anything more sporty. Maybe if it had a 6th overdrive gear and a bit more power it would be a 'sport'.

Reasons that I almost got a sport:

-Cruise Control would be nice, especially with the pedal arrangement in the Fit that is pretty damn uncomfortable for long highway drives. I'm 5 foot 11 and on long drives I'm always trying to find a spot to rest my foot while still maintaining pressure on the pedal. Moving the seat as far back as humanly possible helps but then the steering wheel is really far away.

-AUX jack: I'd like to have one of these for my iPod at some point. It only comes on the Sport model.

 

Do a search, this has benn covered many times!

But definetly go with the sport, its like a whole diffrent car from the base!

 

The base model manual trans. does not have (but the sport does):
1. security system with remote entry.
2. body colored underbody kit.
3. body colored rear-roofline spoiler
4. fog lights.
5. cruise control w/illuminated steering wheel mounted controls.
6. perforated leather wrapped steering wheel.
7. 200 watt audio systems w/cd and 6 speakers (base has 160 watt & 4 speakers)
8. 5 mode equalizer.
9. MP3/Windows Media audio playback capability
10. MP3/Auxiliary input jack
11. CD text display capability
12. 15" alloy wheels (base has 14" w/full covers)
13. P195/55R1584H tires (base has P175/65/R1481S)

That is the total difference between manual trans-base & sport. For the difference in the price I thought the Sport was a bargain. Only you can decide if these options are worth the additional money. Note: the above list was prepared for the 2007 model, based upon that year's information. I do not know if the 2008 model differences between the base and the sport are the same as 2007.

 

I have an 08 MT Sport and like it very much. Nothing beats the Fit's dash illumination at night. So nice looking! Many great things about it, from fuel economy, to feeling like you're right on top of the road, etc. I wouldn't even change out the shift knob for the titanium - I like the stock one, it's kind of grippy!

One thing that disappoints me, and I did not expect this, is the stereo. 200W it may be, but mounting speakers at the bottom of the door produces, IMO, sound that is vastly inferior to speakers mounted in a sedan's rear window shelf. In a sedan, the sound bounces off the rear window and heads straight to you at ear level. Forgetting the nano-tweeter they give you, which does little, they've apparently got all this power and it is like having your home stereo speakers sitting on the floor - with shag carpet. It does not make for the best sound. I don't know of a good solution, unless perhaps the Honda stock speakers are crap and should be replaced.

Another thing I've noticed is that I often have to crank up the volume (like to 25) when using my iPod, and turn it back down to 12-14 for the radio. Yes my iPod volume is up too - not at max though, it can distort there, but at 80-90%. Has anyone else noticed either of these things?

 

I chose the base over the sport...

With the money I saved I got the front lip,sideskirts,springs,wheels,and a 2 way alarm.

I didnt really mind because they are both mechanically the same,if they weren't then it would be a different story.

 

Nope i havent noticed either of those things. The speakers in the Fit sound GREAT to me, maybe its the kind of music i listen to(Rock,Metal)that makes it sound great?As far as iPods, i have a iPhone and a iPod shuffle..On both i put the volume at 90% and with the the car volume at 18 its pretty loud even on the freeway with the windows down, 25 seems like it would be starting to distort?

 

I purchased the MT Sport for the cruise, better wheels, aux and security system. As for the ipod, I notice that with my wife's ipod (3rd gen), I have to turn it up quite a bit (20-25) to have it as loud as I would like but with my ipod (ipod photo) i only have to turn it up to 13-15 or so to have it as loud as I like it. This is with both ipods turned all the way up.

 

I listen to hard rock too, but I also listen to podcasts, and it might be a problem limited to podcasts (will have to break out the Soundgarden on the iPod to test the music side of the iPod).

Radio is audibly at much lower volumes. But I do maintain that the quality of the audio is better (louder and clearer) for systems that avoid having the speakers at ankle level. Even knee level would be better.

 

i chose base because im poor

 

Same here. . .

Actually, I like being able to upgrade to my own choice of rims (HFPs or. . .) and I prefer the look without the cheesy skirts, etc

Wouldn't mind remote locks (but I don't like the bigger key, so I'll just install the system myself for $100 w/ key fob), and cruise control would be nice. The base steering wheel is pretty decent, though. Don't really care about the stereo / aux upgrades

 

To me, and this is just my observation, many of the Fit owners on this forum who purchased the Base model seem to have something against those of us with the Sport model. I don't know if it's envy or what, but it seems they're always saying how the only difference is the "ricey" body-kit - which is 100% not true. There are many other benefits in the Sport which someone listed (I believe in it's entirety) above.

 

Please note that the vast majority of us on this forum do not consider the extra body pieces "cheesy"..

 

I listed all of the differences between the Base and the Sport in one of the posts above, and I have read all of the comments in this thread. However, I do not get the impression of any jealousy or envy on the part of Base owners vs. Sport owners.

The only Sport "equipment," not offered on the base, that did not appeal to me, one way or the other, was the spoiler and the underbody kit. So, for me, the difference between the Sport price and the Base price was worth it. But I can totally understand why someone would find the price difference to be too high, especially if they were not interested in some of the Sport "equipment."

Many years ago, I used to scour the local newspapers for McDonald's coupons, just to save a few cents on meals , so I can totally relate to the people whose finances are tight enough just buying the Base, let alone the Sport. So, if you own a Base or a Sport, the important thing is that we are all Fit owners. Enjoy your ride. Thanks for reading.

 

Right, I understand the price difference steering some towards the Base, I understand everyone has their own opinion on what looks good on a car and what doesn't, but this thread is the 5th or 6th one I've come across where someone with the Base takes shots at the Sport for it's exterior..

 

Yah, I didn't really mean "cheesy", the fit sport looks good, pretty low key as skirts / spoiler / wing goes, it's actually the rims I don't really care for (shoulda been 16" stock). What they need to do for '09 is bump the sport horsepower a bit, not much more you can do with the suspension (pretty darn good as is). I said I was too poor to afford the sport, but actually I really didn't find the extras worth the $$ for me, I'll take I/H/E + rims instead once the warranty runs out. . .

Didn't mean to ruffle feathers, love the cars!!

 

My feathers never get ruffled; they fell out years ago. But it is true that the vast majority of us "love the cars."

 

for what you get in the sport, its worth the price diff.

the aux jack works great.. i have a t1 at home, and slingbox on the network. i have a verizon wireless card in a laptop. so i can watch tv in the car. anyways, the laptop speakers dont put out enough sound to hear in the car, but plug the laptop into the aux and wallah.. tv surround sound in your car....

of course i have iTunes on the laptop.. so i can use the laptop as a super iPod.

 

I bought the Sport because of the cruise control and I'll tell ya, it's the best CC I have ever used.

After it is set, one can speed up or decellerate in 1 mph increments using the two buttons on the wheel. This driving-by-wire thing has some advantages!

I love this feature. Worth every penny. My 20 mile commute is effortless.

 

Y'all really need the LX model that we have in Canada.

Cruise control, power windows and locks, aux input and CD with 4 speakers, and air conditioning and filtration.

The only thing I wish I had was keyless entry (but don't want the alarm system that goes with). I love the look without the spoiler/extra bits.

I've taken to peering into Fits around here to see if they're the base (DX here) or LX, as the easiest way to tell is on the steering column and the cruise control.