Hi All,

I have a new Fit on order: a Sport model in Milano Red with manual transmission. It should arrive sometime in April. My wife and I live in a part of Vermont called the Northeast Kingdom (abbreviated NEK). Our '96 Subaru station wagon is getting decrepit and unreliable, and the Fit was our replacement choice. Subaru is just about the state car in snowy Vermont, because of the AWD. But I have concluded that AWD isn't really necessary, since the road crews up here are so good about quickly plowing snow and sanding the roads (most of which, other than the state routes, are unpaved). I will put a set of Blizzaks onto the Fit before next winter.

I also considered the Toyota Yaris. I drove a rental Yaris for two weeks in Iceland last summer. I liked it -- nimble and quick and great mpg. But I didn't like the cramped space inside or the fact that it was a two-door. The Fit is so much more efficient in terms of space. And it's a better-looking car, in my opinion. I decided to buy an '08 because I actually like its lines (kind of retro and funky) better than the futuristic '09 redesign. Also because having a spare tire is important to me, even if it's just a wanky doughnut.

In researching the Fit, I spent a lot of time following different threads on this site. Nice to find that most everybody seems to be friendly and helpful. Some of the photos of people's Fits are very good looking. While I don't plan to modify my Fit, it is still interesting to see the various ways people go about making their cars "their own."

I look forward to exchanging views with Fitfreak members in the future and will let you know when my new Fit makes its way to the Northeast Kingdom.

 

Congratz on having a new Fit on order! Be sure to post some pics when it arrives!
Welcome to FitFreak!

Tyler

 

You still have to order Fits up in Vermont? Or did they just not have the combination of options you were looking for? All the dealers I've seen in CT usually have a number of Fits just sitting on the lots now.

 

Congratulations on the new Fit! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun when you finally receive it.

 

grats on getting a fit! dont forget to post pics when you finally do get it!

oh and welcome to Fitfreak!

 

Congrat's...you're going to love the handling and "magical" interior.

 

Grats on the new Fit!

 

congrats on the fit!!!! Milano Red is the way to go!

 

Welcome to Fit Freak.

 

In the whole state of Vermont I would bet there are fewer than 5 - 10 Fits on various dealers' lots at any given time (based on some phone calls I made plus looking at websites). We just don't have that many people up here -- only around 600,000 population in the state. The dealer who we're getting the car from, in Barre (central part of the state and about an hour from here), says they commonly order Fits and people call and put deposits down on them, sight unseen, before the cars arrive. Consequently they didn't have a single one for me to test drive. Not a problem, since a friend of mine has an '07 base model (manual) that he let me drive. As you can imagine, a shortage of Fits means dealers won't dicker on the price.

I had called the Barre dealership and was asking what they had (nothing on the lot) and they mentioned that a red Sport was on order. So I put a deposit on it.

My friend really likes his car. After I ordered mine, I was on the phone with my brother in Oakland, CA, and he told me that his wife had recently researched and bought one. It's the blaze orange Sport, with an automatic trans. I told him I have a smart sister-in-law!

 

You're going to love it. And although you aren't planning to mod it, spend more time on this site, and the mod bug will bite!

You have to at least do intake and exhaust.

 

oh and a nice tint with visors too! it just makes the fit look that much better.

 

Welcome to FitFreak man.

I was born and raised in Burlington, Vermont.
I only moved out here 4 years ago.*unfortunately*
To be honest I would really be careful when buying a fit there, I was there back in Dec. and even driving an s60 turbo was the toughest I'd ever had getting around VT. There are hills that are and will be hard for the little fit*no offense I love mine*. Unless that is, you live in an area of the NEK where roads are plowed every morning and don't plan on much highway driving. As for summer in VT that car would be a dream for those winding roads.
I'd over all say do it, especially if your going for an 07 or 08 but be prepared to accommodate for the winter.


ps. please dont buy a yaris. it just made the CR's 10 worst car buy's
pss. i didnt see a single fit when I went back there, you'll be the bees knees!

 

Hi to FO33X,

Both my wife and I work out of our home and don't have to commute. We can usually pick and choose when we want to be on the road. And yes, the plow crews are really on the ball here. Our road gets plowed several times during each storm. This past year we had over 150 inches of snow here in the Kingdom, so as you can imagine, town employees get pretty good at removing it. My friend with the '07 base lives in Craftsbury, not far from here. He has snows on his car, and he hasn't had any problem getting around this winter. Oh yeah, mud season is coming up, and that's another issue.....! As an ex-Vermonter, you will know all about that.

I imagine the Fit will labor at times on really steep hills. But I don't expect I will be much underpowered overall. That 1.5 with 109 horses ought to move a light car along pretty well. Driving up here is about as fun as it gets, since most people are pretty laid back, the roads aren't crowded, and the scenery is great. Except of course you have to watch out for the occasional moose who decides the road is his and not yours!

I will be doing most of my driving on back roads, smallish state highways, and I-91, with the occasional road trip elsewhere in New England and the East. I have a son going to college in Troy, NY, so there will be some back and forth to the Hudson Valley.

 

You made a good choice. I also found the Yaris a bit too small, but did like the Nissan Versa, especially its height adjustable seats. I drove everything in a 4-door hatchback configuration, capable of getting 30+ mpg on the highway... Ford, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Scion Xd, etc., over a period of three weeks. When it came down between the Nissan Versa and the Honda Fit build quality and engineering, the Fit was my choice. With still less than 1,000 miles on mine, I love it. I think you'll find your decision was also correct.
-Rod

________________________________
2008 5-speed Sport purchased 3/8/08
Rods Autos Website

 

If you don't mind, what was the out the door price?

 

Rod,

I also thought the Versa was a decent machine. But it doesn't look as good as the Fit. The Versa has those radically forward-slanting pillars behind the back window, and they interrupt the lines of the car. The Fit's design is a lot more fluent; it hangs together visually in a way that the Versa doesn't. The Yaris doesn't look as good as the Fit, either, in my opinion, with its forward-crouching stance. It seems to me that the Fit doesn't try to look like something it isn't.

I've always reckoned that you ought to like the way your car looks. What a great situation to have a good-looking road machine that also gets great gas mileage and is intelligently designed to have loads of usable space. And then throw in Honda quality... I think it will be a great car.

 

$16,236 out-the-door in Winchester, VA.
-Rod
___________________________________
2008 5-speed Sport purchased 3/8/08
Rods Autos Website

 

Was that with 5% state sales tax? Sounds like a great deal

 

No, less than 5%. Virginia levys a 3% Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax based on the vehicle's gross sales price or $35, whichever is greater.
-Rod
___________________________________
2008 5-speed Sport purchased 3/8/08
Rods Autos Website