Ya know, here's my opinion on this. (takes Honda nametag off) Although the Hyundai is getting better all the time, I still would not buy one even if the price is $2000 less than a comparable Honda or Toyota. There are a couple of reasons why. 1) Hyundais are cheap Korean cars. They're not well put together, they don't hold their value, and require far more maintainence than their Japanese counterparts. 2) Although Hyundais come with a far superior factory warranty, they need it. There are FAR less problems per 100 cars with a Honda or Toyota than a Hyundai.

Just not worth the money if you ask me.
PAHondaDealer

 

Anyone have any knowledge on what rates are available thru Honda financing? PAHondadealer, perhaps?

 

Im in so cal and if anyone wants to start a list of people who are intrested in buying a fit, I think we can get a discount.

Im gonna shoot for 14,200 for a sport MT. email me!

ankurvakil@gmail.com

 

First of all pahondadealer, you can't just take your Honda name off, it doesn't work that way because you have something to gain, therefore your word is about as good as...well, squat! Why? Because you sell the freakin cars! Therefore you do not have an objective view. Your perspective is tainted because your hand is in the moneypot.

Secondly, I was in sales for 18 years, and I never slammed my competitor. I always sold my products on the merits of my products. Because of that my customers knew they could trust me.

Thirdly, every automotive pundit out there is proclaiming that Hyundai has dramatically improved their quality, and that Honda and Toyota should be watching there backside, because Hyundai is chipping away at their piece of the pie.

Now lets talk about quality. According to Consumer Reports (an objective source of information because they don't accept advertising money from anyone), in the April 2006 issue, predicted reliability for Hyundai is better than Kia, Chrysler, Ford, Pontiac, Dodge, Jeep, Buick, BMW, Cadillac, Saab, Chevrolet, GMC, Nissan, Audi, Infiniti, Saturn, Lincoln, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Land Rover, Hummer, and Porsche in that order.

In the ratings, the Hyundai Elantra came in sixth place for small cars under $20,000 with a manual transmission. It did better than the Kia Spectra, Scion xB, Suzuki Aerio, Chevrolet Cobalt, Mitsubishi Lancer, Saturn Ion, Scion xA, Suzuki Forenza, and the Chevrolet Aveo which rounded out the top 15. The Elantra is also a CR recommended vehicle. You don't get a CR recommendation by building a problematic vehicle.

In the sedans $20,000 - $25,000 the Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 came in second, and the Hyundai Sonata GLS 4-cyl. came in fifth. It is not a recommended vehicle because it has been totally redesigned this year, and not enough data has been compiled to make an objective recomendation.

In the Sports/Sporty cars under $25,000, the Hyundai Tiburon came in sixth. The Tiburon is also a CR recommended vehicle.

Just as the Sonata cannot be a CR recommended vehicle, the Accent is not a CR recommended vehicle because it was totally redesigned this year, and not enough data has been compiled to make an objective recomendation.

Now moving on to Motor Trend magazine. In the January 2006 COTY issue, the Accent is a 2006 contender as well as the Sonata, and the Azera is actually a 2006 finalist. Here's a quote from the article:

"We've got to hand it to the Koreans; this year's trio of Hyundai cars (and one Kia) is damned impressive. With it's rich interior, standout build quality, and impressive list of standard equipment, the Accent appears poised to dominate the entry-level segment once owned by Japanese automakers."

In the January 2006 Car and Driver issue this was said about the Accent:

"According to Hyundai’s vice-president of product development and strategic planning, John Krafcik, the Accent is purchased mainly by young entry-level buyers and frugal retirees looking for a good deal on the price. That’s easy to understand. And now that Hyundai is recognized as an up-and-coming automaker with steadily improving styling and quality, the deal is looking even rosier."

I am not saying the Hyundai Accent is better than the Honda Fit, but it is not the poorly built "cheap car" that you deceptively portray it as. It is a viable competitor of the Fit.

Now moving on to price. The Honda Fit Sport 5AT is not worth $16,000. It is a B-segment sub-compact with lots of bells and whistles, many of which Hyundai also provides, and I consider it an insult to my intelligence that they are asking that much for it. I would buy the the base Fit if Honda offered cruise control as an option. The lack of availability of cruise control as an option on the base Fit is sleazy at best, and forces many people to spend a lot more money for other features they don't want, or need.

Last but not least, just as an honorable judge removes himself from a case if he has any connection whatsoever to the victim, or the accused, your 'opinion' cannot be considered because you stand to profit from your accusations.

 

There must be a huge emotional investment in this car by some people. Everyone just needs to relax. Honda has set the price. It's now (almost) time for the law of supply and demand to take over. Let's just sit back and see what happens.

 

Actually, I don't have a huge emotional investment in this car, but I do tend to get a little upset when car salesmen try to deceive people.

But I see your point, and will take your suggestion into consideration.

 

JazzFusion: You rightly called a spade a spade, and backed it up with facts. I agree with everything you wrote, although I didn't have the information to back it up. However, I think PAHonda also has a point. Hyundai and the other Koreans are catching up, but they are still not there. They may never actually get THERE, in much the same way that Acura, Legacy, and Infiniti still don't have the same cache as Mercedes and BMW. Then again, Korea Inc. might do to Japan Inc. what Japan has done to Detroit.

I drove a rented Sonata in San Diego in January, and I was shocked at how nice it was. I also have the luxury of time. When I get back to the states, I will look hard at all the competition, but to be fair, it is going to be difficult for them to beat the Fit. Preconceived notions are tough to crack...

 

Last four brand spanking new Japanese cars I bought were a '97 Maxima SE 5-speed, 2001 Miata SE, 2002.5 Protege5 and 2005 Odyssey. Looking back, I cannot imagine buying any Korean product offered at that time as a substitute for what I bought. All these cars are still in the family. I like to buy new and do as much maintenance as I can myself and put many miles on them. Right now the Max has 125k and that VQ sings like a bird right up to redline. I have no problem paying a slight premium for higher intial quality.

The Fit Sport MT as equiped, for $15,200 sounds pretty good. Besides a MT, I have to have alloy wheels and cruise control. I enjoyed the comparison of a Scion Xa similarly equiped. After owning the P5, I am a huge fan of hatchbacks. Not only for what you can fit in but I like the limited rear overhang for slightly less parking lot exposure.

Can't wait to see a Fit for real.

 

Now that we know the MSRP, the next question is what is invoice?

 

Different people could pay different prices for the same car. The whole car buying experience is negotiable. All I can say is that you can buy the Accord at the quoted price at cars direct or use their pricing as a bargaining tool at your local car dealer. Good luck.

 

I think that $14k is probably doable, just not anywhere near launch.

I mean, in the Fall, I think that'd be reasonable.

 

We used to own a Kia. We loved it until it was time to sell it. Now we won't ever buy a new one again. Same applies to the Hyundais. They now make good cars if you like their styling, and plan on driving them into the ground.

If you find the Fit overpriced, then walk on over to the competition and be done with it. There's a reason it sells so well in the other markets. I'll be haggling over pricing in a few months, but I'll be realistic.

 

Latest JD power report shows Hyundai has less problems than Honda.
Plus it has that awsome warranty that Honda does not.

Nissan GOD

 

I've noticed that some people on this forum just whine and bitch about everything, from MPG to now price. These are the same fools that are going to have a heart attack when they're 40.

Overpriced? $16K for a new car is a bargain. Honda is particulary giving it away but of course there are some freeloaders who won't be happy unless they get everything for free.

And Hyundai? Please. Hyundai is a joke. Any car company that uses the marketing tagline "the best warranty in America" is a joke.

 

Oops! I forgot something. This is a forum made up of Honda faithful who believe that Honda is a god to be worshipped and sacrifices made to. What was I thinking?

Mav, I will be 45 in a few months, and was told by a cardiologist in January that I am extremely healthy. I'm no fool, I run 4 miles a day.

I brought up the Hyundai to demonstrate that you don't have to settle for whatever is dished out to you. Competition is good, and if it weren't for Hyundai, you all would be paying more for Honda's. If you think $16k is a good deal for a new car, you bit on the bait, hook, line, and sinker.

To just take take what is given you is mediocrity. I don't don't aspire to achieve mediocrity, and I am not here to whine about everything.

As I said, I don't believe Hyundai is better than Honda, but they are not a joke. They are in the same place Honda was 20 years ago, but they are improving their vehicles faster than Honda, or Toyota ever did.

When I brought up the Hyundai Accent several pages back, I was blasted by someone, and I'm not the type to cower in the corner. I back up my claims with facts.

 

Seriously.

 

Yeah, over 6000 Fit buyers accept mediocrity each month in Japan.

So you don't like the pricing, hangle, whine and run 4 miles to the next dealership.

 

That's what I want!

 

Name recognition and reputation goes a long way in the car industry. The Koreans are catching up to the Japanese but Honda's and Toyota's have a long history of quality and reliable that the Koreans dont have yet.

Also the average Honda/Toyota buyer knows what they are getting when they buy either of those cars, thats why its not easy for that average buyer to consider something from the Koreans because even if initially it feels, looks and drives like a good car, it still doesnt have the same resale value as a Honda or reliability 100k miles down the line.

Like one person mentioned in a earlier post, comparing the Koreans to the Japanese is like comparing the Japanese to the Germans. The Japanese offer alot of great luxury cars in the US to compete with there German rivals but even with there comparable prices and most of the time lower then there rivals prices. They still dont have that name recognition or that individuality I guess you can call it that MB and BMW have.

Most people know that a Acura is just a upscale Honda or that Infiniti is a upscale Nissan and Lexus is a upscale Toyota. Dont get me wrong, they offer great cars with build quality higher then there parent company cars but I still dont think it matches there two major German rivals. If it did then those two rivals would be doing much worse in sales then they are now.

Take the BMW 3 series, its been the best selling car for BMW for well over 10 years now and has been the best selling entry level luxury sports sedan in the US for just as long. It definitely isnt the best selling because of its bargain price which isnt bargain at all but its due to all those other factors I mentioned.

The same way the two major German rival's pull a premium compared to there Japanese counterparts, its the same way the Japanese pull a premium over there Korean counterparts so for the Fit to cost more then a Hyundai is no surprise at all but I guess for a car of its size regardless of all it offers still costs about $1k to $2k more then it should.

 

Typically 1K under msrp