I have a FIT on order (1st one in, blue Sport auto at MSRP), and I also have a 5 year old Hyundai Santa Fe that I am going to keep. The SUV gets 30 mpg highway, has over 110,000 miles on it, and it cost less than $ 20,000 new.
It failed me only once when the timing belt failed (or I failed to change it when I should have at over 100,000 miles). I got over 100,000 miles on the origional tires. It has an opening rear window so you can load 6' and 8' lumber loads using the reclining front seat. I thought I screwed-up when I bought a 4-cyl., 5-spd., but as I watched gas prices rise, the dice rolled in my favor. After the Honda FIT, and my Sants Fe dies (no sign of old age yet), my next 2nd car is going to be a Hyundai (or a Kia.)

 

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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.

Wrong. My perspective is based on the fact that I was a Hyundai owner. I traded in my Hyundai for a Mazda two years ago. The fact that I am now a Honda salesperson is in this case irrelevant. I am a person, same as you. I have opinions, same as you and I voice them, same as you, and my opinion means the same as yours, not “squat”.

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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.

While that is admirable that you don’t slam your competitor, that doesn’t make you trustworthy. Building rapport with a customer and being an honest salesperson (yes there are a few out there) make you trustworthy. If you’re a good guy to deal with, word will get around. I’ve been selling for 8 years. Mostly computers and technology, but for the last year, it’s been cars.

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Thirdly, every automotive pundit out there is proclaiming that Hyundai has dramatically improved their quality, and that Honda and

I completely agree with that statement. The Koreans are getting better and the Japanese should be wary. (Didn’t I state something similar above?

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Now lets talk about quality. *SNIP* 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."

No disagreements there, the quality is getting better. Isn’t that what we agreed on before?

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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.

Deceptively. Hmmm… How can an opinion be deceptive? It’s my opinion that Hyundais are not as good as a Honda or Toyota. That is a valid opinion. If I said that “All 2006 Hyundais come with a free llama farm”. That would be deceptive.

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Now moving on to price. The Honda Fit Sport 5AT is not worth $16,000.

Again, that’s your opinion.

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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’m sure that some people feel the same way about some of the things you sell. I’ve run into that at different places I’ve worked. There are people though that don’t feel that way.

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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.

I’d like to know how it’s sleazy? The Fit is designed as an inexpensive commuter car. That’s what Honda feels is it’s target market, and we’ve both gotta admit, they know a heck of a lot more about their demographic than we do. Most commuters live in or near…..cities, they drive on clogged highways near….cities, and cruise control isn’t something you could really use in a ……city. Besides, all manufacturers do this. Not necessarily with cruise, but with something.

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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.

If I’ve unfairly swayed someone away from a Hyundai, I apologize. That was not my intent. I find it unlikely though, that my posting about Hyundai is going to put me in a profit situation, nor will it cause me to lose money. I could sit here and say “_______ stinks!” until my fingers can’t type anymore, and it won’t change my income one bit. And come on….is it really that important? I don’t think so. If you like the Fit, buy the fit. If you like the Hyundai/Kia/Toyota/BMW/whatever, then buy one of those. It all comes down to people buying what they like, or what they get their best deal on.

Submitted with my opinions,
Russ

 

Korean manufacturers have greatly improved on the quality of their products, companies like Hyundai, LG, Samsung ........ Unfortunately they are still perceived as being of poor quality as compared to their Japanese counterparts. For that reason their resale values tend to be significantly lower. Too bad.

 

I'm interested to see the Versa when it comes out. But I don't trust the south of the border build quality and will pay extra for rising sun labor.

 

Did a car salesman tell you that?

It differs a lot from car to car, for the base Fit it might be $1k, but for more expensive cars, it's often a lot more. My guess on the Fit Sport is more like $1.5-2.5k spread from invoice to MSRP.

On my 2k4 WRX, MSRP was like $25k (this is with essentially zero options), but I got it for $21,750 brand new, and it was factory ordered, so it wasn't like it had been sitting on the lot and they were incentivized to get rid of it.

i.e. on a highline car like an Escalade or something, invoice might be $10k less than MSRP.

 

I'm more about being an automobile enthusiast then being brand loyal. Of the three cars that I have in my household, only one is a Honda, my S2000. The others are a BMW M3 and my wife's Mini Cooper S. If I worshipped Honda, all my cars would be Honda. My wife is looking for a economical daily driver, so she can keep her Cooper for the weekend use, hence the Fit. Don't assume I'm just another Honda fanboi.

$16K for a new car in the grand scale of things is cheap. Of course if you compare it to the Accent or Aveo, it is more expensive but in the end you get what you pay for.

And you don't aspire to achieve mediocrity? 45 years old and looking to buy a b-segment car saids quite a bit about you however I digress. I won't assume...

 

Ouch

 

You are buying this car as an enthusiast? I am buying cheap, reliable transportation. Are you going to put purple neon lights underneath it?

 

I said car enthusiast, not a ghetto ricer wannabe. And the car isn't for me. Learn to read.

 

Damn, what does that say about this country? You can't be over 40 and want a Fit because it's a fun, sporty, flexible, utility vehicle, and if you do want one, you must be some sort of financial failure.

I'll more than likely buy a Fit, and I'll pay cash. I guess I'll have to live with my mediocrity. I can buy anything, and I'll choose the Fit because it looks like a dang nice/fun car. It will complement the Ridgeline we just bought nicely. I love function and utility in any price range whether it's $16,000 or $34,000.

My dealer asked me what color/config I wanted, and I said storm silver/black interior MT, Sport. He said, no problem and ordered one with no deposit from me. Nice guy. There is not much more than a 1,000 mark up on an entry vehicle like this. I don't think I'm going to waste time trying to knock off a few hundred dollars.

 

::gets popcorn::

 

Yeah, ouch. Some people don't get turned on by expensive cars. I like cars, but prefer my house paid off by age 33, and I'm 31 this Saturday. Different people, different wants/needs.

Maybe it says he wants a basic car, no frills. Maybe he had a major finicial crisis 20 years ago. Maybe an illness prevented him from working. Who knows, but to just say that says quite a bit about you however I digress.

 

I guess its true about what they say about BMW owners. We're all assholes.

My statement is simply one of assumptions and to show that no one should assume anything about anyone, especially on the internet.

 

hmmmm......assumptions. I do business in LA, and I know people hope you will make assumptions about their status by what they drive, but usually it just means they're in debt up to their neck and beyond like most people, and they are also most probably sitting on an interest only mortgage on their house that is already over valued by 35-40% hoping they can flip it in three years for double what they paid. When you walk in a room filled with $1,500 dollar suits, keep an eye on the guy in the T-shirt and jeans. It's more than likely his show.

In the area I live in, the chief surgeon drives a beat up pick up truck. A man worth millions drives nothing you would even look twice at. Usually people with great wealth aren't interested in small things like cars, and they don't like to advertise who they are and what they're worth by driving a car that indicates it. You'll find the more money you get, the less you want people to know you have it. It's just better that way. So watch out for that guy in the Fit, you never really know who he may be, and that may be just the way he likes it.

 

I'm definitely someone who was interested in the Fit for the Honda quality at a reasonable price. My three main requirements in a car are versatility, low price and great gas milage. My '94 Volvo 940 turbo died recently. I had only had it for 5 months. We are only half way through paying off my wife's Honda Element. A second car payment is really going to be tough on us, but I refuse to buy another used car after the Volvo experience.

The MSRP? Yeah I'm surprised. I thought it might be a bit lower. Then I remembered that we had bought a new Saturn 9 years ago for $12k or $13k. I think new "basic transportation" cars now a days cost more. Not much more though...

The cars I'm looking at now all seem to be in this price range:
Yaris (equally equipped), Versa, Caliber, Rio5, Fit...

I guess I'm just realizing that unless I'm bargining on an unloved 2005 Echo (yuck) a new car of some quality is going to be 14-16k.

....then again maybe I'm getting tired of walking to work.

 

Ok my dealer in Bloomfield Michigan called me with a price for a Fit Sport with manual trans in black (the fastest color). The price was $15,720. They did a dealer trade to get this car for me and wanted me to come in and put down a down payment. Didn't have the heart to tell them I had just bought a new Trailblazer last week and won't be looking for another car until a year from now.

Nissan GOD

 

are you Ernest Hemigway's cousin?

 

An old car dealer once told me, "The difference between too many cars and not enough cars, is one car."
Therefore, I'm thinking you can forget any "incentives" on this little beauty and I don't think you'll see truckloads of the Fit rolling into the dealerships.
Limited supply often equals wild-eyed demand.
Remember, the cabbage patch dolls of the 80s? People were beating each other over those ugly kids' dolls!

 

I really wonder how the insurance costs will play out. Don't you?

 

I want a Fit because it will fit in the back of my Escalade. Thats what Fit means, right?