honestly speaking though, the GE's look better to me. especially compared stock to stock.

 

Just an FYI. Federal mandate (USA) is that all new vehicles must have VSA standard beginning with the 2012 model year.

Link to DOT Press Release:
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot3707.htm

 

dang, another check light we need to e-tape over.

 

I respectfully disagree. VSA is always ready to go, even when you are tired, distracted, or just can't see an obstruction until you are right on top of it. The first time you have to swerve to avoid something lying in the road you will see what VSA can do for you even on dry pavement. This is particularly (and often, here in the country) helpful while driving at night.

If you have to swerve for any reason, on dry pavement or wet, the VSA will very smoothly point the car where you want it to go without any drama. The power is reduced, and the VSA engages whatever wheel brake has to be engaged to keep the car pointed in the right direction (which can ultimately prevent loss of control, overcontrol, and rollover). Then the incident is over, you're back on track and up to speed, and it is as if nothing happened.

And, of course, if I would actually do something really stupid (that could never happen of course), I suppose VSA will save the day--a small price to pay.

By 2012 all the new cars will have VSA. The way Honda packages it with navi, VSA may not be worth the money to you. Don't knock the function of it, though. It is very slick. The first time you are driving when it engages, it's an amazing experience. You will be out of trouble before you have a chance to say, "oh dear."

The next time you take an airliner and have to land in really poor conditions, as you leave the airplane ask the pilot whether he/she landed the airplane manually or let the "autoland" do it. They're not embarrassed to turn the plane over to the autopilot, and I'm not embarrassed to let the computer in the car do the work.

Cruise control, VSA, and Navi-woman whispering sweet nothings in my ear: That's a Fit cross-country. A lot of very high tech in a very small, useful, and inexpensive package.

Cheers

 

i have both and i cant say id pick one over the other, i enjoy driving both, but in your spot maybe the 2010 just because for the money diff and mileage.

 

ooooooooohhh, this is an excellent buy right here for an 08 and it is in Illinois

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/sale...low-miles.html

 

Personally, that sounds like a bit too much money for a '07, even if the miles are low. About six months ago, there was a VBP '08 Sport for sale at the local Ford dealership for $13,800. That's still less than $15k after tax, title, and lien fee, and they were open to negotiation. Kind of ticked me off, as I had only had my '08 Base for six months at the time and I paid full sticker for it.

The local Honda dealership currently has no less than TWELVE GE8's on the lot, in just about every flavor. They can't move them. Whether it's because of the re-design or the lower cost of gas (it was $4/gal when I bought my Fit), I can't say. When I bought my GD3 they could not keep Fits in stock, and the best deal I could find within 100 miles was full MSRP. I paid $16,450 OTD for my Base AT GD3 13 months ago.

 

Thanks for all of your helpful replies.

The wife and I talked it over and we're thinking we'll wait to see what happens with the 2010 model. We won't actually need the car until the September-October timeframe. We are probably jumping the gun a bit because we are so excited about getting a Fit. And if we could find a smoking good deal we probably would go ahead and pull the trigger. My fear in waiting is that gas prices might skyrocket again. This would cause the general population to run out and buy small cars again like they did last summer, and suddenly there would be a shortage of Fits like last year.

If anybody is interested, here is the used Fit I was looking at:

2007 Used Honda Fit Sport at The Autobarn VW of Countryside, IL | Volkswagen, IID 4060331

We really love the looks of it. The original asking price was $15k, but I haggled them down to $13500. However, after adding 7.5% in taxes and a couple hundred in doc fees, it was around $14700 OTD.

At this point I'm thinking that if I'm going to drop $15k, I might was well cough up a few more bucks and spring for the new redesigned Fit. And if I'm going to buy a new one, it's probably best to wait and see what happens with the 2010 model. There might be some significant discounts on the 2009's when the 2010's come out, or the 2010 might have some new features that would make a difference to us.

As you can probably tell from what I've written, we're not 100% firm in our decision to wait. It seems that there are tradeoffs in every direction. Maybe something will happen that will clearly point to a particular course of action.

 

ds61761:
I'm one of those guys who would stand up for the GD against the newer GE, but even I have to admit the newer car has a few things going for it.

I'm not fully convinced the ride quality has been addressed, but several people seem to swear the GE rides better. Me, I didn't feel any difference after test-driving a GE6 over some roads representative of my daily commute (and they're not smooth at all). The GE also has better shove - this I can say for certain - and the added front visibility (without having to resort to buying aftermarket seats) is a boon for active safety.

If you don't mind plunking down a slightly larger wad of cash I don't think you'll regret getting the GE8, unless you want to do modifications NOW. Somehow you don't seem to strike me as one who would want to modify your car anyway. Not that there's a whole lot wrong with the GD, it's just that the GE does seem like a GD with 20% more polish to it.

HTHs

 

You also have the option of a new 2008. There are still a few out there.
http://www.vehix.com/inventory/Search.aspx?Limit=10&N=4294966982%2B4294962447%2B4 294967164%2B79%2B126&Nf=Year|BTWN%202008%202008||p Location|GCLT%2037.6007995605469%2C-122.403999328613%2040.233675&PostalCode=94030&Radi usInMiles=24873.6309353221

That's not my zip code either. But I did it for "any distance" to see what would come up.

The red one looks legit, the others don't have exterior photos.

Fly down. Drive back.

Did someone say "Road Trip"???

 

As much as I love EVERYTHING about my GD3, a new car is always smarter if you can swing it. You have the power to be certain that the engine is correctly broken-in, and you can know for sure that it has had all its oil changes, et cetera.
You said you plan to drive the car for a long time. Your peace of mind over the long haul is worth the extra dollars. As you know, a Honda will last a lot longer than it takes to pay for it (if you treat it nice), and the added control you would have over break-in and maintenance will still be rewarding you long after the payments have gone away.