Just got my 09 last week, I am 6ft, 290 lbs and have no interior issues. I went to the local auto show and sat in about 25 different cars just to see what was comfortable. Stereo sounds good (to me). This is definitely not a hot rod but I knew that going in, I was looking for fuel mileage when the next rise / spike in gas prices happens.

 

Lilpappy, what are you talkiing about? I said the armrest was an annoying gouge in my KNEE! DUH, you know the armrest on the door.. the one by MY KNEE!!?? Just like the one in your car, the one on the door, by YOUR knee. How in hell could the folding armrest on the side of the drivers seat gouge my knee?? And I never said anything about the sound system not being loud or me playing it loud, I said it sounded muffled, how did you get blasting my hair from muffled?? Its a sub par system, as are two others at the dealer, but one sounds way better so the warrenty will be tested. Like me being a big guy makes a difference with the radio?? Please get the facts straight before you let the clutch out on your mouth. Oh Yeah, HEY CONFLICTED, the only supercharged cop car ever was that old Australian Falcan that Mel Gibson drove in Mad Max. Duh, I get the subtle difference between the big cars and little cars. Lets race your TA against my '69 442.

 

For a stock sound system, it's okay. It could be better. You've got (4) 5 1/4 speakers with the two front tweeters mounted. It's not gonna produce lifelike sound at the high level. It's not the volume we're concerned about. It's how loud we can go without it sounding distorted. A better HU will probably take care of that. The speakers themselves sound alright, I think the HU could be better.

 

Hey Cool... be cool. I thought you meant the right-side armrest. When people talk about armrests in the Fit, I think others would back me up that one would assume you're talking about the rightside, because in '08 and prior it didn't come with a rightside armrest. I didn't even know one referred to the driver door thingie as an armrest, and even if so... I wouldn't consider it an armrest at knee-level. I can't picture someone as tall as you sitting in a Fit, so I have no idea where your knee would meet any armrest - left or right, but make no mistake - I wasn't making fun of your size. I used to weight 300 lb. and I'm 5'10 so the last thing I'd do was try to disrespect you. I know lots of people who are tall naturally sit with their seat as far back as possible, so yes, I thought it could be possible that you were referring to the rightside armrest. No need to get testy. I think my point is still valid that you're obviously a big guy complaining about comfort in a very tiny car. Maybe my comment about the sound system was influenced by other subsequent posts and thus wasn't fair that I was responding to your comment, but I still think my overall message - that it's an economy car - is appropriate. My point is that it's decent sound for being a relatively cheap car. We obviously disagree on that. But take it easy - I didn't mean any disrespect.

 

Wow...way to be a JERK. I was only guessing that they were supercharged. I've never been under the hood of a cop car. I was being nothing less than concise, but not RUDE. Nor was I saying my T/A is faster than your 442...I never made that claim anywhere in my post. "Please get the facts straight before you let the clutch out on your mouth." Boy...you're one to talk. EVERYONE here was trying to help you, and you blew us away.

 

LilPappy sorry to you from me. I sort of did unload on you. My original post was to state that a short test drive does not always reveal the shortcomings of the car. After discovering the stuff I listed, I would have still bought a Fit. Its been pretty steady flaming toward me, cuz others dont see a car like I do. I was fed up and came back at you because of the flames of others, so I apologize to you for that. Today I add to the sound system that is muffled,, it wont read my MP3 player Sansa 280. I wonder where is the list of non-Ipods a Ft will recognize? Anyway sorry again. Oh yeah, CONFLICTED... RELAX, I already knew that you didn't know about supercharged cop cars.. Wasn t saying my 442 is faster than your TA, was just commenting that is nice to see another that still appreciates a Musclecar. No insult intended to you... Geez havent you ever had a drag race just for the thrill of it????... no matter whose is faster?? Sorry if my comments toward LilPapay got you revved up.

 

Ah the joys of internet communication.

Okay. So we each understand that things got WAY out of hand. After you firing off on Lilpappy, your mood kinda carried through the end of your post.

Nope...never drag-raced her. I've only had her for six months, three of which were spent in a body shop getting new paint, and her tranny is on its way to transmission heaven if I don't rebuild it soon. 3/4 clutch is slipping (4-AT) at WOT, so I've never been able to really test her.

As for appreciating muscle cars, I spent most of my formative years in a Trans Am. Dad had a red '79 with the Pontiac 400 4-spd and Mom had an '83 Black and Gold. I was a hopeless case from 18 mos old. LOL! And he still has that same red '79, with 67k on the clock.

 

No hard feelings and thanks for the apology.

 

I guess that's my problem. Anything above 18 is just too loud for my old ears. Maybe the doctors were wrong and years of playing loud rock music in a band HASN"T ruined my hearing as much as I thought. Either that or I really AM too old.

 

Not all at the same time, I hope...

 

Wow! I didn't even know that it went up that high. How high does it go?

I guess I'm very sensitive to the sound, because I don't watch TV and don't have a stereo in my home. Haven't used anything like that for 3-4 years.

And having not driven a car in the year prior to having the Fit means I didn't have any car stereo. Duh. LOL! I don't use the one in the Fit, really. It seems to be too loud and distracting.

So it sounds really loud to me at 8.

 

Well, personally, I listen to loud music a lot. And yes, I have some minor hearing loss, after shooting guns, playing music too loud, working in a steel shop, and skydiving for several years. That being said, I am just fine with the Fit's system. For a stock system, that is. It's certainly not a high-end system, but the speakers are well-matched to the amp, so it works well for a 200-total-watt system. I can imagine that the lesser stereo in the Base model wouldn't satisfy my old punk-rock-loving ears, though.

 

Driving 5 mph over the posted speed limit is illegal, too...but we do it. So, let's not overemphasize the legality of it. Besides, I can afford the $75 ticket if I ever get one...I don't exactly wear 'em when cops are close enough to see 'em.

As for incredibly unsafe...really? "incredibly?" Psssshhhh...anyway, life's full of choices, so don't do it. I was simply trying to add my two cents with an alternate view on the whole ideal of upgrading car audio systems.

 

Suit yourself, but I'm glad I'm not sharing any roads with you!

 

So, do you know how many deaf drivers are sharing the road with you? They can't hear horns or sirens, either. I hope you're not saying they should be illegal, too.

 

Yeah, my brother's blind in one eye and it's legal for him to drive. That doesn't mean I'm gonna start driving with an eye patch just because I can. If your love for music overpowers your desire to choose to drive a car as safely as possible, than you shouldn't be on the road.

 

Lipappy, couldn't have said it better! Ando, I know a number of deaf people, and yes, they cannot hear the traffic around them. BUT, they are also incredibly more attentive to vibrations and visual cues. I wonder, are you as conscious of things as they are? Again, glad I'm up here and you're down there. Nuff said.

 

Hey, I never said I was driving around with headphones--that was Watsoff's idea. I was merely pointing out that not being able to hear horns and sirens doesn't make a driver unsafe per se. People who can't hear the traffic--whether they're deaf or just have their stereos cranked to maximum--can still be safe drivers. I just don't really see that there's any difference, safety-wise, between a driver with headphones and one with the stereo thumping at several hundred decibels. Either way, they're going to be oblivious to traffic noises.

 

Nice debate. I agree that driving with headphones compromises audio perception to some degree. However, so does loud car systems - as Ando has pointed-out.

Loudness within reasonable sound limits yields quality music, but yer gonna pay for that quality. I haven't had or heard anything that can reproduce sound as well as my Sennheiser headphones can in terms of it's versatility with all sorts of music (the exception being bass definition, but they're pretty damn good at that...just don't expect yer sunglasses to resonate). So, at $120 pair, I'm using those if I'm in the mood for quality beyond what the stock stereo provides. I've done the quality car audio thing on several cars in the past....i had fun, but adding-up those dollar bills in my head makes me throw up a little in my mouth.

As for safety...maybe my number hasn't come-up yet, but 15+ years of riding motorcycles (yeah, I sometimes wear earbuds) lends to a heightened level of driving/riding awareness...I'm no Lewis Hamilton, but I've done alright. There's thousands of motorcyclists out there with decades of riding experience who wear earplugs on long rides to protect their hearing...most of those plugs block out far more ambient noise than headphones. Just food for thought...I pick and choose when I wear 'em....and choose not to when the shit has hit the fan during a road warrior style rush hour commute. I'm also in a different place at this point...never to drop another dime on car audio.

 

I do. The blasting thumpety thump stereo impedes other people's hearing too.

I can here people's car stereos from four floors down in the parking garage. I can hear the car before even seeing it on the road. If the car is in my immediate vicinity, it literally makes me nauseated, the thumping bass upsets my stomach.

Someday I'll get out of my car, say "Nice audio" and then hurl...

The stereo places a burden on other drivers. It certainly disturbs the peace and quiet. Best stereo I've ever had is in my Base Fit. So that ought to give people an idea of how little I rock out anywhere I've been, home or in cars.

Headphones also can place a burden on other drivers, since we have to look out for you. And for new drivers. And lost drivers. And old drivers. And cell phone drivers. Drunk drivers. Stoned drivers. Rushing drivers. Parents with children screaming, fighting, or asking "are we there yet?" from the back seat. I'm not getting paid for all this babysitting.

I will gladly look out for those who have no other options. But most of the people, most of time HAVE OTHER OPTIONS.

In fact, with the new car, and not knowing how it handles compared to my old car, I've broken some old bad habits I had. I could smoke, drink, and eat all at the same time in the old car. LOL! I had my soda pop and cup holders on the windows and the non-power windows and a stick shift and an ashtray. I could do it all.

But now, well, kind of don't want to mess up the interior. There is no built-in ashtray (I bought a non-Honda cup one, but can't stand leaving it in the car with a single butt and the bottom filled with baking soda, because it STINKS). I did pop open a soda pop, but only sip when at lights. Eating, not done, tried it once, dropped something, freaked out, decided it was a very bad idea. Especially since I had been rear ended many years back, by guy who...guess...dropped his soda pop in his car and didn't pay attention to road.

All any of us need to do is check other threads with photos of accidents. That's what happens. Accidents. And injuries.