Well I am probably at the high end of the normal range for an Asian man...so I'm fairly comfortable in my Fit, but I still prefer a larger car for driving on the highway. We always take hubby's 4 runner when we go to visit my stepmom, about 12 hours away. The safety issue with 18 wheelers is another thing. Yeah, I know, it has airbags, but at 70 mph that's not gonna save you.

You'll just be a corpse with airbag powder all over you. LOL

 

Seeing how you're in OC, did you get yours from South Coast Mitsubishi? Hehe

 

The Fit is only the second automobile I have owned. I originally bought it for the practicality, but I started learning increasingly about modifying it & getting involved in the import automobile culture. It is gotten ridiculous & I have taken it further than I ever thought I would, & there is still a way to go. I am not definite I'll ever be done.

 

I'm fortunate to have a 2007 model that I bought new in July 2006... Many guys are getting rid of their 1st generation cars and selling off the speed equipment and other parts that I couldn't afford when new so I am constantly finding things to buy and eventually install on my car...

 

I am looking for one to be my daily car. Why I chose the fit is due to reliability, gas and space.

 

For me it was an excellent value for the dollar , reliable , utilitarian hatchback , good handling and good MPG ,that holds it value well.

 

-I only had one more day before school started to buy a car because I needed transportation, as well as to my new job.
-I'm only 18 so I needed something affordable.
-By the end of the day it was a Glittery sky blue w/ white stripes Mini Cooper VS Storm Silver FIT
-Mini Coop was 2k more than the FIT, way less room, and looked less manlier, maintenance was also going to be a hassle since Mini Cooper OEM parts are much more expensive than Honda
-I happily drove away with my FIT,

I had been looking for a 2001 hatchback civic Si, and I had no luck, the ones are found were mistreated and people my age that didn't care about their car, so the FIT was the closest thing I could find to the hatchback Civic Si, at least for me it was, and the 4 doors was a huge plus!

 

My last two cars were Honda's; a '92 Civic hatchback and a '96 Accord wagon and I loved both of them.
The Civic, named Clarity, had a manual transmission and my back couldn't deal with it and/or the seats anymore. Hated to part with that car, she only had 100k, was paid for and was great condition.
I owned the Accord wagon, Emily Claire (AKA: Emmie) from Nov '99 - Feb '11. Loved the room and the comfort but the MPG stunk. She had 16K when I bought it and 160K when I sold her.
I was looking for a hatchback and was leaning toward another Honda. I did some research including reading Consumer Reports Best & Worst Cars 2010. The Fit seemed perfect for me. In July 2010 purchased a Certified 2008 Fit Base, now named Maude.

The reasons I bought a Fit:
-Consumer Reports high rating
-Price/value - Edmunds.com video the 2008 --Fit vs 2008 Toyota Prius
-It's a Honda!
-Hatchback and then some! tons of cargo room
-Very good MPG
-It's a low emissions vehicle.
-Not a lot of 'bells and whistles' on the base model - I plan on keeping her a long time, there's less to repair.

Con:
I wash, clay bar and wax Maude often since the paint seems to be a weakness in the Fit.

I LOVE my Fit!

 

resemblance to the Fit...

 

Hmm because i loved the old civic hatches and reminded me of them and never owned a honda and wanted to try them out. Loved how easy it is to mod and cheap. Love the room in it and the MPG great fun car i want another one right now my wife drives the Fit its AT.

 

I bought my first Fit ('07 VBP Sport 5/MT) because my DD 89 Accord was well over 200K. Wanted a 6 speed Accord, but not @ $31K..Civic Si-$25K, just did not need to spend a lot of $$$. And then there was the Fit..saw a picture in a magazine, and I was in LOVE..took 5 months just to find one on a lot to try on for "Fit". Since gas was spiking up, they were selling like hotcakes, AND silly me wanted a MANUAL!! Took about 2 months from order to delivery...5 years w/o a visit to the dealership (other than the window switch recall)...and then T-boned by a hit & run driver 21 December 2011. The new journey starts now..Vortex Blue Pearl Sport 5/MT..took almost 4 months from order (that MANUAL thing again!), and then ended up being a dealer swap out..picked it up 19 April 2012. I bought it for all the reasons that I bought the first one..although I am not as fond of the look, I am CERTAIN that I will appreciate the improvements!! Already have replaced the cargo light w/ an Acura unit w/ the off-on switch!
'12 VBP Sport 5/MT More minor mods to come!

 

the wife had a Jeep Liberty that was getting us a whopping 14.9mpg in town and 18mpg on the highway so we needed something more fuel efficient vehicle. I already have a 1993 Civic with an LS swap so i wanted something in the Honda family because i was already used to the Hondas. We found this '09 Fit at a lot for $13k and they would pay off our Jeep and we'd only have to pay $10k for the car.

 

I wanted a new mini-van or SUV but couldn't afford either (initial cost or putting gas it it) so I found the Honda Fit. Lots of room and great MPG. BTW my first post

 

Why I chose a Honda Fit.

1. I wanted a hatchback and did not want an SUV.
2. I wanted a reliable car. At this point it narrows to Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, or Acura.
3. Subaru’s new Impreza was not released at the time that I was buying a car. Down to Honda, Toyota, Lexus, and Acura.
4. Car is not garage kept. It is in an assigned parking spot. Therefore, I did not want to spend a lot of money. So down to Honda & Toyota.
5. Toyota’s Matrix just sucked (IMHO,) and the Yaris could not hold a candle to the Fit. So now it is down to Honda.
6. Honda has three hatchbacks: the Crosstour, the Fit, and the Insight. The Crosstour was more expensive than a Lexus CT hybrid, and the Insight was very slow. So I chose the Fit.

Miscellaneous reasons and rambling thoughts:

Even though I think that Honda’s service has decayed over the years, it is still better than other manufacturers (i.e., Mazda’s & Ford’s.) Although the difference gets smaller every year.

I really liked my ’97 Civic hatchback, and the Fit Sport was as close as I could get (though still far away.) The handling on my ’12 Fit Sport is nowhere near to that of my ’97 Civic HB. Also, the 6 extra inches (yes 6 inches) of wheelbase in the Civic HB helped give a nicer ride.

It is too bad that Honda does not sell the Civic Hatchback in this county anymore, likewise the Acura RSX. From what I understand Acura dropped the RSX because they wanted to create a more upscale image. Great, so now instead of introducing me to the Acura brand via the RSX, I can now be introduced to the Lexus brand via the CT hybrid. Who the hell knows why the Civic HB is not available here. I have never found a good reason.

I have no idea what the hell Honda is thinking by pricing the Crosstour so high. For the same amount of money, or less, you can get a Lexus with a better warranty and kick-ass customer service.

Honda has less and less respect for its customers every year. When I was buying my Fit, I paid cash. The salesman asked me for my social security number, which I did not know. When I told him this he got pissy, and damned near commanded that I give him my Social Security number. So I just made one up and he was happy. However, at that point I was a whisker away from taking my cashier’s check and walking out. I have been with friends when they bought their Lexus and BMW. I cannot imagine a Lexus or BMW salesman acting like this.

From the increasing incidents of shoddy repair work by Honda dealerships (from what I hear and my own personal experience,) it is obvious that Honda is paying less and less attention to their customer’s needs. Honda has to become more aggressive in monitoring their dealer’s service. In the 15 years that I took my Civic into the dealership for repairs, Honda never, ever once asked me if the work was done properly.

I have a previous post in which I go into my car buying decision in excruciating detail. You may want to check that out.

 

I looked at many cars but finally narrowed it down to the prius, fit, and jetta tdi. I really liked the way the new jetta tdi drove and looks; it has power, towing ability, fuel economy, a huge trunk, nice interior, but I was terrified of vw reliability and repair costs. The golf was not versatile enough for me, no magic seats, not enough headroom to stand up a mountain bike in back with the front wheel off. The prius was nice and quiet, actually felt more powerful than the fit, but again not enough versatility, couldn't stand a bike up in back like the fit, and it started out about 8k more than the fit sport a/t, which buys an incredible amount of gasoline. I like the fit's price, storage versatility, looks, economy, and reliability.

I did not choose the navi because I read that aftermarket navi's/headunits were better. I still have the base radio and it's so much better than what I had in my 93 altima that I'll keep it for a while. I have also upgraded to the leather center arm rest, the stock elbow rest was too small and my wife needed something too on her side. The driving position is a little weird, almost mini-vanish compared to my altima, more like being above the wheel than behind it.

Regarding the bike issue, I still added a hitch receiver and bought a swagman xtc2 rack, it's just easier and cleaner than hauling the bike inside, plus I needed an option for hauling 2 bikes plus luggage (comes with the wife). But there is a 2-4mpg penalty. I still haul the bike inside if I'm going into the city for work and then riding afteward, the bike is better hidden inside the car and somewhat protected by the alarm system. I use an old blanket to keep dirt off the interior. I'm going to tint the side/back windows for extra privacy.

I'm averaging about 32-34mpg city, and 38-42mpg highway as long as I stick to about 65-70mph. I swore that my next car would get at least 40mpg, I was so sick of driving a 22-24mpg car that couldn't even haul anything inside. I just got back from Germany, and it pissed me off because about every car/suv I saw was a diesel (rav4, crv, subaru, hell I even saw a hummer) getting 35+ mpg. We just get the shitty versions in the US.

The paddle shifters are fun, but completely optional. I don't use them to drive fast, actually to upshift sooner and drive slow. In sport mode, I've heard that highway driving can be more economical since the trans won't downshift on uphills quite as readily as std mode while using cruise control. The paddles also make it easier to drive in stop/go traffic jams without hitting the brakes constantly.

The sun visors and horn are absolutley worthless, and the black fabric always looks dirty compared to my old car with grey interior. I kinda wish the odo would show more info: you can pick mpg, trip, or odo but not all 3. But I'm still happy with the car. It just works, holds all my junk, looks good, and is cheap.

 

I bought my Fit cause my lemon out of warranty VW GTI was giving me too many little problems that I had to get rid of it some how but wanted to keep around the same payments, I got a killer finance deal on the Fit and it seemed to be a comparable car to my needs of a small hatchback

 

Interesting, lately I've been lusting over the GTI's but I knew they were over my head price wise and suspected even if I had overextended myself I might have been killed with maintenance and repairs down the road. Stories such as yours confirm that I made I really wise choice with the Fit.

 

Wanted a manual, hatchback good gas mileage and fun to drive. Not a lot of cars fit this category. Look at the GTI and was even looking to put a order on the upcoming Ford Focus ST. I eliminated these two cars on the basis I drive on average 20k a year and maintenance cost and time I do not have. My previous car was a Corolla 120k and only needed oil changes, tires and brakes changed.

 

Moved to SoCal recently from NJ. In NJ I would typically drive ~25K miles a year. Here in CA, that number has gone down to ~6K a year (what I anticipate since I haven't been been here that long).

It's no use keeping my M3 in the garage for essentially $1300+ a month (payments, insurance, gas, maintenance) when I drive maybe once a week. I love fast cars, but at this point, I thought it would be wiser to get a "nice economical" car and have zero payments per month.

I have always loved Fits since they first came out. Went to a dealer, didn't even test drive one. Bought it.

Set a goal for myself that in <2 years, I will have the car of my dreams.

 

And what car is that? And where in Irvine are you?