I'm pretty much sold on buying a new fit, but I'm wondering whether or not to buy the base model or the sport.

The only reason, really, for me to buy the sport is for the 6 speaker v the base model's 4 speakers. But I've noticed the base model is ~16,000, where the sport is ~18,000, and I must ask the question, how much better are the sport's speakers than the base's?

And what kind of speakers could I put in the base model for the 2 grand I'd save? I do listen to music very often, and good speaker quality is important.

TL;DR: Do the 2 extra tweeters that come with the sport make a big difference? And can they be added aftermarket? And if so, how much?

 

If the only difference for you is the two extra speakers then get the base and use the saved $$ to do an aftermarket set up for a fraction of the price. The only difference is the 2 extra tweeters which don't make that big of a difference IMO. For $1k you could swap to a nice head unit and get all new door speakers and tweeters with a small amp to power them.

 

I don't know a lot about car audio equipment. Can you recommend retailers to talk to about it?

 

Typically best buy isn't that great. I prefer local mom&pop shops since they usually have access to better equipment (some brands refuse to be sold in major retail outlets). Honestly I'd just see what is available in your area in the way of audio and give them a call and just give them an idea of what you're looking for.

Fit4SPL would be able to help you more in this area though.

 

Spend some time in both the base and sport versions of the car. After three years of ownership, the extra cost of the sport doesn't mean much. The sport feels like a more complete car. The Fit is noisy enough at highway speeds that speaker quality is not a big deal. You could have a symphony orchestra playing live in the back and not hear much of it.

Cheers.

 

Those tweeters are worth about $5. Buy the base, install a nice system yourself, you can get a very good head unit and speakers for $400.

 

in short....NO. with that said....the sport is the way to go if it's financially smart in your case! Good luck

 

The Sport is more than just the Stereo upgrade. On my second Fit now and on my second Sport as well. The spoiler, front/back/side skirts, better steering wheel, fogs, paddle shifters if you go auto, audio controls, BT phone (at least for me in Canada without Navi), map lights, etc. All the little odds and ends all are worth it for the stock look IMHO.

 

this. the sport is a lot of bang for the buck. cruise control alone is worth getting the sport over the base

 

Of course, that's only true up to the 2010 Fits... cause cruise is standard for 2011 and 2012 Base Fits.

In the US, the rear bumpers are the same on the Base and Sport.

I agree, there's a lot of little bits that are different between the two trims and they are worth it to me. You can't simplify $2k price difference between to trims to just the speakers.

 

I would definitely say get the Sport model. You get the extra equipment everyone was talking about. I've listened to the stock sport stereo and I think it sounds pretty good, you probably won't feel the need to upgrade it. But if you do, I would suggest changing the headunit first. Start with a cleaner signal, and work from there

 

THIS! Cruise control!

 

Hi Patty and welcome to FF.Base or Sport?I will pick the sport all the way.You can upgrade your stereo system like you want it to sound.Lot of FF members had made it.Good luck with your final decision....

 

Both have different driving characters , If you have chances, drive both version to see which one you like. I picked Base Auto due to the little more cushion, I do drive fairly more mile per day than average. the audio is fine and clear but not superb.

 

I'm basically in the exact same boat. I'm leaning towards base model also as I plan on changing out the stereo. I figure for the 2k difference I can upgrade stereo, probably switch the wheels and tires out, and add a spoiler for the sporty look if I wanted. Or would that be stretching it? Anyways, more opinions appreciated!

(all the other little things like fog lights and paddle shifters and steering wheel controls are meh for me. And bluetooth phone is worthless without a2dp so head unit will be switched out anyways. )

 

I don't think the suspension is any different. maybe the taller sidewall of the tires made the placebo effect happen?

 

The Sport has an RSB. The Base does not.

 

Without the side skirts the base still looks "base" even with wheels. My opinion anyways. It's your ride so you do what you like. The extra $1500 - $2000 over the course of the payment of the vehicle is about an extra $10 month on a 5 year finance (approx of course). Resale value is higher.

Back to the second part of your question though, $2000 will get you what you want but I think to get speaks, a head unit, wheels and a spoiler (painted as well), will not be of the quality that you are going to want. Take the wheels out of the picture and I think that would be a more reasonable value for dollar.

Back to wheels, see if the dealer will add some into you finance cost and note the difference. Could be as little as an extra $3 or as high as $10, but way more affordable and leaves you with more cash leftover for your mods if you choose to go the base model route.

 

When we test drove the Fit Base and Sport, we found the cars had different driving characteristics especially on the freeway. The base had a "hoppy" nature, it seemed to bounce especially on the freeway. We found the handling far superior on the Sport. Even the salesman who was new said he could not figure out why anyone would buy the base model due to how terrible it was to drive. We have been very happy with our 2012 Sport Fit with automatic. Have not had any problems after 2500 miles and would gladly buy another.

We are not audiophiles, but we have found the sound system very satisfactory and like using the USB-thumb drive for listening to music.

 

He only said that, to get you to buy the Sport. If it were clear to him, that you wanted a Base, he would've been praising the hell out of it instead.

But overall, people will buy "simpler" things, because they just want something to get from point A to point B. That's all.