I want to start this off as to not turn this into an AT vs MT bashing thread. I am aware of the benefits/negatives of both. This purchase is strictly a DD as I have the weekend warrior that is an MT for those enthusiasts out there sitting in the garage.

So with that out of the way here is my dilemma. I have narrowed my search down to two and as fate would have it one is an AT and the other, you guessed it, a MT. For sake of arguement lets throw out the transmission debate and look at the numbers.

Both are 2010 Fit Sports. One is at a Honda dealer and is certified with 16k miles on the clock. With trade in I can get it roughly in the $11k ballpark hope to get that number a little lower when/if I am on their showroom.

The other is a private seller and has 26k miles on the clock. I can get it for roughly $12k.

So which would you go with I am inclined to go with the one with the warranty and use my trade. But the business side of me says to get the other as it is a better deal and can sell my trade in later to recoup some of the cost. Thus making it even cheaper. And these things are bulletproof right? It is a Honda.

I look for some insight on helping me make this decison. The clock is ticking as I am planning to go after one of them this Friday and finally become a Fit owner!

.....and yes I know with my disclaimer someone will bring it up the at vs mt does creep in my head saying "get the mt, get the mt!" But I say "away with you!" This is a daily driver and a manual is no fun after leg day at the gym. That's a new one for you AT guys to use

 

In order to offer an opinion, we need to know what you'd trade.

Also, which is the MT?

 

just get the cheaper one if AT. lol

my 09 is AT with like 44K miles. no issue so far other than the recall and the blower fan tsb.

 

Steve, I am trading in my 2006 Honda CBR1000RR. I put it up for sale this summer and hand minimal bites so this is a good opportunity to unload it since I am no longer heavily involved with tracking it. As well as other hobbies taking up my free time.

The white one is the AT and is cheaper after trade in and includes the warranty as it is certified which has me leaning more towards having one under warranty.

The silver one is the MT and is a great deal in itself although lacking any sort of warranty as it is a private seller.

Kenchan, I am lacking on fully doing my homework and put myself in this pickle of wanting to secure one of these deals by the end of the month. I have yet to drive this car in either transmission. So I have failed to fully do my homework in that regard and trying to make the best educated decision I can between these two I have listed. I am hoping if I end up in the AT that it isn't so sluggish I hate it and two I never drive a MT to know the difference.

 

Not sure where you are located but this seems like a good deal

Used 2012 Blue Honda Fit Car JHMGE8G57CC021879 in Marietta at Ed Voyles

As far as manual or automatic it is such a personal preference on cars smaller then the Camry I prefer manual just for the fun of it.

 

Not my top color choice but that is a great deal. I will see if they want to deal though as it is brand new. This will be on par with the white AT.

 

2010 Sport AT with 16K miles "outstanding condition" certified market price is $16,428. Your bike is worth about $7K. Net (assuming you have clear title to the bike) is about $9428 plus tax tag and title (and any dealer fees they choose to gouge you for). Assuming 6% sales tax and $500 fees/title etc that's $10493.00 You said the dealer would give you this for around $11K. You're paying $500 above market (not good).

2010 Sport MT 26K "clean" from a private seller is $12,700 you may be able to avoid taxes on a used car purchase in AL (check local regs). Assuming the condition is "clean" (average is $2000.00 less) at $12,000 you're paying $700 below market (good).

Market values were determined pricing at Edmunds.com for zip 30144 (yours might be slightly different). The value varies widely depending on the condition of the cars, this assumes "outstanding" and "certified" for the dealer and "clean" private sale. Check edmunds for definitions and carefully look over both cars. Dealers will sell repaired cars and hide the damage the same as a private seller.

This also assumes you can clear 7grand for the bike. You know best.

 

That is about what I figured. $7k for the bike is on the higher side. My goal is to get them closest to $10k for the Fit however they want to massage the numbers. If it falls through I will focus on the MT one. I shall find out Friday....maybe farewell trip for my bike.

 

so... trade in a bike, 11k for the fit.

don't trade in the bike, 12k for the other fit - but then sell the bike down the road?

no brainer.

11 after your trade in - that's a rip off.

12 for the private seller, then sell your bike for 5-7k...that makes your fit a $5000-7000 fit at the end of the day.

kinda speaks for itself.

dont give your bike to honda to save a measly grand now just because you've had very few bites.

hold on to it until the spring. put it up the first really nice day out.

don't dump the bike to save $1000....

 

I hear you man and is why I posted this. Believe me I have been going back and forth. One thing you have to take into account for the trade in is its for a pre owned certified vehicle so I get a warranty plus lower miles. The Fit for $12k is private seller so sold as is with no warranty. Of course if I sell my bike next year it would mean I only have about $7k tied up give or take. So its all whether wanting to have a warranty or not.

 

I personally prefer MT, especially with a small engine like the Fit. When carrying cargo and multiple passengers, I have no trouble in hills because I can stay longer in lower gears, the AT might not be as good as selecting gears and might struggle if it shifts too early. If you have to drive every day bumper to bumper traffic jams, AT is a nice choice just to avoid the work out you get from constantly mashing on the clutch pedal.

I know many older people that drive AT and that said they enjoyed MT in their youth. So if you are young I say enjoy MT while you can

 

my personal experiences first and second hand (best friends too), dealing with honda for warranty is like pulling teeth. it doesn't justify basically giving up your bike for...... honda warranty sucks.

the private owned fit. tell them the condition of sale is that you get to take it to YOUR mechanic to check over. the mileage is still pretty damn low. parts are cheap. car is pretty easy to work on.

i'd take the private owned and flip the bike in the spring. dont throw away your bike for a warranty you'll most likely never use, and even if you had to - honda sucks to deal with bad.

 

Personally I wouldn't go AT. My younger bro's fit is AT (GD3) and I cant stand how Honda decided on the shifting sequences based on Throttle position and speed/load. Going up hills is annoying when it decides to downshift when all the car needs is for the throttle body to open up a few more degrees to compensate with the load. I havn't driven an AT GD3, so im not sure if honda changed it much as the .2 liters does make a difference in this regard (my experiences from driving d16y8 to b18b1, both MT from past cars). I have a MT GE8 and I love it. I dont feel any dead spots like I do with my brothers, since I can manipulate gears. Not sure if my post helps you much as you seem to be asking more on the side of financing (didn't really read your post, lol just saw AT vs MT) but If it was me MT or bust. Good Luck

 

Go with the cheaper option

I find the MT is fine after a leg day, personally, and I lift heavy - I'd say transmission choice is effectively a wash if thats your main concern and the cheaper option will almost certainly serve you better

 

Alright so its the day before final decision. I have the Honda dealer down to $10,300 out the door as their final offer as long as everything checks out with my bike and their car when I arrive tomorrow. All said and done I will have $10,580 tied up in the car when I get it back to Alabama and pay the taxes here.


I understand the idea you have to spend money to make money. So I am really trying to talk myself into getting the privately sold one for $12,000 cash and then recouping the $1,500 difference and more hopefully by next summer when I sell my bike. And hope I never need to use the warranty.

So in a nutshell sell bike to Honda for a vehicle they have listed at $14,990. Pay $10,580 for it and have a warranty.

Or buy the other one for $12,000 and sell the bike hopefully next year for $5,500-$6,000. Have only $6,000 or so tied up in the vehicle.

 

yah, not knowing might be a good thing. but honestly, since you are spending thousands of dollars, i would seriously wait and check out the MT. i am pretty certain you're going to get tired of the AT after the honeymoon period. i was sick of the AT on the very first drive after taking ownership (no lie). my wife did the test driving so didn't even know how it felt until i took it out the next day. i dont care cause my wife use the AT 99.9999999% of the time so it's okay for me.

the AT and MT even though they are the same cars, are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

i know because i own both of them. i luv my MT GE. i honestly hate the AT on my other GE. just my 2 cents. and i will leave it at that.

 

I hear you kenchan. For what I need this car for I think I could deal with the AT. It will make jumping in the MT that much better. At least in my mind. I have the certified one down to a deal I can work with. We will see how it shakes out tomorrow. I may be coming back with the silver MT if things dont go according to plan at the Honda dealer.

 

Before you sign on the dotted line take a deep breath and think about it. You'd be paying close to 16.5 for a 3 year old Fit. New they're not much more. You might want to check out a shiny new one.

 

yah, my point would be first, not to rush the purchase since it is a chunk of change.

and also, i found that my MT shifting doesnt get sloppy on my weekend drives in my other car when im driving to work everyday in a MT car. you know how your right foot gets real sloppy when driving AT too long cause you dont need that level of precise input.

 

New is out of the picture. They are $18k plus tax tage title dock fee fees for fees etc. The market value on the Fit Sport is roughly $15K plus taxes etc and those have 50k+ miles. So right now I have a deal on one for $15500 OTD on a certified one with only 16k miles. The debate here is solely on getting the one with a warranty or the one without for $12000. If nothing major on the drive train breaks in 7 years/100k miles you are good. Thats the gamble there. But as far as cars at dealers this avg to under market value around here. Plus I got them to the value I would take on the bike for trade in. So also unloading the bike in the process. So at the end of the day I am paying $3500 more for the warrantied vehicle. Call it peace of mind tax. The transmission for what this car is is negligible to me. But upon test drive if I blatantly hate it I will walk and take a harder look at the MT one. There are zero in my area that are certified preowned in a MT.