Hello Fit Freak forum,

As you guys can see I am here today to see it the Honda Fit is fit for a first-time driver. My daughter will be going up for her driving test in less than 2 months. I have been teaching her myself and I have a good feeling she is going to pass with flying colors. So as a surprise present for passing her test, I want to get my daughter her first mode of transport.

I'm not just picking the Honda out of a bag of names she has been in love with the modern style and design of the Fit for a while now but I want to know the more important details and that's why I'm here. In terms of maintenance I see there are a lot of parts available online like here http://www.used.forsale/honda-fit but in terms of the monthly maintenance, apart from the usual oil changes, tire pressure etc is there anything that is known for breaking on the Fit? And is there anything you guys don't personally like about the Fit?

Really looking forward to speaking with you guys and seeing what the Honda Fit is all about! All opinion are welcome and will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

I have owner a 2017 Fit for about 10 days and on my second tank of gas.
I bought this car as a local car and to tow it behind my motorhome when RVing around the country.


I must say that this car is a good solid structured car that has a long track record for Honda. It has great visibility all around and even thought it is a subcompact I must say it has lots of room for 4 people and storage in the rear.
Now all I needed was the LX model but after driving the EX I decided that it had some really nice upgrades for just a few bucks.


It drives and steers like a bigger car on the highway.
Oh the EX comes with a larger tires and trims, sunroof, push button start and smart car locking and security, larger touch screen to mention a few things.


I have attached a word doc below the pictures to show all the features between the LX and EX models

 

What years of Fit are you looking at? All cars have common issues, some are less important than others. Personally I would suggest a Fit to a person looking for a car, but depending on many factors it might not be the best choice. It should be a good car for a young driver. Fast enough to stay out of trouble but not fast enough to easily get in trouble.

 

Welcome. The Fit would be a good first car, but would also look at getting used. No offense, but first time drivers may not be the kindest to new cars

I've got 42k+ miles so far and the regular maintenance is easy. Mainly been oil changes, tire rotations (every 5k), cabin air filter and engine filter, and wiper blades. Tires were done recently too. After oil changes, it is a good idea to double check the attachment of the splashshield. The rear is attached with sucky plastic screws and if not done right can cause it to come flapping off.

What I don't like:
Carpetting is really thing. Good idea to get all weather mats for front/rear and cargo area.

A-pillar is huge. Teach your daughter to bob and weave head to look around it as it can block a pedestrian crossing in front of you or when making turns.

Center armrest is low but can be rectified w/ DIY solutions. Yes you should be driving w/ both hands on the wheel, but let's be honest it's nice to rest your arm sometimes.

Armrest on door is rock hard.

Steering wheel is slippery so wrapped w/ leather wheelskin. That's subjective but it's much nicer to grip the thicker leather than the chintzy plastic wheel.

Not sure if you're looking at LX or EX, but some hate the touchscreen volume controls. Can be easy be looked over if you use steering wheel mounted volume controls. They're easier to use and can keep both hands on the wheel. The infotainment screen is not the greatest. It's slow and not that intuitive, but honestly you should be paying more attention to the road then messing w/ it anyways. Mine is mainly use for streaming Pandora or looking at trip info.

Just some things that come to mind.

 

i would say that the fit is one of the easiest cars to drive.. the only issue i have is the visibility that is blocked by the a-pillar especially in parking garages where pedestrians are roaming around sometimes the a-pillar blocks the view.

ive had instances where an entire garbage truck was hidden out of view behind the a-pillar due to the angle the truck approached me.

 

Teaching myt 16 yr old to drive one (07 ) right now.

She likes the car for learning because of the automatic,
I make her drive my jeep with a 5 speed as well..

The A-pillar thing she noticed on her own and grumbles
about it compared to the wrangler visibility.

I's second the get used thing as well, first time drivers are likely to nick something in the first year. Sad but true..

Biggest thing is the kids these days just don't get the experience of
driving as early as a lot of my generation did.. I was driving farm trucks and tractors by 10 years.. Now days those opportunities are far between..

 

My wife learned how to drive a stick and just passed her road test on her new '17 Fit. I can vouch that this car makes an excellent first car.

Pros (none that you haven't heard before):
- Cargo and passenger room in such a small package
- Handling and suspension. It really is a joy to drive
- styling...both my wife and I really like it
- fuel economy
- slick shifter
- peppy engine with the manual

Cons
- unsupportive seats (a lumbar pillow provides an easy fix)
- hard to find a comfortable seating position for tall drivers because of the way the shifter, he arm rest is located in relation to the seat.
- cheap paint with thin topcoat (love the Aegean Blue color but you can tell the paint is cheap and applied thinly).
- coarse engine noise when pushed (a tanabe exhaust fixes this perfectly)

Some other potential cons is that you might not like the noise at highway speeds. A lot of people complain about this but for some reason, it doesn't really bother us. Granted, the 6th gear gearing should be higher (what were you thinking Honda?)

Another common complaint is its poor build quality since Honda shifted its production from Japan to Mexico. We're only at 2k miles but we think the build quality is good as we have had zero issues so far. Don't get me wrong, cheap materials are used throughout (see cheap paint above) but it seems everything is put together nicely. If there are reliability issues, I'm hoping its just relegated to the early 2015 production models.

So long as its reliability holds up, we are extremely happy with our Fit. I don't think theres any car in this price range that mixes practicality, efficiency and fun to drive factors as well as the Honda Fit.

 

Jake, been there, done that. The Fit is an outstanding car for a first time driver:
1. it is bullet proof and likely not to break down on a new driver
2. great visibility for a novice driver
3. including the Jazz, it has over a decade of accident history demonstrating that even in horrific accidents, VERY few people die in a Fit. It protects the driver very well
4. while spirited to drive, the 1.5 liter engine won't allow a teen to run up speeding tickets
5. very well liked by the insurance industry. Since you and I get raped on insurance in this "wonderful" state, the Fit generally keeps insurance costs down. Check with your agent to verify my statement.

I agree with the other Fit-sters. Seriously look at getting a first generation Fit for a new driver. When it gets dinged up, you won't have a care in the world and won't consider calling your insurance agent for minor dings, scrapes and dents. Get the sport model which has some audio enhancements, better gripping steering wheel, and some other niceties. On the other hand, if you fear your child is going to be an awful driver, get the base model so when they crash into the curb every time they parallel park, they won't evoke curb rash on the sport model's alloy rims.

 

Waaay easier to drive (and parallel park!) than the 69 Dodge Coronet 440 station wagon I learned on....Gawd, I am dating meself! What's to not like? Get her a used 1st or 2nd gen one with an automatic, call it good.

 

Some really good replies here guys and jus the kind of information I was looking for. I'm glad that the Fit is a safe car to drive and has a good crash test outcome. Also, you guys are right about buying a second-hand car and the fact that she is a first-time driver, less heartbreaking if she bumps a used car...

I am going to have a look for some second-hand models online now and then get back to you all.

Thanks!!!

 

there were some quality issues on the 2015's so best you look at 2012-2014 and 2016.

unless you want something older.. 2009-2011 is okay too i suppose.

 

Since the attached picture is of a Gen 3 Fit, I'm just going to assume this is a NEW vehicle purchase. If it's not? Disregard.

I have owned my 2016 EX for less than a year.

Some complaints exist, but they are minimal.
I would agree with 2rismo2's, post #4's observations. Though I would file most all those things as adaptable minutia.

My single biggest "complaint" so far has been the Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
On the latest Generation Fit, Honda decided to use an indirect TPMS system, and my experience with it, has been that on nearly any LONG drive, 100 miles or more, I get a false positive.
Since it's a clear safety issue however, I can't assume it's a false positive and it results in my having to pull over and check my tire pressure at least once on every long trip I take. When the light comes on, checking your tires ASAP is the right thing to do. Can't make any assumptions.
I also owned a 2010 Fit, that had a Direct TPMS system, and I never got false positives.
On the "Silver Lining" side? It makes me attentive to my tires and tire pressure, which I is a good thing.

I also have been disappointed in the front wiper blades. Drags a lot. Bought whole new wiper blade assemblies at my own expense, helps a little. Still not the greatest.

I don't understand why Honda didn't pay attention to common ergonomics, as the center console is ridiculously too low to rest one's arm.
As noted, DIY fixes for this exist....as simple as buying a foam cushion.

Also The Fit does NOT come with a Cargo Cover standard. The cost for an OEM one? Is prohibitive. Some people have built/made their own.
I think it's a nice thing to have, and given the dealership cost, I would recommend trying to leverage that in as a throw in, when you buy the vehicle before you sign on the dotted line.

IMO, Honda should include a cover as standard.

 

I've had my '15 EX Manual for a bit over two years and 36,000 miles.


Rear axle was replaced because the right rear tire wore abnormally fast and the rear wheels can't be "aligned". No, Honda didn't cover the tire. The starter motor failed at 20,000 miles. Honda warrantied it. Only other issues are "fit and finish" issues that are still unresolved. I've detailed them elsewhere and won't repeat them here.


There must be something wrong with your TPMS system. I've NEVER had a false positive in the entire time I've owned the car. I've adjusted tire pressures, installed a new set of tires, even swapped between the summer tires and four mounted winter tires, all without tripping the TPMS system. I hated the "direct" system in my '09 Fit. Especially when one of the sensors died after three years and cost me $125 to have it replaced.


I've not noticed a problem with the wipers. Then again, I'm a bit anal about cleaning my windshield, and that may be why.


As for the center console being low, I guess it is, but, as I drive with both hands on the wheel, I never use it, so it's not an issue.


Yeah, the cargo cover should have been standard. I carry a couple of blankets in the back to throw over anything I leave in the car.

 

Haven't had an issue with the TPMS system either. I took a 7 hour road trip and it didn't come on once. Another 7 hours back and it didn't blink. I've since replaced tires and still no issues. I wonder if others have a faulty speed sensor and it's just easier for dealership to say TPMS needs calibrating.

If she's got her heart set on a 3rd gen GK, I'm sure they can be had used at this point.

Cargo cover is nice but not a deal breaker. I made my own resistively easily or a large blanket will do. Same with higher center armrest, click my sig picture for a better view.

 

Hello Iggy,
I will probably be buying a 2017 Fit to be towed by my motorvhome. . Were you going to buy a tow dolly to tow it behind your motor home? If yes, what brand?

Thanks

Michael