About to buy a Fit,... or should I?
 

Greetings All, I have just sold my Mini after over ten years of happy but expensive motoring. I was active on the MINI forum "North American Motoring", similar to this one. So my Mini is gone already, sold quicker than I guessed and the new Fit that I configured on Honda's web site is... not available for many weeks due to the factory in Mexico being flooded in June. Production is set to resume around December 1st, I hope.

In between my placed order at my local Honda dealer, and my eventual fulfillment, are these many weeks in which I might change my mind about what to buy, so that I can perhaps have a car sooner (other than borrowing my wife's). For example the used Prius looks ok, and the new Yaris would look great if it came in hatchback. They are four blocks away and available now...

My needs are to buy a car to last ten years since I am now retired and living on just social security and a small pension and the car car budget is strict and small. I need a ten year car, paid off in five, so that my wife can finance her own new car in five more years.
I also like taking care of a car long term vs. the frequent buy & sell.

My question to you experienced Fit-Freaks is this: Is the Honda the right vehicle for me? I need a car inclined to few repairs, longevity, low cost (under $22k), fun to drive, room for two dogs daily and a bike often, occasionally other passengers.

The Fit/Jazz seems like a good choice, but I sometime think I should get a Toyota to be extra safe (The Yaris sedan is promising, alas not a hatch in the USA). Nothing else is top rated for reliability or under $22,000, except the used Prius concept.

How does the 1.5 L engine hold up? I see the worries over the CR-V 1.5 Turbo class action law suit and hope that the Fit engine is quite different, being normal aspiration. In short I need some encouragement or cautionary advice while I wait a month or more for my Fit to arrive. (It's an EX-L in white or red, whichever color they can find first. This means the CVT. I live in snow country so I'll be getting dedicated snow wheels soon after the car arrives, likely in January.

I can back out at any time from my order, but I want to just wait patiently for this lovely little car and then to be a happy owner for about 140,000 miles.
What are my chances?

Fit was my first Honda and it had QC issues but that's what I get for buying a first year car being built in a new factory not in Japan. If it was my choice, I would had waited a few more years but my fiance, now wife's car was having expensive issues. That being said, it's been dead on reliable and I'm regularly getting 40-45 mpg on my commute. No maintenance issues other than regular maintenance. I've had more recalls on this car than any I've owned before but I've owned mainly Toyotas. I just did an oil change today at around 68k and I'm fully expecting several years if ownership. My other car is a 2004 4runner I bought new and it's got 168k.

With that being said, if I had to buy a car today that's similar to the fit, I would pay a little more and get the Civic hatchback or buy a used one. It would have the similar hauling capabilities, but have a more powerful engine, similar mpg and better suspension, plus a larger aftermarket support.

All I can say is that I've owned two Fits with a gap of time between them.
First was a 2010 Gen 2, today I own a 2016 Gen 3.

When I first was looking a buying a new vehicle in 2010, I had narrowed down to similar choices. Mini, Fit, or Prius.

I liked the Mini because of it's uniqueness and personality but thought I was paying a steep premium for it, when you actually looked at what the vehicle was at the nuts and bolts level.
The Fit, I thought offered Honda (Major Manufacturer) mainstream support ability and while NOT the cheapest vehicle in it's class, was a better value for investment. I thought you got a lot of the "fun" Mini Cooper driving aspects, at a more mainstream produced product price point.

I don't think I was wrong, as I really enjoyed my 2010 Honda Fit.
I similarly enjoy my 2016 although I think it's refinement has taken a bit of the edge off it's fun to drive quotient compared to the 2010.

If your goal is to own a hatchback that is economical to operate, and has projected above average reliability? Then while NO vehicle comes with any guarantee, I think the Fit is a fine choice.

If I was in the market myself?
I don't think I'd hesitate to look at anything and everything. From the Civic hatchback to Nissan Versa to Volkswagen and Toyota offerings. Why not? Unless you think the temptation would simply instantly derail you from this current plan.

I would say for cargo carrying possibility in relationship to size, I don't think you are going to find anything more versatile than the Honda Fit. The fold up and configurable "magic seats" are really amazing.
However, when you are talking about dogs...plural and bike or bikes occasionally with a sub-compact that's always some level of compromise. A sub-compact is a sub-compact. BUT if you are coming from a Mini-Cooper, and looking at Yaris and other sub-compact offerings the challenge is going to be similar with all of them.
The Fit can hold an amazing amount of stuff with it's flat load floor and it's ability to fold UP it's seats.

So I guess my answer is a cop out. I personally would look at everything if I had the chance, then pick the one I like the best.
I own a Honda Fit...so obviously I would say waiting and enjoying a Honda Fit is also perfectly viable.
But if you have any qualms or curiosity about other offerings the time to investigate them is now.
Even though I have owned 2 Fits in 8 years, I'm not one to say it is singularly the only choice one could or should make.

I've been pleasantly surprised by my 2017 LX. Ease of ownership has been spectacular. Just routine oil and filters on a steady diet of 93 from toptier gas distributors.

Thanks to the folks above, 2Rismo2, fitchet and knope-

I have tried out the Civic and just don't like the big feel (and price) after years of driving the Mini. I'm sticking with the sub compacts, more like driving a motorcycle. As for the Versa, Sonic etc. there's no clear record of trouble free driving (using Consumers Reports data). Hyundai or Yaris would qualify but they dropped their hatchbacks :-(
Elantra GT maybe, but way over my budget, so it sure looks like the Fit is it, especially after hearing your supporting accounts.

I like the way they look too. I mean some sub compacts just look like little stubby cars but the Fit looks like a neat little van/sports car. Unless I read about some new wave of trouble, I'll be joining you all soon (once that factory gets to shipping again!)
Thanks again for the thoughtful replies.

Well keep in mind the Fit, pretty much any Japanese hatch, is not going to ride like a Mini Cooper. But obviously more similar to that than a large SUV!

The Fit is a good car, but have you looked also at the Toyota options? I would think hard about the Corolla hatch if "hatchback" and "reliability" were things I wanted; of course I can't stand the way that model looks. Looks to me like Hyundai does offer an Elantra GT for 17K, but although I would say Hyundais have become good cars, I don't think it'll hold up any better than a Honda.

I'd say away from Nissan or the domestic brands if reliability is your thing. I mean it's hard to buy a bad car these days, but some cars just have a little better edge when it comes to that.

A vehicle I have always been curious about but never really investigated is the KIA Soul.
It's small, but also seems built like a miniaturized sport utility vehicle. It's pretty well reviewed, and comparatively affordable.

If and when I ever move on from my Fit, I'm looking at the Soul, and the Honda Civic Hatch...which I think looks great.

all price about equal, i would look at hyundai elantra gt or toyota corolla hatchback.
manual offcourse.

The Soul just looks... weird!

Yaris vs Fit (2008 edition)
I had a 2008 Toyota Yaris hatchback, and it was nowhere near as fun as my current 2008 Honda Fit. Keep the model years in mind, as things may have changed with the latest models of Yaris (though I can't see Toyota suddenly changing the Yaris into a more fun-to-drive car than the Fit).
A few caveats: The Yaris was a 4-speed auto (as a fresh grad, I still lived at home and shared the car with my Mom) so I'll keep my criticisms muted on the subject of the transmission (my Fit is 5-speed with a BuddyClub short shifter, and the gearbox is a joy to play with). I have heard comparisons from M/T Fit owners (actually the previous owner of my current car) where they were shocked with how anemic the automatic Fits were in comparison.
As far as reliability goes, I sold my Yaris before it got into high mileage territory, but it was cheap to own and run. The Fit required new plugs and ignition coils, but otherwise has been problem-free.

Handling wise, the old Yaris would roll and pitch where the Fit stayed composed and relatively flat. I would certainly not drive the Yaris the way I can drive my Fit (caveat: I did put on the Progress Rear Sway Bar that is so highly-recommended here, although I personally can't say I felt much difference).
Practicality is where the Fit blows the Yaris out of the water: Despite both being small cars, the Yaris just doesn't make as good use of its space and volume - with the seats up, the hatch cargo area was tiny.

Other options:
For the newer Hondas, I would avoid anything with the 1.5T Earthdreams. A friend with a Civic HB Sport has reported the dreaded oil dilution issue (which caused a stop-sale of CRVs in China).
As far as Hyundai goes, I would avoid the Elantra: My then-girlfriend (now wife) had a 2011 Elantra, and it had numerous issues such as the rear brakes fusing/sticking to the rotor, causing premature wear of the pads, and warping the rotors (this was an issue also observed by a couple other friends who owned other Hyundais of the same vintage). We also had several CELs as 2 cylinders had problems (this was only about 3 years into ownership - thank God we were leasing so we could return the car), and the automatic tranny never quite felt right no matter how many times we took it in to the dealer (would have very rough, clunky shifts, particularly on damp days).

I have a 2013 Fit Base with 5 speed stick. Bought it used with around 5000 miles on it. I am a Vet, so bought the car thru USAA & got a good deal. Bought the car in Jan 2014 and now have 77,000 miles on it. Think about a used car if you can find a good deal. I think Fits will last close to 200,000 miles, so if you found a used one with 25,000 miles more or less, that might be a good deal. Also think about discount pricing from places like Costco. I'm retired like you and it might be an idea to get the car with an automatic trans. Sometimes I get tired of shifting all the time, especially in the city or in traffic jams. The new 2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback might be something to look at. I sat in one at the new car show here in Phoenix last month. The styling is OK but it has plusses & minuses. Would want to drive one. 2000 CC engine has 168 HP, way more than the new Fit 130 HP. Mileage is good & I would expect the Toyota to last 200,000 at least. Well, hope you find a good car soon.

if the honda mexico plant didnt sink last June, i would say your chances are better now vs the 16 i currently own (problems after problems on my car), but honda is re-starting their production since the flooding as if it's a new production line (and im sure a lot of the operators had to leave for other jobs while honda repaired their factory so the new staff needs to be retrained). your risk is big. i suggest you get another brand car.

and if someone tells you BS about TS16949 certification blah blah blah, remember that the quality system is for consistency regardless of good or bad.

it could be TS certified to consistently make crap like the multiple cross-threaded front tower nuts we read about here.. just a thought. the decision is yours. :nod: GL with your purchase.