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Originally Posted by sjd
(Post 1424460)
Agree. We also live in 1000 square feet.
We did trips in all of the vehicles I mentioned. We did a trip from Toronto to Pittsburgh with 3 people and luggage in the Protege5 without issue. We also did a week long trip from Toronto to Boston with 4 people and luggage in the Mazdaspeed6 without issue. That's fine if you need space for 5 people. We didn't. I'm not saying that if you have to buy a Fit for all your needs, I'm saying that for a young family (without grandparents) a Fit would be a fine car. The Odyssey is actually the ideal vehicle if you have to move a lot of people and stuff but not everyone does. I remember growing up in Guam. We only owned one vehicle, a single cab Toyota Tacoma. We fit our entire family in it. My Dad driving, sister in the middle and Mom on the passenger side. Me and my two brothers would stand behind the bench seat. I was the youngest so stood on a piece of wood so I didn't have to tip-toe the whole time to see over the bench haha. That was the 80's, I don't think we can get away with that these days :D |
I have owned two Dodge Caravans and absolutely love 'em. We bought the first one when we brought our second kid home from the hospital. Loved it so much we bought another eleven years later, I still have that one. Now that the kids are grown, we have it configured with just two seats and often use it to haul building supplies, haul bicycles and kayaks. Plus it is a great hard-sided sleeper when on camping trips. I moved my kids back and forth to college countless times. It is the most useful car I've ever owned.
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Personally, given this is a growing family, I would look to get something bigger. The Fit is absolutely fantastic given it's configurability and hauling capacity, but as said, it is a subcompact. With the Fit? You're probably looking at the smallest vehicle you could possibly think about using as a family hauler. But why paint yourself into that corner?
Also....uniqueness as a buying point? That wears off with the passage of time. It doesn't matter what you buy, in about 3 months time....it's not unique to you. |
Originally Posted by sjd
(Post 1424453)
It's crazy how people think you need a giant car just because you're having a kid. My wife and I made due with a Ford Contour for the first year of our son's life and a Mazda Protege5 for the next 6 years of his life after that. Both have less usable space than the Fit but worked fine for us. Admittedly we usually traveled light with a diaper bag, stroller and playpen being the most we'd take with us and that was only on overnight trips.
When we decided we were only having one kid, we replaced the Protege5 with a 2007 Mazdaspeed6 and a 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata. If just one of us had to take him anywhere we opted for the Miata 90% of the time. We just ordered our 3rd MX-5 Miata, a 2019, and our son is now 18. He loves driving manual transmission cars and we're sure it was because he spent the last decade in the front seat of an MX-5. |
Anyone suggesting that the Honda Fit is an appropriate family hauler has drunk too much Honda Fit Kool-Aid. The Fit is a GREAT car and it has the largest cargo volume in its class but its still a sub compact. Just because we love the Fit and just because some people manage to squeeze a family in the car with luggage, it doesn't mean its the best or even the appropriate car to haul families.
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If I go somewhere with the family (4 of us total) we have the choice of my Fit or the wife's CX-5. We pretty much always take the Fit.
Mind you, this is not because we think the Fit is a superior family car, it's because she never wants to drive and she keeps a ridiculous amount of junk in the car, and find it irritating when I crush things adjusting the seat. Yes, it's a smaller car, but having not taken it on an extended vacation, I don't find it to be too small. |
Subcompact is Subcompact....
Originally Posted by mizike
(Post 1424952)
Anyone suggesting that the Honda Fit is an appropriate family hauler has drunk too much Honda Fit Kool-Aid. The Fit is a GREAT car and it has the largest cargo volume in its class but its still a sub compact. Just because we love the Fit and just because some people manage to squeeze a family in the car with luggage, it doesn't mean its the best or even the appropriate car to haul families.
Some kudos to the Honda Fit and the design of the Honda Fit that it can even be in a discussion about being a "family hauler" as a subcompact hatch. But I agree, even though I think the Honda Fit can transport a "family" to suggest as a subcompact that it is an ideal choice, especially for a potentially growing family? I think is misguided. I think it could be a great subcompact 2nd car, for a family, but if I'm picking a vehicle as a singular and primary "family hauler" the Fit for all it's design wonderfulness, would not be my choice. |
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is cargo capacity.
If memory serves, the Fit is 850 lb. Since the Fit always has to have a driver, if the average driver weighs 150 lb., that means you've got roughly 700 lb. left for cargo and additional passengers. Squeeze three more passengers in there and suddenly there's not much cargo capacity left, unless you want to exceed limits. |
Originally Posted by fitchet
(Post 1425050)
Some kudos to the Honda Fit and the design of the Honda Fit that it can even be in a discussion about being a "family hauler" as a subcompact hatch.
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Originally Posted by mizike
(Post 1425087)
Yes, the fact that the Fit has more leg room and head room than the last gen Accord is simply astounding. But it is too skinny, and with the seats up, it has too small of a trunk for any kind of major family cargo duties. It can be reasonably be done; and be done far better than other subcompacts, but as you said, it is not ideal.
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I just wanted all to know who were part of the thread, that we purchased a new Lunar Silver EX yesterday, and so far couldn't be happier! Thank you all for your input, and looks like ill be lurking around for awhile!
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