Baby the hell out of the turbo. You do have a point, you have to choose 28mpg or 285hp. There are report of people getting 28mpg on SRTforums with them, confirmed with pictures and receipts, but most of the people over there just race the sin out of their cars so they are looking at 18-21mpg at best.

I average about 17-18mpg in my car when it's cold out, but I know i have seen over 24mpg in the summer, and i don't try.

 

mazda = ford.

get a fit :3
simple.

 

my buddy has gotten 31mpg in his srt numerous of times.


just gotta light foot and hold steady at 65 mph heh

 

That is funny advice, coming from someone who (according to their signature) is spending a fortune on superficial mods for a cheap car. Image before value, eh? ...Not that the Fit is a bad value. Quite the contrary.

But let's assume that the topic-starter is looking for a pedestrian vehicle, not a road rocket, given the choices they have presented.

Unlike the Civics in the rest of the world, including the Canada-only Acura CSX, the exterior of the North-American Civic Sedan is strikingly fresh, original, and universal in its appeal to its varied customer base. It looks sporty without being intimidating or looking like it is in a bad mood. The interior is intelligent and very sensible and a breakthrough for interior space management. The crisp gauges and white-on-blue LCD displays are some of the nicest you will ever see in most affordable cars. Honda has mastered engine efficiency and bests all other manufacturers, with Toyota pulling up a close second. The Civic also takes safety very seriously, with a full complement of airbags, active head restraints, ABS and EBD. Its 5-star crash test ratings testify to this fact, and even the Fit can't match that. Ride comfort is excellent without losing the feel of the road. Honda is also special in that most things that would be considered options by other manufacturers are made standard. Personally, I find this simplification and no-compromise attitude towards safety refreshingly honest for the car market. Great handling, light clutch and shifter throw, reliability, and overall value for money are the hallmarks of the Civic. It is simply the best compact car ever made.

If you can afford to spend a little more, and don't mind some compromises on storage versatility, then I highly recommend the Civic Hybrid. It is a sweet "touring"-style car, upgraded with unique interior upholstery and luxury features that you can't get on any other Civic, like auto climate control. CVT is a really cool automatic transmission, though it will surely disappoint the road ragers.

 

alright guys, I'm thinking of adding the mitsubishi lancer (non-evo). I'm looking at the price range of less than 17000. Getting another fit is almost out of the question because my wife doesn't like the feel of the suspension. She wants it to be more cushy. (that's why I'm trying to talk her into the '09 fit, but it doesn't seem like it's going to come out soon enough.) Styling is becoming less of an issue (since she doesn't care much for that stuff.) The main issue is price then fuel efficiency, then comfort measures (interior space, amenities, etc) then lastly performance.

 

Good thread. I am currently considering similar cars: the Fit, Civic, and Mazda 3.

Mazda is a little better value (more bang for the buck), the styling is ok, but dated, and I prefer the looks of the Civic. Worse mileage and higher insurance than the Civic/Fit. The pluses of the Mazda are a bit better handling/braking and power. It's also built in Japan, but overall reliability is probably the same or a bit worse than a Honda.

The Fit is also built in Japan but I do a lot of highway driving and I'm not sure about the power/RPM's/noise on the highway. Will be test driving on on Friday to see how I like it.

The Civic seems like the best choice, best mileage, lowest insurance, durable engine. Only thing holding me back is the questionable build quality issues I have been reading about on 8thcivic, though that mostly seems to be with 06/07 models, I think most of the kinks are out with the 08's.

Thoughts?

 

I've spent roughly 2000 on aftermarket modifications, but when you consider those mods have boosted my horsepower by 20-30 hp, and i now get 2-4 mpg better than stock, it's worth the extra money. the mugen civic has 15,000 dollars worth of body kit and badges on it. it gets no better performance than the civic si, thats what i meant when said it's a waste of money. what now?!

 

I think the lancer is a good choice. Very nice car, and the price is right. I was trying to talk a friend into getting one a couple of months ago. I would definitely add it to the list.

 

man....

we all put money into cars. the mugen si is basically bought. theres no personal modds to that car.

when you modd a car,you get to show people how your taste is building either it be the cosmetics or power. the si is all cosmetics and for that price, sorry not worth it. wait sorry the suspension is 2k? comon now we all know we can get a better set up for that much.

it is a rip off, i hate that stupid big ass whale tail wing. it looks decent , but what your paying for and if your making payments, and how much it will be in the end. that is really not worth it.

i would rather have taken the civic-hybrid, modd that out and look sweet and get good gas mileage.

 

have you thought of the New Matrixs'? I think they look good and fuel economy is there too.

 

doesn't the focus get even better MPG than the fit with the new EPA testing standards? the next question would be how long do you think you'll keep the car. if it's something you expect to keep until the wheels fall off, and styling and amenities aren't a priority, i would go for the focus, depending on entry price.

 

The new Focus is getting 24 city and 35 highway, so it isn't much better than a Fit. The Focus is still using the out dated chassis from the first gen. Focus and the Focus last time I heard was still being built in Mexico.

 

We're probably going to keep it for 5 years. Unlike my fit, which will live until my son starts to drive (He's 4 years old.) Actually, now that I think about it, we might keep it for longer depending on what we get.... XB or Focus, probably 5 years. If we get the civic, we'll probably keep it until it dies... once or twice.

As of right now, I'm leaning most towards the civic. Just because it's what I know, and have dealt with many before (family and friends). It's like one of those things that are so obvious and right in front of your face, but you don't want to except it.

 

great choice. get it in tw...sooo sexy.

 

No argument from me regarding the hefty price for the mugen. But surely you understand that where there is desire, and money to go with it, the justification to buy isn't needed. Eventually you will have the car you want.

Are those gross or theoretical results for the airflow mods, or real-life/dynoed net results, taking into account the FE reductions from the electrical load (generous sub kit) and larger wheels? Just curious. Most people don't bother to track their mileage. Then there was someone who made the audacious claim that an "air grabber" and pulse spark plugs on their Fit gave them 70 MPG on a highway trip.

In my case, $1500 more got me a Civic Hybrid (rebates from my provincial and federal governments... it was the right time and place to buy), or the pricing of a Civic Sedan LX w/ AT. Same HP as the Fit, but at least 10 MPG better. I only bring this up to show that value can also be found by looking outside the box. In my situation, the hybrid system has already paid for itself (against the Civic line, which I was looking at any ways) and then some.

 

How about a Corolla? The new ones are pretty nice.

 

I just recently bought my Honda Fit used, so I was recently in the same market. I test drove both the Mazda 3 and the original version of the Toyota Matrix. I really loved the Mazda, but it a bit out of my price range, at least for the hatchback (required for me: musician.) I liked the Matrix, but the shifter (manual) was terrible and it was nowhere near as fun to drive as the Fit. Though I'm slightly sad I didn't end up with a Mazda 3, I'm loving the Fit and it will likely have fewer reliability issues than the Mazda long term. From what I've read about the new Focus, I'd stay far away. I think Car and Driver just reviewed it and absolutely hated the thing.