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Comments
Best to all, and good luck with those purchases.
If I was interested in buying a Fit, I would stop being obsessive/compulsive about it (after all it's only a car!), and wait at least a year, and let the first adopters pay the premium prices.
As for bamacar's choice, it really depends on how much you plan to carry outsized cargo. If you do that fairly frequently the Fit is an obvious choice over the Civic sedans. I also find it strange that bamacar didn't like the automatic Civic, since I've test-driven a Civic LX sedan and found that automatic to quickly shift up and down gears, even on hard acceleration going up freeway ramps.
So far what I've seen is that the owner's manual only talks about 2 things regarding towing.
1. Don't try to tow a trailer.
2. Emergency towing.
It only talks about towing with the front wheels on the ground if damage prevents you from using the rear wheels, but nothing about towing with all four wheels behind another vehicle. Maybe I'm missing something, but I really can't find it...I will keep looking.
Personally, I would ask the dealership.
Thanks for your help.
Regards,
bprenderson
Funny you should say that. My wife is a doc, and the Fit is exactly what she is excited about. The Fit transcends class. It's a cute sporty little car, and she's buying it. Plus it has magic seats.
......and she would say it's not just telling you that you have a cold, it's also ruling out that you don't have cancer.
I am going to be patient to get exactly what I want (probably a blue Sport with 5 speed). I do not want to pay for dealer addons and definitely not more than MSRP.
I think short term the Fit will actually reduce demand a little for the Civic DX and LX. Hopefully with lower Civic prices that follow, it will then work in reverse and draw a few buyers up to the discounted Civic LX leaving more Fits to satisfy demand.
http://www.honda.co.uk/civic/
And yes, that is exactly the position I am in. I have ruled out the Matrix (just too many things not right about it) and am trying to make the cost/benefit analysis of a Fit vs a Mazda 3 5 door. I like both, but for different reasons.
So, that sounds more reasonable than 100 dollars, doesn't it, now?
Anyway, I spent a LOT of time with it today, test driving, interstate, etc. No surprises. I did really like it, but I sure do think it could be cheaper. That's why I'm still on the fence.
BTW, that's a definite NO on the locking gas cap.
2) Insults and name-calling don't add any weight to your argument; they simply cause others to quit listening.
3) If you're going to present numbers that are highly unusual ($28 profit on the sale of a car at MSRP), you should expect to be ready to defend your numbers with facts, rather than emotions.
4) The biggest reason that I'd never want to set foot in your dealership is because of the attitude that you've presented in this thread. You've stated that you don't care what anyone thinks (hard to have a discussion when faced with that), and rather than admitting and apologizing for your rude behavior, you continue to unsuccessfully attempt to justify your actions and make everyone else a criminal.
This really isn't cool. Please move on to another forum. Your good wishes for all and your excitement about the "tightness" of the Fit just don't mean that much when weighed against everything else you say.
BTW, I will probably end up buying the AT Sport, even though the base model "felt" a lot better on the road, I imagine it is because of the 14" wheels (more tire). The 15" were noticably more jarring.
I have to get the sport because I have to have cruise, no question. I would -like- to buy some 14" alloys that look like the 15" ones, and the sell the 15's on eBay. Does that sound feasible?
Might anyone point me to a source for the 14s I'm looking for?
You might also consider a different style of tire before laying down a lot of money for new wheels. Something from tire rack with a good "ride comfort" rating such as a Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S coudl be good. Honestly I did not mind the stiffness too much, but was noticable.
If I go with the Fit, mine will also have to be the Sport - gotta have the cruise also, not to mention want the better stock stereo and alloys. But at close to $16K, there are a heck of a lot of options out there - maybe the test drive will be very convincing...
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Has any one cross shopped the fit with a scion xb?
I only got to look in the windows as the dealership was closed.
But I do tend to lean toward those that think it is a bit overpriced. Id it drives circles around an xb then maby.
but as i see it cruise control, is just not worth the extra grand or so the fit commands. And I ahave wanted a good hatch for over 5 years. I am actualy kind of irked at honda for playing the sissy and waiting on everyon else to go first before they jump in the boat.
They do all this boasting of innovation, yet they inevitibly end up being the follower. I really hate that too, its a shame. I wanted the last model civic hatch 5 door so bad I was scheming on importing, (even though I knew it was fantasy)The new one is very interesting and seems to grow on me the same way the xb has the more i see it the more i like it. Too bad it will probably take honda loosing marketshare for them to lift theit heads up out of their rectums, and give the consumers more choice, instead of some clueless executives deciding. 5 years ago I only had used hondas, and a few less than desirable brands to get a hatch or 5 door/wagon, and I made it known every time I looked. Now I have plenty of choices besides honda, Word of advice WAKE UP. Because You have already lost several sales on these types of vehicles, because of your foolishness, and now that the market has finally started going into this trend of vehicles , that many of us hatch/wagon lovers want, you may just find yourself left behind. Case in point The excrement, I almost bought an accord wagon a week before it was released, but decided to wait, until I was dissapointed by the element in person, I could kick myself for not getting the accord. Just remember your brand loyalty only goes as far as you actually offering the vehicle someone actually wants.
Model: 2007 Fit
Trim Level: Sport Manual Transmission
Exterior Color: Storm Silver Metallic
Interior Color: Black Fabric
Accessories: Wheel Locks ($54), Cargo Cover ($165, overpriced piece of tarp), All-Season Floor Mats ($109), 16" Alloy Wheel ($836)
Total Vehicle Price: $16,769.70
How do you get the ambient blue lighting? I don't see it as an option.
We started at 17.710 -- $1995.00 over MSRP.
For that price it did come with a few add ons:
Tinted windows
Ding guards
Cargo mat
Interior accents
Pinstripes (I like pinstripes)
My best guess is about $650.00 worth of stuff, maybe $750.00.
They came down to 17,000, but that was still too high. But then the salesman offered me $1500.00 for my trade in.
KBB on my car was $513.00 for trade in. Which was about what I was expecting.
Essentially, they were offering $1000.00 more off the price: $16,000 with the accessories.
I took it.
Final deal:
Fit w/accessories: 17,000.00
TTL: 1,544.00
OTD: $18,544.00
Trade: (1,500.00)
Down: (4,000.00)
Finance: (13,044.00) @ 4.9 APR for 60 months
Payments: 247.12 Beginning in 90 days
I’m happy with the deal. I could have tried to grind another couple hundred out of the dealer, but I wanted the car. And people were coming in hot to see a Fit. I got the last sport.
Maybe because I’ve been in my old car for so long, but the Fit is a MAJOR improvement over my 92 Civic. Better acceleration, better handling, better ride, better feel.
And only 40,000 in North America this year!
Might anyone point me to a source for the 14s I'm looking for?
The European ones are frightfully pricey to buy and import. There are several older generation Accord and Civic wheels what will happily go on it, but the best match, IMO, and BY GOD THE PLASTIC COVERS SUCK... is to get the optional 14 inch alloys from the Civic hybrid.
As for handling, yes - that's because the car was engineered with 14s in mind and the 14 are much taller than the 15s.(my Mercedes uses 195/70/13s - very tall as well - but they feel very soft, despite their small size)
If you get them swapped on a brand-new car, they can put the still new stock Fit wheels into their parts department and give you a chunk off of the 14 inchers. Most of them run about $150-170 - a lot less than the aftermarket ones, AND you don't have a spare set cluttering up your garage that you have to sell.
****
Now for the review. I spend an hour poking around the Fit - every inch, every option, every last position.
- The light interior is way WAY more luxurious looking than the black, especially for the seats - and the black is that sort of get really dirty and stained fast color. It also makes the thing feel much less airy.
From rear to front:
+ Good quality paint. Identical to what's found on the Civic and Accord.
+ Body-colored bumpers and trim. Nothing says "cheap" like a two-tone color scheme on a small car.
+ The back door is nice - high and no bumping my head.
- The rear opening's rounded corners are um - bad. I could so easily fit a 36*36*36 inch box in the rear - but the opening isn't as wide as the cargo area is.(?)
- The fuel door has the pin in it, but it's not hooked up for the locking(and there's no cutout for it to flip into - odd)
+ Best middle seat seatbelt option EVER in the rear. It's hidden in a little nub in the roof.
+ Great back seat. Reclined, with the Driver's seat in the middle position, it's more spacious than a Buick. Seriously - the new RAV-4 has simmilar seats and it's great, if a bit firm.
+ There's a small bit of inclined metal under the front seats - perfect for placing your feet against. Also, just being able to put your heels under the seat is big(as well as a backpack or whatever)
- No place to store the footballs.
+ FLAT FLOOR. I mean flat with no major protrusions. The Scion XB is a hodge-podge of flaps and mounting points and so on by comparison. Reminds me of an old Civic Wagon's rear seats. Dead-simple and nothing in the way of actual cargo.
+ Spare wheel is in a big well and mounted face-down(open side up - empty in the center. This means you can easily put a set of cables and some oil and rags and so on in there, as you should be able to. Try that on an Xb.
+ Good cupholders in the rear.
- No rear audio or A/C vents. The center console reminds me of my old '86 Dodge Colt. Missing something.
+ rear pocket on the passenger side. I keep my road atlas there.(Thomas Guide)
+ with the light interior, best looking door panels and surfaces in its class.
- rear doors need an extra "stop" to open as wide as the cargo area with in the "tall" mode will allow.
+ fantastic visibility. I really REALLY like the cutouts in the front A-pillars to improve visibility. 4 times better visibility than the new Civic.
+ Best radio controls, ever. Big, huge volume knob 2-3 inches from the steering wheel.
-/+ glovebox is decently sized for a car this small. About the same size as my old Buick or Volvo 240. Not wide, but also the stuff in it will stay in, so you can fill it up pretty deeply. OTOH - no MP3 jack there.
+ Manual vent/recirculation slider. Big plus that there's no automatic climate control - it's dead-simple and will work fine even 20 years old.
+ Tons of room. Reminds me of my Mercedes - long and narrow. Perfect for 4 people, even on a long trip.
+++ A real clutch! Automatic is a dreadful slug. Stickshift is pow! pow! pow! in your face quick. No contest - the stickshift is not two, but five worlds better than the automatic, especially in highway maneuvers. Downshifting to 4th to pass is quick and solid. Reminds me of my Volvo 240(stick) in this way.
Why? Because it is light and has maybe 4 inches of travel. It's also halfway down, so you are pushing DOWN and not forward, like on most cars. Better clutch than a Celica. Best clutch on any car in its price-range other than a Golf.
- OTOH... The clutch needs to be moved to the left 2 inches. The brake pedal is hardly any bigger than the clutch pedal.(!)
+ Doors "thunk" like my old Dodge Colt 2-door did. No tin-can.
--Rear seat is "split" reversed, like in UK and Japan. The large side is towards the driver's side and not the passenger's side(where the curb is) it's far more comfortable than the smaller section. Only "reversed" feature I found on the car, other than the fuel gauge(full is to the right?). Most Japanese cars suffer from half a dozen of these problems.
+ Front seats are the way they are because you sit *in* them and not perched on top like in a GM car. Very comfy. 200% better than the PT Cruiser's front seats.
+++ Headrests on the front seats can be put up high enough to actually work as such for anyone under 5'10" tall.!
+++ Rear work the same. No need to fear rear impacts.
- Needs leather. Badly. Light tan leather plus leather and wood trim on the doors and so on - it would look like a Mini does - very attractive with interior upgrades added.(but for tons of money less)
+ Dash is broken up and has a curved indention along the length - so your maps and pencils and so on have a place to stay in a pinch. Try that in a Xa.
+ Front passenger sensor for the airbag. Most GM cars still don't have any way to disable or sense a child in the front seat.
+ World's first electric steering that doesn't suck. No - seriously. This is acceptable. Every other one I've tried was a disaster.
+ Adjustable seatbelt height/anchors. You'd be amazed at how many cars still lack this little feature.
+ Intermittent wipers. Again, little features that don't cry "cheap car". Considering that 1970s Buicks had this, it's about time it's considered standard for all cars.
+ Car has zero "plastic wall" feel to the interior, doors, dash, and so on. Only a Mini and the Golf are simmilar in this reguard. You feel like well, it's a smaller Civic instead of a car to not be left out of the segment entirely like every small car GM and Ford make(or have made for them).
--- No center armrest.
-- Drink holders in the front are too forward - can't possibly "fit" a supersize drink and have it accessable while driving. OTOH, they did have to move it forward a lot for the 5-speed. A good center armrest would solve this 200%.
++ Reverse is off of 5th gear. Reverse off of first(my car) is a PITA. Trust me on this.
+ can move the seats with the side lever. Makes moving up a bit for real passengers nice - just let them move it up an inch. No more "is that okay?" nonsense.
- Can't see the hood at all. OTOH, it's one arm's length in front of you. Feels short - like a VW Bus. Needs a honda symbol on the hood(like the old Mercedes used to have)
+ Same insturment design team as the "new" Civic.(The U.K. model is the "real" New Civic). A thousand percent better than the Yaris. Tach is lovely.
- Don't like speed-sensitive volume on my radios.
+ Turn levers are good - feel simmilar to the Mini. Solid and yet not a big heavy mess.
+ rubberized coin/stuff tray in the center dash.
- Needs a homelink/garage door holder near the rearview miror.
- A/C is strong, but the vents are too small. They need to be big round things like on old Volvos and on some nwe cars. The A/C is "weak" purely because of airflow problems.
-/+ Plastic wheel covers stink. Any alloys in the WORLD will be a massive improvement.(ie - most anything looks good on it - kind of a wash. 14 inchers are recommended.
+ Engine reminds me of a Mini. The whole car IS Mini sized - very agile. Nice layout with two exceptions.
- Brake fluid refill is hard to reach.
--- Dipstick is 1 inch from the manifold. The hole is facing towards you(with the manifod right behind it), so either way you pull on it, you risk getting badly burnt.
****
Whew.
Overall, the car is worlds better than everything in its class except the Golf/whatever they are calling it this week) as far as interior and build construction. The Aveo is flimsy. The Yaris is ticky-tacky cheap feeling. The Cobalt is a wide expanse of tap on it it sounds like a child's drum plastic paneling.
Overall, I'm impressed. My recommendation - get the light interior and get 14 inch alloys on your own.
I thought dealers were supposed to know what cars they were getting in advance :confuse:
Thinking I got the run around.... :mad:
In base configurations (as I would buy them), they price very near each other.
For me:
The Scion advantages are traction and stability control, and a 6-speaker stereo with steering wheel controls and MP3 CD compatibility.
The Fit advantages are in larger and more flexible cargo space, better fuel economy, and side and side curtain air bags. (I also like a little thing, the "maintenance minder" that monitors mileage and driving conditions to tell you when to perform various kinds of maintenance.)
Reports indicate the Fit is probably more fun to drive, but I won't know that for sure until I drive one.
Someone told me that you can actually remove the rear seats in the Scion completely. I have to check that out. If that's true, that may change my conclusion about which has more cargo area.
seat height and commanding view of the road
so I want the same feel without the poor MPG.
The Scion Xb fits the bill but it is uuugly.
What about the fit?I am hesitant to go to a dealer because of the vultures.
Fun yet functional car in New England that feels like it costs a lot more than it does = Mazda 3s Touring 5 Door
A sedan that fulfills both driving styles, but does not give you much cargo room: Mazda 3i Touring 4 Door w/ABS and Side Air Bags option (standard on S) "
Best of both worlds - Mazda 3i hatch. Too bad they don't make one.
I know. I would snatch it up in a second. There would be no contest. To add insult to injury they DO make it for the European market.
I couldn't agree more. This is the most fun I've had with a manual transmission car ever. The more I drive it the more I love it. Granted, I haven't driven an S2000 or anything, but really the clutch and shifter are quick and smooth.
Also, the more I use it, the electric steering has a very "real" feel to it, and it's set well for high speeds, but very maneuverable at low speeds.