By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Why did you still go ahead and buy the car if you really felt you were being ripped off in such a fashion?
Just curious...
Hoping to get some leverage for a better deal on left over 07s.
This is for Honda Fit 07 Base model automatic transmission.
It is for San Jose, CA.
07' = 33 city/38 highway
08' = 28 city/34 highway/31 combined
Also, the 08 comes with a tire pressure monitoring system. I can't remember if the digital odometer is in the 07 model or not. I think the TPMS is a good thing to have, but you could always go to an auto store and buy special valve caps that will indicate if your PSI is too low or not.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
p.s. mileage report with 10k on LiL ZippY (sport auto) she gets 30 to 33 mpg combined.
My OTD: $17124 (but I should get some of that back because I decided to trade in my old tags after I paid for new one's. I'll take the new one to the DMV for a refund)
I got mine at Brandon Honda in Tampa, Fl. I would recommend the dealership. They were very nice. However, I had to make three or four dealerships compete for my business. It was nothing short of a miracle for me to even bring the prices down a few hundred dollars since the supply and demand is in the favor of the dealership. I hope everyone has a great time finding their fit - pun very much intended
Other Fit owners I've talked to love them, and all of my friends love mine.
Still plan to get the wife to look closely at the new Accord in the next few years though.
The Sandman
But I have a bias against sedans in general because of their lack of versatility. I look at the Fit as a small CRV.
Don't think so unless things are different where you live!
There would be no reason for Honda to do this since we can't keep them in stock!
Where are you located btw?
No reason to give these away since they sell so quickly.
I'm in the Military and looking two possibly trade-in 2 vehicles for an new 08' "something" (not sure what as of yet)...would love to keep the Fit...but thought the 2 for 1 scenario might work well...and then possibly get an 08' Fit?
It's either that (trade 2 for 1) or just sell the other vehicle I have (Nissan Armada) and keep the 07' Fit...Again, I'm in the Military and have to get down to one vehicle due to an upcoming move overseas where we can only bring one vehicle. Fun stuff...
Thanks for any feedback!
Anyhow sounds like you are under pressure and spinning in circles so good luck!
Probably you will have to sell it to a dealer. Spend a day shopping it to 5 or 6 dealers around town. (preferably some nissan) Tell the used car manager you must sell this car today as you are being shipped out, and need his best shot on this auto. You will sell it to him right now if he beats other offers. No matter what the offer, you are dissappointed, leave your card with cell # and repeat with the other 6 dealers. After this is all done and possible call backs take the best offer out of 6.
If little enthusiasm at least try to bump one of them enough to pay off the loan, or as close to kbb.com or nada.com wholesale as possible. On a desirable vehicle you will get competing bids on the phone. On the Armada I don't know as it depends on the market for these vehicles which I think is rather poor. Your area may be different so the only way to know is to find out and get the bids.
If you are underwater still with the best bid with a loan on the armada you may have to come up with some cash. You need to call the bank for the procedure here, where your check (made out to the bank) for the difference goes.
Its easier if the car is paid off. I really don't know what 2 trades on one vehicle gets you, when you already have a brand new model of the one you want (which you probably already paid a bit of a premium for when the Fit just came out)
Good luck
--jjf
Anyone happen to have any information on the real-world trade in value on an 07' Fit Sport (A/T) w/ 7,000 miles.
I'm in the Military and looking two possibly trade-in 2 vehicles for an new 08' "something" (not sure what as of yet)...would love to keep the Fit...but thought the 2 for 1 scenario might work well...and then possibly get an 08' Fit?
It's either that (trade 2 for 1) or just sell the other vehicle I have (Nissan Armada) and keep the 07' Fit...Again, I'm in the Military and have to get down to one vehicle due to an upcoming move overseas where we can only bring one vehicle. Fun stuff...
Thanks for any feedback!
I'm trying to sell the Armada now via private party...and will try that for a few weeks or a month or two and see where that gets me. I have already had a couple folks interested and we will see how that goes.
If I can sell the Armada - I'll definitely do that and keep the 07' Fit. I *like* the car, while my wife *loves* it. So, I have no real problem keeping it. When I bought the Fit (almost 1 year ago today0 I paid MSRP (like many) but got a few freebies thrown in (floor mats, 3 oil changes, etc.)...I know...nothing major there, so, basically, I paid MSRP
If thr Armada does not sell, that's when I am going to have to explore the trade-in option more viably for sure. I definitely owe more than what it's worth, and I do know that I'll have to come up with the cash difference, which won't be a problem..I just want to of course try and minimize the damage:)
jfritsch - thanks for the suggestion! I will explore this if the Armada does not sell.
As long as we get rid of 1 car things will be okay...at first I thought I preferred getting rid of the Fit or both cars and getting a new one, but now I would prefer to get rid of the Armada and it's negative equity once and for all!
many thanks everyone! I will keep you informed...
Now, to keep the Armada or sell it off as well
Nice work!
I am investigating manual fit sports because I know eventually, someday, my trusty Civic will no longer serve.
I have been quoted a price on a new 07 manual sport of $16,270, which includes locking wheels, all-weather mats, cargo cover and cargo tray. This price does not include the taxes, fees, etc. etc. In NY state (with an 8% sales tax in my county) the out-the-door price would be just shy of $18,000.
This car is ON THE LOT, and I could take it home tomorrow. I just drove it this evening. I haven't put any deposit on it. It started with 14 miles and by the time I brought it back it had about 29 (they let me drive it alone because the salesman was swamped and juggling about 3 customers simultaneously - for different cars).
I have read that the 08 Fit will have worse gas mileage because of new emission standards, and I must say I would hate to swap my current car for one that doesn't at least match its mileage (37mpg).
My car fund CD will mature February after next. If I close it before then, I will lose about $400 in interest.
So, whaddya think? Should I go for it? Or not?
:confuse: Should I jump at this 07 manual sport for the mileage? Or keep driving the Civic and take my chances that the new model(s) will have decent mileage?
If that doesn't work out, might be best to hold onto what you've got and squirrel some extra $ away for any unexpected repairs. This way the car would last until all your $ ducks are in a row and there'd be no negative financial ramifications.
Just a thought from the fiscal side of the brain.
The Sandman
Sure, I could look into financing, but I've earned more than $400 in interest since I started the CD, and the purpose of it is for a car, so I'm not *that* worried about the penalty. It is just one of the factors to consider. Even with losing the $400 I have more than enough in there to pay cash OTD plus extra left over.
My biggest two issues are:
1) Is it stupid to hold onto a 16-year-old car, even if it's running fine, getting great mileage, and I'm totally happy with it? Fits aren't *that* easy to get ahold of, and if something catastrophic happened, I'd probably be renting for at least 2 weeks until I could get what I want (manual sport), possibly more than a month. Around here the best deal is about $180 per week for a rental.
2) Is the mileage on an 07 manual fit likely to be significantly better than that on an 08, given those pesky new emission standards? If I waited and ended up with an 08, would I regret it at the gas pump?
So get the car if you feel your's will not make it over the next few months and forget about the mileage figure. I'll bet you'll be happy with the new Fit regardless of the mileage figures. Glad to know that losing the $400.00 by cashing in the CD early is of no consequence for you. Life sounds good down your way!
Enjoy your new car.
The Sandman
It sounds like I'd get pretty good mileage, then, no matter what, especially if my 16-year-old car is still averaging 37mph (and that includes Upstate winters, thank you very much) :shades: I'm still on the original clutch, too, after 150K.
Sounds like I'll be OK driving Old Trusty for a few more years, then. I'll just set the CD to roll over to a much shorter term when it matures, just in case I'm still not ready to send Trusty to the glue factory by then. (Heck, given how reliable this thing is, I might end up having enough for a second home in that "car" CD, by the time I need it!)
Gotta love Hondas.
Thanks again for your comments and advice!
Proper purchasing could save you 300-1000 over the average deal, so that 400 could be a wash rather than a sting.
39vs 36 mpg or whatever could also be a wash, with the variation in cars. (+-10%)
Don't try to milk the old car. Things tend to go wrong all at once real fast. (1000-3000 worth of stuff and you go craps, plus you are driving a 15 year old heap instead of a new civic in the interim) Worrying about 400 is not the way to go when the thing goes craps and you are selling it to the junkyard for $60-$300 instead of $2800? to some kid in the paper running nice.
Sell the civic in the paper (check nada and kbb retail ) and put it in for nada retail if really clean and see what the calls are like. Also try cars.com etc for online ads. The kiddies in many areas go nuts over hi mile hondas.
(they like you think they are going to get 250000 miles out of it trouble free, or are going to replace the engine anyway. They have an excuse as they are kiddies)
Good luck
--jjf
Hehe. Believe me, it's not like losing the $400 wouldn't sting, it's just that it might be an acceptable loss in light of other things.
It sounds like I'd get pretty good mileage, then, no matter what, especially if my 16-year-old car is still averaging 37mph (and that includes Upstate winters, thank you very much) I'm still on the original clutch, too, after 150K.
Sounds like I'll be OK driving Old Trusty for a few more years, then. I'll just set the CD to roll over to a much shorter term when it matures, just in case I'm still not ready to send Trusty to the glue factory by then. (Heck, given how reliable this thing is, I might end up having enough for a second home in that "car" CD, by the time I need it!)
Gotta love Hondas.
Thanks again for your comments and advice!
Since this is the forum about buying experiences, I felt the need to share my 'near-buying' experience.
Once I decided on the fit, the '07 Sport AT to be exact, I went to my local dealer, Randy Kuehl Honda in Cedar Rapids, IA. The fit is very popular, and I have my heart set on blue. They had a blue on their list of incoming cars for a few weeks. Awesome! Too bad a few minutes later when we started getting deposit papers ready and found out that someone sold the car, but had not taken the time to cross it off the list.
It was sad, but not that big a deal. We decided to see what we could do to get one in. I was hoping for a dealer trade or switching one of their cars on order so that I could get it sooner rather than the 3-4 months it takes to order one from scratch. I filled out the deposit papers, put $1k down, and anxiously awaited news.
Three weeks later, I called to see what was up, as I wanted to be informed of what was going on, and it seemed like a long time to figure out where the car was coming from. "Bad news," said my sales guy, "it'll be here next week!" That's great!
At the end of the week it was due to arrive, I called to get some news, as they were not setting a good precedent of calling me back. Nothing yet. That weekend was Labor Day, so I waited until Thursday to give them some time into this last week for it to show up.
When I called, I got bad news again, but this time it was for real. My guy and the sales manager had me on speakerphone to relay what had happened together. The new list for September had my name written on it for a blue '08 Fit, since I was supposedly next in line. No one told me, but apparently the vehicle came in on Tuesday, and they found out that the car had actually already been sold to someone before me...
I understand the car is popular, but no one checked to make sure I really was next in line and not 2nd or 3rd. No one did much research when that sheet arrived either, as it should have been pretty obvious if someone was ahead of me.
My excitement quickly clouded over into anger and frustration. My sales guy was very apologetic, and said maybe we could talk to the sales manager to try and get this worked out. I said I was probably going to take my money back and give it to someone else. I came in to the store a few minutes later for my money.
I got there, we made some small talk, and when the sales manager was ready, my wife and I went in to talk to him. Keep in mind that he was the one telling me most of the bad news via speaker.
We sit down, he says 'How can I help you today?" in a regular business tone of voice. I tell him I would to try and straighten this mess out, because I felt very betrayed and downtrodden.
With no apology in words or tone of voice, he tells me the best he can do is a dealer trade, which would take a month or so, or order one new. He was even brazen enough to suggest that these things happen. I went from
I may not know everything, but I do know a lot about common decency and customer service. At that point, I decided I would rather buy my Fit elsewhere than even take one from them for free. I said I wanted my deposit back, which they had already cashed, but since the office manager was gone for the day, they had to wait to write it out.
Things happen, but I was so upset at the way I was treated. I truly felt like a 'sale' and nothing more. Since the Fit sells so well, my business was replaceable, as was I. They didn't even care about my opinion of them.
For all I know, there could have been someone on the lot with $17k in cash Tuesday morning they thought needed the car more.
If you live in the Eastern Iowa area, don't shop at Randy Kuehl Honda. They only care about money. They don't even care about your money if they can find someone else behind you.
So relax, be happy and your car will come to you but you do not want to be desperate. Just leave the state for heaven's sake. Come to Atlanta, I know a nice salesperson at a friendly dealership with a sales manager that would never treat you the way you were treated!!!
good luck!
sue
I do agree with your point that the Fit isn't 100% perfect, and I do miss some of the creature comforts of other cars.
Got deal done over phone, in/out of dealership under 2 hours. Great buying experience.
I really really do want a hatch; this is the only car in the household, so there are no trucks or minivans or anything else to do occasional hauling; I have the seats folded down in the current car about 50% of the time, and the hatch is one of my favorite features of it.
Basically what I want is a 4-door thing similar to my current vehicle, and the Fit is it, as far as I can tell.
Thanks again for the comments!
Any advice?
I ordered a black Fit Sport manual with the 16" alloy wheels, floor mats, cargo cover, and iPod link, and paid $17,600 for everything, including installation costs. I feel lucky to have gotten it for hundreds less than what the other guys were offering for the same specs. The Honda Barn guys were happy to hear that they outshined Herb Chambers, who's sort of the Microsoft of car dealers here in Southern New England.
I love my new Fit (but hoping my mileage improves... still only 26-28 mpg at 870 miles and I don't rev high). It's a blast to drive around town and I get a lot of compliments. All the more reason that I'm heart broken: it got broken into two weeks ago and badly injured... :sick: Read more here.
I live in Phoenix and I am interested in the Fit. I would like to do my purchase over the internet. I don't have patience for listening to the standard sales pitch. Was there someone at Earnhardt that you had an especially good experience with? Can you also finance over the internet?
Particularly now that the '08s are hitting the lots, good buys can be had on used '07s. I wound up with a sport MT with 5500 miles for $14,400.
Henessy Lexus in Atlanta had a sport AT with 6000 miles on ebay with a $15,300 buy it now feature that included pick up at the airport. It didn't get sold, but I am sure they would deal with you over the phone and still pick you up at the airport. Here is the listing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=016&sspagename=STRK%- - - - 3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=260158129040&rd=1
Also, there is a sport AT with cargo cover and cargo tray at a Chrysler dealer in Huntsville,Al with $7300 miles. It has been listed at $14,900 on AutoTrader for a while now.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=226092789&dealer_id=615019&car_year- =2007&marketZipError=false&awsp=false&search_type=used&num_records=25&keywordsfy- c=&make=HONDA&model=FIT&transmission=&distance=100&address=30161&make2=&default_- sort=priceDESC&advanced=&certified=&max_mileage=&max_price=&sort_type=priceDESC&- min_price=&body_code=0&end_year=2008&keywordsrep=&color=&start_year=1981&drive=&- search_lang=&page_location=findacar%253A%253Aispsearchform&engine=&fuel=&doors=&- style_flag=1&cardist=94
My Fit was my first used car purchase. I saved some money, saved some hassle, and wound up with a great car that had most of the original warranty in force. If you are so inclined, I made less of an environmental impact as well by not causing a new car to be manufactured.
Good luck. I hope you get into a Fit soon!
Just something to think about. If you were buying a used mid-priced 4dr sedan or used minivan I wouldn't be as worried about kid thrasing as much as on a Fit or Civic.
There's a reason why honda dealerships have 8-20 service bays in the back just like the rest.
You can get a heavily optioned 07 Ford Focus hatch brand new for 12000-13000. About 5000 off an (inflated) msrp. There is a quality difference from the Fit but it beats 17000 by a long shot and they're only roller skates in any event.
If the Civic still sold with a hatch the Fit would be finished. (at least at current prices) I guess we know the civic won't be coming with a hatch anytime soon.
Good luck
--jjf
I agree with the abover poster. There is a reason why people dump their cars after 1 or 2 years.
I'm not sure what this means? If the 4dr Civic had a hatch I'd still buy the Fit, unless the 4dr Civic hatch had 21CuFt behind the 2nd row, high ceiling and magic seats.
And my comments about buying used were based on if you didn't know the previous owner. If you know the previous owner than that's a different situation.
I added no accessories b/c the sport comes with many already, and I plan to get anything else online for much cheaper.
I did a ton of research and test driving before deciding on the Fit. So, when I knew I was ready to buy I used the phone as suggested by John from Texas on this thread. I could have gotten quotes online, but I wanted to know right away exactly what was on the lot b/c I was determined to go home with my Fit in the color I wanted this week. Since I live in a metropolitan area, I called 10 different dealers around town. At first I couldn't believe the prices I was getting! Initially dealers were offering anywhere from $1500-$2000 over MSRP. Two dealers seemed to think they were special for offering only $1000 over MSRP. Several said, "There is no way we're selling this car at MSRP." One even added, "Our owner's brother didn't even buy the car at MSRP." When they wouldn't go for MSRP, that made the conversation easy--I said thanks but no thanks and hung up. Finally I got a dealer to agree to MSRP and they had my #1 color choice on the lot with only 11 miles on it. They sent the offer in email and I scheduled a time to go in.
At the dealership I used a spreadsheet from carbuyingtips.com and tried to get them to go below MSRP. I was only asking for about $250 less, which was approx. 5% profit for them over invoice minus factory holdback. That's when the fun began. My salesperson (who was very nice) had to run the numbers by another salesman who came back and said they couldn't go below MSRP. This other salesman was gruff and not pleasant at all. After more haggling, I couldn't get him to budge. The guy said something like, "I was out of the office yesterday and they shouldn't have offered this price to you. We never sell at MSRP, yadda yadda." They wouldn't even throw in the floormats. If I didn't need the car this week, I probably would have walked away.
I'm bummed I couldn't get them to go below MSRP because I think the Fit is over-priced right now for what it is. That being said, it is still a hot car and dealers will get as much as folks are willing to pay for it. I matched the Edmunds TMV price for my area code, so I guess I did ok in the end. (Also, I made sure that the financing was fair and had Honda compete with the bank I was pre-approved for which led to a pretty good APR).