Honda Fit

My 1994 Mazda Protege is getting ready for the
recycle bin. I am considering the Honda Fit. I
drive about 600 miles per month - mostly highway.

I would appreciate any comments - positive or
negative about the Honda Fit.

 

Wow, you have my admiration. The Fit will seem like a luxury car to
you. I assume you are buying the MT. I don't have personal
experience, but I from what I have read, I would recommend you get the
Sport model. You could be driving this car for the next 20 years, so
the small additional cost will add a lot of enjoyment. Live a little,
you've earned it.

 

I've had the Fit since early June of this year. I have no negative comments
and plenty of positive ones about it. As of my last fill up, I am averaging
36.46 MPG overall. Of that, about 60% is city driving. My worst mileage was
33.59 MPG. My best mileage, which was almost all highway miles, was 43.98
MPG. I have a 5 speed manual Fit Sport model, but the automatic's mileage
would not be as good.

For a 1.5 liter engine, it has plenty of pep, especially the manual
transmission. It corners effortlessly, and it shifts better than any other
new car I have ever owned, and that includes a 1965 Mustang 289 4 speed, a
1969 Fiat 850 Spyder 4 speed, a 1978 Datsun 280Z 5 speed, and a bunch of
Datzun/Nissan pickup trucks and still more cars.

In the past, I lusted after the Mini Cooper, but could never justify it from
a practical standpoint. This Fit has plenty of room for hauling, especially
with the rear seats down. The rear seats raise up so you can transport
objects over 4 feet high. It has a lot of great qualities, but what I like
about it, most of all, is how much fun it is to drive! After driving pickup
trucks since 1984, I had forgotten about driving fun. If you haven't
noticed by now, I can't recommend this car highly enough, and I'm from the
generation that came before the baby boomers

Oh, and the link below should provide all the information you need. I
hoping you'll take the Fit (especially the manual tranny) for a test drive.

http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/index.php?referrerid=18289

Robert A. Cunningham

 

Thanks for the information. It sounds good.
I am from the generation that came before the
boomers myself (barely - born March 1945).

I am an amateur wine maker and grower. It sounds
like I will have no problem transporting 5 lugs
or so of grapes - about 30 pounds per lug. I was
initially considering getting a small pickup
truck but this looks like a much better option.

My wife recently bought an Accord and she is very
happy with it and the dealer we bought from is
very nice also. I think I will be giving him
some more business. I may wait until spring. I
don't want my new car to get all messed up with
ice, mush and snow when it is brand new.

 

..
Well, based upon the information you provided I will make one
recommendation. When you buy your fit please spend the extra money and buy
the "cargo tray." It is a plastic molded tray that covers the whole area
behind the rear seats. When you asked for positive and negatives about the
Fit, I totally forgot about this, but it reminded me when you mentioned
transporting "lugs of grapes." The rear floor area of the Fit, above the
spare tire, is protected by only by some sort of mat over a thin piece of
wood, or particle board, or something similar, and while I have never had
any problem I would be very cautious about loading heavy articles,
especially if they have a small footprint. By opening the hatch and lifting
the tire cover you can see the material. I would highly recommend the Cargo
Tray if you are going to do any hauling. This would also help to keep the
area from getting messed up.

 

Thanks a lot. I appreciate your help.

Paul

 

The Fit would not be my first choice for that
much highway driving.
My wife drives a base model with A/T, ALL
miles driven are city, the best mileage is a little
over 25 MPG. Here's the fuel log I keep (because I
can) starting from the second fillup.

Date Brand Trip Fuel M
P G Cost per Gal

7/30/2006 Chevron 320 9.57
33.44 $3.199
8/23/2006 Chevron 210 9.30
22.59 $3.119
9/19/2006 Chevron 230 9.20
25.00 $2.799
10/12/2006 Chevron 218 9.02
24.17 $2.499
11/2/2006 Chevron 224 9.18
24.45 $2.279
11/30/2006 Chevron 221 8.86
24.94 $2.399
1/2/2007 Chevron 205 8.99
22.80 $2.579
2/4/2007 Chevron 211 8.80
23.98 $2.479
3/6/2007 Chevron 209 8.70
24.02 $2.919
4/2/2007 Chevron 219 9.19
23.83 $3.239
4/29/2007 Chevron 213 8.31
25.63 $3.359
5/20/2007 Chevron 214 8.79
24.36 $3.395
6/12/2007 Chevron 205 8.61
23.80 $3.199
7/24/2007 Chevron 210 9.30
22.57 $2.999
9/2/2007 Chevron 219 9.30
23.55 $ 2.659
9/22/2007 Mobil 217 9.46
22.93 $2.889
10/14/2007 Chevron 231 9.00
25.67 $2.982
10/30/2007 Chevron 177 7.26
24.37 $3.119

While the Fit will get the job done for you;
I think the CRv would be a better choice.



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Hi,
Took a look at Nissan Versa?

 

The above mileages are for mostly city driving, with an automatic.
Normally, I would not recommend the purchase of an automatic Fit, because
the mileage, and the performance, would be lower and slower; however, due to
the OP's claim that his mileage would be approx 600 miles per month, mostly
highway, the automatic would probably be just as economical, but a lot of
mileage depends upon driving habits, especially in the city. But in city
driving, people with automatics have expressed more displeasure with their
mileage. Also, I have kept record of every fill-up (though my spreadsheet
does not indicate price), other than the initial fill up by the dealer.
Finally, the Fit sells for considerably less than the CR-V.

Robert A. Cunningham

 

Not yet, but I will before spring.

Do you have experience with this vehicle?

 

Robert is right on with his analysis.

But, I could not spend that much time in a Fit at highway speeds, it's not
going to be fun, nor will it be, what I consider, comfortable.


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I live in a town of three stoplights and only
drive through two of them on a daily basis (about
two miles) to highway access on the west side of
town. I live two blocks from farm land.

My hightway driving is to a gym 15 miles away and
back or occasionally into another town also 15
miles away in the other direction and back.

I will not be doing hardly ANY stop and go
driving.

I do need a vehicle that can carry a very light
and small load. Right now, I am able to get it
into the trunk of my Mazda Protege but a more
accessable compartment would be nice.

I do not want to spend the amount of money that a
CRV would cost because I need to buy other toys
for my backyard vineyard and basement winery.
Everyone has their priorities, I guess.

 

yep

 

Well, you may be correct, but since both fun, and comfort, are relative
terms, every person will have his/her own definition of each term, but in
my experience, I have found the Fit to be one heck of a lot of fun, at any
speed, and very comfortable as well. Moreover, I came to that conclusion,
after I drove it, not before. My only recommendation for someone interested
in buying a new car is to take the Fit (or for that matter, any new car) for
a test drive. You may like it, love it, or hate it, but you will come to
your own conclusion based upon your experience, not with a preconceived
notion of what you may think it would be like.

Robert A. Cunningham

 

Sounds like it will "Fit" your needs; go for
it!

Me too.



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yep

 

Hi,
I just tried once when my neighbor got one. I think they it
is roomier and more standard features than the others.
If they make AWD version, I'd get one. My family drives only AWD
vehicles.

 

You missed the part about how he has been driving a '94 Mazda Protege.
Compared to that the Fit will seem like a luxury car.

 

Fit replaced a '90 Integra, with <100k. While not a Protégé, still an old
car.
I envisioned the original poster driving several hours at a time at highway
(+70MPH) speeds.


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yep