My 2002 Saturn was a casualty in the Tennessee tornadoes last Friday. I'm looking for something reliable, inexpensive, and fuel-efficient, with manual transmission, under $15,000. Saturn seems to have given up on fuel-efficiency and most of the other things that once made it a sensible choice. So now I'm ready for a Honda. I had planned on getting a used Civic, but the local dealership will be getting the new Fit in soon. I haven't bought new in decades because of the initial depreciation. But it would be nice to have something under warranty. And since the Fit's been out for a while already, there's no beta testing to do But the Civic has a good track record for holding its value, and has a more conventional appearance. Whatever I buy, I'm planning to keep it for many years. Since I'm new to Honda, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! --Nan
Honda Fit gets top ranking from Car and Driver magazine with regard to being the driver's car of the bunch. Nissan Versa gets the nod for the best all-around package. I also love the Scion xB. With the xB, you get a very mature marketplace for accessories.
If you can afford the Civic--get the Civic since it should have more power than the Fit.If you can't afford the Civic--get The Fit Sport. You may want to test drive both of them before you make a decision. Also, compare the HP and torque and top speed of both engines before you make a decision. Also, consider the options that you want in your new car. I recall that I once purchased a new car that did not have a tach. or temp. gauge. I later regretted not getting the higher priced model that had a tach. and temp. gauge. The higher priced car also had a more powerful engine. I have not made that mistake again. Jason
I agree with Jason the above are important considerations. But before reading his post, I was thinking of asking you nblom how important fuel efficiency is. The Fit is reportedly getting around 50 mpg. It's probably around 20% more fuel efficient than the Civic. But this of course is at the sacrifice of power--acceleration, like Jason says. So you sort of have to consider what your priorities are. I have a 1.5 Liter 91 Civic getting 40 mpg but I salivate at the thought of having a 1.3 or 1.4 Liter Fit inside of 10 years, getting 50 mpg. I don't need g's.
Fit is nicely made but tiny. The last half-second before another car/truck hits you, you'll be wishing you had bought the Civic.
The U.S. Fit has a 1.5 liter VTEC (SOHC), 109 HP (new method rating, probably 115 under the old system). It's pretty well trimmed, with AC, air bags, full gauges, decent radio w/CD. The Sport model adds larger alloy wheels and larger tires, more body trim, keyless entry, etc.
Unfortunately Kent is correct. http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/index.aspx confirms the smaller engine versions of the Fit (which IIRC I've seen elsewhere on the net) will not be sold in the U.S. Bustards. OTOH, the new Civics are 1.8 Liter engines. Couldn't dig up mileage specs for either quickly.
If you're worried about that, buy at least a Hummer II. The Fit is about the same size as the 2nd or 3rd generation Civic coupe but heavier ... all that SAFETY equipment don't you know, crush zones, safety beams in the doors, a bunch of air bags, enhanced bumpers. On top of that, the Fit is very nimble and the basic idea is to avoid the accident in the first place. The 214 pounds difference in weight between the Civic LX 4 Dr. and the Fit Sport 5 Dr. won't do you a lot of good if you're hit by a large MB, mini-van, F150, SUV, or Hummer. Sheesh, I've been hearing "buy the bigger, heavier car because it's safer" for at least 50 years now. Like the song says, "it ain't necessarily so." It's one of the earliest urban legends.
- snip - - snip snip - The bigger is better talk never ceases to amaze me anyway I hear the U.S. may get a HYBRID fit with a MSRP of less than 15K, sure hope thats true ! -- Rob Fruth - Houston, Tx http://www.rfruth.net 1981 Raleigh for errands & fun ____ __o 1997 Trek 2300 for real fun ! ____ _ \ | _) 2000 Civic hatchback (_)/ (_)
If you're worried about that, buy at least a Hummer II. The Fit is about the same size as the 2nd or 3rd generation Civic coupe but heavier ... all that SAFETY equipment don't you know, crush zones, safety beams in the doors, a bunch of air bags, enhanced bumpers. On top of that, the Fit is very nimble and the basic idea is to avoid the accident in the first place. The 214 pounds difference in weight between the Civic LX 4 Dr. and the Fit Sport 5 Dr. won't do you a lot of good if you're hit by a large MB, mini-van, F150, SUV, or Hummer.[/QUOTE] The Fit is a couple hundred pounds HEAVIER than my 92 Civic Si. And with 16 fewer horsepower, too.
Beams are great but you gotta have some crush space for the metal deforming too. It looks like you wear the Fit, more than get into it.
scion xA or xB. bulletproof engine, little to no maintenance reqired, since it has self adjusting valves, and a timing chain instead of belt. no more $600 timing belt replacements every 90-110k miles! i dunno if the fit is any more "normal" looking than any other short, high-roofed 4 door hatch. sadly, they offered a 4-door "wagovan" from 88-91(ish?) that was a high roofed 4 door, and it didnt sell. too ahead of their time? im considering a fit as well. also going to look at the toyota yaris hatch, the scions, and possibly the nissan versa when it comes out. only thing is, i can guarantee the fit will sell for MSRP+, especially with gas prices going back up. and it also won a 7-way car and driver test. havent looked at the engine specs, but if it still uses a belt and needs valve adjustments, i may pass. ive never had a car with power windows/locks and/or keyless entry, and i think thatd be neat. and a factory sunroof would be nice too. yes- a "loaded" economy car. theyre popular in europe.
It uses a chain like all recent VTEC engines. Look at http://vtec.net for several indepth articles on the technical aspects of the Fit.
The Scions are pretty intriguing. I'm more drawn to the xA, though. The local Scion dealer seems to have only the xB and tC --Nan
The test drive may make the decision for me. That and the settlement from the insurance company Power does factor in -- I wouldn't want to go any lower than my old Saturn SL2. Most of my driving is low/medium traffic commuting, but a couple of times a year will take some long trips (900 miles or so). --Nan
I'm thinking ahead on fuel efficiency. In the next five years it seems likely that gas is going to get _much_ more expensive, with some unpleasant spikes now and then. I've always been careful about mpg -- never had a car that got less than 35 hwy. Some of them had some kick to them, too There's talk of a hybrid Fit next year... If my old car had survived, I'd have waited for that -- and it would have been an _easy_ decision --Nan
Heh. The Saturn SL2 is by far the largest car I've owned. My first was totaled by a drunk driver. The last was rear-ended and pushed into another car this past fall. Walked away from both. My Fiat X1/9 convertible ended up in a ravine. Had to crawl out of the roof. My Karmann Ghia T-boned by a Buick Electra on the driver's side. Walked away from those, too. Driving a small car isn't an issue for me anymore. (To the Fates: This statement is not to be taken as any kind of dare or anything.) --Nan
The xA is a nice looking car. Reminds me a little of the Mini Cooper. It's running a close second if I do decide to buy new. Gas prices are already going up here. We might be seeing a lot more of these tiny cars soon. My other option is to get something _very_ cheap that'll last about a year until the Fit hybrid comes out --Nan
