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Hatchbacks Honda Fit Honda Fit
4584 messages, Last post on May 12, 2008 at 4:25 AM
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Replying to: svofan2 (Apr 15, 2008 6:15 pm) manual or auto?
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Replying to: bobw3 (Apr 17, 2008 9:44 am) ..from what I found $16,000 inc destination is about $123 below invoice...good luck...you will love the Fit...I do.... |
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I purchased my 2007 Honda FIT Sport auto (storm silver) on 19 April 2006 from Sterling McCall Honda in Kingwood, Texas. I must say now with 18,600 trouble free miles that my love for this car just continues to grow. The engine is now fully broken in and runs smoother then ever before. My mileage averages between 31-32 city and 38-40 on the road. Worst has been 26 city..best 41.75 highway. Problems NONE. Complaints NONE. I LOVE MY FIT!! 
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I will leave China in august 2008 and will most probably sell my Honda fit before my return to France. Although I will be back to China from times to time, it would not be reasonable to keep a car for a very little use. Moreover, my tight financial situation demands that i take cash from it to avoid future depreciation. I expect to sell the car for about 10K USD (was bought 15K USD in dec 2005 but USD dropped by 12% against the RMB, so would represent 16-17K USD with today's rates) Overall this has been an enjoyable experience with little trouble-most of them not relative to the car quality. If we don't use A/C, even in city, we managed to get about 7L/100 (35 MPG I think) . The car was regulary used up to capacity (5 people inside and full boot) and did not disappoint. If I did not move out , I would have kept this car for a long time. mileage stand at 37K KM, that is about 25K miles. the car is looking nearly new, except from peeling varnish from the alloy rims and very minor scratches on the bumper. The dealer installed leather trim is wearing off for some areas. It costed about 400 USD to setup so I don't really care that much. All the rest is doing OK and engine looks well broken-in. When I am back in Europe, I wonder what I could buy for this same amount of money. there will be some micro cars like Citroen C1 or Hyundai Atos or Daihatsu Sirion with 1L engines. Those cars have only city abilty and offer only a fraction of the enjoyment, power, interior accomodation and comfort, so I guess i may go for a second-hand car.
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Replying to: vchiu (May 01, 2008 1:13 am) If so, don't they sell Fit's in europe? 
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Replying to: upstatedoc (May 02, 2008 10:40 am) This is representing nearly half of its second hand value and for this price I can already buy a modest car in France. The other point would be maintenance. The Chinese FIT is sold by Honda in Europe, but not the 1.5L model. What would happen if some 1.5 specific parts needed to be exchanged. I guess the honda workshops won't have 1.5 repair reference guide /manual so I speculate that there is a potential long term upkeep issue. I already have some old cars handy in France. a 1978 Citroen ami 8 (602cc , 32 hp) and a 1997 Peugeot 605. if really in trouble, I can borrow my mother's 1999 Nissan primera SW. I have wheels, so everything is pretty OK. I just need to work harder to spoil myself again with a car made in this century. |
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So I drove the Fit from Oakland to Tahoe (Truckee), then the next morning to Reno, all the way back to San Mateo, then back to Oakland. 200 miles without stopping the first day. The second day, 34 miles to Wal-Mart and a lunch, 34 miles back to Truckee to drop off my friends, then 240 miles down to San Mateo, then 40 miles back to Oakland. 548 miles in 2 days. The Fit is not my designated "freeway flyer" - the larger, quieter, albeit lower gas mileage Versa fills that roll. But I headed out the door with the wrong keys in my pocket and so the Fit got to "fit" that role this weekend. I got 39.44 mpg on the first refill, in Truckee, at about 254 miles (I had about 40 miles on the tank from my work commute when I left). My second refill was this morning at 330 miles and I got 36.67 mpg. I think the Truckee refill might have been a little light, and the Oakland refill a little heavy - there is a very slight variation on how aggressively the automatic shut off nozzles work. I think the Truckee one shut off a little easier, and the Oakland one a little later, than the pumps at the stations I usually use. I have a pretty keen sense of how long it should take for the needle to start coming off the "full mark," and after the Truckee fill it came off a little earlier. whereas I drove 40 miles to work this morning and the needle is still on "extra full." I suspect my next refill, at my normal station, will be a little higher than average mpg based on the fill variation. That having been said, the mileage is remarkably consistent - 38 mpg average for the two days, vs. 36-38 per tank from my commute plus side trips to the gym. What's remarkable is that the Fit delivered the stellar mileage of the past two days despite these "negatives" affecting fuel economy: 1. High speed up to Truckee - traffic was flowing 75-80 mph, vs 65-75 on my commute with some 50 mph flow. Higher speeds tend to burn up more gas, which is generally disguised by the fact that a constant high speed usually returns better gas mileage than lower speeds which more speed variations. 2. Hill climbing the 6,000 feet up to Truckee. 3. The next tank, loading up the car with my friends (220 pound guy, his 100 pound wife) and using throttle much more aggressively to maintain performance with the much heavier load. Also some aircon, since they complain about the temperature more than me. Also back up the grade from Reno to Truckee with them and the aircon. 4. 20 miles of thunderstorms and hail. 5. Back down on the flat lands, a lot of heat to the point where even I needed a lot of aircon, cycyling it on and off. (The aircon on the Fit is very strong, much better than my Echo or Scion xA.) 6. High speeds on the return too. So my 38.055 average mpg is pretty darn good. Don't forget Cali uses 10% ethanol (during winter months only? not sure) which cuts down available mpg. I really wonder what kind of mpg this would get on the flats, at 65 mph, no rain or wind, no air con. My guess is close to 40 mpg. Ok. The more interesting question. Is the Fit "freeway worthy?" How does it handle a 3 person plus shopping goodies plus trip stuff load? First, the Fit is much more freeway worthy than I thought. Here are my observations: (i) The car is very stable. It might FEEL twitchy, but that is because the steering is VERY responsive. Once you learn to have a more stable hand on the wheel, you discover a lot of the car's freeway twitchiness is due to the driver's inputs, not due to any inability of the car to hold a straight line. (ii) The car is susceptible to cross winds. Yeah, we all know when there is a lot of wind and a gust hits a light car, you will have to input a steering correction - feels like you are "bumped." But with the Fit, you often don't feel "bumps," but the car suddenly feels - twitchy. So there is that twitchiness again - and if you feel the car is skittish, check the foliage on the side of the road and see is there are some cross winds. (iii) The car runs easily at 80. It runs more easily at 80 at 2,000 miles than it does at 500 miles. The engine is small, tight, and high performing, and the engine noise and any residual "boom" go away as it wears in. It is NOT "buzzy" as was the Scion xA. You don't feel like you need to shift it up a gear, although looking at the tach you probablyl think you should. (iv) The car feels VERY solid and stable with passengers and light cargo load. It ISN'T limited to singles or light duty. I can't guarantee it will be so good with four football players in it, but two adults and a kid would be a breeze. It also has plenty of space - although this is incredibly small from the inside, I didn't feel "crowded" by my 6'2" friend. His wife was comfortable, with plenty of space, in the back seat behind him OR me (I'm the short one). (v) The single largest source of noise in the car, at freeway speeds, is the roar of the tires. When I hit a patch of newly resurfaced freeway, the noise level dropped significantly - very significantly. I would upgrade tires in a minute if I could be certain the replacement tires were quieter, but I'm afraid the tire noise is only partly due to the tires, most of it is coming in due to "light" sound insulation (I say this based on comparing, in memory, the noisiness of the factory Dunlops to the factory and after-market tires I put on my other cars). But the wind roar is minimal, and the engine noise is minimal. In absolute terms, I'd rate the noise level in the Fit, compared to other cars I've owned, like this: 2 Ford Focus, old version, also PT Cruiser, VW Golf (2001 and 2004) 3 Caliber, Scion xA 4 Fit 5 Versa, Cobalt 6 Impala 7 Odyssey Where the higher number is better. Ironically, the biggest single negative on my extended road trip was the lack of speed control, to give my right leg a periodic opportunity to stretch out and rest. How do I compare the Fit to Versa (I've already taken the Versa to L.A.)? The Versa is quieter and the cruise control is wonderful, but the car doesn't feel any more "solid." The Fit gets about 6 mpg more than the Versa, which is significant! The Versa cost about $3k less than the Fit, which is significant! So it's a toss-up at this point. However, if the 2009 addresses some of the current Fit's minor shortcomings (firm ride, freeway "twitchiness") it should hit the proverbial ball out of the park.
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Replying to: micweb (May 05, 2008 11:03 am) Great post, I may be transferring to a job with a 30 mile commute and the Fit is at the top of the list for my commuter. 98% of the commute will be hyw miles so a vehicle that is comfortable and gets great hyw mileage is key.
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Replying to: micweb (May 05, 2008 11:03 am)
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Replying to: daniknight (May 06, 2008 4:33 am) The Fit is perfectly suitable for long highway stretches. However I guess its taller size is cause for lower MPG from 80 mph on, compared to flatter cars (Civic I guess) |
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