Honda Fit? Never heard of that one. When did it come out? What kind of name is that for a car, anyway?

never seen the ads "The Fit is go!"?

been around bout two years....nice for a little car

10 cheapest cars to drive, aka, the 10 most aesthetically unappealing cars..

@MissTicklebritches: A guy at my work has a honda fit and he is pretty happy with it. He's a delivery driver and uses it for his work. He has to pay for his own gas, maintenance etc, so it is a good 'fit' (haha).

@MissTicklebritches: At least it isn't a made-up word, like Aveo or Yaris.

I own a civic. I love my civic.

Bought a Fit a year ago - love it. I'm always amazed at how versatile it is.

@ShabazOSU: Yeah I agree. Why are Hybrid so fugly?

@Segador: true... i believe the brochures highlight the 5 different settings that the back seats can be put in, and that the cargo space in Honda Fit is actually the same as the cargo space in a 2006 Honda CR-V.....

@ShabazOSU: *frowns* I happen to think my Toyota Corolla is five kinds of adorable.

@ShabazOSU: That's your opinion. Personally, I don't see a damn thing wrong with any of those cars...well I think the scion is too boxy but eh, that's just me.

Current-model Hyundai Accents are really not bad at all.

@Mfalconieri: None of the aforementioned cars are hybrids.

I have two friends with Fits, and they both love them.

My wife and I just bought a Fit in April and we love it! It's actually much more roomy inside than it looks from the outside.

We were actually largely influenced by this post last year:
[consumerist.com]
Thanks Consumerist! :)

You'll never see me at a new car lot. Last car I bought was 4 years ago for $2200, 80K later, I've had to put less than $1K miles into it. The backup car was purchased 6 years ago and has needed less than $500 of parts, but it has only been driven 50K miles since purchase.

I honestly do not know why people buy new cars. Are people buying new cars just from fear that something will happen within the lifespan and they need to have the feeling that there is a better chance of no failure with a car with lower mileage, or do they feel that new cars are better than old cars? Anyone with half a brain can maintain a car to run for a long time.

@Lizard_King: uhhg... $1K miles does not make sense. $1K in parts. The car has 175K miles. Bad cut and paste job.

I'm surrounded by SUVs. Safety and size are upper most in my mind. I don't like small cars that are 100% crumple zone.
Which is the safest, roomiest & heaviest?

Wow, every one of those cars is a tiny little thing with a short wheel base and not very wide at that.

Can't put a price on comfort, I guess.

Now I realize lots of little young'uns are going to say how comfortable they are, but I'd wager they've not spent significant amounts of time in something that really is comfortable.

I'm not picking on small car buyers -- I'm waiting for a Fiesta myself -- just emphasizing what the article said: "[F]uel costs aren't the only thing you should be thinking about."

If you can afford two cars, make sure your other car is something comfortable.

Heck, if you can afford three cars, keep an SUV or pickup in the driveway, although the latter two aren't for comfort (they have "comforts" but aren't comfortable), but for occassional utility.

Man, I can keep going: if you want comfort and utility and can afford a fourth car, keep a Kenworth or Volvo-Penworth or something in your driveway.

And on the opposite extreme, if you don't care a whit about comfort and only fuel economy and operating costs, you should use a Honda Spree as your daily driver.

Okay, I got a little silly. But seriously, it's hard to fit a price on comfort.

I wonder what they are considering for some of these cars maintenance wise. Are they including dealer warranty's? I can speak from family experience that the Kia does come with a 10 year warranty but it doesn't transfer between owners.

My grandfather bought my aunt a kia rio before his passing, and the dealer wouldn't put it in her name, so it was in his for a few weeks. When she put it in her name they denied the warranty. While she hasn't had alot of issues with it, there were some minor problems not associated with the engine or drive train. It was mainly power window problems and lights.

@Lizard_King:
i'm with you; i don't see the logic in a new car with a payment.

maybe if it were brand-spankin-new and something i was in love with already,
then i'd consider making the ridiculous financial commitment.

getting a truly affordable monthly payment, however,
often means the car won't be a really new low-mileage vehicle.
this leads to paying payments for months or years on something far too old.

then again, some people have no idea how the mechanics of an automobile work.

My boyfriend has a Fit and it's AMAZING. Awesome mileage and has TONS of room, both for cargo and people (up to 5 fit very comfortably). DON'T judge it by the pictures of the exterior, which some of the posters in this post have already done...

@MissTicklebritches:

It came out in the mid 80s in Japan. And what kind of name is ANYTHING for a car? (Would you rather they used the name they use in the UK, the Jazz?)

@ShabazOSU:

I kinda like the Fit, and while the SX4 isn't as pretty as its (in most quantifiable ways superior) platform mate which we STILL don't get, the Swift, it doesn't look bad in hatchback form. (The sedan is awkward as hell)

I'm also a fan of the Yaris hatch and the new Accent looks great (I just don't trust it, what with the reports of fuel economy in the teens and low twenties on some examples, with no diagnosis).

The only car on that list that isn't either kind of good looking, or just mundane...the only one that BELONGS on a list of "ugly cars" is the xB. Look at the line of the rear door, the line of the upper edge of the side windows, and the "gaping maw" effect on the front bumper, if you want to know EXACTLY what makes it so ugly. Also, the previous xB was in a class by itself, the new one is a blatant attempt to imitate the Element.

I think part of the 'new car' thing is fear, yes. Every one of the used cars I've driven has had a major, catastrophic breakdown (e.g. the kind where only a tow-truck is getting you home). Now to be fair, we're talking about cars that cost $1-2k, but that put me off used cars enough to where I really don't feel comfortable buying a $5-7k used car.

In addition, I don't have the space (as an apartment dweller) to work on cars. If the car dies, it goes to the shop and I am at the mercy of the mechanic. That is why I bought new the last time. It cost a lot more yes, but it only needed to go back to the stealership once, and that was for something that didn't require an extended stay. In terms of dollars and sense, I lost out versus used. In terms of peace of mind and convenience, it's been the best car experience I've had.

That does not of course reflect any of the additional values of buying new, such as prestige and potentially higher resale value. I figure it's a wash in the end, pay more now or pay more later. And the tie-breaker is that I'm not willing to be alone and abandoned in the middle of nowhere at the mercy of some sketchy tow-truck driver because I wanted to chance that water pump with 65k miles on it not self-destructing tonight. What is the value of that, in dollars?

@Mfalconieri:

Talk about epic fail. None of the vehicles listed are hybrids.

The Aveo might be cheap, but that doesn't mean you should drive one.

@Kishi:

"At least it isn't a made-up word, like Aveo or Yaris."

I heard a guy yesterday ask his significant other if the multiple of Yaris is Yarii. Got a chuckle out of my wife and myself.

@linkura: I've ridden in a friend's Fit...I thought it was an amazing car for $16K...lots of room and was pretty comfortable. It felt pretty solid, too..not at all "chintzy."

Come on, folks..we're talking cheap cars, not Ferraris. Of course they're not going to look and handle like a $45,000 sports car.

Some of us just need something cheap to get back and forth to work in (and maybe have a *little* fun).

I like Honda's truth in advertising. It looks like a tight *FIT* in that back row. One guy has to put his arm back to make shoulder room while the other has to lean forward and clutch the driver's head rest for support.
[automobiles.honda.com]

I have a Yaris and I can drive from PA to NC on a tank and a half. In a year and a half, Ive never had a problem more than a flat tire. All that, and I paid less new than my parents did for a used KIA (seriously, those cars were buy-one-get-one a few years ago...)

@Mfalconieri: Aerodynamics. However, there's not a single hybrid on that list.

Honda's planning on making a hybrid Fit, however.

Woo hoo Kia! I already waxed poetic about my Kia in another post, so I'll refrain from hijacking this post as well. But: KIA FTW!

I would just like to point out that nothing is more fun on snow and ice than an underpowered econobox. The lighter the better (on that list, only the Fit, Yaris, Rio/Accent (same car, different bodywork, different factories), and Aveo really qualify). And studded snow tires help.

An empty parking lot or a wide, deserted road covered in about 6 or 8 inches of snow, and the good luck to have the cops not show up, and you can have a LOT of fun. It's easy to whip that low mass and short wheelbase around, and hard to get yourself into anything you can't get out of.

I have a Fit, and I love it! I've had it for 8 months now and only put 4500 miles on it.

Why is a Pontiac Vibe on that list while the Toyota Matrix is missing? It's the SAME car.

Dude... where's the Dodge Neon???

I have a little 99 neon coupe and it is the most econimical car I have EVER had. I bought it in April with 91k miles for $2200, and it is now at 103k and I've had no major issues. Plus I only have 3 more payments, which is the best part. I have NEVER owned a car that I paid off completely. I had one repair that cost about $70, which was the valve cover gasket. Even at $3.60 a gallon it still only takes about $35 to fill my tank completely up, and depending on how I drive, I get anywhere from 35 to 45 mpg. Before this car I also had an 05 Neon and it was a great car too. I bought that one brand new in 05 and had zero issues up until I traded it in for a flashy sports car(which I later wrecked, hence why I have the 99 Neon now) at 40k miles.

w00t for Neons.

@balthisar: Now I realize lots of little young'uns are going to say how comfortable they are, but I'd wager they've not spent significant amounts of time in something that really is comfortable.

I suppose I'd be considered a young'n. As a college student on a budget I couldn't be happier with my 17-year-old Honda CRX, but I don't have any delusions about its "comfort." It's low and much more hardly sprung than other cars, and there's very little sound-deadening in it. Engine noise at highway speeds muffles the radio and the A/C is broken so you have to have a window down or bake (and most didn't even come with it anyway!) But I'm also a car guy, so my priorities are different. It's got crisp handling (harsh ride), supportive (constricting) seats, and communicative controls (no power steering). Do I love it? Absolutely. Would my grandfather? Hell no.

He'd much prefer a luxobarge like his old Towncar, which I got as a hand-me-down. It rode like a cruise liner and handled like one too. A bomb could go off a block over and you'd never know inside the cabin. Turning the steering wheel gave you only the vague sense that something might be happening with the wheels somewhere. But that's not for me.

I can see why not everybody drives an econobox or a sportscar, but I still don't understand (and won't accept any excuses from) the people who feel like they need an SUV for some fictional safety advantage. Sure, you're more likely to kill the other guy when you drive over him without noticing, but you're still more likely to get pancaked in a rollover, and you've made the road less safe for everyone else just by driving one. There's gotta be some kind of compromise.

Did they take safety into account? Out of the tests done many of these cars do not get high marks all round (They might get a 5/5 on front crash but lack safety elsewhere)...I've noted the lowest score for each out of 5.

10. Suzuki SX4 4 star
9. Kia Rio 3 star
8. Toyota Corolla 4 star
7. Pontiac Vibe 3 star
6. Scion xB 4 star
5. Nissan Versa 4 star
4. Toyota Yaris 3 star
3. Hyundai Accent 3 star
2. Chevrolet Aveo 3 star
1. Honda Fit 3 star

Forgot to mention, just about any of the Toyotas you can find short of one their old sports cars, and maybe a Tercel, will be horrifyingly comfortable and un-sporty. Toyota doesn't make drivers' cars anymore; it's all about comfort at any cost. Let no one say that a soft ride and quiet cabin are expensive.

Put me in the have 'em and love 'em Fit owners pile.

@MitchV: Really they should've put both on the list. Perhaps they're thinking about the "real" price you can get including manufacturers' incentives and transaction prices. The Vibe bases about $800 less than the Matrix, and I'm sure you can beat up Pontiac dealers more on price than you can Toyota dealers. If they ARE taking such detailed numbers into account, though, they would probably have to put more depreciation on the Vibe, since irrational people would assume that the identical used Toyota Matrix is "worth more" in the same condition. Either vehicle would be high on my list if I needed something new right now, along with the Fit. In the end I think I'd be more likely to buy the more entertaining, less efficient Mazda3.

@kabuk1:

The Neon was discontinued 3 or 4 years ago, that's where it is. Everything on that list is available new.

I own a Fit. Best purchasing decision I've ever made. I love it.

Just got a Fit a few months ago. I love it. I can fit my bike in the back and the roominess has already come in handy more than I expected.

My Corolla has not given me a single problem in all its years, except that dragging against the other ricers is kinda difficult. Plus, it has a spacious backseat, perfect for when my lady and I want to Monopoly! Corolla- it's the right choice.

@goodkitty: same here. I like how people seem to think we all have garages with tool sets for when that 10 year old alternator located somewhere inconvenient on your car needs replacing.

I'll just, um, do it in the dining room or something.

New cars, shmew cars, you end up paying something.

I have a SX4 and I can fit 3 6'+ friends and my tiny wife in the car, and then their luggage. The SX4 and Fit have the best handling of the bunch, and the SX4 has AWD for those winter wonderland folks who need it for the snow. I bought mine fresh the first day they where available in the states, only because it is based of the Swift which I can not buy here. That car would be top of the list if sold here, no question about it.

Have and love Fit. Like everyone else says, surprisingly roomy and comfortable. I had driven an Element before that and figured it would be a problem. It wasn't at all.

@Lizard_King: From everyone I know who has bought a new car [they all regret it by the way] they buy them for "reliability".
I have to say in 2001 I bought a 1991 Toyota Celica GTS for $4200. It had 150,000 miles on it and I thought "wow, its like new!"
The only things that have EVER happened to it were basic maintenance. New radiator, new clutch, fan, tires etc. WAY less than a new car would have ever cost me.
I think most people have had bad experiences with BAD cars. I drove plenty of crappy used cars my parents owned that left me stranded and then a mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong with them. These cars were Fords, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, and Chrylsers...see a trend?
This is my 2nd Toyota, I could only get rid of the first [an '87 celica] when an 18 year old hit me and totaled it. His insurance paid me more for the car than I had paid for it a year and a half before! So not only are they reliable, they hold their value!

Yay! Chevy Aveo that's my car! I never put more than $20 in my tank and I'm always fine.