I’m in the market for a new car. Tried out a 2010 Insight (selling for 170 a month-no down payment) and a Cruze, but I just loved a cute orange Fit they had. However, I wanna make sure I’m not letting my heart kill my checkbook. If you bought one in the past, still love it? I’ve found a used 2007 and 2009 Fit as well-is the 2011 so much better?
I bought a 2010 Honda Fit in early September (is the 2011 model even available yet?) and am happy with it. Except that I bought the Fit Sport model with the GPS and electric stability control. But it doesn’t let me use my cell-phone hands-free via a Bluetooth connection, despite having the microphone (which is only used for controlling the navigation system). It’s minor, since I don’t use my cell phone in the car much at all, but it seems like an obvious thing that they could have added. And I know it’s a budget car, but I’d have liked the option of leather seats. (And it would have been nice if the hybrid version was available then.)
Our 2009 Honda Fit, bought new last February, is still running very well with good gas mileage and no major problems (there was a recent minor problem with a burned fuse on the heating system, but the warranty covered it).
The most interesting thing I’ve noticed about the Fit is that on a regular basis I’ve had people come up to me in parking lots, at the gas station, etc., and ask me if the car is a good choice because they’re thinking of getting one too. I’ve never had that with any other car I or my wife have owned. I think that’s a good sign.
Contented owner of a 2008 Honda Fit checking in here. Ours is the base model (but with automatic transmission and remote door locks). Our daughter borrowed it one day when her car was in the shop, and then she bought one for herself.
I have no idea if the 2011s are better or worse.
I have a 2009 Fit, and love it. It’s surprisingly roomy, has great pickup, and has never given me any problems.
I’ve either a 09 or 10 (I forget) and still love it. My only gripe is that it’s a hatchback. I’ve never had one before and don’t care for it. Somehow I always get road dirt all over myself when unloading stuff. The fold-down seats make up for it though. I’ve made many an IKEA run in it and it holds QUITE a bit. If you haul around a lot of junk it’s a great choice. You could easily carry winter sports items (skis/snowboards), or a bike, maybe a surfboard if you angled it right. It’s a tallish car too, so if you need a lot of headroom it would be a good choice.
For the record I also test drove the Insight and something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed to drive strangely and I was irked by the way it tried to tell me how to drive. It’s like having the car itself for a backseat driver.
2009 Honda Fit purchased in May 2009, standard transmission, sport package. I love it. I generally get 38+ mpg, and can haul anything I can think of hauling with the versatile two-way folding back seats (either lay the back flat for long things, or raise the seat for tall things).
I call it the Cardis - everyone comments how much bigger it is on the inside 
When my husband’s '93 Civic packs it in, we’ll likely buy another one.
I got the new Lemon Aid guide for Xmas, and they report that the 2011 is pretty much unchanged from the 2010 model.
I’m thrilled with mine, but then I’ve only had it for a week 
I love my Fit. I’ve had two.
I was worried about safety before I bought the first one since it is a small car and I’m not the best driver. And as it turns out, I totalled Fit 1, but all the safety features worked beautifully. I spun out in drizzle on the freeway going 75 mph, went into the center grassy median and hit a well engineered center divider. The side curtain bag came down, safety glass shattered into little pellets, and the body crumpled. Walked away without a scratch.
Fit 2 has had an encounter with a deer in the middle of the night. Took out a headlight assembly and did a number on the bumper/body panels - but no mechanical damage and a body shop fixed her right up.
I will say that if the wind is blowing hard you can really feel it.
How are they on the highway? I tend to get surrounded by bigrigs-does it have enough zip I can keep out of the way?
And I felt the same way about the Insight, voguevixen.I’m all for economical driving and having a hybrid, but the car almost felt preachy about it, if that makes sense.
I might have to buy a blue one instead and get a “Cardis” plate.
I got mine up to 85 without really trying. I’d imagine you’ll be able to zip by most anything.
I have a base-model 2009. I love it to death. For a small car, it’s huge inside, and very comfortable. The folding seats and hatchback are incredibly useful, the gas mileage is great (close to 40, normally), and it handles well. I love that it’s a four-door hatchback, because it’s so much easier to get people in and out, and with infant car seats in my not-too-distant future, a four-door makes a lot of sense. I haven’t had any real problems with it yet although I think the tire pressure sensors are pretty touchy and act up in cold weather.
When it’s just me in the Fit (2008 base model), it has plenty of get-up-and-go. Put four people and some luggage in it and … not so much.
…but it’s usually just me (or me and my wife) in the car and then things are just fine.
Got a 2007 Sport model bought in summer of 2006, and we adore it. As everyone else has said, great hauling capacity, fuel economy, and handling. And if I had a dollar for every coal truck or big rig I’d passed in that thing, I’d have one hell of a downpayment for when we replace our other car.
Isn’t that a pain? I was wondering if it was just me.
I will also agree with the sentiment that it’s a little wobbly in high winds. Not that it’s blowing all over the road or something, but you do notice it.
I owned a 1990 Honda Civic wagon, the last year they sold that model in North America (someone once came up to me in a parking lot and tried to buy it from me). So I hung on to it. In late 2006, I heard about the Fit and decided this might be my replacement. In May 2007, the old wagon was rusting out and I took the plunge. No choice but to pay sticker price since they were flying off the lot.
To make a long story short, I love it. I don’t drive much (12,400 km, last I looked, in over 3 1/2 years), but I am often carrying a load of plants from the garden center or a lot of luggage. I am amazed at easy it is to fold down the rear seats. Still, it can seat five quite comfortably. I expect this is the last car I will own, since when it is 17 years old, I will be 87 and more than ready to give up driving.
One caveat. The sister-in-law of a good friend bought one, partly on my recommendation. She will go weeks without driving and the battery runs down. Eventually, she had to get something called the Battery Brain that shuts things off after the car goes unused for too long. This solves the battery problem but renders the radio useless. As an anti-theft device the radio is unusable after being off power until you have entered a long, unmemorable pass code.
I have an 09 purchased in March of that year. Not a lick of trouble with it. I do have some complaints, though. For example, the passenger side windshield wiper ends its travel directly in line with my head, so after you turn off the wipers there’s always a little dribble of water down into my line of site (unless I’m going highway speeds). And there was another thing that was bugging me the other day, but I can’t remember what it was now.
So don’t be fooled! This car is not perfect. It may have more usable space than any other small car ever made. It may get good mileage and have acceptable acceleration (I find acceleration is only really decent in the 4-6k rpm range, which may have something to do with why my mileage isn’t as good as some others are reporting); it may be extremely reliable and have abundant safety features; it may be 2.53 times more fun to drive than an Accent and 1.97 times more fun to drive than a Yaris (scientifically determined by me during test drives); but there’s a little dribble of water on the windshield after you turn off the wipers, so you trigger them once more, and you get another, slightly smaller dribble. And something else that I can’t remember. Caveat emptor!
Interesting - I still have my '90 wagon, but it’s in the barn and not being driven. The first time I saw the Fit, I thought “that looks like my old wagon”. Do you think they are comparable? I mean, would I like the Fit as much as I did the wagon?