10,000 miles with a Fit

We've had our '09 Fit Sport just over 3-months, and turned 10kmi on it this weekend, so I thought I'd post a little writeup on it.

We commute 100mi/day, plus i also drive it for work and sometimes put another 100-150mi additionaly on it. Most of our commute is rural 2-lane highway, and most of the time I keep it around 55-60mph. We bought an automatic because my wife doesn't want to drive a stick, but I'm glad we did too. The paddle shifters are fun, but I really don't use them. Our lowest measured mileage was 32mpg and our highest is 41mpg. We normally average 37-38mpg, but several factors really make a difference in the economy: Speed - anything over 60 starts decreasing mileage, unless you're following other traffic. Wind - it doesn't take more than a 10mph headwind to drop the mileage a couple mpgs. Temperature - when it's colder than 50* outside the economy also suffers. Still, we get better mileage than my Miata for the conditions.

Overall it's been a very comfortable car to drive so far, although I've not driven it for more than a 2-hour trip. My only real complaint is the A-pillar really creates a blind-spot on left turns.

I've not autocrossed it and probably won't, although I think it would be really fun in H-Stock as long as you aren't against any MINIs.

Overall, we're really happy with the car so far. I just hope we can get a quarter million miles out of it without much trouble.

My son has a '08 Fit Sport. I rarely use the paddle shifters when I drive it. I think it might be fun to autocross it with street tires, but it seems like it just might end up on 2 wheels too easily with R compound tires.

It's a good car for what it is.

I love the Fit.
You already have a fun car (your miata) so i think if you can afford a 2 car arrangement like that the fit makes the perfect commuter: good mileage, good cargo space.

I've pushed it hard around corners & I'm surprised by how stable it is, but I'm sure if you tried hard enough you could get it on 2-wheels if you had sticky rubber on the car. It doesn't drive as tall as it looks, if that makes any sense.

Oh, and we actually have 6-vehicles for 2-drivers...this is GRM after all! But the Fit is "Her" car, and replaced the minivan...which we actually still have, since the 2-oldest boys should be getting their licenses, eventually, if they decide they actually want them. The Miata is "My" car, the Tempest & Jeep are projects & neither are drivable right now, and there's my 88' chevy 1/2-ton but it rarely gets driven.

"...this is GRM afterall!"

haha indeed, forgive my youthful exuberance, i'm fresh out of business school and would give a kidney for a second car and a place to garage them both

What's the mileage and condition of the kideny?

Do the challenge rules discuss how selling/trading body parts are counted in the budget?

selling my fit I felt like a grandma driving the car. It does have a lot of space, a lot of cup holders, great function and versatility, but when you are used to always have 300+hp on hand from every car you've had before it, it just plain out sucks. I guess I'm just an addict of RWD and torque, I will miss the car and how cool it was, but just not me. I would recommend the car though to anyone who was interested in a gas saver with space.

My wife has one '09 Fit Sport Auto. It's a nice little car. It only weighs some 2400 lbs, which you don't see that often these days. It has only 117HP, but it's enough to get out of its own way. I certainly enjoy driving it occasionally, and my car is a 350Z.

The paddles I've used occasionally.

I think it could use a set of coilovers and an anti-roll bar, but it's fun as is, really.

scardeal wrote: I think it could use a set of coilovers and an anti-roll bar, but it's fun as is, really.

Yeah, that was my first thought too, but really - sometimes I do just need a car to be a car, not an autox/track car. lol The Fit is so much more composed than any other new car - that wasn't performance oriented - that it really surprised me for what's basically a cheap econobox.

My 2007 Fit Sport is just about ready to turn 36K and I have no issues with it. I got the five speed manual and it makes it much more fun to drive and increased the MPGS. I saw 40 on a regular basis on my 70 mile round trip commute to work at highway speeds just above the legal limit. It holds two mountain bikes in back (with front wheels off) and goes great in the snow with four 14" snow tires mounted on old Integra rims. It's the first new car I've bought in 13 years and I intend to keep it until it rusts in to the ground.

The only bad thing I can think of about it is that I "loaned" it to my girlfriend last fall when I bought a '93 Miata and I've rarely driven it since. At least she gives me enough every month to cover the insurance and car payment.

Jim

I bought my '07 in April of 2008 with 4600 miles on it. Flappy paddle gear box sport model.

It just turned 40100 miles on the way home from work tonight. I have a 100 mile per day round trip to work, plus I carpool with a buddy of mine. (well, I'm his personal driver I guess. But he does pay for 50% of the gas)

Lowest MPG 29

Highest MPG 43

Average MPG 33

So far I have no real complaints. It's not fast by any means, but its fun to drive. And it swallows an epic amount of stuff. I routinely fit my whole PA and keyboard rig in it, with room for a passenger up front.

My one pet peeve is that it has some dash rattles. But only when the ambient temp is below 40F.

I have a 08 sport auto and i love it, i needed a reliable thrifty commuter and it fits the bill and its quite entertaining to take on a curvy road too, no it won't set any speed records but i can spank a aveo any day! I'm in the point of my life working in the car business where i can't afford to have tickets so its more exciting to drive a slow car fast than a fast car at hyper illegal velocities, so if you need a fun small car I highly recommend it! My milage has been a bit worse I average about 27-28 daily but have seen as high as 38.

jpaturzo wrote: My one pet peeve is that it has some dash rattles. But only when the ambient temp is below 40F.

I think they all do mine does too

Just a curiousity, and I know Honda doesn't do RWD except on "true" sports cars, but how many Fit sales would they lose if it were RWD? How many might they gain?

As awesome as that would be, I think they'd definitely lose more than they might gain.

A relatively SWB, RWD car for the masses probably isn't a great idea.

I looked at some hondas this weekend, fit included. after a good look at it my impression was that they took a minivan, and stuck it under the shrink ray ...

The fit was a neat little car, not for me though. I was far more impressed by the new insight, i dont give a crap about the marketing hype, i liked it because it reminded me of a CRX, with a space shuttle high tech looking dash... didnt do any test drives, or even sit in them though, i was just curious...

Luke wrote: As awesome as that would be, I think they'd definitely lose more than they might gain. A relatively SWB, RWD car for the masses probably isn't a great idea.

and stuffing a driveshaft and rear under the floor would kill the cargo space and flexibility. so then you have a slow 5-door hatch that can't fit a whole lot of stuff.

I "had" to buy a car to replace the Integra I "killed" and bought a '97 Civic DX. Granted, it's a 2 door coupe (non-hatchback) and has a manual transmission (as well as manual/NON-powered steering) but I'm getting about the same mileage as folks here are getting with their automatic Fits. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a Fit in my driveway, but I want a manual Fit Sport, and those are EXTREMELY difficult to come by.

TR3only wrote: I would love to have a Fit in my driveway,

I've had several, for various reasons...

petegossett wrote: The Fit is so much more composed than any other new car - that wasn't performance oriented - that it really surprised me for what's basically a cheap econobox.

Sounds like the original Civic and just about ever generation after (arguably up to '95).

TR3only wrote: I would love to have a Fit in my driveway, but I want a manual Fit Sport, and those are EXTREMELY difficult to come by.

Really? New or used? I had to order my car because there were none to be had in the USA when I bought it (April 2007). The salesman and the sales manager both talked to me to make sure I knew what I was ordering a car with a clutch and a "standard transmission".