Fit or Civic or ?

[RetireAge50]

Starting to think about a new car mainly for in-town driving. Anyone have comments about the Fit or Civic (or other car). These can be had in our area for about $16,500 plus tax.

 

[dvalley]

The Civic is roomier, better built and I would guess the real world gas mileage isn't terribly that far off either. Another option, in the small/compact car segment, would be a Prius, pretty good bang for the buck in terms of fuel savings and they've been around for at least a decade now.

 

[pb4uski]

Don't know much about those but we rented a Toyota Yaris when we were on vacation and it seemed to be a good little car as long as you are not in a huge hurry.

 

[brewer12345]

I've rented the occasional Focus and been impressed.

Personally I would want something more crashworthy than a subcompact.

 

[F4mandolin]

I owned a Jazz(Fit in the US) and I quite liked it. Depends on what you want the car for as well. I LIKE hatchbacks.....I can stick more crap in them than a sedan like the Civic. I tried one of the Fit automatics before we came back to the US and did not like it.....automatics on small cars are usually pretty pig like in oomph. But if I were driving in the city all the time an automatic has it's place. The new Fits are coming with an auto or 6 speed transmission.....not sure I want 6 gears. I think if you are just after a comfortable car to do some commuting with, the Civic would be more comfortable. If you are going to need some more "throw crap in" space, the Fit would be better. New Fit should just be coming out pretty soon....haven't kept up to date. I am hoping that in a year or two they will stick a 3 cyl engine in the Jazz like they have with the Ford Fiesta.

 

[Walt34]

Perhaps the Yaris has improved but we rented one for a week when DW's car was in the shop. Not only was it grossly underpowered but noisy, like riding in a tin can. They didn't put any soundproofing in it at all. I hated it.

If the Civic or Fit is built like the Accord we have I'd look hard at those. We wanted a bit more room so we didn't look at those.

 

[steelyman]

I've rented two Passats recently and liked them a lot. But I have owned Hondas for so long I am hooked.

 

[Al18]

I traded in my 2008 Civic coupe (2 dr) for a 2012 Hyundai Elantra (4 dr) two years ago. Great decision. The Elantra excels in nearly all areas compared to the Civic. More power, smoother ride, less road noise, better stereo, better brakes. The Elantra has 4 wheel disc brakes, while the Civic had disc/drum. MPG was better with the Civic. I got 38 mpg with the Civic, while the Elantra gets 36 mpg. The Elantra is a bigger, 4 door car though. The Elantra has a 10 year, 100K mile warranty, while the Honda had a 3 year, 36K mile warranty.

 

[Calico]

At the end of 2008 I traded in my 1992 Honda Civic hatchback (lovvvvvved that car) for a 2009 5-speed Fit. It is perfect for me - I do mostly in town driving, and I need a hatchback. I get 39-41 mpg. I hope to drive it for as many years as I drove the hatchback.

 

[Katsmeow]

We looked at the Fit when we were trying to find a second car. We ended up with a Hyundai Veloster which we've really loved.

 

[TOOLMAN]

Starting to think about a new car mainly for in-town driving. Anyone have comments about the Fit or Civic (or other car). These can be had in our area for about $16,500 plus tax.

Had both, liked the civic better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KiraC]

If you decide to go with a hybrid version (if available), a couple things I learned with my hybrid Honda were:
* Heat/AC turn off when you come to a stop. Not bad most of the time except when it's really hot or really cold
* When it was really hot, my hybrid batteries were really strained in stop/go traffic and at times I wasn't sure the car would move forward again when traffic started moving.

Other than that, loved the high mileage with the hybrid.

 

[RetireAge50]

Rode dual sport motorcycle to work today in pouring rain. Going to see how long I can hold off from buying car.

 

[Shawn]

I purchased a new Fit in 2010 (base model, manual transmission). At the time, I also considered the Corolla, Matrix, Yaris, Prius, Civic, Elantra Touring (wagon), and a few other vehicles.

Last year Consumer Reports ranked the Fit as the car with the best value (factoring in cost, ratings, and reliability). This year they ranked it second to the Prius. However, it did not score well in a new side-impact (offset I think) crash rating that was added this year, although previous crash test results were good.

I have been very happy with my Fit. It perfectly meets my needs. If something happened to my car, I would immediately go out and buy another Fit. I am a little apprehensive about the 2015 redesign, because people/companies often make things worse.

The Fit is peppy/nimble for a car of its class. It has a lot of cargo room. I can fit my bicycle in the back without removing the wheels. The interior is simple (at least for the base model), which I like. It has very good visibility. It is not a quiet car in terms of road noise, although this does not bother me. Reliability has been perfect, although I have only 13K miles on the car.

I get great gas mileage. I average about 42 mpg, which is considerably higher than the ~32 mpg ratings from the EPA and Consumer Reports. And my driving is almost entirely city (suburban), although admittedly I have a very "light foot." I constantly watch for upcoming stop lights and coast in neutral when coming to most stops. I've never taken it for a full tank on the highway, although it appears to get close to 50 mpg. I drive 60-65 mph in my relatively rare trips on the highway.

Great car - for me.

 

[MBAustin]

I have a friend who loves her 2012 Fit. I love my 2010 Prius. Both are hatchbacks which I find extremely convenient (just ask the poor guy at the household hazardous waste dump yesterday who was stunned about how much nasty stuff was jammed into my little Prius).

FYIW on the Prius - rumor has it that the 2015 model will be a significant change from the 2010-2014 current model.

 

[racy]

Rode dual sport motorcycle to work today in pouring rain. Going to see how long I can hold off from buying car.

Hi Age,
OK, then here's the solution!
Car or Motor Bike? Jeremy tries out the EcoMobile - Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld - BBC - YouTube

 

[RetireAge50]

Cracking me up!!

 

[easysurfer]

I think the Fit vs Civic question depends a lot on whether you want a sedan or hatchback.

I have a Fit (after having owned sedans all my life) and would never go back to a sedan as I like the functionality of a hatch.

In addition, the magic seats are a hoot being able to lift the back seat up. This comes in really handy when having to give someone a ride who needs a wheel chair, for example. In fact that was one major factor when getting the Fit as back seat folding up was sure easier than trying to cram something in...even on other hatchbacks.

 

[Marita40]

I'm sold on hatchbacks--so convenient in many ways. I currently have a 2007 VW Rabbit (Golf) that is a perfect city car. Small, efficient, fun to drive.

 

[martyb]

I've rented the occasional Focus and been impressed.

Personally I would want something more crashworthy than a subcompact.

My government office (feds) has 3 2013 Focuses that are assigned to us for work. Mine's the blue one. (not important). I've been driving it several times a week since January, including some 260 mile round trips. Honestly, I don't think I'd buy one, but that's just me. I haven't had any breakdowns, but they just don't seem all that well put together, IMHO. Also, some of the interior material is already deteriorating from the sun. If I were looking at cars in that size range, I'd look mostly at the Civic. And that's from a guy who's owned 4 Camry's myslef, with 3 daughters who've also owned Camry's (along with one of them owning an Avalon, too) a son driving a Corolla, and a mom currently driving a Camry. Big Toyota family. But....I'd go with the Civic! My next non-truck purchase will most likely be a Honda CRV.

Hey, I'm sorry, but I forgot that one of the daughters who was driving a Camry recently traded it in for a Civic!

 

[W2R]

I have not owned either a Fit or a Civic, but I think you have picked two excellent models to consider. I have heard wonderful reports about both.

I hope you have a chance to do a test drive on each, and let us know what you think!

 

[seraphim]

We've owned a Nissan Versa - manual transmission - for years and love it.

We test drove many including the Civic and Fit at the time. We felt the Nissan drove the best; and the manual version is quite zippy and fun to drive.

 

[jon-nyc]

Another happy Fit owner here, I like the versatility of a hatchback and the interior configurations. Makes a big car out of a small car.

What I really like about the Fit compared to its competitors is visibility. I'm tall, and many of the small cars have poor visibility at my height. Not the Fit.

 

[aaronc879]

Another happy Fit owner here, I like the versatility of a hatchback and the interior configurations. Makes a big car out of a small car.

What I really like about the Fit compared to its competitors is visibility. I'm tall, and many of the small cars have poor visibility at my height. Not the Fit.

How tall are you? I'm 6'6" and i'm "all legs". Would I fit in a Fit? What have you gotten for highway MPG?

 

[Katsmeow]

When we looked at the Fit, it did have some good reviews and there were things I liked about it. The negatives to us were:

1. Honda vehicles have very rigid packages. Usually you can get this version or you can get that version. You can't mix and match options. This is true for other manufacturers but was extremely true for Honda.

2. It didn't have some features we really wanted and they just weren't available. I don't remember now what they were, but when I compared the Fit to other vehicles of similar price, it came up a bit short.

3. Styling of the vehicle. While this wasn't high on my list I admit that it is a factor. We ended up with a vehicle that we felt was far more attractive than the Fit. Now, appearance wouldn't outweigh safety or reliability, but it is something that goes into the mix. We did test drive the Fit by the way and weren't very impressed with it although it wasn't bad.