Honda Fit

[dlayman]

Sorry to wonder more off-topic. but you know so much about this crowd and this man in particular how? you do realize that virtually any phone can take a picture, including a trac-phone an the freebies that even come with very cheap plans. And that a cell phone can be MUCH cheaper than having a land line. Also, why do you assume all these protesters actually were McDonald's employee's? Some people care about causes that go beyond those that they directly are mired in. And you know this "new Ford pickup" belonged to him, not a relative or friend? I would certainly lend a vehicle to a friend who wanted to participate in this type of protest.

If you think a person can live what was the "American dream" on minimum wage, you clearly are not in that situation and are thus unqualified to make any credible judgement. Hint: not a chance, no way. Even the most rudimentary analysis of cost vs. income would make that obvious. People need to to do a little independent thinking before blaming hard-working minimum wage folks, instead of gulping down rhetoric hook, line and sinker. End of rant.

 

[mtndew_dad]

Originally Posted By: dlayman
If you think a person can live what was the "American dream" on minimum wage, you clearly are not in that situation and are thus unqualified to make any credible judgement. Hint: not a chance, no way. Even the most rudimentary analysis of cost vs. income would make that obvious. People need to to do a little independent thinking before blaming hard-working minimum wage folks, instead of gulping down rhetoric hook, line and sinker. End of rant.


The "American Dream" is not an entitlement. Minimum wage jobs are a stepping stone to better, higher paying jobs. Pumping up the minimum wage isn't really the best way to motivate those starting out in those jobs to strive for something better.

 

[dlayman]

Originally Posted By: mtndew_dad
Originally Posted By: dlayman
If you think a person can live what was the "American dream" on minimum wage, you clearly are not in that situation and are thus unqualified to make any credible judgement. Hint: not a chance, no way. Even the most rudimentary analysis of cost vs. income would make that obvious. People need to to do a little independent thinking before blaming hard-working minimum wage folks, instead of gulping down rhetoric hook, line and sinker. End of rant.


The "American Dream" is not an entitlement. Minimum wage jobs are a stepping stone to better, higher paying jobs. Pumping up the minimum wage isn't really the best way to motivate those starting out in those jobs to strive for something better.


Would have a lot more to say about this, as I think your analysis is superficial, but let's agree to limit the discussion to the topic of the OP

 

[mtndew_dad]

Originally Posted By: dlayman
Originally Posted By: mtndew_dad
Originally Posted By: dlayman
If you think a person can live what was the "American dream" on minimum wage, you clearly are not in that situation and are thus unqualified to make any credible judgement. Hint: not a chance, no way. Even the most rudimentary analysis of cost vs. income would make that obvious. People need to to do a little independent thinking before blaming hard-working minimum wage folks, instead of gulping down rhetoric hook, line and sinker. End of rant.


The "American Dream" is not an entitlement. Minimum wage jobs are a stepping stone to better, higher paying jobs. Pumping up the minimum wage isn't really the best way to motivate those starting out in those jobs to strive for something better.


Would have a lot more to say about this, as I think your analysis is superficial, but let's agree to limit the discussion to the topic of the OP

As is yours. So, what do you know about a Honda Fit

 

[surfstar]

Supton, have you tried a 2010+ Prius? Now is the time to buy one, with cheaper gas.

A boring drive for sure, but I do believe that they are the most reliable and economical choice for commuting. Good useable cargo space too. Very low maintenance.

Not sure how the numbers would work for you, vs buying a used Corolla, though. Our gas is a good bit more out here. My sister commutes a good amount and I will steer her this direction when needed (she's currently racking up miles on my HX)

Fits seem great, but they hold their value too much so I could never find a good used deal on them. Fine if you're buying new, though.

 

[supton]

I suspect you are right on value retention; Honda/Toyota just retain value. Perceived or not, the market bears up high prices on used.

I saw a Prius One listed nearby, not the C but rather the hatch. Means a commercial/rental trade-in, missing some features... which I likely would not miss, as long as it has cruise. Am tempted to look at that, a bit more of a financial stretch than I want, and I have the typical FUD about the car. Not so much drivetrain as much as all the wiring and gizmos. And loss of control, no clutch, no trans ratio to downshift. Spaceship look inside too.

We did try the Prius C but it was just too little car for too much money.

 

[Nick1994]

Here's a 2010 Prius with 85k for $8,500. Probably a lot better value than a Versa or Mirage for less money.

http://m.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=398503874&zip=03301&endYear=2016&pageLayout=list&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&startYear=2009&listingTypes=used&searchRadius=300&mmt=%5BTOYOTA%5BPRIUS%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D

 

[supton]

Wife went out and decided to test drive the Fit today. These are her thoughts.

Quote:
If it came in green or was cheaper I'd be sold. I think it was my favorite of everything we test drove, though obviously it isn't the Camry because it's not in that class of vehicle. She had me drive it up to Exit 4 and then took the back roads to Exit 3. Lots of hills, curves, and potholes/bumps - the salesperson was from *, so she knew the types of roads I'd be driving. I thought it rode comparably to the Camry and the seat was much more comfortable and supportive. The clutch was longer than, but still as soft/vague as, the other things we drove, so that must just be the way they are now (Camry is a bit vague, but still gives you some resistance) and I'd get used to it. Yeah, it was a bit noisier and geared lower (I think) than the Camry, but I don't think it was obnoxiously loud on the highway at 65/70 - most of it sounded like engine noise at the frequency easily covered by radio, which I tend to listen to when doing my highway driving. I had no problem talking with the salesperson and don't think we were raising our voices to be heard. Like you said, it would be great for zipping around town, but not quite as nice as the Camry on long trips. I don't think it would be bad at all on trips to Concord/West Leb or even Boston and Hartford (my commute is only half on the highway), though I can see where it wouldn't quite work for you as a daily commuter.


Note, wife test drove the following, in the past:
-2015 Versa Sedan 5MT (base, the one w/o sound deadner)
-2013(?) Versa Hatch 6MT
-2012 Corolla 4AT
-2013 Corolla 5MT
-2015 Corolla 6MT
-2015 Prius C 2

And she currently daily drives a 2011 Camry 6MT.

 

[BrianWC]

I walked out of the Honda dealer with a Fit Sport in 2009 after going in, intent on buying an Insight. I figured, if I really wanted to save money, the Fit made more sense. I LOVED that car and hated it with a passion. It did everything right. Got good gas mileage, carried all my kids and junk, was cheap....

But as soon as I moved from my little "starter home" to my palatial estate (well, 2x bigger than my previous house), I began to loathe the Fit. I felt like I was driving a cheap kid's car, regardless of how much it made sense for my 140+ miles of commuting per day. It took a rock to the condenser after 2 years and I used that excuse to trade it in. I still miss it but was embarrassed to be seen in it...

 

[sciphi]

The new Fit looks a lot more mature than the previous model. They finally were able to make the front end on the US model work better with the rest of the car.

Although going from a Camry to a Fit is a bit of a change.

 

[supton]

I'm not sure I have been embarrassed to be seen in a car. I guess if it was neon pink, maybe. The Mirage might be one, I mean it would get no end of comments from coworkers. But until someone else makes the payments I take little heed of that issue. Fits are common enough to not stand out, so I would not care. Mirage, still have not seen any in the wild, but again, what do I care about what others think? I buy stuff to fit my needs, and my family's needs, not others.

*

Camry to Fit, I too thought it would be a big change. Wife does lots of lower speed driving, 40-60mph, though. I have to take her word for it though.

 

[addyguy]

Supton, you used your Jetta for hi-mile commuting, so I thought getting another vehicle to do that would be a priority...are you using your truck to commute now?

Just curious....

 

[Shrubitup]

Originally Posted By: supton
I'm not sure I have been embarrassed to be seen in a car. I guess if it was neon pink, maybe. The Mirage might be one, I mean it would get no end of comments from coworkers. But until someone else makes the payments I take little heed of that issue. Fits are common enough to not stand out, so I would not care. Mirage, still have not seen any in the wild, but again, what do I care about what others think? I buy stuff to fit my needs, and my family's needs, not others.


+1

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Supton, you used your Jetta for hi-mile commuting, so I thought getting another vehicle to do that would be a priority...are you using your truck to commute now?

Just curious....



Using the truck. Nearly 100 miles per day, roundtrip. Irks me to no end.

 

[supton]

I should clarify: I bought the truck for a weekend do-all vehicle that would see 10k/year or less. I always wanted an econobox for commuting duty, for mpg and overall TCO. Truck is ok for commuting, but has low mpg, and has higher costs all around.

 

[addyguy]

That's what I figured, which is why i'm surprised it hasn't been replaced ASAP with something more economical!

 

[supton]

Eh, I probably should have kept my old car one more year--then these two would be paid off. I could afford--but not justify--a third auto loan. Good for the long term but eats too much into my short term cash flow.

At the same time I am loath to buy a jalopy for $1-2k. Takes very little repairs to hit what a new car payment would be on top of the purchase. Granted I might have a year or two of low expenses, but that seems unlikely on a very used car. A lot of risk--and the exact reason I just got rid of one.

So I wait. Maybe this August there will be some great deals on 2015's. Or some other great deal will fall into my lap.

 

[Nick1994]

See a $2,000 car makes perfect sense for me, if it were an old Corolla then the $5,000 worth of maintenance and repairs the Beetle has cost the last year I could have put a new transmission and engine in an older car and been ready for another 250k.

But then again your area has rust issues that stop that.

 

[Shrubitup]

Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Supton, you used your Jetta for hi-mile commuting, so I thought getting another vehicle to do that would be a priority...are you using your truck to commute now?

Just curious....



Using the truck. Nearly 100 miles per day, roundtrip. Irks me to no end.


Got rid of my 1998 Civic DX coupe with 180K that I used for a 50 mile RT commute. Found oil in coolant so head gasket to go soon so I sold it. Commute now with my 07 Nissan Titan and a 10 Honda Civic. Drive civic prolly 2-3X week and titan 1-2X week based on planned family needs. Drop your tailgate and turn off the defrost. Put on vent and crack all four windows some if below 80*F - no A/C. I'm getting 19.5 MPG in the 2WD Titan this way (which is really good since the motor is a gas guzzler).

Sure a new to you car will get 35MPG+ but with gas even at $3 the overall difference is not massive. Be patient and strike when the deal is hot. For example the 2016 Civic is all new so they'll be dumping the 2015 model soon. Best way to get a deal.

 

[supton]

Yep. I cruise down the highway at 60mph, getting 21mpg even with a bit of weekend work. 21mpg tank average that is. Not ideal, but ok for short term.