My partner's Ford Focus recently went to the scrapyard in the sky due to rust, so over the weekend we drove below the salt line and picked up a "new" car: a 2007 Honda Fit 5MT with 194,000 miles.
Some fun bits for those who've never been in one:
It's only 3 inches longer than my Insight, and 0.5 inches
less wide. Despite this, the interior is cavernous. It appears Honda made the doors much thinner so as to make the interior wider. The seating position is very upright, and unlike many newer cars, there's a lot of glass and great visibility. The seats are where this car's real trick is:
(Please forgive the use of stock images)
With the rear seats down and by laying diagonally, we were both able to nap in the rear hatch area with legs fully extended, and the area is
perfectly flat.
~
The Fit is relatively light at ~2450lbs and has a 1.5L engine with a very modest 109hp. The ride is mostly quiet, aside from the rather buzzy engine when rev'd. No rattles or buzzes from interior pieces. Handling is tight and fun. Suspension tends toward stiff.
The part everyone on this site probably cares most about though:
On our trip back up from North Carolina, she averaged
42.5mpg for the first tank with an outside air temperature of ~80, a target speed of 65mph and continuous use of air conditioning. Tires appear to be LRR but are not a name brand, and were pumped up to 42PSI. For comparison, I averaged 82mpg driving next to her in my Insight with the A/C off and the windows cracked.
Her second tank was spent traveling mostly up the northeast. Air temperature was ~35F, the roads were wet and we did a lot of mountain driving. During this stretch she averaged 40.5mpg, while my Insight dropped considerably to 62mpg.
I'm willing to bet that at lower speeds, breaking 50mpg is very achievable with this car.
I don't expect to do significant mods or keep track of every tank - it's her car, after all - but I'm hoping to replace the missing engine belly pan and do a full tuneup. The engine sounds great, but I want to check valve lash anyway. Aside from oil changes, the only work it's ever had done was the A/C condenser, so I plan to change the cabin and engine air filter, spark plugs (still on the originals!!!), serpentine belt, trans fluid, and check the brake and clutch fluid. The headlights need a polish and I'll probably want to replace a lot of bulbs with LEDs.