This is driving me crazy…pun not intended but “fits” none the less! Anyway, I’m ready to buy a new car and I’m torn between the Honda fit sport with mpg estimates of 27/34/29 combined, and about $10,000 less than the toyota prius, which are selling out faster than dealers can get them.
Not only that, but supply in demand means that most are selling them atup to $3,500 OVER msrp! So we’re talking-for just a base model-almost $30k out the door if paying cash! I can get an '08 fit sport (Automatic, cruise control, mp3) for about 18k out the door.
The prius supposedly gets about 45/50 mpg so yeah that is the huge selling point, even though when the tome comes to replace the hybrid battery pack it’ll cost you at least $2,500-3.5k!
So, with all this in mind, I’m thinking that the fit might be the better long term value, because even with the prius’ better mpg, it would take many years to break even with he cost of the fit, if ever.
I drive a Prius. (Both and 03 and an 07) And I love them (obviously the 07 is better). The turn radius is amazing, and the acceleration isn’t as bad as one may assume. It really is a nice car. The 07 has a lot of trunk space too, which is nice (unlike the 03). Go Prius!
I had the same idea and came up with the same conclusion. The Fit is a GO.
I helped the girl friend get the Fit. We liked the cheaper price and better predictability. She gets over 31mpg ( mountains and city).
Super roomy!! Have you seen how the back seats fold down? Easily FITS a mountain bike(14") or a bunch of unis. I like the looks of the back door better than the Prius’
Well, I just had my '03 Honda crv detailed and since it only has 60k miles and is still like new im/out, I just cou;dn’t justify spending $18,000 on a new (inferior quality) much smaller Honda fit, when I would only gain about 5 mpg improvement! Just doesn’t make sense now. And it seems insane to spend the current RIP OFF going price of more than $30k out the door for a standard prius. Rediculous. I also only average about 12-15k total miles per year.
I could see if you were commuting a lot and putting on 30k or more a year, the you would definitely save a lot in gas cost, but is $30k worth the extra money you save in gas? I think we’re going to see some MAJOR mpg improvements even in the pirus soon, and so the current models will become outdated soon. I’ll just wait another year ot 2.
We just traded in our '99 CRV! It had just over 100000 and a new timing belt. It was a sweet car but we don’t miss it now. The Fit is like a mini CRV. We didn’t need the extra space… or the 4 wheel drive.
I’m a Toyota guy, having the first car I drove being a camry, and then owning a prism (a cheapened version of the Corolla made by Toyota for GM), and now a highlander. Toyota’s are nice, but while the Prius is nice; to you, I would recommend the Fit, but then again, if you are an environmentalist socialist, you may want to go with the prius since that gives the impression of being eco friendly even though the Fit is probably more eco friendly as the result of there being less enviromental impact in production. As a free market capitalist, I recommend you go with the car that matches the needs you have at the lowest cost, and that seems to be the Fit.
Yes, next to Toyotas, Hondas are probably my next choice.
It looks like that '09 version of the prius would pay for itself in a couple months with today’s gas prices. But before you make your decision based on the price of the cars, you should take some time to figure out how long it would take for the prius to pay off in the long run based on how much you drive. We have had a prius for about 3 years and my dad calculated that we saved at least $10,000 based on the driving we have done over an SUV.
Comparing a prius to an SUV. That’s not a very good comparison. If you need the space and utility of an SUV, the prius just does not match up, but if you need the limited space of a small car like a prius or fit, then you can better compare them.
Again, it all comes down to what you need in a vehicle. If you can get by with a small vehicle, then get the most economical one that suits you… one that is the lowest cost for it’s total useful life in your case. If you need the space an SUV provides, then you need to look at all those SUV options and their total cost of ownership. The real problem comes when someone like me needs a large vehicle that can tow a trailor for some of the time, but most of the time can get by with a small vehicle like the prius or fit (or even smaller).
In my household, we have a civic and a highlander, so much of the time we can choose to commute in the one that gives us the best utility for the trip.
Wow you must drive like 60k miles per year to save that much! My yearly gas cost based on $4 per gallon is roughly $2,500.
If I got a prius I’d cut that in half, which would mean a savings if $1,250 per year. To save 10k it would take EIGHT years! The cost of the prius right now-for new- is about $30k out the door minimum! I’d get at most, 10k for my '03 crv, making the pirus net cost $20k. Then you’d likely need a replacement battery a couple years later that would cost you about $3,000 or more with installation.
Doesn’t sound to well worth it-at least for me. Especially now when dealers are gouging the price of the prius by up to $4,000 OVER msrp, let alone the fact that they sell out before they even get to the showroom! It’s hype and mania, but it’s not always well thought out. Btw, My annual mileage is about 12k only. Plus as a piano tuner the crv has much more room and has more power. So I have to ask myself if it’s worth shelling out $30,000 mainly to just double my mpg?
Well we get both the Prius and Fit (It’s called Jazz here in Oz) and i think the Honda would work out best cause of honda strong reputation and dynamics etc. I was considering getting a Jazz over the Prius. But ended up going for the Mazda 2 Genki.
Actually, I think we only have about 55,000 miles on it. I think my dad might have exaggerated a little bit by saying we saved $10,000. But had we been driving a big SUV we might have saved about that much.
If you only drive 12k miles a year, it would take a lot longer for the prius to pay off. The Honda Fit sounds like a good compromise for your situation.
Maybe combined, but no way for city-only driving with all the stop and go, wating at lights, driving up steep grades, etc. Not a chance. Even the prius strains to get slightly better than that for city-only driving with “real world” estimates.
I would get an Aptera if I were you. The hybrid version gets 300 mpg, and the all electric version has a 120 mile range. It also looks bad-ass. It costs about $30,000.
They are made in Carlsbad too, so you can go check one out yourself.
It had just over 100000 and a new timing belt. It was a sweet car but we don’t miss it now. The Fit is like a mini CRV. We didn’t need the extra space… or the 4 wheel drive.
