Honda Fit vs. Subaru Impreza hatch

[dougstove]

Hi;
Thinking out loud here.
Time to replace a 2008 Honda Fit, our main car.
It is driven mostly for groceries (20 km round trip, once every 2-3 weeks) and a few road trips per month (100-400 km round trip).

My other vehicle is a decaying 2003 Toyota Sienna, my filthy utility vehicle, driven mainly 1-10 km to ski trails, dog runs, farm roads, berry picking, hardware store, and 3-4 out of town ski/cottage trips per year (200-400 km round trip). Alot of back roads, snow, ice and mud. I have only been stuck once in 12 years.

I have a good Honda dealer nearby, and can get a fair deal on a 2015 Honda Fit, now made in Mexico instead of Japan. (For less money I could also get a 2015 Honda Civic; nicer ride but not a hatch).

Or I could get a 2015 Subaru Impreza Hatch from a dealer farther away, for more money (~$5000 more than the Honda Fit).

If I buy the Impreza, when the van dies, the Impreza could take over as my utility vehicle, with AWD.
Or, I could buy the Fit now, and when the van dies, buy a used Impreza as replacement.

My other fantasy is a Prius V, to open the possibility of setting it up as a back up generator. But I will never save the fuel to justify it.

I drive very little, and I hate visiting dealerships for purchase or repairs. Our cars tend to fail through under-use, not mileage.
Any thoughts?
For various reasons, most of the other makers are more or less off the table.

 

[firefighterjake]

My thoughts . . . it's hard to beat a Honda or a Subaru. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice.

 

[begreen]

Considering you put little mileage on it, maybe get a one owner, used vehicle? First year depreciation is large. Try to buy one from the owner that can provide full service records. Honda, Toyota and Subaru all make reliable vehicles.

 

[ewdudley]

Have 2012 Impreza. Is very low to the ground, have to drive it up on 2x6s just to get a floor jack under it. Front valence is made of three-ply lamination of re-cycled bleach bottle plastic space-age material and will shatter with very little provocation. Is not suitable as a utility vehicle by any stretch of the imagination. CVT is very nice if you can live without a manual transmission. It's a pathetic dog, but handles with safe predictable push. ABS sucks, can't be switched off that I know of. Stay away from deep snow. But there's that whole thing about being made with love or something, so there's that. Wife loves it.

 

[Grisu]

What's the reason for getting rid off a 7-year old Honda with low mileage? Is it broken?
Do you have a garage? Maybe underuse would be less of a problem when the Fit could be stored inside.

 

[begreen]

Have 2012 Impreza. Is very low to the ground, have to drive it up on 2x6s just to get a floor jack under it. Front valence is made of three-ply lamination of re-cycled bleach bottle plastic and will shatter with very little provocation. Is not suitable as a utility vehicle by any stretch of the imagination. CVT is very nice if you can live without a manual transmission. It's a pathetic dog, but handles with safe predictable push. ABS sucks, can't be switched off that I know of. Stay away from deep snow. But there's that whole thing about being made with love or something, so there's that. Wife loves it.

Yes, I was going to suggest a Forester or Outback instead.

 

[dougstove]

Hi;
Thanks for the ideas information, I just noticed a closely related thread on AWD farther down in this section.
Honda Fit: did a sudden down shift from highway speed to 2nd gear on Friday. It is possibly an alternator or sensor failure, but it already cost a $355 truck ride back to the dealer, and we are headed into the period where repairs approach towards payments on a new car.
Garage: yes, I could do this. We have room. But our climate is very hard on cars, the highway department is manic on salt, and I have read some debate as to whether garage/outdoor is better.
Used: I have done that before, but the models of interest are among the most popular in the area, and few come up.

 

[begreen]

How many miles on the Fit?

 

[dougstove]

104,000 km ~65,000 miles
Mostly short trips.
What I really wanted was the Outback Impreza, but they dropped that awhile ago, and replaced with a Crosstrek, which is expensive.
'Outback' used to be a jacked up trimline on the Legacy wagon and the Impreza, then they dropped it from the Impreza and made the jacked up wagon its own model.

 

[Guyerst]

Honda is coming out with a AWD Fit this summer. HRV or BRV... something like that. Saw it at the Detroit auto show this weekend. Seems like it would combine the best of both between the Fit and Impreza.

 

[maple1]

I think I would go with a Civic - roomier, cheaper, better ride, VERY reliable. We looked at Fit vs. Civic, when we got our 2006 Civic, and that's the decision we made then. No regrets. Still have it, it is about to hit 400,000kms. Getting in to a few repairs now, once in a while. Just last week had to replace the rear brake drums - but they were the originals so no shame in that. We used to have an Accord hatch before that, and also considered the hatch aspect - but the Civic is almost a hatch if you put the back seat down, and it keeps more stuff out of view. Thing just keeps going & going. We live in the woods with a long hilly driveway, and wife drives 1/2hr each way to work all winter, so we use studded winters in the winter - it goes pretty good in the snow with those. Although not a lot of clearance under that front valence/shroud - but it is still intact.

In this climate, and with how much salt we drive through, I really think it pays to do annual rust treatments, no matter what the car is. Rust Check or Krown. Have used both, currently Krown because the Krown guy is closer. Especially if the car doesn't get used a whole lot. Moisture seems to really set in when cars sit. But to be fair, Subaru is a real outside choice for us simply because of distance to the nearest dealer - nice to have a dealership along the daily drive for service issues just in case, rather than an hour out of the way. Came in REALLY handy when a power steering line showed a sudden leak earlier this summer.

 

[velvetfoot]

I'm a hatch guy too. I sat in a Fit at the local car show last year-very nice. New design, cvt, good mileage. Close dealer is a plus, I'd think.
I have a tip: don't get a car with light colored upholstery. I like my 2013 Accent hatch, but, man, the upholstery got dirty in a hurry.

 

[peakbagger]

If you don't mind holding out for a bit the new Honda fit based AWD HRV sounds intriguing if you need AWD. I expect it will get better mileage than the Subaru. The HRV uses a civic motor in place of the fit motor. I will give it a year or so and my fiesta may be getting swapped.

Subarus are well built and reliable but I always regard them as not as good to drive as a Honda product. They don't corner as well and its hard to beat a Honda engine for revs.

 

[TMonter]

Hi;
Thinking out loud here.
Time to replace a 2008 Honda Fit, our main car.
It is driven mostly for groceries (20 km round trip, once every 2-3 weeks) and a few road trips per month (100-400 km round trip).

My other vehicle is a decaying 2003 Toyota Sienna, my filthy utility vehicle, driven mainly 1-10 km to ski trails, dog runs, farm roads, berry picking, hardware store, and 3-4 out of town ski/cottage trips per year (200-400 km round trip). Alot of back roads, snow, ice and mud. I have only been stuck once in 12 years.

I have a good Honda dealer nearby, and can get a fair deal on a 2015 Honda Fit, now made in Mexico instead of Japan. (For less money I could also get a 2015 Honda Civic; nicer ride but not a hatch).

Or I could get a 2015 Subaru Impreza Hatch from a dealer farther away, for more money (~$5000 more than the Honda Fit).

If I buy the Impreza, when the van dies, the Impreza could take over as my utility vehicle, with AWD.
Or, I could buy the Fit now, and when the van dies, buy a used Impreza as replacement.

My other fantasy is a Prius V, to open the possibility of setting it up as a back up generator. But I will never save the fuel to justify it.

I drive very little, and I hate visiting dealerships for purchase or repairs. Our cars tend to fail through under-use, not mileage.
Any thoughts?
For various reasons, most of the other makers are more or less off the table.

Why are you replacing the Fit? Never mind, missed the other post.

 

[TMonter]

Hi;
Thanks for the ideas information, I just noticed a closely related thread on AWD farther down in this section.
Honda Fit: did a sudden down shift from highway speed to 2nd gear on Friday. It is possibly an alternator or sensor failure, but it already cost a $355 truck ride back to the dealer, and we are headed into the period where repairs approach towards payments on a new car.
Garage: yes, I could do this. We have room. But our climate is very hard on cars, the highway department is manic on salt, and I have read some debate as to whether garage/outdoor is better.
Used: I have done that before, but the models of interest are among the most popular in the area, and few come up.

Why go to the dealer? I would find a good independent mechanic on Angie's list or other reputable site. It's not like you have warranty left on the car I assume?

I can't imagine spending even $1000 of repair is more expensive than car payments on a new car for the next 3-6 years. Hell I just put $1300 into my wife's 2001 Honda Odyssey (Front crank seal, water pump, timing belt, transmission service) to keep it in good running condition for the next 3-5 years while we pile up cash for a newer rig.

 

[begreen]

Not sure about the new ones, but my old Subaru Legacy wagon cornered really well. The combo of the low boxer engine, all wheel drive and good tires made for great handling. Of course the higher the vehicle, the higher the center of gravity. A Forester doesn't corner as well as an Impreza.

 

[maple1]

I can't speak for the OP, as we are not exactly living in the same place - but at least in the same part of the same country. Good independant mechanics are getting harder & harder to come by here, especially ones I would trust to what might be a very model specific potentially serious issue like it sounds like he experienced. The one go-to independant here that I trusted very much retired this past fall, I am not sure where I would turn to next if looking independant. Our Honda dealer has treated us pretty good over the years, and having a quick turn around not always possible at an independant along with a loaner car if needed while waiting is worth something. Routine maintenance & oil changes I would likely consider finding another independant, but not everything.

EDIT: Also not sure if Angie knows much about this part of the continent. I never hear anyone around here talking about using it, for anything.

 

[TMonter]

I can't speak for the OP, as we are not exactly living in the same place - but at least in the same part of the same country. Good independant mechanics are getting harder & harder to come by here, especially ones I would trust to what might be a very model specific potentially serious issue like it sounds like he experienced. The one go-to independant here that I trusted very much retired this past fall, I am not sure where I would turn to next if looking independant. Our Honda dealer has treated us pretty good over the years, and having a quick turn around not always possible at an independant along with a loaner car if needed while waiting is worth something. Routine maintenance & oil changes I would likely consider finding another independant, but not everything.

EDIT: Also not sure if Angie knows much about this part of the continent. I never hear anyone around here talking about using it, for anything.

It may be hit and miss, it's just that I haven't had good luck with dealers in general including our local Honda dealer when it comes to maintenance, prices and being forthcoming about the problems. Do some shopping around, a lot of independants offer a loaner while your car is being fixed as well, mine does.

Angie's list does have New Brunswick listed as a location so it may be worth a look. In either case, I would think at least finding out what the issue is would be wise before considering a new car, especially if it's nothing major. A 6-7 year old car is just at the beginning of its usable life, especially if it's a Honda with low miles.

 

[dougstove]

Thanks everyone. Maple1 hits the key points.
The local Honda dealer has a good shop.
I will Rustcheck the next one, it is sad to see the cars disintegrate in the yard.
Maybe with the drop in oil we will get more mechanics back in the area; right now many of them are in Alberta.

 

[TMonter]

Thanks everyone. Maple1 hits the key points.
The local Honda dealer has a good shop.
I will Rustcheck the next one, it is sad to see the cars disintegrate in the yard.
Maybe with the drop in oil we will get more mechanics back in the area; right now many of them are in Alberta.

Never thought about the Alberta angle, I would imagine the boom over there has shifted the market of mechanics, especially diesel mechanics.

 

[maverick06]

If you are looking at a hatch, consider the ford focus hatchback, just got one here and love it! 28/38 mpg is pretty solid. (mine is a used 2013 with 40k on it. practically new as far as I am concerned, to each their own haha)

 

[maple1]

Never thought about the Alberta angle, I would imagine the boom over there has shifted the market of mechanics, especially diesel mechanics.

That's exactly what happened at my Honda dealer with one of their guys. 'Go West young man'. Also very hard for an independant to keep up with all the tech on all the makes/models out their nowadays, if there is a technical problem. I also see though the issue people can have with some dealer shops - I've been through that before too with other cars. It likely pays to shop some stuff around & diversify your help. When I had our VW, I found an awesome independant who worked out of his attached garage who had been working on VWs for years - he knew them inside out. But he was further away than the VW dealer was (over an hour), so hardly convenient.

 

[dougstove]

Update: My wife got a decent deal on a (demo) 2014 Prius.
The new Fit (and the Focus) has a felted hardboard cargo area that we did not think would stand up for us.
The Civic likewise looked awkward for our grocery volume.
She liked the Prius layout, even though we will not drive enough to save enough gas.
But....now I can play with wiring the house for backup.

 

[maple1]

But....now I can play with wiring the house for backup.

Now that's something my Civic can't do - and I am quite interested in.

 

[Swedishchef]

can't be switched off that I know of.

FYI, it can be done. I don't recommend it through. A friend of mine has taken out the ABS fuse before.

ANdrew