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dreamsharkThis was both a well-researched, carefully planned decision and an impulse purchase. I started thinking about a new car last spring when my Mazda "Goldberry" turned 10. When I buy a new car I plan to keep it for at least 10 years (or at the very least, 100,000 miles). No matter how much I like the car when it's new, by the time year 10 rolls around I'm bored with it. I realized that with the perspective of time, I missed my previous new car (a sky-blue Geo Metro that I could hardly wait to unload on my darling daughter when it hit 100K) and started looking for another perky little 4-door hatchback. Every car company makes one of these. Chevy even sells two of them (Spark and Sonic). But after a trek to the car show where I clambered in and out of dozens of little cars, peered into the back, folded the seats up and down, etc., I realized that it would be silly to buy a knock-off of the Honda Fit when I could just buy a Fit for pretty much the same price.
All the cars I looked at were shiny and cute, but it was clear that the Fit had been engineered to a fare-thee-well by a team of Japanese hotshots determined to close the book on the entire concept once and for all. Somehow this tiny car manages to have as much cargo space as my much larger Mazda (and more than any of the other sub-compact hatchbacks). Not only do the back seats fold down into a flat surface, you don't have to rip the damn headrests off the seats to do it - they sink down into the seat back. And only the Fit has a secret drug stash under one of the seat cushions. The mpg is not quite the best in class (probably because of the ridiculous number of airbags tucked away into the frame), but the rated average is still over 30. And for the first time ever, I bought an automatic, because the automatic is so well-engineered that it gets BETTER mileage than the manual!
Anyway, I decided I wanted a Fit, but dropped the idea when I learned my job was disappearing. Now that my financial plans have stabilized, I decided I might as well go for it. The end of the model year is the best time to buy a new car anyway, and the salespeople are hungry by the end of the month. So I stopped at Hopkins Honda on Tuesday for a test drive, hoping I would still love the Fit after I drove it. Fortunately, I did. I also liked the saleslady, and she was willing to go out of her way to find me the rare color that I wanted - Blue Raspberry - which had to be retrieved from a lot out in White Bear. Based on my earlier research, the price seemed perfectly reasonable. So, sure, why not! We closed the deal yesterday - Halloween. I think I'll call her Luna.
All the cars I looked at were shiny and cute, but it was clear that the Fit had been engineered to a fare-thee-well by a team of Japanese hotshots determined to close the book on the entire concept once and for all. Somehow this tiny car manages to have as much cargo space as my much larger Mazda (and more than any of the other sub-compact hatchbacks). Not only do the back seats fold down into a flat surface, you don't have to rip the damn headrests off the seats to do it - they sink down into the seat back. And only the Fit has a secret drug stash under one of the seat cushions. The mpg is not quite the best in class (probably because of the ridiculous number of airbags tucked away into the frame), but the rated average is still over 30. And for the first time ever, I bought an automatic, because the automatic is so well-engineered that it gets BETTER mileage than the manual!
Anyway, I decided I wanted a Fit, but dropped the idea when I learned my job was disappearing. Now that my financial plans have stabilized, I decided I might as well go for it. The end of the model year is the best time to buy a new car anyway, and the salespeople are hungry by the end of the month. So I stopped at Hopkins Honda on Tuesday for a test drive, hoping I would still love the Fit after I drove it. Fortunately, I did. I also liked the saleslady, and she was willing to go out of her way to find me the rare color that I wanted - Blue Raspberry - which had to be retrieved from a lot out in White Bear. Based on my earlier research, the price seemed perfectly reasonable. So, sure, why not! We closed the deal yesterday - Halloween. I think I'll call her Luna.
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Date: 2013-11-01 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-01 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-01 11:48 pm (UTC)I've never had a new car yet. The previous car was supposed to be, but I paid off my house instead. And I do like the current car, a Honda Accord. The mileage is mediocre -- 20 mpg city, 25 to 30 highway. If I drove more, that might be a factor.
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Date: 2013-11-02 12:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 03:21 am (UTC)We have similar car sensabilities. I've been driving a hatchback since 1980. They were hard to come by when I bought my Cardis, a 2003 Toyota Matrix that has the same sort of amazing cargo space and fold-flat seats you like in your Fit.
The Cardis has over 180,000 miles on it and is still going strong. I've never before driven a car beyond 115,000 miles, and both of my previous hatchbacks were well into my "time to replace it" range when I did. Earlier this year, I started serious prep on a replacement plan, researching vehicles, watching prices, and always having a top couple of options in place although I haven't done any test drives yet. I think I'm going to be at ConFusion when the car show is in Boston come January, but if I'm around, I'll go to it and do that same "sit in a bunch of cars" check that you did.
Enjoy Luna!
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Date: 2013-11-02 04:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 05:11 am (UTC)I'm annoyed with Toyota about the Matrix. It was my #1 replacement choice until I dug into the current specs. A few years ago, they upped the power a bit, with a corresponding loss of MPG. I'm sure the power boost is nice, but there's no way I'm going to replace a Matrix I've had for 11 or more years with one that's less fuel efficient.
Also, industry sources strongly suggest Toyota is likely to drop the Matrix in another year or two. Since I drive cars to the end of their reliable lives, I'm not all that keen to be trying to get service on a car 10 or more years out of production.
I looked at the Vibe when the models first came out. At the time, they only came with roof rails, which I strongly didn't (and still don't) want. The Michigan girl in me wanted to buy a Pontiac, but I get my service from company dealers and while the Vibe certainly had a good prognosis, I decided I wanted service from Toyota mechanics instead of mechanics whose norm was cars needing considerably more work.
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Date: 2013-11-02 06:31 pm (UTC)The new Prius looks remarkably like a Matrix/Vibe. I would get one of those if I suddenly became car-lacking.
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Date: 2013-11-02 07:01 am (UTC)A new car would be nice, though.
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Date: 2013-11-02 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 07:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 04:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 05:30 am (UTC)Good choice!
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Date: 2013-11-02 04:31 pm (UTC)"Cardis" is a wonderful term for that phenomenon. Too bad that car name was taken.
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Date: 2013-11-02 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-11 03:05 pm (UTC)I am struggling with the replacement-of-car situation myself. My loveable and useful 2001 Subaru Outback has 150,000(ish) miles on it, and I think at 13 years it's time to consider options. Unfortunately, there is NOTHING to replace it with. Perhaps I will write about this more extensively.
K.
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Date: 2013-11-11 05:33 pm (UTC)