New Car: Honda Fit vs Toyota Yaris?

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I am once again in new car territory. I have pretty much narrowed it down to the Toyota Yaris or the Honda Fit, so I figure I will post a poll here because I am bored and curious as to the opinion of others. The car will be a basic model with a hatchback, manual trans, Air Conditioning, etc. I don't like the Toyota's center speedo. The Honda costs more ( $13,950 for the cheapest one I can get vs $12,800 for the Yaris), but comes with a ton more standard features including a CD player, Power windows and locks, and the important Electronic Brake Force Distribution. Plus, it's a Honda and will keep it's value. I am doing this because I have 300k miles on my current daily driver, and need reliability and a warranty. I have no time to work on a Daily Driver due to school and work, and the fuel savings are substantial when you figure I drive 30-40k miles a year. Both get around 28-30mpg city ( where 95% of my miles are driven). I will be selling off my 1979 AMC that I have had since I was 15 ( I am now 34), and my pickup truck in a few months and putting that money to buy down the principle so that when I transfer to University in 2010 I do not have a payment for too long ( I am trying to put $5k down). I also will have a 30 mile commute to USF and 30 miles back 4 days a week when I start there, so a unreliable car is not an option. I am just tired of dealing with old cars on a daily basis, and the gas prices are KILLING me. I will throw in the Nissan Versa for debate, but I probably would not buy it because it is too French. Plus, it's engine is too big at 1.8 liters. I am doing this to make my life simpler and cheaper while I finish my degree. I will probably trade it in when I get a real job after school. I just can't afford the old car drama any more as it takes up too much valuable study time.

Anyhow, my parameters are: around 30mpg city, weight of around 2500lbs or less, manual trans, small size, 1.6 liter or smaller engine, hatchback, good residual value, comfortable with a decent interior.

If anyone is wondering where the Cobalt, Focus, and Caliber are, I did not list them because they are too large and not very fuel efficient. I did not list the Aveo because it is awful, and made by Daewoo. The VW Rabbit did not make the cut because of price and fuel efficiency, and the Hyundai Accent was just horrible inside with poor residuals and a Swiss-cheese warranty.

 

[229MonteHO]

Well, if it were me, I'd go for the Yaris. I was toying with a new small car myself a while ago, but other things sidelined that one. The Versa doesn't do anything for me. The Hatchback looks French to me, too! The sedan reminds me of the last generation Sentra. If I want some thing that looks like a Sentra, I'll get a 3 year old Sentra.

The Yaris wins in my book. I've known a lot of folks with Toyota cars and trucks over the years that would buy them time and again. The Honda folks I know are of the same breed. I'm not a big Honda fan. They are quite reliable, but when they do break down your wallet seems to take a major hurting. The Toyotas are pretty good overall, too. But the Toyotas (at least from the ones I've seen personally) are slightly more user friendly and a bit easier to maintain than the Hondas.

Honda folks I've met (for the most part) seem to want to upgrade the cars after several years. Toyota owners seem to want to drive the life out of them, and if that's the goal then the Toyota is the one I'd go for.

Just my two cents. 😀

Aaron

 

[markiv427]

They all lose. Go buy a 2008 GM model with Full Employee Discount. Offer Expires midnight Sept 02.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

GM? Yuk! I can't imagine a purchase that says I have taken leave of my senses more than buying a new American car! I won't buy any new car built by union hands! The reason GM needs to give the employee discount is that no one wants their cars so they have to almost give them away to get rid of them. Honda and Toyota do not have that problem since they build new cars that are very durable, innovative and fuel efficient. Show me the Chevy that gets 28mpg in the city, costs $14k, and seats 4 adults comfortably. When I go to a GM dealership, it is to buy parts not a car built with over-priced union labor. Besides, GM does not make a small hatchback with a engine smaller than a 1.6 liter. ( The Daewoo Aveo does not count!)

PS: Test drove the Fit today and was VERY impressed.

 

[jrm81bu]

Just wondering why you don't like the Daewoo.

 

[itsnotanova]

When people ask me what car to buy, I say "you can't go wrong with a toyota or honda". I'm usually talking about used cars though. Every car should make it to 100000 miles with no major problems now a days. Toyota and Honda have been able to make it to that mark for decades. In fact they're making it to 2-300000 now. I'm probable saying stuff everybody here already knows. My point I'm trying to make is why don't you buy a used camary or accord and and save some $$$. I had a 90 with a 4 cylinder and that thing got an average of 30mpg all the time. Not just on the highway. My wife had a 94 and now owns a 99 and they both averaged a little under 30mpg.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I drive 30-40k miles a year, have a full time job delivering pizza and go to school 3/4 time. I want the full warranty and don't want a huge Camry or Accord. They are just too big for me. Plus, they can't get 30mpg in the city. My first Sentra with a 1.6/5 speed got 32mpg under constant beating delivering pizza, so I fail to see how a larger, heavier Accord or Camry can come close. Highway mileage makes little difference to me as I deliver pizza for a living and all my miles are city and VERY abusive. I don't like used cars because the finance rates are higher, and the payment amount is about the same. You really don't save much getting a 1-2 year old used car with little to no warranty left vs a new car of the same kind. Plus, I have no idea how the car was cared for. I just like owning new cars for my daily drivers. I bought my Nissan Frontier new 10 years ago and have put 300k miles ( 298,600...but who's counting?)on it since then. I likely will drive this thing for 4-5 years and then trade it when I get my first job with my degree. I also will be commuting 60 miles round trip 4 days a week to the university and can't afford to break down. I just want a new car, not another used one.

 

[itsnotanova]

Cool, I understand, I was just throwing something out there. Camary's have gotten big! They're almost a fullsize car now. What about the Corolla, is that thing still around? To answer your answer, my vote is for the Yaris. I had a 76 celica that I beat the hell out of. I shot it a few times, jumped it like the General Lee, never changed the oil and used the hood as a sled for me and my drunken friends.

 

[Uncletruck]

I tried to go the route of just using old cars to get around with when I came off the road as a trucker, but it didn't work. It's like as you mention, as I've become older I just don't have the time nor want to work on my cars all the time in a capacity where I have to depend on them. Thus I bought the new Tacoma last year. I needed to have 4WD and still can't break my mindset away from loving RWD and body on frame construction, thus the pickup.

The Yaris and Fit look very closely matched as far as specs, and both should be dead nuts reliable. I think, (not positive) the Toyota engine might give you the advantage over Honda with chain driven cams, but not positive on the Yaris 1.5. I'd just test drive them both and pick the one you like best, can't really go wrong either way.

Between my last new vehicle, a Ford Ranger that was a lemon, my wife's '00 Jeep that does little more than roll now with just about everything having died in it, and working as a truck driver delivering to auto plants and dealing with UAW workers and their attitudes, my money will not be spent on another GM, Ford or Chrysler product.

I had a little tiff with my father in law this weekend about cars, he is one of those Mr. Buy American guys and was razzing my parents about buying a Nissan. I looked at him and reminded him that he was let go by the steel mill when it closed right when his daughter was in college. And the one and only reason that mill closed is because in its heyday when all the profits were being raked in, instead of the company re-investing money in to modernizing the plant to compete with foreign steel, the USW and management just kept upping their wages, salaries and pensions to outlandish levels, then all the profits were pissed away when the money to modernize became a necessity to survive. In essence at the time they still could compete, greed came ahead of thinkng about their future and killed an industry that could have been there for future generations. This exact same thing has silently been happening with the American auto industry over the last 10-15 years.

-UT-

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

That was one of the cool things about the Fit: it is a timing chain engine, not a Belt like the previous D,B and K series engines have. I actually bought my Frontier years ago because I just wanted reliability and a warranty. It turned out to be a good decision, because it was far more reliable and comfortable than the Cutlass is, and used less fuel too. I frankly don't really care where it was made as long as it lasts a long time and is nice to use. I don't get paid union rate labor for my time and I am not going to make purchasing decisions based on keeping non-college educated people in high paying jobs. I buy what makes economic and personal sense, and the rebadged 1995 Cavalier GM is trying to sell as a new model leaves me cold. The "it sure is cheap" Aveo lacks charm and quality, and only has a low price to recommend it. Small cars need to be innovative to sell. Cheap and small just isn't enough to grab market share any more. The Fit is known for it's interior, and sells well in Europe as the Jazz because it is such a nice car to use in narrow city streets like they have in London. The only disappointment is that the smaller 1.2 and 1.3 liter Fit/Jazz engines are not sold here as I would pick them over the 1.5 VTEC 4 because of the fuel economy. I would also like the European VW Polo, Lupo or Fox to be sold here, or even the Fiat Panda or 500 as they too are really well thought out small cars that also drive well.