I'm looking for a safe and easy to drive car that my teen can start out with for the first few years.
Is the Honda Fit (latest model) a good pick? I see that it used to get poor safety scores. I don't see a small overlap test result for it at all on iihs website.
Also, it seems that Honda is discontinuing it in the US - is that a sign that the car isn't good?
Any other suggestions are most welcome and appreciated!
Thank you!
The fit is very reliable..my wife.has an 09 fit sport 5 spd.. it has 179k on it, and we've had no problems with it. She works at an office, so she has a short drive to that job, but she also works for grubhub,some nights, so the car gets a lot of use. Just.have to do regular maintance
Thanks to everyone for the help. Seems like Civic 2016 or higher, LX with the 2.0 L engine is the right match for me.
I will look for a good one.
Thanks again for the amazing help this community provides.
To follow up...
I can find used ones made in Japan. Mostly 2016 models that have vin starting with "J" are not hard to find. They cost around 10-12k California prices while a new one goes around 18k.
The Honda Civic could be a worthy contender with the 2.0 engine.
This site uses owner data to source its data: https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Civic/
You can see 2016 is the first model year and thus has lots of minor issues, like poorly made seats, Ac/heater issues, electrical, engine, etc. https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Civic/2016/
In comparison, 2018 has a lot less of these issues: https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Civic/2018/
For the Corolla, the newer ones are unproven and some of the hatchbacks have CVT issues.
If I were you , I would go with a 2017-2019 sedan, especially the LE Eco and SE trims. They had a lot of standard safety equipment and are reliable. They are also more "proven" as the generation officially came out 7 years ago.
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Corolla/2017/
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Fit/
Hope this info is helpful;)
Those are good little cars, especially for a 1st car. Honda is discontinuing the Fit mostly because it doesn't sell all that well - more people these days are leaning towards SUVs and crossovers. But Fits are still reliable cars. I personally would go with a Civic hatchback instead of a Fit - they are nicer inside, have better ride quality/comfort, and are just an overall better package in my opinion. Civics are a little more expensive, but I think they're worth the premium. Up to you though, they are both good cars.
Thank you. I see that the Civic Hatchback only comes with the 1.5 Turbo, while the civic sedan/Fit still has the option to get the non turbo engine.
I recall seeing some video from Scotty saying that the turbo has oil dilution issues. Is that still the case on the latest models?
Thanks again!
Good point. Honda seems to have addressed the oil dilution issues in the Civics from the 2019 model year onwards. I have a friend with a 2019 Civic EX hatchback (45K miles) and he's had 0 issues with oil dilution. He uses that new GF6 engine oil per mechanic recommendation that's meant for GDI turbo cars.
Honda claims to have fixed it for the 2019 model year on the Civic/CR-Vs most don't experience it some do but if a mechanic says it is fine then sure why not but I personally would get the 2.0 Naturally Aspirated engine in the Civic Sedan, or a Fit. A used 2019 or so Civic is basically the price of a new Fit, which you could get a lot off msrp as it is discontinued. Also both the Fit and Civic have amazing resale values so it would make sence to get the newest possible one, especially a new Fit. For example, a 6 year old clean title Fit is usually listed around 75% of its original msrp in my region. Honestly, the only good used deals on Hondas (usually) are Salvage titles ones especially in California. Hope this info was helpful;)
The Fit is a practical reliable little car. Now it is small but safety is also very good. The resale value is best of class.
You can find the small overlap crash test rating here: https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/Honda/fit-4-door-wagon/2015#small-overlap-front-driver-side
2015 model year evaluation for 40mph small overlap:
Overall: Acceptable
Structure and safety cage: Acceptable
Dummy Kinematics and Driver Restraints: Acceptable
Also the 1.5 Turbo especially in the Civic and CR-V did have oil dellusion problems. The Fit did not have problems and neither did the 2.0 Civic engine.
Scotty's video on that is below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEMA0ExuF6Y&t=8s
Should I be concerned that the latest Fit is not made in Japan? I see that all the VIN numbers start with 3.
And, when you look at a car, look at the sticker that's on the side of the door, it'll tell you where it was made
You really don't need to buy brand new to have a safe, reliable car to learn on.. like.i said, my wife has the 09, it's literally been as reliable as brand new, and hers was made in japan.. and buying new, you will lose a good amount of value , all cars do once you take it off the lot new.
Thank you for all the replies. I went through the Fit forums and recent models seem to have quality issues. I cannot find good used ones made in Jap nearby.
I'm leaning towards the base civic lx non turbo or a corolla base le. Only automatic/cvt.
Want to keep the car for 10 plus years with gentle driving. Would a 2016-19 civic lx be a safer bet since the latest gen has been stable for 5 years? I believe corolla uses a new platform since 2020 and hence not proven to be long lasting? Do i have this wrong?
Thank you!