Hello H-T Fit people,
So I've been all over H-T trying to figure out my next car. I've got a pretty nice stock EJ6 that I got in high school and am still driving five years later (I just finished my bachelor of science at U. of Miami). I'm working now and making decent money so I think it'll soon be time to buy a new DD and start my long overdue build on my Civic.

I'm thinking a Fit may be a good choice; I have to drive far for work sometimes so gas mileage is a plus, and I also like the versatility of the Fit, I can "fit" a lot of gear in there for it's small size.

So I'm wondering about the virtues and vices of the two generations. I've driven a first gen base model Fit at least 300-400 miles and I like the handling feel and ease of use of the manual tranny and I also think they look a lot better. It would also be a little bit more affordable. Are there any major advantages to the newer ones? I will be getting a manual transmission either way and probably the sport model, mostly just for the aesthetic improvements. Thanks in advance for helping this Fit novice.

 

The 2nd gen USDM frustratingly got the shaft on aftermarket parts. Roughly 80% of the parts on my GE8 was ordered from Japan (wait time from 3-6 months) and the rest custom made. As for aero parts (unless you want to do a JDM conversio) we only have two to choose from... Sport or Mugen.

GD on the other hand, parts are readily available to your picking and liking... including boost.

 

Thanks for the info. Yet another reason to go with a GD even though the main goal is for this to be a stock daily driven beast. But who knows what'll happen down the line.

 

If you don't intend to mod your Fit, why worry about the small number of mods available for the GE's? As a past owner of a GD3 that was wrecked, and now an owner of a GE8,my opinion is that the new version is a better car. Stiffer unibody, bigger and more comfortable seats, and a more spacious feel in the cabin. The "magic seat" configuration was a little better in the GD, but you can still get just as much cargo into the GE. You get a little more power in the engine in the GE, and with the right mods, the extra power can be felt.

If you are going to leave the car bone stock, buying a GE will get you a more comfortable car. It even comes with a rear anti-sway bar, and the GD3's don't. And of course, the newer the car, the higher the resale value.

GD3 owners had to wait for years for high quality after-market parts to come onto the market. GE8 owners have the same problem, but not as many after-market parts are needed to increase performance. Performance of stock GE's is higher than stock GD's, and a lot of springs and coilover suspensions are already available for GE's.

My advice is to buy the newer design, but whichever you buy, you probably won't be disappointed.

 

Thanks man, glad to keep the opinions coming in! I agree that a newer car definitely has some advantages and I didn't know that the GE came with a rear sway bar, that was probably the only modification I was thinking of doing. At his point I think the biggest thing still drawing me to the GD is the looks that I prefer. But perhaps the GE looks will grow on me, we'll just have to see about that, I need another month or two to keep saving for the down payment, I'm trying to put as much down as possible.

 

Man, now I'm starting to wonder if I should just buy a brand new 2011 Fit.

 

Well, the follow-up to my comment about the stock sway bar is------ the stock one isn't strong enough. I convinced Progess Auto to make a stronger add-on bar for my new GE, and their product worked out GREAT. The body lean is taken up by the add-on Progress bar, and the stock bar (that stays on the car) never even comes into play. The point is, stock handling of the GE is beter than un-modified stock handling of the GD's.

The extra space that you feel inside the GE comes at the cost of the lumpier look of the body. The GD's do look better (though neither model could be described as beautiful- they are OK and interesting, not beautiful). If you want an un-modified DD, you will be happier with a new GE.

 

I have a heavily nodded Gd
I find it either way parts for Gd are either from china or japan
N most of them don't fit usdm version..... There are some but not mug support in the US for the Honda fit.... So either way if u are thinking about modding ..... Both GD n GE u will notice the same problems with parts availability

To use as a dd..... I would buy the newer one just because is
Newer.... Might come with lower mileage, better condition n all

But down side is that it is not as good looking as GD !!

 

I prefer the look of the GE 1000x over the look of the GD personally. The lack of parts for it, however, is a downside.

Then again, the car is so damn slow and gutless it's almost pointless to bother modifying it.

 

The aftermarket support for the GE isn't that terrible. There's a fair number of parts considering it's an economy car. I wish there were more options as fas as lip kits go (basically it's JDP vs. Mugen), but I don't think the GE needs very much to begin with. I have a GE but I was considering a GD, but once you actually test drive the GE you'll fall in love.

 

Yeah, almost every vote is going towards the GE. I'll have to give one a drive soon. As far as the Fit being underpowered, I really don't care, I'm just mostly looking for practicality with a bit of fun in the mix, hopefully my EJ6 build will turn out well, that'll be the main fun car.

 

Drive both, I didn't like the space ship feel/appearance of the GE.

 

I have a GE and it drives like a champ. It's definitely a good daily and also looks good if you just drop it with some wheels. My vote would go with a GE

 

I've owned a GD auto which I sold within 1 year and I've owned a GE manual now for 5 months. I absolutely love my GE. I think it's much more refined and I also think it looks better. Most people that don't know mistake it for a Civic. Better seats for sure and overall it just drives better to me. I hated the auto tranny in my GD so I'm sure that was a contributing factor. I bought my GE used from a friend with only 9k miles on it. He added Eibach Pro Kit springs, powdercoated the OEM wheels black, tinted it and Dynamat'd the entire cabin. It really helps out with sound deadening.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but I say go GE. There are dedicated threads on Fit Freak on this topic.