Volt or Fit as a 3rd car/beater?

[blinkme323]

In the market for a beater and we've narrowed our search down to either a 2017 Volt or a 2016 Honda Fit. Both have around 50k miles, nice condition. Volt is a little more expensive, but still within the same realm price-wise.

Any thoughts? My lean is towards the Volt, but I'm really torn.

[W///]

Originally Posted by blinkme323

In the market for a beater and we've narrowed our search down to either a 2017 Volt or a 2016 Honda Fit. Both have around 50k miles, nice condition. Volt is a little more expensive, but still within the same realm price-wise.

Any thoughts? My lean is towards the Volt, but I'm really torn.

I'd go with the Volt, assuming the other 2 can be trusted (ie reliable). I think electric second or third cars make perfect sense. They just bring something else to the table and have a convenience factor about them.

[bucketfoot]

Fit by a mile.

First the space and versatility of it are amazing. Second, other than full size pickups and performance cars I would take basically any Honda over any GM vehicle.

The Fit will last forever, the Volt will last???

[sspade]

I'd choose the Volt, for sure. I've noticed that these can be had for relatively cheap considering year/mileage. If I was in the market, I would definitely consider one.

I remember cruising CarMax six months or so ago and seeing these as a dime a dozen with super low miles for $20k. Not bad.

With GM going full electric I dont believe support or longevity would be an issue in the years to come as long as you took care of it, of course.

[Efthreeoh]

So what is the driving profile going to be? If it's under 40 miles around town, I'd get the Volt. You'd probably run it mostly gas free. I've driven the Volt, both generations. I like the 1st gen best. My best friend has one, bought new. He's a car guy. He loves it. It had one issue with the parking brake, but GM took care of it. He got it on my suggestion BTW. His combined MPG is near 100 IIRC. They are very well built cars and as good build as a Honda. My friend was a hardcore Honda guy in his 20s, so he'd say it had POS build quality. And Hondas current cars are no match to their heyday.

My 2 cents.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by sspade

I'd choose the Volt, for sure. I've noticed that these can be had for relatively cheap considering year/mileage. If I was in the market, I would definitely consider one.

I remember cruising CarMax six months or so ago and seeing these as a dime a dozen with super low miles for $20k. Not bad.

With GM going full electric I dont believe support or longevity would be an issue in the years to come as long as you took care of it, of course.

If I didn't drive 170 a day, I'd have bought one a long time ago. Great car, great idea, stupid consumers and prejudices.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by W///

I'd go with the Volt, assuming the other 2 can be trusted (ie reliable). I think electric second or third cars make perfect sense. They just bring something else to the table and have a convenience factor about them.

It's ICE and EV all in one. That's why it's a great choice.

And I'm not pissing on Honda. I owned a '89 Integra for 11 years and 230,000 miles. I currently own a 22 year old Honda motorcycle. I've owned it since new.

[Humdizzle]

Originally Posted by bucketfoot

Fit by a mile.

First the space and versatility of it are amazing. Second, other than full size pickups and performance cars I would take basically any Honda over any GM vehicle.

The Fit will last forever, the Volt will last???

agree 100%

if your going to be doing a ton of miles without a warranty i'd only look at honda or toyota. i'd only consider the volt if you are slapping an extended warranty on it. to me though a beater car should only need liability insurance and nothing else

[Red Bread]

If you're looking at a CVT Fit, any other car, that's one anemic shitbox. If the Fit has a manual, they're actually really fun. But only with a manual.

[FC4]

Why isn't the M3 your beater? I don't get it.

[stevenc]

Hyundai Accent. Have had two of them for work cars. The first one had its first dealer visit at 80k for a $300 knock sensor.

But if i was choosing between a Fit and a Volt, i would choose Fit any day.

[RRedline]

Put 80k generally trouble free miles on 17 Volt. Just replaced it with an 18 that has 28k miles (needed a new carpool sticker).

Regularly gets 45-50 EV miles and another 300 on gas. Low CG actually provides for a fun driving experience. Hatchback is awesome for carrying stuff.

Both Volts had the "shift to park" issue -- there is a TSB and the dealer fixed both under warranty.

[SteveinArizona]

I think the fit is a better car. But what are your needs? Is gasoline savings important to you? Do you have a long or short commute? Can you charge at home?

My problem with the Volt is that it is a serial hybrid and the ICE is IMHO too weak once you run out of electric juice. But that may not be important to you.

[GREENPUS]

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

agree 100%

if your going to be doing a ton of miles without a warranty i'd only look at honda or toyota. i'd only consider the volt if you are slapping an extended warranty on it. to me though a beater car should only need liability insurance and nothing else

I put a lot of miles on my cars and I started buying used Gen 9 Toyota Corollas for beater cars. I started out with a 2005 LE, 2006 LE and now putt around in a 2008 S. Very little maintenance. Oil, filters, ATF fluids and tires lol. 35 to 42mpg.

[wooblewobble]

I like the Volt better. But doesn't it only have four seats in the earlier versions? The rear middle is a cupholder if I remember correctly, and that might be a deal breaker for you if you need it to be able to seat five.

[Humdizzle]

Originally Posted by GREENPUS

I put a lot of miles on my cars and I started buying used Gen 9 Toyota Corollas for beater cars. I started out with a 2005 LE, 2006 LE and now putt around in a 2008 S. Very little maintenance. Oil, filters, ATF fluids and tires lol. 35 to 42mpg.

lol i used to have a 2006 rolla as well. i do at least 20k miles just back and forth to work every year. bought a 2009 civic 2.5 years ago. 50k miles to now at 115k miles.

the AC went out last week so that was $700 for a new compressor. other than that no issues.

[blinkme323]

Great stuff guys, I really appreciate the insights.

So just as I was about to seal the deal on the Volt, I stumbled on a fully loaded 2018 Fit with only 18k miles. I'm not sure if it was a pricing error or what, but it came in about $1000 cheaper than the Volt and about 5k cheaper than comparable mileage Fits.

One owner, no accidents, a couple scratches and chips here and there but otherwise good condition. Needless to say, I jumped on it immediately.

[overcoil]

My father had a 2017 Honda HRV (that was based on the Honda Fit) that had awd and the CVT.

1) to me the HRV handled great, we lived near some very windy hilly roads and the HRV that shared a chassis based on the Fit handled to the point of being fun to drive.

2) and the CVT was a nice transmission. Seemed very refined in any type of situation.

3) the Honda steering I had no complaints. I thought it was very good at tracking very little correction needed on the highway.

4) and the non-turbo engine was quiet and smooth.

5) the fit and finish was tight and rattle free.

[Bongoxxx]

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

lol i used to have a 2006 rolla as well. i do at least 20k miles just back and forth to work every year. bought a 2009 civic 2.5 years ago. 50k miles to now at 115k miles.

the AC went out last week so that was $700 for a new compressor. other than that no issues.

My wife had a 2009 Civic that we bought new…unfortunately it was written off when she was T-boned in 2018. It had just over 220,000 kms on it when it was written off. Only ever did brakes, tires and fluids…she loved that car - white, with beige leather interior and manual tranny

To the OP, Fit over a Volt any day of the week.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by SteveinArizona

I think the fit is a better car. But what are your needs? Is gasoline savings important to you? Do you have a long or short commute? Can you charge at home?

My problem with the Volt is that it is a serial hybrid and the ICE is IMHO too weak once you run out of electric juice. But that may not be important to you.

The only difference in a Volt on EV vs. ICE is the exhaust note. It drives the same in either mode.

[CamasM3e93]

We leased a 2017 Volt for 3 years, I think we were the step down from the most premium edition. We had a 12 month run of mechanical issues, mostly recalls but a couple trips for failed mechanical items. But after we got through that rough spot, it was a great car. I was very impressed with the quality of the interior for the price point.
It drove smooth and quiet.

We averaged over 250 miles per gallon of gas with our usual driving, getting about 42 to 58 miles on a charge (more in the warm months) and then the car flips over to burning gas. The gas motor drives a generator which propels the electric motor - rather than a hybrid which has a gas engine directly driving the car. We really liked the flexibility of being on electric for 90+% of the time, but if we wanted to take it on a weekend trip we didn't have to worry about charging stations. It was my wife's car and she loved that she never had to go to the gas station, which was an every 6 month event for us. We really only left the model because it wasn't large enough for our daily needs at the time.

[RRedline]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The only difference in a Volt on EV vs. ICE is the exhaust note. It drives the same in either mode.

Originally Posted by CamasM3e93

The gas motor drives a generator which propels the electric motor - rather than a hybrid which has a gas engine directly driving the car.

This is what makes the Volt a little different from other plugin hybrids I believe. The ICE is not connected to the drivetrain. The combination of the EV torque and low CG make the Volt fun to drive around town. I love the looks I get as I go around people on highway on ramps in the outside lane...