<p>Gymeni, you are WAY nicer than me! My son’s college graduation present is going to be our old 2001 Toyota Camry… new car is for US!!! We figure that the whole 4 years of college thing is our major gift to him. ;)</p>
<p>@anxiousmom: Well, I figured it was the least I could do for a kid who didn’t cost me a dime for undergrad (was on full scholarship). Prior to receiving the Fit, she was driving my old '97 CRV, but since she went to med school out of state I also needed the peace of mind that would come from her driving a new car. But I <em>totally</em> understand where you’re coming from!</p>
<p>We are also in the ‘kid gets the old car’ camp…
Quite funny thought that our DS LOVES his ten year old Mercury Sable Wagon…
I think because it can hold many other people and amps and guitars and tubas…you get the idea!
He is sure that it will last him another year or two until he has a ‘real’ job and can replace it.</p>
<p>mamita-- Honda cars, in general, have a stiffer suspension. That’s why you feel the bumps in the road more than on other cars. the Honda Fit also maintains its value very well and will return excellent resale value. However, I would opt for the Civic over the Fit, if you want a smoother ride. The Fit does have a somewhat choppy or “jittery” ride, as you pointed out. I have a Civic 2-door Coupe and LOVE it! We also own a Civic Hybrid (see next paragraph).</p>
<p>fireandrain-- I would put your differences aside and get the Prius. We own a Civic Hybrid and I am really unhappy with the acceleration. It ran okay when it was new in 2006 but now, after 60,000 miles, it lacks power that it once had. The dealer can not find anything wrong with the car. The mileage is also at least 10 miles per gallon less than the Prius and the Prius has much better acceleration and overall power. Or, opt for a “regular” 4-door Civic.</p>
<p>Well, we finally finished our research and made our car purchase - and bought a “none of the above!” Although we really wanted to buy an extremely gas-efficient vehicle, DH is almost 6’6", and it is too claustrophobic for him to sit in a car with the stream-lined windshield… 
Most of the aerodynamic cars not only have the windshields go back at a sharp angle, but the top part of the car also angles in towards the seats - great for reducing wind drag, but not so good if your head is only an inch or two from the roof!
Bought a silver Scion XB, which is a little box on wheels with great vertical and passenger space; no-haggle pricing, pretty well loaded for around $17000, and DH feels like he can breathe and sit upright. The gas milage (23-28) could be better, but he drives conservatively… :)</p>
<p>Ok anxiousmom…is done…</p>
<p>What about for others considering small cars and don’t have family members who are 6’6"? :)</p>
<p>What is wrong with the Ford Fiesta?</p>
<p>[2011</a> Ford Fiesta Reviews, Pictures and Prices - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews](<a href=“http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Ford_Fiesta/]2011”>http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Ford_Fiesta/)</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s so much what is wrong with the Fiesta so much as what is right with cars in the Honda and Toyota families including Scion.</p>
<p>We drove a lovely lime green Ford Fiesta, and it felt even smaller and more cramped than the Honda Fit… but it was a fun drive, but the automatic shifting was weird at times, and didn’t accelerate when it should have, etc. I think they are still working the bugs out with it! If we didn’t BOTH ride in the same car at the same time sometimes, I would get a Fit or a Fiesta or a Gulf - but it’s either divorce the hubby or get a car with more headroom, and I plan on keeping the husband.<br>
BTW - we testdrove a little red two-door volkswagon Gulf, and it had a lovely solid cabin and that European sporty feel and drove like a good “mid-life crisis” car. Compared to the FIT, it actually had slightly better headroom (from the side), but it is very small. Pricewise, it was $19500 and came fully loaded. We decided against it because the Gulf only gets 1 mpg better average mileage than the Scion XB, and was $2500 more, and 6 inches lower in height (so less visible to other cars on the highway). The XB feels solid, has a huge squarish cabin, comfortable seats, good peppy engine, excellent crash test results, and has the same storage space (and gas mileage :() as an SUV. Also, significantly cheaper than an SUV! 
But the styling is definitely not for everyone… ;)</p>
<p>Interesting to hear about the fiesta. I had been wondering about those - did think they looked like they might be small for us. I’m hoping that I might be able to swing a new car some time in 2011 as mine is about to hit 200,000 miles, AC does not work, heating works intermittently, and the back windows are help up by duck tape!! Still hoping a FIT might work for us - my Husband is a tad over 6ft tall but he is wide. When I went in an acquaintance’s FIT a few years ago I was surprised at how roomy it was (I am tall as well), but then they redesigned it and made the windows more sloped and I wondered if it would make it more squished feeling.</p>
<p>Congrats on your new car anxiousmom. Hope you enjoy it.</p>
<p>Congratulations, anxiousmom!
What a relief to have completed a usually complex process as new car purchase.</p>
<p>We love our little Scion XD, though wide-ish DH feels a bit cramped on long drives.
Luckily, it’s MINE and I love it.</p>
<p>We plan on replacing DHs old old Town and country minivan with a HOnda CRV whenever the money shows up in our account!</p>
<p>If anyone is looking for a used car, I absolutely love my Pontiac Vibe. which they stopped making this year. It gets terrific ratings on Consumer Reports for reliability, safety and so on. It is the twin of the Toyota Matrix, so we don’t anticipate any problems getting parts in the future plus we were able to get it for 4K less!</p>
<p>We are small sized in this family. Is there anything else wrong with a Fiesta other than the interior room? Edmonds review sounds great on Fiesta. Accelerates fast, automatic transmission is seamless, fun driving, etc. The price is good and gas mileage excellent. We had a Forester and liked it but something new this time.</p>
<p>Fit with 55K miles on it so far… not a single issue in two and a half years (I hope I didn’t just jinx anything… where’s some wood to knock on?). We have the 5-speed manual transmission Sport version, (which I would VERY MUCH recommend over the basic one). We call it our “toy car” because it seems so small on the outside, yet is so roomy on the inside. We drove a Matrix for a month, but didn’t like it nearly so well. To me, the Fit Sport drives like a sports car. Very nice and extremely roomy inside.</p>
<p>What is the difference between the Sport and the basic?Is it worth the couple of grand extra? I don’t want a manual (I learned to drive in a manual - most people in England do, but I prefer driving an automatic).</p>
<p>A nearby dealer still has a few 2010 Fits. I am hoping they may have some deals.</p>
<p>It should be less than $1000 difference. For that you get front and rear stabilizers, a body kit and spoiler, larger wheels, fog lights, cruise control, a 160-watt sound system, remote entry and paddle shifters for the automatic transmission.</p>