UmneyDurak

Hi.
Does anyone have Honda Fit, preferably 2009, 2008 model. How easy is it to put road bikes inside of it, also any other comments about the car?

Thanks
UD

sleazy

element.

Jynx

I seriously considered the 09 fit but ended up with an element. it is very roomy but if i were to use it for bikes i would still get a roof rack. you would need to remove the front wheel to fit it in and then you would have to lay it on its side. In my element I just put the whole bike in standing up (and i can fit 3+).

rydaddy

I have an 09 Fit. I can easily lay my 60cm road bike on its side with the back seats down (no wheels removed). I can also fit 2 road bikes with the front wheels removed and a still have one of the rear seats in use (this is a little more difficult, as saddle height is somewhat of an issue). For more than 2 bikes and/or lots of gear, I'd rec a hitch rack.

rydaddy

Nope. Just place the bike with rear wheel toward the front and turn the front wheel up. It fits easily, and I run a 60cm frame with front seats all the way back.

UmneyDurak

Element is out of my price range.

fnords

How many bikes and what sizes?

I have a 2007. I rarely cart more than my own bike, so I have a fork mount screwed to a 2x4 bungeed to the cargo loops. I remove the front wheel, roll the bike in backwards and clamp it in. Rolling the bike in and out is far less strain on my back compared to hefting a bike laying on its side.

My bike is a 52. The saddle on my friend's 54 clears the ceiling just fine.

For two bikes I skip the fork mount and roll the bikes in diagonally. I haven't tried three.

I ran a roof rack on my old Civic hatchback. It was fine, but the Civic's roofline is a lot lower than the Fit, which matters when you're 5'6". I found it easy to stuff the bike in the back of the Fit, so I never transferred over the rack.

Jynx

Dont go by MSRP. You wouldnt believe how cheap I got my element brand new. less then $20k after all taxes, title, reg, tax, ect... (And i have the more expensive 4wd EX model. you can take more off if you get the 2wd or lx model).

R900

You can fit a tandem in one:

https://www.blayleys.com/articles/cars/index.htm

saratoga

Have no idea about a fit, but I can attest to the fact that a motorcycle fits in an element.

sharkey00

I have a fit and put my bike in it all the time. Front wheel off, rear wheel toward the front of the car, it fits in easily. The fit's gas mileage is also about 50% better than the element.

No regrets for me.

save10

i am strongly considering this car as well. to clarify - you do not need to put the bike on its side? i dont care about bringing the seats down. but with front wheel off you can secure it with a fork mount on the floor? also if this is true do you have to lower your seat height/post?

DrPete 

My wife drives a '08 Fit and is very happy with it. I'd borrowed it a couple times, and if you put the rear seats in "tall mode" you can fit a road bike in there with the front wheel off and still have some trunk space.

sharkey00

The bike does not have to be on its side. With the front wheel off it will stand upright. You can bungee cord the bike and wheel to the side by a big metal ring used to support the seats when they are up.

If you only need to transport 1 bike and little gear you can lay the bike flat and keep both wheels on.

This guy has it figured out.

jmsmke

I just purchased an 09 fit about 3 weeks ago. So far I really like it and would also recommend to stay away from the element. I test drove both and the element felt large and sluggish compared to the fit. Plus, as mentioned already it gets lousy gas mileage and the cargo space is not that much larger.

Through careful driving and watching my acceleration I was able to get 46mpg on my last tank.

I've only put my bike in once but it fit nicely with the front wheel removed in the 'tall' mode that dr.pete mentioned.

CrimsonKarter21

With a new "Cash for Clunkers" bill going through congress, getting a new car is on the list for me this year. I've been seriously thinking of getting a Fit, looks cool, and in typical Honda fashion, it's reliable and fits bikes inside very well.

hammy56

Just got an 06 Element EX with 25k mi for $15,300...after a lot of haggling...

mark_dc

I bought a Hyundai Elantra Touring instead. Just under $17K (manual transmission) taxes, tags, etc. and it fits my bike, wheels on, on it's side with plenty of room, rear seats down. I tried front wheel off, bike upright, but the seat is a bit too high. I like the idea of putting a front fork mount in the car, will consider it further. The Hyundai includes a lot of little touches that are extra on the Honda. I was considering the Fit.

dcbikeguy

This one would be sweet.





https://www.ursaminorvehicles.com/camper.htm

Flak

Mate bought a fit, installed a floor fork mount and puts the bike in backwards front wheel off standing upright. He's pleased.

tkm

What you didn't pay for now, you'll pay for in the end. Whether it be resale, problems with the car, etc...it'll catch up.

Some of the new car deals right now are crazy-silly, especially on the brands that don't have very good resale (like domestics, korean, etc).

The Fit is a good car if you can get over the whole "teenage/20-something female" car stigma. And I much preferred the older bodystyle to the newer one.

The Element is also a nice car, but due to the chassis design you will start to notice some rattles and squeaks after a while. Also, and I kid you not--but the target audience for the Element is a 30-something gay man.

I have a few friends at Honda R&D and I get all of the design details from them. Unfortunately Honda or Acura no longer makes a wagon (that makes it to north america) that appeals to an older and/or more affluent audience.

My RSX Type S soaks up my bike very well with the rear seats down and front wheel off. I'm sure if I got creative I could figure out something better with a bike mount, but right now it does well. Not bad for a car that, again, was designed for a 20-35 year old Asian woman.

rydaddy

This is how I normally roll.



Here's a shot with the bike vertical. No fork mounts, just wedge the saddle to the roof of the car (I'm tall). I can push it all the way to the side by lowering the saddle a bit. Another bike can fit in there easily, given the other rear seat is down.



This is what I opt for if I'm hauling 2 or more bikes.

rishardh

Here is how a Tandem fits inside a FIT...

https://www.blayleys.com/articles/cars/index.htm

Jakedatc

E 4lyfe 125cc scooter in the element with only 1 seat out. can't sleep 2 in the back of a Fit.

Fit might get more milage but the Element will multi task the crap out of it.. without the need for racks, hitches, boxes, trailers, campers, tents.

no squeeks on mine after 25k. I am putting carpet in the back this week to soften a bit of noise

whichever E or Fit .. hondas kick ass

mkeller234

Just get a Mazda 3 hatchback!

Just kidding, of course. I did look at a fit, the older version that is. I was impressed with how much you could rearrange the interior. My favorite part was how the rear seats folded up to expose the floor and could also fold almost totally flat. It was also a really fun car to test drive, the paddle shifters were pretty cool.