Mark is still in the shop, pending further boroscoping, so I’ll do my best to do his daily adjutications some justice in his absence. Did I venture away from the SB part of SBSD yesterday with two cars that were a little too nice? That’s sometimes my one (and only) shortcoming.
It was a battle of convertible, manual, Swedish FWD turbo sports cars, both in good-to-excellent shape. I had a sense that one of these would be way more popular than the other, purely on price, so I was delighted to see that it was in fact a lot closer than I expected.
The value-minded amongst you seemed to prefer the Saab to the Volvo by a small amount, though many of you admitted in the comments that if the Volvo’s price was a bit lower, you might have swung that way:
Today, these cars are both economical, and each comes with a reliable manual transmission. They’re also both from Eastern Connecticut, aka the Nutmeg State, aka the Troll State.
2009 Honda Fit Sport – $3,600
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder with a 5-speed manual
Location: Waterford, CT
Odometer reading: 142,000
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I had our old friend Chris Perkins over to test drive my BMW the other day, as he is in the market for an E39, and fellow autoscribe Sam Smith pointed out that the 530i Sports are the one to have (if you’re not going to fork the money over for an M5). I remarked that I didn’t want to replace the BMW, but a part of me wants a Honda Fit.
This is the second-generation car, and it’s a little bigger than the cute first-generation car. I think I prefer the first gens, but it’s a minor preference. These cars will run approximately forever if they don’t rust, and also make surprisingly good race cars. This one is maybe too nice to turn into a race car.
In addition to being a clean car (though I can’t see underneath for rust), it has the one feature you need for a truly reliable car: a stickshift. Having driven a race-prepped version of this car, I can say the 117 horsepower goes a long way when you can control the shifts, and you get the higher revs you want from a sporty-ish Honda. The interior also looks like it’s in great shape.
The headlights are a little cloudy, but at $3,600 that feels like something that you can easily fix.
2014 Jeep Patriot Limited 4WD – $2,900
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter ‘gas-saving’ engine with a 5-speed manual
Location: Manchester, CT
Odometer reading: 140,000
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Connecticut does a good job of plowing its roads, so you can probably skate on having an AWD vehicle. A good FWD car with decent tires is enough to get the job done 95% of the time. If you do want to spin all four wheels at once, the Jeep Patriot is a cheap way to do it.
While not the most memorable Jeep, it’s certainly one of the Jeeps of all time. This particular car is a Limited, so it comes with keyless entry, power options, and even leather seats. The 2.4-liter motor in these cars is the “World Engine” shared with, oh, 80% of all cars produced by Hyundai, Mitsubishi, and Stellantis/FCA since the Obama Administration (no one look that up).
They’re fine! This one probably produces somewhere around 180 horsepower. Even better, it comes with a five-speed, so that’s one less thing to expensively break.
Are these good cars? I have no idea. But it’s cheap, there’s no obvious rust, other than on the hitch (I presume, being a Connecticut car, there’s some underneath).
So what’s your poison? A Honda that can go another million miles, or a Jeep with heated seats and AWD that can go… probably 10 more miles at least.
Top photo: Craigslist sellers
Isn’t the point of these that the choice is supposed to be difficult?
That Honda is a steal for these days
You can probably fit more stuff in the Fit than in the Patriot.
One time I fit like 8 doors in my Fit. It attracted some attention in the Home Depot parking lot.
Had to sell it when the Takata recall meant we wouldn’t be able to use the passenger seat.
It’s wild to me how people won’t use a $20 3M headlight restoration kit before selling a car.
You overestimate how many people have the automotive skills required of a $20 3M headlight restoration kit.
I dunno, I told one of my relatives with absolutely zero automotive skills to go out and buy one, and they had no problems whatsoever.
Or a $7.99 can of bug spray
Fit: small, fun.
Jeep: not small, not fun.
On a practical basis, the Honda better suits my needs. Impractically, too.
Jeep Patriot: Maybe this is my moment! I’ve finally been chosen for Shitbox Showdown! Maybe people will see that I’m a plucky underdog with an improbably fun transmission! I may finally have this!
Honda Fit: Hi there.
Jeep Patriot: Shit.
had me LOL literally!
The Fit is Go!
The Patriot is No!
The Honda would be the right choice at twice the price of the Jeep.
Is this an attempt to get the most lopsided vote ever? Of course it’s the Fit, the plucky, lovable, indestructible, ugly-cute TARDIS that was too pure for our cruel world where everything is CUV.
I absolutely beat the ever living shit out of my ’14 Compass, the exact same vehicle, and it takes it in strides, even with the Hyundai automatic. At 140,000, looking that nice, it’ll last a bit longer.
I’d rather have my selectable AWD in this case, even though the seller lied about heated seats & 3rd will likely be non-existent soon.
FWD to FWD though, I would’ve chosen the Honda.
FWD Four Wheel Drive
FWD Front Wheel Drive
I’m confused
Front wheel to front wheel? Do I live under a rock and people stopped using 4WD to describe Four Wheel Drive?
I know, right? It’s always been 4WD. Don’t worry, he’s always confused since he’s always smoking something…since all he posts is gibberish nonsense
That Fit would have to be in remarkably bad condition for me to consider choosing the Patriot. This Fit looks pretty good. Even if it is rusty underneath, I’d rather have a rusty Honda than a surely also rusty underneath Patriot. The subframes on those are notoriously rust prone.
This is a lead-pipe-cinch for the Fit.
Maybe the Patriot is less awful with a manual transmission but I wouldn’t want to find out. Honda Fit for me.
If that Fit wasn’t on the complete opposite side of the country from me, I’d be on my way now to buy it.
And honestly, the Patriot isn’t a terrible vehicle. I’ve logged thousands of miles in rental ones, and as long as you get the stick or one of the later automatics (not one with a CVT) it is a decent, basic vehicle with reasonable utility.
I saw Jeep Patriot and clicked the other option. When I saw it was a clean Fit with a manual, I was amazed. I figure the only thing that would make the Patriot competitive would be a PT Cruiser that had been sitting in an empty lot in central Florida with a month-old sack of medical waste leaking a mystery fluid onto the driver’s seat.
Or that Autopian (what are the best foods to eat in a car when driving) after a month.
I voted for the Jeep.
A Fit is clearly a better car than a Jeep Patriot, but the ad for the Honda is giving up a lot of red flags. It states “I’M SELLING MY 2009 HONDA FIT SPORT” which implies it is a private sale. However, seller also has a few nearly identical ads for other vehicles for sale, and there are several archived ads of vehicles previously sold by this individual. Yet if you google the associated phone number, no dealership or other business comes up. I think this is probably being sold by an unlicensed dealer, which can be risky. In seller’s defense, the car is at least listed as being for sale by a dealer, even if the language of the ad implies otherwise.
Plus, the ad lists the vehicle as a “2009 honda fit toyota acura kia hyundai nissan lexus” which is just insufferable. If I were shopping for a Toyota Acura Kia Hyundai Nissan Lexus I would be annoyed to see an ad come up for a cheap Honda.
Again, a Fit is better than a Patriot, but a Fit sold by a curbstoner is a worse deal than a cheaper, newer, well-maintained Patriot sold via private sale.
On the other hand, the person selling the Jeep Patriot bought a Jeep Patriot. There are few flags bigger or more red.
I’d rather jump through some legal hoops for buying a clean 5MT Fit with sketchy title/ownership situation than buy the most flawless Jeep Patriot on the planet.
Cars with sketchy title/ownership situations often have undisclosed flaws; I wouldn’t assume this is a good car even if it looks nice. I would do a lot of due diligence before buying this car. I would want to make sure it is something I can register (who knows whose name is on the title) and I would also want to make sure there isn’t an undisclosed problem like flood damage. Cars this cheap often only have liability insurance – this is a car that could have a past that doesn’t show up on the Carfax.
Plus, looking at other 2009 Fits currently for sale, the price seems quite a bit lower than comparable cars. How do you make a profit as a dealer when you are selling cars for little more than trade in value?
I would rather pay a bit more and get car that is a better Fit. If this was a $5,000 2009 Fit sold in a better situation I would have voted for it.
I understand your reasoning but when the other car is a Jeep Patriot (even a manual) I know where my bet is going.
I guess I don’t hate the Patriot quite as much as others here. It isn’t good, but it isn’t even the worst Jeep product. If this were a Compass I would vote for the sketchy Fit without a second thought.
I’d say where my bet is probably going. But otherwise what I was going to post
So you are saying this Fit isn’t a good Fit?
We really have some great observant members here. Can I rent one next time I buy a car?
It depends on the “curbstoner” sometimes. In some cases they can be great. I have a friend that as a hobby does sort of the SWG thing of frequently being given or sold cars for way too cheap by people he knows that need some service that may be 10 hours of labor but costs 5K at a dealership so he fixes them up drives them hard for 2-3 months having fun and finding any lingering problems; then sells it for a small profit and moves on to the next project. Main thing for him to look out for is to sell a max of 4 cars per year so he’s not required to get a dealers license.
I agree with you. I see nothing wrong with a hobbyist fixing and selling cars for a profit. I would absolutely buy a car from someone like SWG or your friend.
My concern is that this individual has three cars currently for sale. CT requires a dealer license for anyone selling more than four cars per calendar year. It might be coincidence, but seller appears to meet the criteria for needing a license (to be fair, I don’t know seller doesn’t have a license – I just haven’t been able to confirm it when this is usually not difficult).
I also find the price suspicious. It is well below a typical clean title undamaged moderate mileage Fit. Again, if this person is flipping cars for profit (i.e. a dealer or SWG equivalent), why are they selling cars below market rate? Also again, why does the language in the ad suggest a private sale?
This might be the deal of the decade, but I wouldn’t bet $3,600 on it. I have also been burned on jumped title vehicles before, so I will concede I may be overly cautious.
If a car deal seems too good to be true, be paranoid.
I basically scrolled far enough to make sure there was no major issues with the fit, then skipped to voting.
By all accounts the Fit is basically a perfect and indestructible car.
Anyone who votes for a Patriot over a Fit should have their name added to a watchlist or something.
The Fit is go!
Nine people have a lot of ‘splainin’ to do! An argument cannot be made for the Patriot.
That Jeep is NOT a Limited, and those aren’t leather seats in the pics.
The Honda is a good Fit for me.
It’s not leather on the outside? I don’t know Jeeps well enough… is it a Limited?
I’m preeeeetty sure you could only get a stick on the base model. And those are cloth seats, unless that’s the weirdest texture I’ve ever seen on leather..
I too noticed this, and that’s enough of a red flag for me.
Well, that and it’s a Patriot up against a Fit.
Aren’t all Jeeps Limited?
The only times a transmission has left me stranded was the one year my Miata went through three clutch cylinders (flush your clutch hydraulics and replace them as a set, folks!). So I’ll politely disagree with the idea that manuals are more reliable, especially in world where ZF8s and Toyota e-CVTs seem to have a failure rate of, like, zero.
Today’s choice is a highly regarded Honda vs a particularly half-assed Jeep, so I’ll take the Fit. 117hp would make it one of my most powerful cars, too!
My first NA Miata experience also included 3 clutch slave cylinder replacements (in as many months). I’ve had seven other Miatas since, and don’t think I did more than one on any of the subsequent cars. Definitely learned the hard way to do the master at the same time!
So probably a owner maintenance issue
At the very least, you can still drive a manual home without a clutch in an emergency. Had to do that a few months ago after my clutch springs left the chat. Can’t do that in a failed automatic. It’s something every three pedal owner should know how to do.
Fit. All day every day. Those Jeeps are trash and rental-car fodder. And not in the “so trashy it’s almost charming” way my decrepit old J-Body is.
A charming J-Body? I have doubts.
Unless it’s the old convertible or wagon variants
It’s charming to me. 67k-mile 1990 Sunbird coupe. It’s actually been featured here on Member’s Rides. I guess charming is in the eye of the beholder. So, this Jeep could be to the right person, too.
I upvote your charming J-Body, I had one and loved it!
Why would rental car companies buy unreliable cars? I probably wouldn’t buy a car from a rental car company but a car rental car companies buy would be a plus for me. That being said I am a basic car model guy.
Because they’re cheap.
I’m Fit to be tied today. That Jeep is a miserable vehicle.
Is the Jeep a smoker’s car? Window vent things, air freshener in the pictures.
Fit is slightly ahead of walking. Slightly.
Jeep is behind.
This is a joke, right? a fit vs one of the worst jeeps ever. This one should be at or near 100%-0%.