Buying A Car!! ... Honda Fit , Insight Or Toyota Vitz?

[Junkfriend]

Hii guys...

I'm planning to buy a car for my wife. I'm kinda having a hard time choosing a one from the following specially since I'm buying it without her knowing. Its really hard to make a choice(have to think in a girls point of view .... .... I'm looking for a car with good looks (both inside and out), average maintenance costs and good on fuel for about 4mil. so far I have manage to narrow down my search to the following 3.

Honda Fit Hybride 2010/2011 Fully loaded - 3.6 - 4.1 Million (Unregistered or Registered)

Honda Insight EZ2 2009/2010 Fully loaded - 3.5 - 4.1 Million (Unregistered or Registered)

Toyota Vitz - 2009/2010 - Full option (8 Airbags) - 3.6 - 4.1 Million (Unregistered or Registered) - The reason I like this is that I have the impression that it would have low maintenance costs and better safety.

Any thoughts??

Edited December 7, 2012 by Junkfriend

[xlr8r]

Now, I'm not familiar with the insight enough to dispute your statement. But I will find it rather odd if the batteries are maintained at cabin temperature. I would be surprised if the optimum operating temperature of the battery would be reliant on what a user of a car determines to be comfortable and a car manufacturer designed a system to work that way.

I mean what if the user of the car fancied a bit of a tan and fresh air and had the windows down and turned the AC off?

Ok... let me put it this way.. As we all know any car is designed to travel from point A - B in comfort, hence u have all the options in a car including A/C. So the engineers have figured out that people use A/C when the outside temp is high like summer n in winter they don't.

So as u can see most of the time, than the out side temp the cabin temp is the optimum operating temperature. this is why the vents of the battery are inside the car than out. It doesn't mean that u can't open shutters and travel but in average if u see most use A/C's when hot.

So i guess it's safe to say if your comfy so are the batteries.

[chan5]

Ok... let me put it this way.. As we all know any car is designed to travel from point A - B in comfort, hence u have all the options in a car including A/C. So the engineers have figured out that people use A/C when the outside temp is high like summer n in winter they don't.

So as u can see most of the time, than the out side temp the cabin temp is the optimum operating temperature. this is why the vents of the battery are inside the car than out. It doesn't mean that u can't open shutters and travel but in average if u see most use A/C's when hot.

So i guess it's safe to say if your comfy so are the batteries.

what the heak is this...

As supra's review of insight, it says that group of engineers from Honda japan stayed at sri lanka to study the conditions here to adjust the suitability of insight..WTF They've done then ?

Yes , found that it gets the air intake by an intake vent behind the passenger seat in the cabin, but cooling is done by a fan , which kicks in at about 100C.

So in theory, the cooling affected by the cabin temperature, yes it efficient when AC Is cool....

Feel that in near future, there will be advertisements on HIT*D Saying,

intercoolers will be fitted to insight for long life of battery for cheap 60k rupee.

Edited December 8, 2012 by chan5

[Junkfriend]

Guys I'm pretty sure ma wife dont really care how the battery is being cooled so lets keep this on topic please

[xlr8r]

what the heak is this...

As supra's review of insight, it says that group of engineers from Honda japan stayed at sri lanka to study the conditions here to adjust the suitability of insight..WTF They've done then ?

Yes , found that it gets the air intake by an intake vent behind the passenger seat in the cabin, but cooling is done by a fan , which kicks in at about 100C.

So in theory, the cooling affected by the cabin temperature, yes it efficient when AC Is cool....

Feel that in near future, there will be advertisements on HIT*D Saying,

intercoolers will be fitted to insight for long life of battery for cheap 60k rupee.

I was referring to cooling of the battery.. not the condition how the battery is operated.

Of cause the Honda techs need to study conditions here to improve cooling (if needed) or to cop with high humidity level. That is a different topic all together..

I'm sure they didn't come here to stick a air in take out side the car, did they?

[soulja]

So did you come across the Mugen Kitted version? Think it comes Premium Package. I think I saw one on AL, yeah maybe a pearl white one.

[Californikan]

Guys just heard something about Honda Hybrids from a Honda guy whom I have no reason to doubt. According to him the battery suffers from inadequate cooling in our climate and thus sharply reducing the battery life. The problems are just beginning to show their faces so it's early day, but it could be the first few sneezes before the avalanche.

The Toyota hybrids do not have this problem according to him.

This rumor is almost certainly not true.If there was a battery cooling issue it would have shown up in Insights in other countries, especially places where the climate is a lot hotter than SL.

[iRage]

I am surprised that no one has started rambling on about the efficiency of the A/C getting compromised in the Panoramic roof Fit because of the high heat penetrating through the glass or worst yet..about coconuts falling thought the glass <sorry had to>

Glad you enjoyed the Fit...are you looking at a Auto or manual ? either way it is a zippy little car to drive. As for the Mugen additions it would be okay if your wife is the sporty kind but then again anything would be nicer than a Hello kitty pink Fit She'e grade that we saw at a mall yesterday

[Pericles]

This rumor is almost certainly not true.If there was a battery cooling issue it would have shown up in Insights in other countries, especially places where the climate is a lot hotter than SL.

Maybe it has and you just never heard about it. Now shut up and go away.

[Pericles]

" Heard about it" ???? What kind of dumb way to get information is that. Not surprising at all coming from you.

Your mentality partly explains why you get your facts wrong so often. Pericles gets his information by "hearing" about things, while the rest of the world gets information by doing proper scientific research.

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.

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Fine, you are an all knowing omniscient being who has seen every bit of info ever published on hybrids. Now shut up and go away.

[GayanR]

I wish I could man!! but its a gift for her b'day so I cant really ask her what she like ... yhh you are right I'm indeed comparing apples and oranges that's what it makes a hard choice .. I think Fit would score in all departments as its a very good well rated car but the only downside is its size..

Man you could have planned it better months before her birthday...you should have just shown her some HIt ...d paper on a random day and while looking on the vehicle section just keep on commenting "ah this looks nice ne"obviously she would have comment on what she likes....lol. if you know what i mean. . More than the car focus on the color choice...

Edited December 10, 2012 by GayanR

[Californikan]

Fine, you are an all knowing omniscient being who has seen every bit of info ever published on hybrids. Now shut up and go away.

LOL......Now you have gotten really desperate and cowardly by deleting my previous post that only responded to your post and was within forum rules.

The major markets are not like SL. Everything is reported online. If owners are having a problem with car, especially a problem as big as hybrid battery life, it will get reported online, usually first on a forum dedicated to that particular car such as Insight Central. Soon after, if it's a real and significant problem, the problem will show on the vehicle reliability studies that are done and published every year.

The Insight has shown no pattern of battery problems in the international forums or in the international reliability surveys. A quick search would have confirmed that to you, but then again you've amply demonstrated that you're not interested in facts.

[GTAm]

This rumor is almost certainly not true.If there was a battery cooling issue it would have shown up in Insights in other countries, especially places where the climate is a lot hotter than SL.

There are so many porblems that come up in Sri Lankan driving conditions that do not show up in hotter places like your Death Valley where they are tested. You simply cannot isolate temperature as the only variable that impacts the car. There's humidity, dust, stop-start traffic, average length of a journey, rutted roads that cause so much vibration on components, impure fuel......the list goes on. Why do you think we owners of Alfa Romeo FPT Twin spark engines are required change their t-belts at every 40,000kms while in the UK 60k?

Will get you comprehensive info shortly. I did not give much attention to it as I trust the guy's tech knowledge. Besides that he's a massive Honda fan and it was grudgingly that he told us this. He also hates Toyotas and the 2nd surprise was that he said the Toyota's cooling system was much better. He also said the UK Honda's were even worse that the Jap ones. Anyway will call him tomorrow.

Anyway I think I should be able to get you some more info shortly.

Edited December 10, 2012 by The Don
Seem to have accidentally inserted about 100 page brakes after last paragraph :)

[Pericles]

LOL......Now you have gotten really desperate and cowardly by deleting my previous post that only responded to your post and was within forum rules.

You've gotten utterly stupid if you think I deleted your post after quoting it in my reply.

Oh wait, I forgot you were born that way. So go away.

[Californikan]

You've gotten utterly stupid if you think I deleted your post after quoting it in my reply.

Oh wait, I forgot you were born that way. So go away.

ok.

[Californikan]

There are so many porblems that come up in Sri Lankan driving conditions that do not show up in hotter places like your Death Valley where they are tested. You simply cannot isolate temperature as the only variable that impacts the car. There's humidity, dust, stop-start traffic, average length of a journey, rutted roads that cause so much vibration on components, impure fuel......the list goes on. Why do you think we owners of Alfa Romeo FPT Twin spark engines are required change their t-belts at every 40,000kms while in the UK 60k?

Will get you comprehensive info shortly. I did not give much attention to it as I trust the guy's tech knowledge. Besides that he's a massive Honda fan and it was grudgingly that he told us this. He also hates Toyotas and the 2nd surprise was that he said the Toyota's cooling system was much better. He also said the UK Honda's were even worse that the Jap ones. Anyway will call him tomorrow.

Anyway I think I should be able to get you some more info shortly.

It would be useful to have more details, GTAm.

I focused in on the cooling because your Honda guy specifically thought that inadequate cooling was a problem.

just heard something about Honda Hybrids from a Honda guy whom I have no reason to doubt. According to him the battery suffers from inadequate cooling in our climate