Prius vs Fit

July 23, 2021 1:43 PM

Back on the used car market. Looking mostly at Priuses and Fits, trying to decide which one would be better for me.

First off, I know car prices are high right now, but due to the implosion of our (t)rusty 2001 Corolla, we don't have a ton of wiggle room. Could probably put this off for a month or so if it felt like it would be a significant savings.

My current car (which will be going to my partner, until-recently the owner of the late Corolla mentioned above) is a 2009 Toyota Matrix, which I like a lot, but which has never been quite the same after suffering an accident on the highway.

The budget I'm looking at is 8k-10k, though I could spend more or less if it made sense in the long run. I am comfortable with private party or dealership sale. I am paying cash unless there's a compelling reason to finance. I'm looking at a lot of options, but the ones that are rising to the top are:

- Prius(es), years 2011-2014, both the traditional design and the C design, with around 100k-130k miles. I think the C models are super cute but after reading about them it seems like I might like a traditional design better (more space, more comfortable)

- Fits, years 2011-2015, 60k-100k miles

- Also looking at Mazda3s, Subaru Imprezas (though I'm really leery of subarus tbh) and Ford Focuses. I like hatchbacks.


Here's some more about me:

I'd like something that will be comfortable for getting around town as well as long road trips, which we take a lot of.

I drive around 10k miles a year, probably split fairly evenly between short city driving trips and long highway trips.

I end up hauling around a fair amount of stuff on a regular basis.

I don't care that much about how the car feels to drive, but I probably would appreciate a less-cheap feeling interior.

I will probably drive this car into the ground.

I am not totally comfortable with a manual but I could get there if the price was right... probably?

I do a fair amount of outdoorsy type stuff and a few times a year I wish I had a car with AWD/better ground clearance, but I don't think I'm willing to prioritize this.

I live in a place that gets snow but I don't need to drive in it too much.

Thoughts?

posted by geegollygosh to Travel & Transportation (23 answers total)

Two of my coworkers own Honda Fits and love them, they talk about how surprisingly roomy it is.

I own a 2015 Prius V which is basically a station wagon, and I like it very much. The interior is much less cheap and junky feeling than my previous Scion Xa (which was utterly reliable but, like, not cosy). It has a lot of room, good sightlines, and gets good mileage. We drive it in snow without snow tires - I bought new tires in fall 2019 and we are happy with how it handles. They don't make them anymore, boo. The only thing that would give me pause about a used hybrid is where it might be in the battery life, which as I understand it is around 10 years to replacement.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 2:10 PM on July 23, 2021

Mazdas are great. The 3 comes in a hatchback. Forget about the Focus. They were discontinued in the US in 2018. I'm sure parts will be be available for some time, but you'd already be three years into the time period that Ford is required to carry spare parts. My mom leased two of them. They were unremarkable.
posted by jonathanhughes at 2:16 PM on July 23, 2021

My 2009 (2010?) Fit is wonderful. I am ALWAYS commenting on how much I can put in there. We just bought a new Subaru Forester and it honestly feels like my Fit can hold more because of how they designed the seats to rearrange.

That being said, as much as I love my Fit now that we have a new comparison car I’m noticing how slow it is to accelerate and it can be a bit loud on the highway. I have taken it on many a long road trip and my only gripe was that we don’t have cruise control.
posted by raccoon409 at 2:24 PM on July 23, 2021

Hm, I might be a good person to answer part of this since I have a '07 Fit (sport model) and Partner of Past Unusual has a '13 (?) Prius. There are pros and cons to both:

Fit
- I love my Fit for feeling small and nimble, but being great for hauling way more than it seems like it should be able to. For example, when friends needed to buy a ladder at the store, they called me to fit it in my car (haha).
- One of my favorite MF comments ever was when Spitbull described the Honda Fit as "one step north of a riding lawnmower". It's perfectly finely made, but it doesn't feel richly made either. It's a very solid and well-made lawnmower. For me, that's a positive - I don't ever feel bad about putting things in my car either, though I do try to treat it not too roughly.
- It gets good gas milage, though less good in the winter (we have very cold winters).
- It is much better in snow because it's basically a lightweight ski that can just ride over moderate amounts of snow. It is low to the ground, so I don't think it'd be amazing in terms of traction on normal ground.
- On the other hand, the battery life on my car is the worst. I've been told I don't drive it enough, so your experience may vary.


Prius
- Definitely more comfortable for long drives, though maybe newer Fits are better on that front.
- Better gas milage, of course, and it starts like a champ in the winter.
- To me, it feels a bit more like driving a couch but that's because I'm used to such a small vehicle.
- The big con for me is that the visibility in driving the Prius is much, much worse. I hate having the bar in my rearview, though I assume that different versions of the Prius might be different.
posted by past unusual at 2:32 PM on July 23, 2021

I owned a 2011 Fit, and generally loved it. Fun to drive, an absolute ton of storage space -- I took it to the farm store nearly every weekend for whatever farm project I needed to be working on.

However, it sucked for long road trips. It's very loud on the highway, and so light that it gets buffeted by winds easily (passing trucks generated enough wind that you can feel the whole car shake). I sold it before moving from the Midwest to California because I didn't want to drive it that far again.
posted by dorothy hawk at 2:32 PM on July 23, 2021

I used to own a 2010 Fit Sport (manual transmission) and now-ex-partner had a slightly older Prius, and I would echo everything past unusual says. The manual Fit is pretty fast to accelerate and a peppy thing to drive, but the automatics feel like a lawnmower in comparison (I test drove both). The Prius can feel sluggish to respond, but it’s much more solid and heavy, something you’ll appreciate if you ever drive it across a bridge in a strong wind.

If your road trips are two people, you’re probably be fine either way. I got stuck in the back of the Fit on a 4-hour-drive-turned-10-hour-drive when a pass in the mountains snowed in and it was not that much fun; if you have 3 or more adults on those road trips, I’d go with the Prius. With two, you’re probably good either way and the tradeoffs are just different - the Prius sometimes struggled up long inclines when the battery ran low and could barely pass semi trucks over the Rockies, but the Fit had a bit less range and worse sound insulation.

Overall, the manual Fit was my favorite, but we sold it for practical reasons when the manual transmission was too much of a pain after moving to a hilly city.
posted by A Blue Moon at 2:51 PM on July 23, 2021

I have a 2013 Fit and I love it. It's been rock-solid, and yes, it can carry SO MUCH STUFF.
posted by BlahLaLa at 3:08 PM on July 23, 2021

I would definitely recommend test-driving both the Fit and the Prius C. I haven't owned either, but thought about buying in 2016, and drove one of each, in roughly the model year range you're looking at. The Prius C is indeed cute and it's not TOO tiny (the friend I borrowed it from regularly uses it for Costco runs for her 6-member household) but it drives like a tin can on the freeway and it's very noisy. The Fit has a lot going for it, and those who love it, LOVE IT, but I found it annoying to drive - it handled roughly and just felt like a hunk of metal.

YMMV of course which is why you should do some test-driving before getting too sold on one car - I feel like at this price point, every car is going to have something about it that may be a deal-breaker for some. FWIW, I wound up buying a Kia Soul, which I like a lot but which accelerates slowly (so that's it's potential deal-breaker).
posted by lunasol at 3:11 PM on July 23, 2021

I've had both and prefer the Prius (not the compact version). I've had minor car accidents in both and the Fit was totalled; the Prius was reparable and is still running great (it's a 2010).
posted by wintersweet at 3:21 PM on July 23, 2021

I wanted a Prius for camping; you can leave the car on and use heat or ventilation; the car will use the hybrid battery and recharge it from the gas engine as needed. I took a winter road trip in the Prius and this worked quite well. It’s comfortable, roomy, and gets excellent mileage. There are good non-dealer options for replacing the hybrid battery if needed; many Priuses don’t ever need a new battery. Downside is finding one.
posted by theora55 at 3:29 PM on July 23, 2021

I have a 2013 honda fit sport (automatic), I'm very happy with it. It's a reliable, very drivable, great car that is perfect for what I do (very small amount of local driving with regular long road trips, sounds maybe similar to your driving pattern). It's indeed great for hauling stuff. Given your comparison set, I will say that aside from the mechanical/structural parts like seat configuration, and car reliability, various aspects of it (things like the interior, accessories, console controls, even gas tank size) will feel somewhat cheaper than just about everything else from the same era and there are things that do beat it on handling/acceleration. Of course, it also *was* quite a bit cheaper when I was bought it new than comparable priuses and mazda 3 hatchbacks, but these price differences may be a bit washed out ~8 years later. I do occasionally have some pangs that I didn't get a prius, when I ride in my parents'. My wife's mazda 3 hatchback (a bit newer) is noticeably more fun to drive and has better interior stuff, and can fit basically as much (just not as elegant of a design). But, on balance, I still think that I just don't drive it enough to have justified the difference for something like a mazda 3. If I haven't driven her car in a while I just get used to the Fit's handling/acceleration and it is fine, and it is on the loud side but for me also not too crazy relative to comparably-shaped or priced cars (this is impacted heavily by tires as well). More accessory-ish things like a backup camera or better phone interface would be nice but people did manage to drive for like 100 years without them. So this is all somewhat equivocal advice I'm afraid. Based on the cars on your list that I have direct experience with and your goals, I don't really think you will go wrong with any of a prius (even C), a mazda 3 hatchback, or a honda fit, as long as it is in good shape when you get it.

(My Fit handles much, much better than a lawnmower, fwiw. I do think that some of the handling/noise complaints about Fits of this era that I've seen in other contexts are often coming from people who have expectations driven by substantially pricier cars. Definitely agree that you should test drive a bunch for yourself and see for yourself how you find them.)
posted by advil at 4:18 PM on July 23, 2021

I drove a 2012 Fit until last year. My main complaints were that the mileage was terrible, considering the low power and small size, and the air conditioning absolutely could not keep up on any very hot, sunny day.

If you can deal with those things, it’s a lot more fun to drive than a Prius, and you can fit a shocking amount of stuff inside of it.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:46 PM on July 23, 2021

As past unusual said above, the worst thing about the Prius is trying to see out the back window. Be aware that the backup camera was not standard in all Prius models in the years you are looking at.
posted by SandiBeech at 6:01 PM on July 23, 2021

I had a 2008 Fit, and although I loved the storage capacity, I found that it was too loud on the hwy, and being that it was a sport version, its ground clearance sucked for winter driving. I now own a 2013 Prius - V and I must say that it has more storage capacity, is so much more comfortable to drive, and just exceeds all expectations I have ever held in a vehicle. It's not a Prius C, so I can't help you there, but the Prius V body is actually based on a Lexus carriage instead of the regular Prius models, and it is truly my most favourite car I've ever owned! That, and the fuel economy is through the roof! I regularly see 5.1 L/100km, or around 45 mpg.
posted by itsflyable at 7:41 PM on July 23, 2021

I drive a 2015 Fit EX, manual 6-speed with 55K miles. I bought it used ~3 years ago after initially planning to buy a Prius. Even after 3 years, I wouldn't say I love it, but the Priuses I test drove were even more gutless and I wanted a low-priced, economical car that still had a bit of zip. And I really enjoy driving a stick shift, so I went with the Fit.

As others have said, it is surprisingly roomy, even in the back seats. It's my first hatchback and it lives up to its name. I even went on an overnight trip and slept in the back with the seats down just for fun and it was adequate, but not luxurious. I've averaged 34 mpg, which is a bit lower than I would like for such a small car, but not bad. It's definitely not throwing you back in your seat when you hit the gas.

It's handled fine in the snow with all-season tires and has been reliable, except for having to replace the starter (Honda dealership split the cost), and a $400 start/stop button replacement (which Honda ended up reimbursing me for due to a recall).

If I had it to do over again, I would seriously consider a Mazda3. It seems like it would be more fun to drive, and might have some more bells and whistles. My EX has a sunroof, cruise control, rear camera and even right-mirror camera (turns on when you put on the right blinker), so it's not spartan, but it's still fairly plain.

All in all I'm not unhappy with the Fit, but I'm not head over heels either.
posted by jaden at 8:49 PM on July 23, 2021

I love my 2011 Fit, but it’s not fun to drive or particularly comfortable (but the mileage and the space!). I have a Sport model, and it’s still not peppy, it’s better than a Smart car but the lawnmower comparison is fair. The road noise can be annoying. The seats start to get uncomfortable about four hours into a long drive (and I’m not a tall person). I think a Prius sounds like a better match for you.
posted by momus_window at 9:32 PM on July 23, 2021

I have both these cars!

My Prius C is tiny tiny. I’m an average height woman and I feel very tall in it. It is much more comfortable for long drives, however, than my Fit.

I will never let go of my 2009 Fit. I can put a refrigerator in there!

I don’t know when the quality of Fits changed, mine is awesome but I test drove a 2018 and it was rickety. I asked the dealer about it and he said they were more cheaply made “these days.”
posted by OrangeVelour at 5:20 AM on July 24, 2021

I drove a Prius C for 5 years and loved loved loved my car; the only reason I don't still have it is we gave it to my sister and I upgraded to a Kia Niro (little bit bigger, sits a little higher, a little more power).

That Prius went all over the place for me and held people of all sizes comfortably (my wife is 5'10", though to be fair we never tried her 6'2" girlfriend, who had the next Prius model up). We drove it from North Carolina to New Orleans, Indiana, DC, and all kinds of places in between (it's cheaper to put grad students in a hybrid than buy plane tickets) and everyone complimented the smooth and quiet ride, so... I never found her to be noisy or a tin can, your mileage will totally vary depending on you.

Tons of cargo space, especially if you put down the seats, good gas mileage (obv), to me a very comfortable long distance driver. She could have been a little peppier driving over the Appalachians, but that was my only grumble. I maintained her at the dealership and costs were always reasonable, too. I never had visibility issues, but I'm 5'2"; you'll have to test drive that for yourself.
posted by joycehealy at 5:36 AM on July 24, 2021

Thanks everyone! I think the next step will be trying to test drive some of them to see how they feel.

(ps spitbull I promise I won't rule out the mazda3! There aren't as many options, though, and they seem to be in rougher shape at my price range. I did once drive a friend's mazda3 (2017, probably?), and while I did like it to be honest I'm not sure I'm a sophisticated enough driver to fully appreciate the better handling etc! I should have been paying more attention, though.)
posted by geegollygosh at 6:43 AM on July 24, 2021

We have a 2009 Mazda 5 and a Prius newer that what you would be looking at.

The Mazda gets 29mpg on the highway, but a disappointing 20mpg around town. The Prius is more like 50mpg on the highway and 35mpg around town. The Mazda is zippy, the Prius is staid. The Prius is really short on cargo capacity, but is sturdier than the Mazda which seems somewhat delicate, especially the upholstery.

Which dealer is more trustworthy and which is more convenient?
posted by SemiSalt at 11:52 AM on July 24, 2021

I can't speak to the Fit, but I love my Prius (2009, so pre-PriusC and PriusV). It's lower mileage than many Priuses its age (only 85K) and runs like a top despite a couple of slightly-more-than-fender-bender wrecks (it even had its catalytic converter stolen in January). The hybrid batteries typically last until well over 250K miles.

The standard model Prius does carry a fair amount, seats four adults comfortably, rides well and is fairly quiet even on the freeway. Manual transmission isn't a thing with the Prius.
posted by lhauser at 4:44 PM on July 24, 2021

I am in the middle of car shopping right now. Hatchbacks and small cars in general are not in vogue right now, which sucks. Just some notes:

- It's impossible to find new Imprezas, they're not making them. I guess with the chip shortage, Subaru is focusing on other models. Not sure how that is affecting the used market.
- New Mazda3 has HORRIBLE rear visibility, not sure what that looks like for previous models. I didn't even go on the freeway because I was afraid to change lanes. They have blind spot sensors on the mirrors but I didn't feel comfortable not being able to see when I turned my head.
- I enjoyed driving the VW Golf, that's one of the few compact hatchbacks left on the market. (I discounted it for comfort reasons but I have very specific requirements that other people don't have.)
posted by radioamy at 9:45 AM on July 25, 2021

When it comes to small cars hauling stuff, the Fit is hard to beat. They are TARDIS-like in their ability to carry loads. One thing that was mentioned above, the AC in our Fit does seem to struggle on the most blazing hot days. Any other hat, and it’s fine. Never had any issues with mileage. Ours seems to sip gas. Definitely not the zippiest car, though.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:41 PM on July 25, 2021