cool, thanks. I'm probably gonna check one out soon. The other cool thing is they have a bunch of options for fitting out the inside for storage purposes...I'd probably go with a cage dividing the passengers and cargo, and maybe some 'up high' compartments like overhead bins on a plane for guitars and other lighter stuff. It would be AWESOME if you could build little sleeping lofts up in there.I wouldn't feel good about loading a Fit with 1000 pounds of shit...though those cars are pretty awesome.

EmpireStateTroopers wrote:Anyone have any experience with this bitch?No, they've only been out in the world since '09, but it seems the NAPA stores in our area use them a lot for parts deliveries. That's where I'd start asking about them.

EmpireStateTroopers wrote:So I thinking it's time I growed up and got a car that isn't a hand-me-down honda. Plus I'm fucking sick of breaking my back every monday trying to get 1000 pounds of food and drinks in and out of my stupid sedan. And there's the band equipment thing too.The other day I saw this ugly bitch driving down the road and was intrigued:It's the Ford Transit Connect. It has the wheelbase of a sedan. The make a 'wagon' version with an extra set of windows. It can carry 1600 pounds (not a lot, but probably sufficient for most bands and all of my shopping runs. It's pretty much geared towards small businesses. Biggest cons in the reviews seem to be that it's underpowered...but gets good mileage as a result (26 hwy). I'd like to see it in diesel, with more power, but aside from that it looks pretty cool. well, it looks ugly as shit, really...but it looks really useful for my purposes.Anyone have any experience with this bitch?I saw one up close at the auto show and really liked it. It's kind of like a miniature Dodge Sprinter--love the Sprinter.Totally utilitarian. Quite slow as you note, but you don't care about that....You might consider the Mazda 5 and upcoming Ford C-Max. Cross betw minivan and wagon. Also the Honda Fit--ingenious use of space in that thing. But the Transit Connect is a unique vehicle. I bet if you got one with a manual it wouldn't be deathly slow. You could wind it up a bit.

tmidgett wrote:timmx wrote:tmidgett wrote:www.fightingchance.com...It works. Easiest way to buy a car, cheapest way to buy a car, provided one follows his method to the letter.+1I tried this based on a previous recommendation from Tim on this board.It was easy and I felt like I had complete control over the car buying process for the first time.I love knowing that.It's a great feeling to have the goods on the dealer, having had to haggle on used cars a number of times.In control is right. Just bought a new car using this method. Could not have been easier. Several of the dealers I contacted were pissed I was trying to buy a car this way which proved to me that I was on the right track. Got a great price, no hassles whatsoever. Tim Midgett knows things.

Mr. King has a newer Fit

Anyone here have a newer Honda Fit or Ford Focus hatchback? If so what have been your positive and negative experiences?Retiring the '96 Jetta and these two are at the top of the list right now.

I swear by my Subaru.Rural Quebec, July 2011. She loves Canada

tmidgett wrote:EmpireStateTroopers wrote:So I thinking it's time I growed up and got a car that isn't a hand-me-down honda. Plus I'm fucking sick of breaking my back every monday trying to get 1000 pounds of food and drinks in and out of my stupid sedan. And there's the band equipment thing too.The other day I saw this ugly bitch driving down the road and was intrigued:It's the Ford Transit Connect. It has the wheelbase of a sedan. The make a 'wagon' version with an extra set of windows. It can carry 1600 pounds (not a lot, but probably sufficient for most bands and all of my shopping runs. It's pretty much geared towards small businesses. Biggest cons in the reviews seem to be that it's underpowered...but gets good mileage as a result (26 hwy). I'd like to see it in diesel, with more power, but aside from that it looks pretty cool. well, it looks ugly as shit, really...but it looks really useful for my purposes.Anyone have any experience with this bitch?I saw one up close at the auto show and really liked it. It's kind of like a miniature Dodge Sprinter--love the Sprinter.Totally utilitarian. Quite slow as you note, but you don't care about that....You might consider the Mazda 5 and upcoming Ford C-Max. Cross betw minivan and wagon. Also the Honda Fit--ingenious use of space in that thing. But the Transit Connect is a unique vehicle. I bet if you got one with a manual it wouldn't be deathly slow. You could wind it up a bit.The Mazda 5 does have a good amount of space in it, but I've found to be terrible in the snow. I think it has to do with it being a smaller car, but with a lot of the weight in the rear. It's front wheel drive, but it can't grab worth a shit. I wonder what those fords run.

Thanks for the insights Mr. King. Good to know about the weird snow behavior as I'll be driving whatever car I end up with to the mountains a lot in the winter. And I appreciate the heads up on the wheel theft. One more reason to hate the absurd motor sport that is drift racing. Regarding suspension, I think anything will be a marked improvement over my current car. Cheers!

same wrote:Anyone here have a newer Honda Fit or Ford Focus hatchback? If so what have been your positive and negative experiences?Retiring the '96 Jetta and these two are at the top of the list right now.Hi.I did indeed buy a 2010 Honda Fit Sport (using the Fighting Chance method) about a year and a half ago.It has been a great car for my purposes -- I was looking for something that could haul a bunch of lighting/video/photo gear that wasn't an SUV. Cargo space is pretty insane in that thing (relative to how tiny the car is). The cockpit (is that what you call it) seems plenty spacious -- I am a "husky" 6'1'', plenty of leg and head room.The mileage is pretty good, but not as over-the-moon as I was hoping, unless you're on a long-ass road trip.Negatives:1) On bumpy, pot-holey city streets the Fit is a bumpy, unsmooth ride. If I had the means, I would use the Fit for hauling gear and get a cruiser for city driving -- like an El Dorado or an Escalade or something ridiculous...2) Recent Hondas have brakes that do weird things on snow and ice. It is hard to explain, but they sort of vibrate and give the impression that they are not going to stop the vehicle. I am used to this now, and don't consider it a problem, but it was weird the first winter.3) For some reason, this bottom-of-the-line subcompact car comes with these alloy wheels that are apparently in high demand with the Tokyo Drift crowd -- one day last year, I approached my car to discover the rotors sitting on blocks. Somebody stole the wheels, tires, the whole thing (on the passenger side). Invest in wheel locks.Anyway, it's a fine car. I would recommend one (it is my third Honda, have had surprisingly few problems with them).