Honda Bucks Sales Trend

[gork57]

While other auto manufacturers flounder due to high fuel prices, Honda actually posted a sales increase in the 1st quarter of 2008:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...8h0&refer=home

A major factor in Honda's number is the timing of the release of the small Fit in the US. It came just as gas prices skyrocketed, and Honda now has a waiting list for this model. Honda's lineup also has the advantage of being weighted with smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles as opposed to competitors such as GM, Ford, and Chrysler, who are loaded with giant SUV's and pickups.

[Project84]

G/F's sister's husband just bought a Fit when I advised him to get a Yaris... I'm curious to hear what kinda numbers it will achieve. At least he opted for the 5sp.

[thisisntjared]

the yaris gets 1-2mpg better than the fit and is mildly more comfortable. the fit handles way better though and is quicker when you rev it up. The fit does have more utility than the yaris with the hatch, but the yaris has the edge on interior ergonomics once you get used the the gauge cluster being in the center of the dash. to be honest, compared to everything else in the new car market you are splitting hairs comparing the two. to anyone looking to get this kind of car i recommend you test drive these two and see which you like more then get it, because nothing else comes close to the quality. with all of this i speak from experience and logging the tanks with both cars.

the auto fit is a 5spd the auto yaris is a 4spd.

FYI, whenever my wife and I go on vacation we will rent a yaris and probably nothing else. then again ive never been able to rent a honda.

i believe honda sales increased when even toyotas dropped because of hondas 08 model styling vs toyotas 08 models.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I have said for years that honda is number one in quality, hands down.

only after my dad bought a corolla a few years ago did I even consider a toyota.

I am now able to say that honda and toyota are at the top and for which one is better is simply an opinion.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by thisisntjared

the yaris gets 1-2mpg better than the fit and is mildly more comfortable. the fit handles way better though and is quicker when you rev it up. The fit does have more utility than the yaris with the hatch, but the yaris has the edge on interior ergonomics once you get used the the gauge cluster being in the center of the dash. to be honest, compared to everything else in the new car market you are splitting hairs comparing the two. to anyone looking to get this kind of car i recommend you test drive these two and see which you like more then get it, because nothing else comes close to the quality. with all of this i speak from experience and logging the tanks with both cars.

the auto fit is a 5spd the auto yaris is a 4spd.

FYI, whenever my wife and I go on vacation we will rent a yaris and probably nothing else. then again ive never been able to rent a honda.

i believe honda sales increased when even toyotas dropped because of hondas 08 model styling vs toyotas 08 models.

The only small car I've ever rented was a Mitsubishi Lancer. I thought it was a total piece of crap. What rental car doesn't have cruise control? On top of that the rental company sprayed this cherry air freshener in the car to cover up the fact that someone smoked in a nonsmoking car. It was awfully nauseating, and as soon as I got the car on the highway I had the bright idea of rolling down all the windows for a minute to blow that cherry stink out of the car. Well, at 75 MPH (I was keeping up with traffic @ 5 over the limit) and all the windows down there was this awful harmonic vibration that reverberated throughout the entire car. After that I went back to renting Mercury Grand Marquis' and Ford Crown Vic's. They get almost 30 highway without any hypermiling and they're comfortable. When I show up in a rented Grand Marquis my friends joke and ask if the old man I carjacked is in the trunk...

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by thisisntjared

i believe honda sales increased when even toyotas dropped because of hondas 08 model styling vs toyotas 08 models.

Also, Toyota has been selling a lot of their Tundra trucks and Sierra SUVs, neither of which are particularly easy on gas (though the Tundra does have plenty of pick-up {no pun intended}). The sales of these models has dropped just like the big three.

[occupant]

My wife and I recently rented a 2007 Corolla LE for a trip to Houston since we don't trust her Taurus on the highway (it overheats badly when you get off the highway). We drove 65-70mph the whole way there and back and averaged 37.1mpg with the automatic. I was impressed with the car but my wife didn't like the upright driving position. I was shocked that a Corolla "LE" didn't come with cruise control, and also that Enterprise wouldn't have cruise control on a "compact" model. I can understand not ordering cruise on an Accent or a Focus or Cobalt, but on a car class above Economy it really should have cruise.

I would happily drive a 2003-2008 Corolla as a daily driver with that sort of good mileage. I'm still looking for a Saturn SW1 5-speed, but if I see a 03-05 or so Corolla 5-speed on a buy-here-pay-here lot I'll consider it.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by occupant

My wife and I recently rented a 2007 Corolla LE for a trip to Houston since we don't trust her Taurus on the highway (it overheats badly when you get off the highway). We drove 65-70mph the whole way there and back and averaged 37.1mpg with the automatic. I was impressed with the car but my wife didn't like the upright driving position. I was shocked that a Corolla "LE" didn't come with cruise control, and also that Enterprise wouldn't have cruise control on a "compact" model. I can understand not ordering cruise on an Accent or a Focus or Cobalt, but on a car class above Economy it really should have cruise.

I would happily drive a 2003-2008 Corolla as a daily driver with that sort of good mileage. I'm still looking for a Saturn SW1 5-speed, but if I see a 03-05 or so Corolla 5-speed on a buy-here-pay-here lot I'll consider it.

Yeah, I had rented that POS Lancer from Enterprise as well. I've been very pleased with their service and prices, and I loved renting big cars and trucks from them. With the deal I usually get from my credit card company I can usually rent a Park Avenue or Grand Marquis for about $25/day unlimited mileage. The one time I rented the Lancer I was renting the car for 1 day, and only planned to put about 100 miles on it so I just asked for the cheapest car I could get. I thought it was strange though... The car had power windows and locks, and no cruise control. I figured cruise should be standard on all rentals unless I got a Geo Metro. Anyway, I'm sticking to American land barges for rentals. If I'm going to drive a rental, I'm going to drive a rental I can enjoy.

The only other time I had anything other than an American vehicle for a rental was when I had Rusty in the shop to be converted to an Turbo 700 R-4 OD transmission. The shop rented me a Ford F150 from Enterprise to drive while they did the work. They had to tear the plastic off the seats... It was brand spankin' new. Had 13 miles on it when I picked it up. The truck stalled the next afternoon right at the top of the hill before my house. I couldn't restart it. 95 miles on it and it wouldn't start. The darn "Security" light was flashing at me. They ended up calling a tow truck for it and they left a Kia SUV at my house. I forget the model, but I gave a co-worker a ride home the next day. He walked out to the parking lot and said "It's the Kia from Korea!", then he told me it looked like a clown car. As soon as he got in and I started it he shouted "Oh my God we're gonna die!". I guess God didn't like that comment as his next job was at a dealership selling cars - one of their brands was Kia

-Jay