Here is the replacement.

 

Every time it does what where?
[/quote]

apparently the first gen Fits had problems with leaking into the cabin.
[/quote]
When it does what?

. . . warning, this is a joke: I live in a place that hasn't gotten much rain in the last 5 years, until this year. . . and right now, I'm DD'ing the S with the top down.

 

Having an Element I assume you need cargo space , AWD, and the utility of a vehicle that has more space for passengers than the S2k. The thing that bothers me about daily drivers in this category are they are kinda boring. There is to me only one choice that is fun in this category. The choice for AWD,cargo space , and Speed is the Subaru Forester Turbo!
The looks on young Mustang drivers at stoplights is priceless .

 

So, to bring everybody up to speed:

1. Bill, got 95% of ultra-high Blue Book on the car not discounting my high mileage. I'm quite content with the settlement. . . and this is prior to my insurance going after their provider for my deductible (read: deductible is still on the way).

2. sam_spider is still in the lead with "best" replacement suggestion (a Skoda from BringATrailer.com)

3. Honorable Mention goes to King Tut for suggesting a new home as a remediation option.

4. Actual test drives:
Fit - No dealer can keep them on the lot. Anything that would otherwise be a good buy looks like the dealer took the car as-is, then dropped a deuce in the fabric to add "character". Yesterday I drove one with 55K on it, and it was tore up as my ridden-hard-put-away-wet old Element with 168K on it. Miserable or overpriced or both.
Soul - we've seen a few, have test driven zero
Elements - as you can infer from my comment to Legal Bill - I got a good settlement. The Element is back on the table.
Mazda 3 - found a good one, but have not checked it out yet.

RECALLS - both of the Fits I have looked at, as well as the Element I'm looking at tonight, have not had their airbag recalls addressed. No biggie for me, so long as the price is commensurate. They're not supposed to sell the car. . . but having gone through the airbag recall, I'm flexible.

In general, I'm sure some of you in excellent parts of the U.S. and beyond have access to lots of cars. Unfortunately, I'm finding that the better used cars are getting snatched up fast (and priced commensurately) while we go and see a glut of horrible used cars.

 

Congratulations. Let us know if you find a car in another part of the country. I'm sure most of us would be glad to kill an hour or two checking something out for you.

 

 

Before:


2006 EX-P with 167K


After:


2005 EX with 101K

Did I pay too much? Probably. Hell, obviously. That said, I only had bring $500 out of pocket to cover T,T&R. I have the thing over at the shop right now for a look over. It is immaculate inside, and pretty nice for 101K on the outside. . . but my mechanic will be the ultimate judge.

Trunkie's final thought: the economy is doing well, because anything that can be used as a good DD and is clean enough for my gf to sit in is WAY OVERPRICED here. . .