There haven’t been any Fits to test drive - only manual transmission ones. And honestly...my brief dealings with the Honda dealership here in town left a really bad taste in my mouth, when all was said and done. I wanted to get a chance to try one without committing, and said that several times and thought it was understood (I didn’t sign anything, for goodness sakes!), but they got really ticked off afterward when I clarified that I was still researching. As they understood it, I was ordering one, even though I kept stressing that I wanted to drive one before actually saying I’d buy. Hence nothing signed. Ugh. So...I dunno. I know I could drive elsewhere in hopes of finding nicer Honda folks, but aren’t you supposed to go to a dealership if anything goes wrong with the car when it’s under warranty? Makes me nervous.
I’ve not test driven a Yaris - yet. Only looked at them. But in contrast to the Hondas, they’re around to be demoed, now that I know I’ve got funding lined up. The one thing that immediately stands out is the way they stuck the instrument cluster (speedometer and all) in the middle, as I know I keep saying. That’s just weird. And it seems scary. Also I’d have to actually pick sedan vs hatchback (or “liftback”, to use their terminology). They also seem very small...but a big part of that is just that I’m coming from the van. On paper, they’re about the same as the old car.
I haven’t completely ruled out the Hyundais...I’m just still not totally sold on their longterm reliability. And yes, the lack of resale value scares me.
Honestly, I kinda just want my old Corolla back. Only brand new.
Buying a car is really, really hard, I know that. I spent many a late night trying to find the “perfect” vehicle. You’re doing a great job prioritizing, don’t let the dealer psych you out! They have all their ~acts~ down pat, you just allowed them to use one of ‘em. Of course, you have to drive a car before you buy it! OB and I test drove a Matrix, and the seat angle, accelerater, etc. was such that it wouldn’t work with my replaced hip. Didn’t matter if it fit the other requirements, I wouldn’t have ever be able to drive it!
Long term reliability and resale are valid concerns too. You need to buy something you are comfortable with, now and in the future. We tend to keep vehicles long enough that they have no resale value, but that’s just us. LSA
You don't HAVE to take it back to the dealership from which you bought it. If you find one at a dealer that's farther away, there should be no problem about taking it to the closer one for maintenance.