Damn I am pissed. I bought a used car (09 Jetta Sportwagen, lots of HP and nice ride, great shifter) and it wasn't running quite right (go ahead start laughing). Well I figured it was no big deal since it was a 2009 and still has some warranty miles. After I get it back from a rather reputable VW tuning shop, they said it sounded OK and ran right after new plugs/coils/oil ch/tire balance. Well not a mile down the road I can feel it hesitating again. Out of some odd sense that maybe this wasn't the best idea, I took it over to my local Honda dealer and drove a 5sp Fit, and had them look over my car, mostly curious on what trade was. Well they come back with a super low ball number and say it looks like a flood car!! There was 3 inches of water in the spare tire area, which was not there when I got the car because I did look there and it didn't have anything noticeable. They also pointed out some other things like super rusty brake disc centers, rear brake caliper pitting, overabundance of car-be-freshener.
Man I feel like such a douche that I could not see some of that stuff for myself, or walked on the first sign of not being perfect. But I figured with used cars sometimes they won't be 100%. Well this was way worse. I think I am going to do what I should have done, get a new Fit (Honda = reliable) and try to not dwell on my huge loss.

Ouch. I hate stories like that. The car business can be such a crooked mess.

Go get your money back. Who sold it to you? Private owner? Dealer?

You can't find something better than a Fit to buy? Not to mean, but look at the forum you are on.

FWIW, we have a 2010 Honda Fit as a daily driver and it's been a great car-not a single problem. It drives great, gets good fuel mileage, and is actually fun to drive on windy roads.

A guy from my region had a fit for a few years. He always complained that it was under powered and noisy, noisier than his miata with the top down on the highway. He didn't own it very long and to be honest I don't think it had power windows so it my have been the stripped down version. However, there was some funny comment he made about how configurable the rear seat was.

We have a 2005 Accord in the house. I HATE that car. I just finished putting all new locks in it because the keys wouldn't even go into the doors (except the drivers and it was a little goofy). The ignition switch was replaced under warranty and the drivers door lock was rebuilt (the ignition took a different key since the dealer was cheap). At 90k it randomly uses a quart or two of oil....sometimes. I was never a Honda fan, but this one has been frustrating. It warps front rotors in a week...I change them....warped again in about a week (this is going super easy on the brakes). It's paid for so my GF won't part with it. But I keep wishing it would go away.

On the other hand, I bought 4 new VW's (3 2000's and a 2004) and I might prefer the Honda over any of them. They were a real lesson in "living at the dealership".

Your results may vary.

My wife has an automatic Fit, it's pretty good. The 5 speed is way peppier. Would be great if the distribution was closer to 50/50 not 60/40 or whatever it is.
Bottom line I am happier now that i got rid of the VW. Expensive mistake (very) but not totally crippling for me, thankfully.
And FWIW realize my daily beater for the last 8 years has been a 91 Civic wagon 5 speed no power anything including steering. But LOADS of rust. Unfixable rust it got so bad. But 40+ mpg. The Fit is the new version of it.

I had a Honda car once...once. I will never own another. I put 7 engines in that car and a couple of those blew head gaskets which I repaired but still ended up replacing after a while. They all burned massive amounts of oil and one threw a rod through the block. I also had to replace the 5 speed transmission once. I don't think I ever got more than about 30K miles out of an engine. I was a broke college kid, so all I could do was fix it. I couldn't afford a decent car. My wife had a 1998 Acura Integra when we got married. It broke the timing belt at 60k miles and we dumped it as soon as it was fixed.

My 1988 Honda Shadow 1100 motorcycle on the other hand was flawless.

I know lot's of people have had better luck than me with Hondas, but I have been turned off of them for life.