dauphine wrote:Unfortunately, I would not purchase a Versa again. While I do like it, I'm pretty disappointed in several major areas.
We bought our Versa mainly for the fuel economy. Three weeks after we signed on the dotted line it was revised downward which was a big disappointment, and even with very careful driving we've always been at the lower end of the numbers. Also, my Versa has the most fragile paint job I've ever seen. I've never owned a vehicle that has had so much pitting and chipping at only 12 months of ownership. Add a very mediocre local Nissan dealer to the mix and that equals a Honda Fit next time.
I owned a Honda Fit before buying the Versa and let me assure you the grass is definitely not greener on the other side.
The Fit's 5 speed automatic gets 27/33 and the Versa's CVT gets 27/33...you'll also be at the station more often given the tiny 10 gallon fuel tank in the Fit (major pain). I'm sure you'll also enjoy the lovely, constant sloshing noise from the gas tank since it sits right under the driver and passenger seats (safe).
The paint was actually peeling away from the corners of the front bumper before I got rid of the Fit. There were also numerous chips on the hood, bumper and top. Both are economy cars so I didn't expect a BMW paint job from either but the paint on the Versa has held up better than the Fit by a large margin.
Honda dealerships are no better! My Honda Fit was burning a 1/2 quart of oil every 2 weeks and the dealership did nothing about it. I contacted Honda and Honda did nothing about it. The only thing I got was "we'll monitor the problem" while I'm left with adding oil every two weeks. If ya have not noticed...OIL IS EXPENSIVE!! It was a 9 month battle between me, the dealership and Honda that drove me to fly the white flag and trade in the car. I'll admit I have no experience with a Nissan dealership...because I have not had to use one yet. I've had the Versa for 5 months and it's been smooth sailing (knock on wood).
I apologize if I'm coming off a little defensive but my experience with the Honda Fit was horrible. I owned the car 9 months and I honestly have not had that many problems since owning a 1995 Dodge Neon (yeah...I know). The Fit was in the shop constantly for a number of issues ranging from a broken driver's seat to a engine that constantly burned oil. If you look at some of the Honda forums I think you will find just as many complaints with the Fit.