Plaidophile

2008 Honda Fit Sport, black, 5-speed automatic transmission with manual-override paddle shifters and alloy wheels, but otherwise stock (apparently).

I bought it via that broker I mentioned a while back. Fits keep their value pretty well so I only saved about $4000 compared to buying the same thing new from the 2010 model year, but that's okay, since I actually like the 2008 model a lot better (I wouldn't have even considered buying a 2009/2010, since they're fugly and the cabin's been redesigned in a fairly unergonomic way).

Value-wise a Yaris or a Nissan Cube would have probably been better, but both of those models are very scarce around here because they're so popular. Also, the Fit has a few nicer specs, particularly when it comes to cargo capacity and overall versatility. I also like how Honda does a great job of integrating the audio system into the car and makes the audio system decent, unlike Toyota who tends to put something crappy and limited in without really considering that people might want to plug in other things. I don't think the Fit's factory head unit is particularly upgradeable but I also don't see a reason to upgrade it, since it provides all the connectivity I care about.

Anyway, working with Ioanna was pretty interesting. She is very much a perfectionist when it comes to finding a car, but I think all in all that works out pretty well. It did mean that I ended up spending a lot more for a car than I was originally intending to, but the justification is that the same reasons why I wanted a cheap, low-maintenance car lend themselves to easily rationalizing spending a bit more for something I won't actually need to do any maintenance on. Also, buying used from a traditional dealer would have been just as expensive, and buying from a private party is a hell of a lot of hassle (inspections, title transfer, and all the bureaucracy thereof — and California provides plenty of that).

In any case, I'll be receiving the car Friday evening (if all goes well), and that means this weekend I'll finally be able to make use of this new-found freedom that I've been anticipating for a while.