i am a working stiff (Lights/sound/carpentry for theatre) and a technogeek and im highly considering getting this car once i move out of NYC later this year. carpentry tools, theatre lights, and speakers are not small and light by any means. and that glove compartment would fit (ha!) a mac mini nicely.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
Wes, I felt the exact same way, I even left a comment on Part three of the review, saying that the car is also for working stiffs. Many working stiffs have to get to work, where they drive the company truck or van to get around. Also, you are on the internet, so a lot of non-Americans read your site. In Toronto, the average 'working stiff' drives a Forest Green '98 Civic Sedan to work
@Citroen_SM: To be fair, in Toronto, the average everybody drives a Forest Green '98 Civic sedan, unless they're a driving instructor. In that case, it's a late model Corolla, in black or beige.
iPod connectors mean nothing to true geeks. We usually just plan on ripping out the stereo to make room for a computer anyway... doesn't always happen but that's usually the plan.
Well said. What do I want with some nice middle-grade stereo head unit if it doesn't have a VGA touchscreen to hook up the CarPC to? It'll just get removed. Like that other guy said, if it gives me a nice double-DIN hole to work with, and some 12V wiring a little heavier than 12-gauge... that's a solid start.
Geeks? iPod? There are levels of geekiness you haven't even seen....
To be a true geeks car, it needs two things: a built in USB port (real geeks don't always have tragically hip iPods, some of us prefer jump drives) and a power inverter with a 120v outlet to plug in your laptop. Added bonus points for two or three lighter sockets for the GPS, coffee maker, refrigerator, etc. I have added these basic things to my 311k mile Frontier as I find them very useful. So, I can interface an iPod, run my laptop and run my GPS all off the truck's original electrical system and my aftermarket CD player. I consider these inexpensive additions to be almost mandatory in a modern car to add the functionality and adaptability most of us now need in a car. (I added the inverter and an extra lighter plug myself as one just will not do!)
You guys crack me up. While this, in my opinion, is not as hilarious as the Jalopnik Mobile Command Center or the Clap-Infected Koala (
I must, however, disagree with the distinction that you have argued insofar as what constitutes a car that appeals to the "Tuner Crowd" and a car that appeals to the "Technogeek" crowd. It would seem to me that the "Tuner Crowd" could give a crap about the technowizardry that an OEM car comes with; they only care how much they can jack up the performance numbers and how well the platform lends itself to such modifications; this is there overwhelming purpose in life.
A technogeek, on the other hand, could care less how fast the damn car goes, and, to a certain extent, probably also don't care what gadgetry is already included. All that they care about is style and efficiency of packaging to allow them to cram their cars with as much of their own gadgetry as possible, hence the runaway success of cars such as the Honda Element and Scion xB.
With those distinction in mind, I would say that the new Fit would appeal to both. As DoctorNine pointed out, this sucker is as broadly tunable as a Civic, with no shortage of aftermarket performance upgrades of all types. Additionally, thanks to ingenious ergonomic engineering, the car is also very efficient from a standpoint of the maximization of internal volume, which, roughly translated, mean all sorts of room for all sorts to technowizardy.
And so I think that the car would be equally appealing to both the "Tuner Crowd" and the "Technogeek" crowd. As far as a car for the working stiff goes, if we are operating on the definition provided by Wes, then no, I cannot see what appeal that this would have to a working stiff over something like the upcoming Ford Transit.
Look at the demographic for the Honda Jazz in the UK to start. It's the perfect car for older ladies. The seats fold down really easy (almost like they designed a lot of the car so that it would be easy on arthritic hands), it's easy to park, and has a light clutch. Don't believe me? Look at the exterior, it's blatantly been designed to "have a face" and a cute look to it.
It's the ideal car for taking to the shops, while being very easy to drive, easy to park and easy to use for older people. All while being cheap on gas and insurance to cater to fixed incomes. You're both wrong.
(see the top gear where they have their mums test drive cars for further reference. They loved the Jazz.)
@Evil-Jeremy: the UK and US have very different car cultures and very different cars. We don't have many nice, practical, fun hatches here, so the Fit really stands out. If we had Renaults, Citroens, Peugeots, Fiats, Euro Fords, small VWs etc then things might be different.
@Evil-Jeremy: You used "old lady" and "clutch" in the same post.
Old ladies in the US generally drive Crown Victorias, Grands Marquis, and Buicks. None of these have offered manual transmissions since, what, 1982? Not everyone is James May's mom, unfortunately.
I thought the Fit would be a good car for working stiffs BECAUSE of its appeal to technogeeks...tech services could use these as their fleet vehicles (think Best Buy and their black/white Beetles).
It's about time that Jalopnik came out with something that isn't covered by other car blogs, that's not vanilla (like some of the posts have been lately), and that is one that makes me want to participate in again.
Mr. Wert may be a benevolent dictator, but he is a dictator nonetheless. He has to have things just so, and there is little or no room for compromise. That's all well and good, because while other blogs are going under, or transforming themselves into meaningless space, this one is growing. So what does that say about Herr Wert?
Taking the side of Mr. Siler for a moment, he does bring a lot of expertise to the field, and being a typical type "A" personality that he seems to exhibit, has a tough time when he feels he's right, and his boss isn't so right. You need the caliber of writers this site seems to have right now, so I wouldn't piss of Mr. Siler, at least right now.
I'm going with the WertMeister, This is a car for newlyweds and single women who own more than one dog. It isn't techno enough to get geek props. And as for tuner capability, the only credence it gets, is that it is a Honda, and thus anything for Civics and such can be used. So no, not them. Working stiffs are going to get a better vehicle in a new Malibu, or Jetta, or Fusion or something like that. They will need to get some car seats in there, and this Fit is too small. And the mileage isn't even good enough to justify the size issue either. The TDI Jetta slams the Honda. Better resale too. Wert is right this time Wes.
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Geeks? iPod? There are levels of geekiness you haven't even seen....
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All wise ass remarks aside, this whole thing was just a joke, right? Right?
It scares me when mommy and daddy fight. :p
01/31/09
02/01/09
I know, I'm just kidding.
You guys crack me up. While this, in my opinion, is not as hilarious as the Jalopnik Mobile Command Center or the Clap-Infected Koala (
I must, however, disagree with the distinction that you have argued insofar as what constitutes a car that appeals to the "Tuner Crowd" and a car that appeals to the "Technogeek" crowd. It would seem to me that the "Tuner Crowd" could give a crap about the technowizardry that an OEM car comes with; they only care how much they can jack up the performance numbers and how well the platform lends itself to such modifications; this is there overwhelming purpose in life.
A technogeek, on the other hand, could care less how fast the damn car goes, and, to a certain extent, probably also don't care what gadgetry is already included. All that they care about is style and efficiency of packaging to allow them to cram their cars with as much of their own gadgetry as possible, hence the runaway success of cars such as the Honda Element and Scion xB.
With those distinction in mind, I would say that the new Fit would appeal to both. As DoctorNine pointed out, this sucker is as broadly tunable as a Civic, with no shortage of aftermarket performance upgrades of all types. Additionally, thanks to ingenious ergonomic engineering, the car is also very efficient from a standpoint of the maximization of internal volume, which, roughly translated, mean all sorts of room for all sorts to technowizardy.
And so I think that the car would be equally appealing to both the "Tuner Crowd" and the "Technogeek" crowd. As far as a car for the working stiff goes, if we are operating on the definition provided by Wes, then no, I cannot see what appeal that this would have to a working stiff over something like the upcoming Ford Transit.
You're both wrong, and you're both right.
And I am good at kissing ass in equal measure.
01/30/09
"Wert, you ignorant slut..."
and left it at that. Short and sweet.
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You leave in the morning
With everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face
Mother will never understand
Why you had to leave
But the employment you seek
Will never be found at Jalop-nik
But the love for your ass
Will always be found at Jalop
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
01/30/09
Look at the demographic for the Honda Jazz in the UK to start. It's the perfect car for older ladies. The seats fold down really easy (almost like they designed a lot of the car so that it would be easy on arthritic hands), it's easy to park, and has a light clutch. Don't believe me? Look at the exterior, it's blatantly been designed to "have a face" and a cute look to it.
It's the ideal car for taking to the shops, while being very easy to drive, easy to park and easy to use for older people. All while being cheap on gas and insurance to cater to fixed incomes. You're both wrong.
(see the top gear where they have their mums test drive cars for further reference. They loved the Jazz.)
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01/30/09
Old ladies in the US generally drive Crown Victorias, Grands Marquis, and Buicks. None of these have offered manual transmissions since, what, 1982? Not everyone is James May's mom, unfortunately.
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And for Ray´s statement about two and four wheeled vehicles, I must say I prefer the two wheeled.
Ray you would have been a good Sturm Abteilung Obergruppenführer
01/30/09
Or was that Argentina?
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Mr. Wert may be a benevolent dictator, but he is a dictator nonetheless. He has to have things just so, and there is little or no room for compromise. That's all well and good, because while other blogs are going under, or transforming themselves into meaningless space, this one is growing. So what does that say about Herr Wert?
Taking the side of Mr. Siler for a moment, he does bring a lot of expertise to the field, and being a typical type "A" personality that he seems to exhibit, has a tough time when he feels he's right, and his boss isn't so right. You need the caliber of writers this site seems to have right now, so I wouldn't piss of Mr. Siler, at least right now.
By the way, do you know I write for another blog?
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