Why not go the slightly used route? A 2010/2011 model would undoubtedly save a pretty significant amount of money.
This will be the first new car I've ever owned. Got two hand-me-downs when I was a teenager and bought a used lil' k-car when I was in Japan. When we moved back to the States, we didn't have shit for cash and my Grandmother gave us her old Accord, since she rarely ever used it. It lasted for over three years, so I can't complain.
Anyway Fits are cheap enough as-is and there's not going to be much of a difference with a used model. We also don't have the time to be looking for the right used car in the right condition and then getting it inspected...we need to get another car ASAP and my folks want us to have a new one.
If I were the one paying for everything, I'd definitely be going the used route...I know it's a different country and all, but that K-car I had was only 250,000 yen (around $2600 or so) and worked perfectly for over three years. Never had a single problem with it.
But frankly, I have absolutely no idea why people buy new cars to begin with.
Well, in this case, it's my parents offering to help with the car payments (really at this time, it's them paying for like 90% of the monthly payments) and my Dad being firm about getting a new car. We don't want to go through more problems, and with a new model it will be covered by the warranty for 3-4 years if shit does happen.
My wife is the one driving most of the time and my parents are pretty worried about her. It would probably be different if it were my ass driving around.

that depends on his credit. With great credit he can get a brand new car for a negligible amount more than a slightly used one.
I have no reason to believe that I have bad credit. I have zero debt and pay off everything on time. Sent the paperwork in last night.
I'd find out specifically what is wrong with it and have someone you trust look it over. $4200 bucks at a dealership can probably be done for a couple hundred and a few six packs if you have friends/family that are knowledgeable about cars.
Nah, these guys are trustworthy...that's why we keep going back to them. They've fixed a lot shit cheap and have also waived fees when we've brought the car in before. There's a large amount of problems with the car and we've kept it going for as long as we can. Despite being 22 years old, the car only has like 55,000 miles.