Smart choice?

[panhard65]

I have a customer with one of these awful things. It isn't helped by the fact that he doesn't look after it but it gets through oil almost as quickly as petrol. The gearbox is the worst thing about it. I thought my C3 Pluriel was bad but it was positively smooth compared to the Smart. I don't understand why they are so expensive they are a nightmare to service you even need a special tool to get the plug leads off without damaging them. (after you have removed the rear bumper) Most have had a sump plug conversion but not all, if it hasn't had this done make sure it is the first thing on the list. If he does want something a bit different the Pluriel is quirky and can be had for next to no money. Just avoid the auto and make sure the roof works properly other than that they are a citroen so nothing should ever go wrong.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

slk

Great suggestion and not too bad to get in and out. My dad bought one when he retired - he wanted aTR6 but after looking at numerous £10k rot boxes that were about as fast as his series1 Land Rover he invested £2,000 in a 230SLK auto as a stop gP and know intends to keep it forever.

They're much easier to get in and out than an MX5, if he was ok with a 3 series he should be ok with an SLK.

[beko1987]

My mate had one for a few years back in 2006. 3 up we got it to 109mph downhill on the local bypass! He fitted a stupid sub and amp in it and it used to bouce along with the vibes!

[dollywobbler]

I absolutely adore the looks, but have driven several of them, and they were all utterly disappointing. All the major points have been covered. A car ruined by its gearbox and ride.

[face]

I had a Smart Four-Two for three years, up until a year ago.

 

It was the 'Pulse' version with chunky alloys and the paddle-change option.

 

After 2007 (I think) Smart widened the track on these and the handling was much better - especially with the wide tyres.

 

Gearbox is pretty shit, but OK once you get used to it. Mine was the 71bhp version and it went fairly well and made a nice burble.

 

Only really used locally, but it hussled me and a mate down the motorway to the Cotswolds with no worries. Mine would cruise at 80mph easily.

 

Easy to get in and out of. They're not bad, but had a kind of kit-car feel to them....

[Vince70]

I would have thought that the Mitsubishi Engined fortwo should be coming down into the 3 grand category soon which I imagine would be a better engine..

 

Don't get me wrong as I've driven lots of them and there great fun and once you've adapted to the car the gear changes won't be a problem but the real problem with smart cars is you can either get a goodun or a real pig..

 

I had A roadster years ago when they were still in production and never had an issue with mine apart from the useless main dealers which would alway end up fucking it up if it went in for a service or warranty work etc..

 

But I knew quite a few people who had serous problems with them and quality control from the factory and PDI checks must of been non existent...

 

It's really a 50/50 gamble when you buy an old Smart it could be a mint low mileage garage queen or it could of been totally unreliable so the owner just didn't use it..

 

It may be worth taking someone along who knows Smart cars and there problems before buying..

[face]

Yeah, forgot to say mine had the 999 Mitsi triple.

 

Tell him to get a recent Brabus, I think the current shape screams to 60 in under 9 seconds.

[dollywobbler]

Or save a fortune and buy a Daihatsu Sirion. The self-shifter is meant to be a bit of fun if two-pedal drive is required.

[Mr Lobster]

Don't know what they are worth but £3350 sounds a lot for an eleven year old car to me?

 

Obviously if he wants a Smart then he would definitely* like* this -

 

[phil_lihp]

They do seem to hold their value but I guess that helps come resale time, there might be an 'old out yer aaand deal to be had though.  I think a thoroughly long test drive would be needed, they do seem a bit of a lottery, to me the mileage is something of a double-edged sword as it means wear and tear is minimal but could mean it'll start to go into shock when used regularly.

 

He won't be getting any post-2000 Peugeot, Citroen or Renault whilst I still have breath left in my body, I like the idea of the X90 thingy but for the life of me can't remember the last time I saw one!

[purplebargeken]

Best vid ever of a Smart car being removed from the road. Whoohoo!

[ruffgeezer]

11 years old and only two services? Well walk away from that then. Even the stuff we get that is serviced bi-annually is properly hanging.

 

Would the thought if a proper small car like an Aygo or C1 offend?

[cort16]

The C1/107/Aygo's are great little cars. They're nippy and cost virtually nothing to tax, insurance run. My Mrs had a 5 dr one for a couple of years and I really liked it although the basicness of it annoyed her.

[overrun]

I'll be trying for around £1500 for my Cabrio in the Spring/Summer.

 

Great cars, with an awesome roof setup and as long as the shit, jerky auto box doesn't annoy you, they are more than sufficient.

I imagine most people that want a ForTwo couldn't care less about gearboxes, though.

[KruJoe]

[Wilko220]

 My dad's due to retire and hand back his company 3-series and wants something small and a bit more interesting to buzz around locally in, possibly a convertible but has to be reliable and he wants low mileage, newer than 2000 and full service history.  He has to have something easy to get in and out of with good visibility and light controls   

 

Look no further

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-BN-1-Robin-/271416620103?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f31b0f447

[gary_davidson]

my wife had one of these, cheap to run, easy to get in and out of

 

 

boot space for an 'estate car' is a joke though, we had to get rid of it when wee had kids, we couldn't get a pushchair in

[face]

Isn't the tax hideous on those Jimnys?

[petr]

I have a 2008 Smart cab it is very good had it from near new. My wife uses it mostly, Its been very reliable. We resently did a long run from Yorkshire to Willtshire and back over two days, it was not a bad drive! Dont buy the first type they have the melting pistons and valves a rubish engine. The ones from 2008 have a Mitsubishi 999cc 3B2 engine with or with out a turbo. I have found this non turbo Mitsubishi engine as fitted to ours to run well not had any problem with it. It has had its services and one set of plugs and its now done 40k. Car is not as good on mpg as would be expected. The ride can be a bit bad as its so short and the low profiles dont help.  but it has been cheep open top motoring. I like it very good round town and can mange M ways with out to much of a problem.   

[phil_lihp]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions guys, looks like the Jimny and StreetKa are favourite options right now.  The Smart is likely to be too much of a gamble and too complicated, he's after something with simple and uncomplicated mechanicals that will be reliable which is why I put him on to Jimnys - old tech but that's ideal and the shape fits the bill perfectly in many ways.

[Formula Autos]

You wouldn't go far wrong with one of these:

 

 

The last ones are now approaching ten years old, so they should be cheap. Except they're not. They command fairly strong money these days, as they're actually quite good. Still cheaper than their Lupo siblings though, where swingeing scene tax applies.

 

Basically they're a normal car made shorter. Nothing to phase anyone used to modern hatchbacks, and a pleasant little tool. No rear seat room or boot to speak of, but that's kind-of the point. At a push, in wide spaces, you can park them nose-in to the kerb, in a smart fortwo style.

 

Available in 1 litre pez and (I think 1.9) n/a dizzler form for added grimness, one would have thought - although all versions are fairly decent to drive. 1.4 pez is probably the pick of the bunch though - almost hot hatch performance, given the low weight, with no real insurance penalty or attendant knobheads as fellow owners.

 

Some also came with glazed or roll-back roofs too, if that's worth pursuing.

 

All in all, a pleasant little device. Albeit, a tad saltily priced these days.

[phil_lihp]

Look no further

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-BN-1-Robin-/271416620103?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f31b0f447

 

Hah, someone already suggested that to him.  It isn't high on the list!

[KruJoe]

Remember the Jimny (although more common as a tin top) was available like this:

 

 

Hard-top bits are availble to fill the holes.

Also:

 

 

I know a few people with these, and they love 'em.

 

 

[phil_lihp]

Yes, he's got an eye on a couple of convertible ones at the moment.

[phil_lihp]

Well, after deciding on a Jimny he found 2 near my sister's home town so she went and test drove them for him.  The first one drove nicely and seem ideal until she got back to the dealer and smoke started coming out of the dashboard (damp electrics from a leaking roof apparently a common issue on the soft tops).  The second one was scruffy and was a pig to get into gear.  He then found one nearer to home and that one had dodgy brakes.  This run of bad luck rathered soured the idea so it was back to Smart cars, he found one to test drive and apparently he's just dropped a deposit on it.

 

 

2005, full service history, one owner and fully loaded.  Seems to have been well looked after and apparently it drove very well.  Hopefully it's a good one!

 

Thanks for all the advice chaps, appreciated as always.

[HH-R]

What about a Fiat Panda 100HP? At the moment I reckon they're holding their value just enough not to fall into being run into the ground territory. Never driven one like (some say the ride is on the firm side) but I find the 1.2 fun enough anyway, your old man mightn't want to go from a 3 Series to something with 58 BHP though.

 

They deffo meet the cheap to run with light controls. They're easy to get in and out of, are fairly stone age mechanically (which is why I like 'em) and have excellent visibility for a modern. Afaik it's just a 1.4 16v version of the ancient FIRE with some harder suspension and bigger/wider RIMZ.

[purplebargeken]

Oh dear. Well I wish him luck.

 

Make sure he takes out a bloody good warranty on it though.

 

If the '3 bars' icon appears on the dash, pour on petrol, ignite and walk away quickly.