Is this a Smart decision?

[dollywobbler]

Ok, I'm afraid it's true. The Smart has somehow wangled its way on to my 'possibles' list. Must admit, it'd be quite something to go from a 15mpg Land Rover to a Smart!

 

But is this stupidity? After all, the early ones have engines that detonate at anything upwards of 30,000 miles, the gearboxes can fail too, the electronics can go screwy and the gearchange itself is so clumsy that it's like getting the village idiot to swap cogs for you. With his knees.

 

A quick check on Ebay results in more 'engine knackered' results than searching for Rover 200. Some have pink stickers on them. My classic insurance policy will tell me to get stuffed. The wife will hate its electrickery. I'll get annoyed with its fault codes and diagnostic requirements.

 

But I STILL want one.

 

 

Is love really all just putting up with a lot of stupidity just because it looks nice and is nice to have a bit of fun with every now and then?

[Mr Lobster]

If you want one, and you obviously know that they can have problems but if that doesn't put you off then get one.

[Torsten2001]

I like the idea but they are HIDEOUS to drive and with their first gear lag they are borderline dangerous!

[warren t claim]

Use your Mini instead!

[ashmicro]

Drive one. They're fucking horrible, and the interior is worse than a CityRover. When I ran Mercs, the dealer invited me to the Northern Ireland launch, and (under duress) I took one for a spin. The late Mrs Ash told the dealer she thought it looked "like it was made from melted-down sex toys"

[Station]

Get one just to get it out of your system, I think they're, ahem, smart little cars for short a-b driving. You probably won't have a problem selling again.

[messerschmitt owner]

Ian

 

the 700s are better than the 600s, a decent set of wide wheels (175 50 15 front and 195 on rears) sorts the understeer, engines aren't too bad - about £850 with a specialist to rebuild, but not too complicated!

 

A £24 code reader is all you need for the basic faults.

 

Gearboxes don't often fail (it's often seals that cost pence that fail), but the clutches can go - my roadster sheared the driveplate at 42k - too much power!

 

You can remap from 51bhp to the best part of 100bhp! And a remap speeds up gear change.

 

In my six years of smart ownership, I have had two fault codes - both caused by a boost control solenoid failing!

 

My fortwo cdi could do 106mph (GPS - private road tailgating a BMW) and my roadster 124mph (GPS autobahn). My 0-60 in 8.1s proves that the roadster at least (which seems to have a stronger engine) is quick off the mark.

[Lankytim]

I like the idea but they are HIDEOUS to drive and with their first gear lag they are borderline dangerous!

 

The one I drove was GR11! I tanked it from Edinburgh to Stratford upon Avon- 80mph all the way (on private roads) They are really comfy, even for a lanky get like me. Amazingly the boot is very generous (I drove round Scotland with a Geordie bloke in the boot- long story). The gear change is a semi-automatic affair, with a gear knob like the ones you used to get on "Out run II" arcade machines.

 

All in all I thought my one was going to be utter toss, but I found it very nice indeed!

[dollywobbler]

In total, I think I've driven about seven of them (including three roadsters). I was glad of the high turnover of staff at Smart Birmingham - but there was certainly no way I was going to pay brand-new money for one! I'm not a Smart virgin.

 

I even borrowed one for 24hrs once (a Cabrio in Numeric blue). I think I'm going to have to get one. As has been said, they're hugely popular so selling shouldn't be an issue.

 

This is unless I end up with a Cappuccino of course - and there's still the small matter of actually selling the Land Rover (must do something about that tomorrow - like washing it, and actually putting it up on the market). I think my next vehicle really must have three cylinders though.

 

A bloke did fit a Mini 1275 engine to a Smart, but I'm not sure it's still around. DVLA shows it as 599cc and not taxed since Nov last year.

[cort16]

Here's some pictures of that 1275gt smart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrKNrVS1x-o

[autofive]

i saw a smart on the back of a truck today, it looked as if it had been rolled and (even if the driver was alive) would of sustained horrific injuries to their arms and legs, as the doors and roof were missing - not cut off by fire brigade for example - they looked like they came off in the crash. there was a lot of blood & 'matter' on the drivers seat and in the footwells

[dollywobbler]

i saw a smart on the back of a truck today, it looked as if it had been rolled and (even if the driver was alive) would of sustained horrific injuries to their arms and legs, as the doors and roof were missing - not cut off by fire brigade for example - they looked like they came off in the crash. there was a lot of blood & 'matter' on the drivers seat and in the footwells

 

You forget. I drive a 2CV. I'm quite used to staring death in the face!

 

My three-pot thoughts may have just been doubled....

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... read=98607

 

This seems ace and is a lot cheaper than a Smart. I don't actually have that sort of money floating around yet though.

[messerschmitt owner]

i saw a smart on the back of a truck today, it looked as if it had been rolled and (even if the driver was alive) would of sustained horrific injuries to their arms and legs, as the doors and roof were missing - not cut off by fire brigade for example - they looked like they came off in the crash. there was a lot of blood & 'matter' on the drivers seat and in the footwells

oh, I don't know - they are quite sturdy wee things - of the small cars, I'd rather be in one than a Suzuki Alto or a Seicento or similar! The roof itself is bonded plastic or glass (unless it was a cabrio), and I find it hard to believe the doors would have come off on their own - you should tale a look at the fifth gear crash test where they drove one at 70 into a wall - you could still open the door and meet your insides again.

 

Driving one is an acquired taste - once you get used to driving one, the gearbox is intuitive - again 700cc better than 600cc, remapped (and better induction) better than standard, bigger wheels better than standard, etc.

[scaryoldcortina]

i saw a smart on the back of a truck today, it looked as if it had been rolled and (even if the driver was alive) would of sustained horrific injuries to their arms and legs, as the doors and roof were missing - not cut off by fire brigade for example - they looked like they came off in the crash. there was a lot of blood & 'matter' on the drivers seat and in the footwells

 

You forget. I drive a 2CV. I'm quite used to staring death in the face!

 

My three-pot thoughts may have just been doubled....

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... read=98607

 

This seems ace and is a lot cheaper than a Smart. I don't actually have that sort of money floating around yet though.

 

I saw a Scimitar in my yard today, it looked as if it had been blown up several times in a couple of months, and the engine was missing. The owner (asuming he is still sane, and not bankrupted) was nowhere to be seen.

[autofive]

i saw a smart on the back of a truck today, it looked as if it had been rolled and (even if the driver was alive) would of sustained horrific injuries to their arms and legs, as the doors and roof were missing - not cut off by fire brigade for example - they looked like they came off in the crash. there was a lot of blood & 'matter' on the drivers seat and in the footwells

 

You forget. I drive a 2CV. I'm quite used to staring death in the face!

 

My three-pot thoughts may have just been doubled....

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... read=98607

 

This seems ace and is a lot cheaper than a Smart. I don't actually have that sort of money floating around yet though.

 

dont agree a sale before the MOT test

[Shep Shepherd]

I drove several ForTwos when I was a car delivery driver in the early 2000s and found them to be almost okay, but they aren't really my sort of car.

[Negative Creep]

Don't do it, they are fucking awful. It has the worst gearbox of any car I've ever used, it jerks forward on every change and overrides your inputs. The ride is spine crushingly hard, its loud, understeers everywhere, no luggage space and the engine note is annoying. Only good thing is the fuel economy and ease of parking

[RoadworkUK]

Yes they understeer more than a Marina and an Avenger having an understeer competition on ice and marbles, yes they smell hotter than the surface of the sun after any moderate caning, yes the ride feels like the roads been ploughed, yes if you thrash the nuts off it you'll only get 35mpg, yes it's expensive, yes it's hideously susceptible to sidewinds, yes you'll look like a bit of a twat, yes the seat has no height adjustment, yes they're prone to occasional mechanical gremlins, yes the removable / exchangable body panels are a total gimmick, yes they're completely pointless if you ever need to carry more than two people, yes the kind of people who first bought them were the worst kinds of eco-bores you'll find this side of a Prius owners convention.

 

Yes, they're basically terrible but I think they're friggin' marvellous. Sounds like half a 911 and the engine note comes from the right direction. Indecently quick and with masses of charisma. I could well be tempted by a new Smart Diesel as an ultra-cheap company car next time round.

[Timewaster]

A giggle for the first 20 minutes, pretty tedious after that.

[CIH]

Understeer city after the A-class did a barrell-roll, no doubt.

[pogweasel]

My daughter wants one. A pink one. She is five. QED.

[pbottomley]

just look at the body kits !!!

 

[Justin Case]

You regret the things that you haven't done more than the things that you have, so go for it......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....... On the other hand if I was living half way up a Welsh mountain, I would go for the cheapest one of these that I could find:

 

[dollywobbler]

New shape Pandas aren't cheap enough yet. I quite like the Sicily version...

 

I might as well admit it. I love girlie cars. The red/white 2CV Dolly is the big giveaway I s'pose, and this probably also explains why I haven't bonded with the muscular Land Rover. I draw the line at Figaros though. They're just shit.

[peter9000uk]

Smart=Gay. A bloke a t work has one and his boyfriend has a 206CC. Mate's missus has a Brabus one and he would rather drive his diesel VW van

 

A car trader mate has yet to sell one to a man. I drove one once less than quarter of a mile and refused to drive it any further and caught the bus home. They are fucking horrible things.

[Fat_Pirate]

I think they're ACE, I've almost bought a couple but they're just a bit too expensive for what you get; a Saxo or 106 is much cheaper and does pretty much the same job with more practicality and durability. And I can assure you I'm 100% HETERO (despite owning a bright red MX5 with big white wheels).

[STUNO]

I think you will hate it.

Buy a Prius, you won't hate it because you will be too bored, and nothing will ever go wrong to get you excited

and it will do 15mpg if you thrash it. No-one at work will believe you telling them that.

[skattrd]

Forget the smart just get a proper kei ... pref something with boost.

[Angrydicky]

Fiat 126?

[face]

I've got a Smart, it's the current 451 model with the Mitsi 3 pot 999cc engine. It's the 'Pulse' version meaning fat wheels and paddle change gears. The semi-auto box is OK - the paddles mean you have control over the changes, which is better. Sounds good, has plenty of character and goes quite well for what it is. Handling is far better than I expected it to be, but mine has a slightly wider track than the pre 2007 models. Good boot space, air-con, CD player etc. It's alright, does me for what I need at the moment - something very cheap to run and reliable. I only do around 5K per year, I only have to fill this up every 3 weeks or so and the tax is £20/year. Residuals are strong too.