What was YOUR first smart time?
I first saw a smart fortwo in the spring of 2000. It was at the Mercedes-Benz USA company picnic on the beautiful, sprawling grounds of their headquarters in Montvale, N.J.
My wife, who had first seen the smart car in 1999 while traveling in Europe for her job, worked for M-B USA at the time, while I worked for BMW USA. While we were walking the grounds of the complex, we turned a corner and...BAM!! There they were!! Well let me tell you, I've been a car nut all of my life, and I'd NEVER seen anything like this! I immediately fell in love with them and asked my wife about USA availability. She told me M-B was attempting to bring them over, but they were running into one difficulty after another, and that it probably would never happen! I told her "if that thing ever comes to the U.S., we have to get one!". Little did I know it would take 8 years for that dream to come true.
But it did!!
Here's a bit of trivia for you: The Mercedes-Benz USA Vice-President that was overseeing the attempt to import the smart car to the USA was current smart USA President Dave Schembri.
What's YOUR first smart time?
My wife, who had first seen the smart car in 1999 while traveling in Europe for her job, worked for M-B USA at the time, while I worked for BMW USA. While we were walking the grounds of the complex, we turned a corner and...BAM!! There they were!! Well let me tell you, I've been a car nut all of my life, and I'd NEVER seen anything like this! I immediately fell in love with them and asked my wife about USA availability. She told me M-B was attempting to bring them over, but they were running into one difficulty after another, and that it probably would never happen! I told her "if that thing ever comes to the U.S., we have to get one!". Little did I know it would take 8 years for that dream to come true.
But it did!!
Here's a bit of trivia for you: The Mercedes-Benz USA Vice-President that was overseeing the attempt to import the smart car to the USA was current smart USA President Dave Schembri.
What's YOUR first smart time?
Tags: billo, first, itibiti, smart, time
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Janet Doe on -
My first sighting of a smart was last June, 2007 when in Europe with my husband. The beginning of a LOVE AFFAIR! Unfortunately, I am still waiting for my little smartie, and hope to have her very soon. My dealer believes it will be early July (but could be sooner or later). I will add a photo that I took last June in Italy. Keep in mind that this is a picture of a 450, which is shorter than the 451.
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Permalink Reply by Randy Zimmer on -
We went to Germany 10-04 and one of my quests was to drive a smart.
I fired up the A6 rental and found my way to the Berlin dealer.
There, I had to explain I just wanted a joy ride.
The owner of the dealership saw "my" Audi and told me I'd be back for my car real soon!
He really didn't expect such interest.
The car was orange and gas.
I bombed around and thought it was a hoot.
Shifting was tedious but interesting, another few miles to a day and I'd have figured it out.
Next outing was to St Catherine's as soon as I heard smart was in Canada a year or so later.
That demo was a diesel and I was scared to death merging uphill onto a busy QEW.
The difference in performance between the two cars was startling, and maybe the surrounding traffic's pace was too.
I bit the bullet 3/19 and got my own on 2/20ish.
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Permalink Reply by Ken Wagar on -
My first time was seeing a smart parked on the strret in Frankfurt, Germany during a trip in 2000. I fear I was a peeker, placing my face on the window to see inside.
Have been facinated since then leading to my 1st day reservation last March and my delivery on Feb 1 of this year.
Sure haven't been dissapointed so far!
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Permalink Reply by Billo on -
It's funny you mentioned "peeker", as just today I came out of work and could see nose and hand prints on the drivers side window of itibiti! That always pisses me off, but whad'dya gunna do?
BTW...I thought you might be interested in taking a look at the web site I built for my smart. It's located at www.itibitismart.com. Take a look and tell me what you think.
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Permalink Reply by idahosmart on -
For us, it was a trip to London and Paris in March 2004. My wife saw the smart car on the streets and fell in love. Once we got back to the US, she started looking into how to get one in the US, and only found that ZAP was planning to import them. So we put in our deposit with ZAP and impatiently waited. Finally after almost 2 years, ZAP finally got the last EPA/DOT requirements ironed out, and we got our 2003 smart city coupe in late March of 2006, the first in Idaho and the second sold in the Pacific Northwest. We have been smart enthusiasts ever since, and really love the car.
Tom
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Permalink Reply by Lagunatich on -
February 1993 when I joined Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design in Irvine, CA, where we designed the initial concepts.
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Permalink Reply by Steve on -
I fell in love with the smart in August 2004 in Berlin. Had just made the hop over for a vacation with the family and spied a blue / silver one parked near the cafe where we were having lunch. Knew right then I had to have one ... took delivery of my blue/silver passion in May 2008.
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Permalink Reply by Dan 500 on -
A friend came back from a trip to Europe in 1999 and bought me a model of a smart 450(came with red and yellow panels). Wanted one ever since.
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Permalink Reply by JIM AND JACKIE LINTON on -
I was visiting friends in Canada and kept seeing this "little" car over and over. I asked my friend what it was, and he, not being a "car" person did not have a clue. I left and he investigated and told me that it was, BUT it was not being sent to the USA. I, like you wanted this car immeadiately. It is kind of like wanting something you CANNOT have. That makes you want it even more. I was to the point of giving my friend the money to purchase one and just drive it across the border occasionally. THEN I saw the $99 deposit and that did it. I sent in my deposit and the wait began. I would get so excited when I would get anything from SMART and then when I began to configure MY SMART CAR I knew it was almost going to become a reality. Then I continued to WAIT. Then one day the phone rings and they told me MY car was there. I immeadiately asked my wife where the checkbook was.....MY SMART CAR was there. That was about 2 months ago and I have never been so excited about any car I have owned and I have owned MANY cars from street rods featured in magazines, but none of them excited me like this car. I just love my little car. I am continuing to work on a trailer to tow behind it so I can use it more. I have many vehicles so I can choose what I wish to drive from a Freightliner truck down to my motorcycle, but given the choice I hop in to my SMART and away I go. I hope that every owner is having the same happy experience I am having with this car. The fun and love of the automobile has returned to me after many years.
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Permalink Reply by Keith got his smart on -
A 2001 business trip to Barcelona and Berlin. I saw many smarts in both cities. I went on to Frankfurt to visit family and my cousin took my picture standing next one that we saw in a parking lot. Actually sat in one at a dealer in Basel, Switzerland a couple of years later. Been dying to own one ever since.
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