Pros and cons of a smart car
My husband and I are very interesting in buying a smart car. We have had a long streak of bad luck with our current car ('02 Ford Focus) and are tired of paying to have it fixed every few months. I would be interested to hear some feedback on the pros and cons of owning one of these cars to help us make a decision. We take several 3-4 hour trips to visit family yearly. He has to drive about 15 miles to work 3 to 4 days a week. Has anyone had any problems with their cars in circumstances like these? Does it seem to run smooth after long trips? Anything else you can add would be appreciated. Thanks a lot!
Tags: cons, engine, pros, trips
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ryan on -
well.... i haven't really taken any long trips yet, besides the two hour round trip drive to my closest dealer... but there are stories on here of people taking their Smart quite far without issue, even pretty much cross-country.
For the cons section.... i'd have to say that sometimes a quirk DOES come up...... but that's not something that's a surprise, since not everything is 100% perfect..... something's bound to turn up. I will say though that the problems are typically resolved quite quickly.
As for the pros..... i'd have to say that the biggest pro is that if you hadn't taken a test drive of one yet, which i highly suggest you do, you'll more than likely fall in love with the car immediately. I have to say it's one of the most fun cars to drive, period. Small, agile, and for a 70hp 3-cylinder engine, it can really move if you want it to. Not to mention the fact that i have to say the Smart seems to make people more courteous both on the road, and off the road. By that, i mean you'll wind up talking to more people than you once knew were even able to speak. The only bad thing is that it seems like no matter what, there's a 50/50 split of opinions with the general public. You'll either have the people that are into new things, that love the car, and think it's awesome, or the typical US Citizen who is obsessed with vehicles big enough to have their own zip code, stating that "If you get hit by a semi, you're dead".... which is the same no matter WHAT car you're driving. I honestly feel more comfortable driving my Smart than i do driving my mom's Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. Not sure though if that comfort is due to the idea of all the safety features that the Smart has that the Jeep probably doesn't, or if it's because of all the room inside the car.
Went on a fun run with the local smart car group here (Smart Alec's Car Club of the Lehigh Valley) down a nice long country road, and without fail, if we came to a 4-way stop, the people who were coming from the sides let every Smart in the group through first so we could stay together. Don't think you'll find that kind of courtesy from people if you're driving any other car around in a rather large group. There were also people who went to turn down a road, and slowed almost to a stop just to watch us all pass.... occasionally waving to us, and we'd beep back. One of the sales specialists from the local dealer even came on the little travel with us.
Like i said.... the best way to know whether you'll like the car or not is to test drive one. I test drove one and reserved mine the same day... and that was a year before i actually was able to take ownership of one. Had mine since near the end of April, and i still love it.
edit: wow.... didn't realise i typed THAT much...
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Permalink Reply by Neco on -
Which Smart Fortwo Model are you interested in? I've had my 08' Smart Fortwo Passion for exactly 1 year now, I bought my car from Smart Center Buffalo July 24, 2008.
I really like my Smart, there are definitely pros and cons to having the car. I got the premium package added to my Smart, adding heated leather seats and fog light to my car. I like all the attention I get because of the car.
The cons of the car almost always have a solution. I find that the transmission of the car is a little quirky, to counter this I'm planning on getting a sprint booster to allow smoother shifting. Also when you hit a bump in the road you really feel it. I plan to get the Barbus suspension to counter this.
I live in Western New York and this past winter I found the car to be very good in the snow. The ESP (Electronic Stability Program) really helps on slippery roads.
The farthest I've traveled in my Smart was from Niagara Falls/ Buffalo area to New York City. The car really keeps up on the highway, even without cruise control it's a really comfy ride.
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Permalink Reply by Guy H on -
If you test-drive one, it's pretty much what-you-see-is-what-you-get.
What I mean by that is the differences between this car are noticeable right away in a test drive. The transmission is different and it rides a little rough.
But, that's about it. Any other difference is positive, like it being the most cost-efficient new vehicle you can buy (when you take purchase price and fuel-efficiency into consideration). Or, like other have said, people stop you and talk in parking lots and stop lights. Or, you feel like you're driving around handing out smiles all day long. :-)
This is a perfect commuter car for that 15-mile drive. It's probably not the perfect car for a 3- to 4-hour drive, but certainly not bad for that kind of thing. Smart doesn't offer cruise control, so you'll have to weigh the options of installing that on your own.
And, I'm sure you've thought of this, but it probably wouldn't be the ONLY car I would own. After all, you can't carry more than two people and you don't have much room for stuff. But, if you're ok with that, good for you.
One last thing...I've got almost 5,000 miles on my '09 Passion, and I have not had ONE thing go wrong. So far, everything has been PERFECT.
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Permalink Reply by Brabus007 on -
To help consumers select the most cost-effective vehicles with respect to fuel economy,
the experts at Cars.com identified the top 10 gas-only cars and the top five hybrid
vehicles that deliver the best bang for the buck based on base sticker price and
estimated lifetime fuel costs. The new Smart ForTwo tops the list with a base price
slightly more than $11,000 for a two-door hatchback and average fuel economy of 33
mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway.
The list was compiled by combining each car's base sticker price (as of 5/9/08) with a
fuel cost estimate based on its EPA-estimated gas mileage. Fuel costs assume that the
car is driven 15,000 miles per year, 55 percent in the city and 45 percent on the highway;
that the cost of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.40 a gallon; and that the car is owned for
eight years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gas-Only Cars~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All cars listed have a manual transmission.
Vehicle__________MPG(city/hwy) Base Sticker+8 Year Fuel Cost=Sticker & Fuel Total
1.Smart ForTwo~~~33/41~~~~~~~ $11,590 ~~~~~~$12,273*~~~~~~$22,868
2.Toyota Yaris ~~~~29/36~~~~~~~$11,350~~~~~~~$12,838~~~~~~~$24,188
3.Hyundai Accent~~27/32~~~~~~~$10,775~~~~~~~$14,049~~~~~~~$24,824
4.Kia Rio~~~~~~~~27/32~~~~~~~$10,890~~~~~~~$14,049~~~~~~~$24,939
5.Chevrolet Aveo5~24/34~~~~~~~$10,235~~~~~~~$14,750~~~~~~~$24,985
6.Nissan Versa~~~26/31~~~~~~~$12,880~~~~~~~$14,553~~~~~~~$27,433
7.Chevrolet Aveo~~24/34~~~~~~~$12,170~~~~~~~$14,750~~~~~~~$26,920
8.Honda Fit~~~~~~28/34~~~~~~~$13,414~~~~~~~$13,950~~~~~~~$27,364
9.Toyota Corolla~~28/37~~~~~~~$14,405~~~~~~~$12,976~~~~~~~$27,381
10.Scion xD~~~~~24/32~~~~~~~$14,550~~~~~~~$13,875~~~~~~~$28,425
(*) Smart Wins Even With Premium Fuel...<:-))
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hybrid Cars~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vehicle___________MPG(city/hwy) Base Sticker+8 Year Fuel Cost=Sticker & Fuel Total
1.Toyota Prius~~~~~~~~48/45~~~~~$21,100~~~~~~$8,755~~~~~~~~$29,855
2.Honda Civic Hybrid~~~40/45~~~~~$22,600~~~~~~$9,690~~~~~~~~$32,290
3.Toyota Camry Hybrid~~33/34~~~~~$25,200~~~~~~$12,200~~~~~~~$37,400
4.Nissan Altima Hybrid~~35/33~~~~~$25,480~~~~~~$11,975~~~~~~~$37,455
5.Saturn Aura~~~~~~~~24/32~~~~~$23,640~~~~~~$15,088~~~~~~~$38,728
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Permalink Reply by jwight on -
Need to carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood? Need to carry more than two people? Want room for lots of luggage, coolers, etc. on long trips? The smart is not that car. If you want a unique two seater with adequate cargo room for its size, great gas mileage and all the usual Mercedes safety features, the smart may be for you. May, because until you drive one (and not just a 5 minute around the block test) you won't know. The transmission is "quirky" but does its job well and most people adapt to it quickly. Not the best factory stereo or A/C in the world and lots of plastic trim, but the cars are well made and very reliable so far. Yes, there have been problems but nothing the dealers can't handle under warranty. Read some reviews (most will be negative) and then take one or two extended test drives and see what you think about the negatives in the test reviews. Then find some local owners and talk to them about their cars. In the end, it's your call if the car is right for you but at least 33,000 owners so far think it is right for them. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Joe on -
It's a different car to drive. As people said, the transmission is different and takes some getting used to (be fair, you, like most people I think, will *hate* it the first time you feel it shift, drive it a little more than that and you'll adapt quickly to it). It has a remarkable amount of cargo space for it's size, but there aren't any spaces for particularly "large" cargo without come creativity (that said, I did get a 40" flatscreen TV, in the box, in mine and still closed the hatch).
That said, I *adore* my Smart car. It's by far the most fun to drive car I've ever had. The mileage is excellent, for a small car it handles very well and has better performance than I had expected out of a small engine, and the phrase above "you feel like you're driving around handing out smiles all day long" couldn't be more true. My car seems to make random strangers just plain happy. Few weeks ago I had a girl run up to me stopped at a stop sign and ask if she could hug my car because it was so cute. :-)
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Permalink Reply by George Oller on -
I agree with what everyone else has already stated. I have three other cars with "real" manual transmissions, so the Smart gearbox was no problem for me. I actually enjoy feeling it shift and have no issues with it. My car is an '09 and has the upgrade, but the '08 I drove on the smart tour shifted ok to me. My other cars are also two seaters and I am happy not being the designated car pool driver. My wife does have a Nissan Quest van for those times when a back seat is required. Take a long test drive in the Smart, both highway and city streets. Don't be talked into once around the block. Make sure you know what you are buying. Even though a Smart is inexpensive, it is still a lot of hard earned cash. Good luck with whatever you decide. George
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Permalink Reply by Jim VW on -
I agree. This car is not for everyone. USA drivers have been pampered for a long time with cushy suspension and slushy automatic transmissions. The suspension is a bit bone jarring on rough roads, and the transmission does take a little getting used to. I use mine as the main driver on my 45 mile each way commute, with trips on the weekend and roughly go about 600-700 miles a week. Since I am over 6'4" and pushing 300 lbs, I don't fit in many newer small cars, or even intermediate cars. I fit in the smart just fine. I did go for the extra AC in my Pure, and I added the aftermarket cruise (area 451) Since I have a Black/Black/Black, the AC keeps up fine and the handling in the snow is good for a rear wheel drive car.
The down side is... only 2 seats, Rock Star status when you stop or fill with gas, (everyone wants to ask questions) and the hardest part is to keep from constantly grinning like a fool when you are driving.
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Permalink Reply by Tom Owens on -
I have driven 4 - 5 hour drives in my smart and it handles as good as I would expect. Runs smooth on highway. It would be better if the car had a 6th gear. I love the car so my views would be quite different. I drive all the time on the highway so I am use to it. I don't really have to many people ask me about my car maybe I just alway look mad or something, or maybe its because I live in Michigan and if its not "big 3" its no good.
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Permalink Reply by Seumas on -
Pro's, in my opinion: Fuel efficient, comfortable, safe, roomy inside, dam fun to drive, parking is never an issue, oil changes are easy as pie!.
Con's: Shifting, stiff suspension, front brake pads make a lot of dust, be prepared to clean them regularly.
As far as problems, I had 2 issues with mine. First my "crankshaft position sensor" went bad, then I had a faulty wiring harness and the power line to my fuel pump was shorting out causing the fuel pump fuse to blow. Both issues were fixed for free of course, including all towing. Since then I have done almost 3,000 miles with out so much as a hiccup.
As far as trips, I regularly drive 300 miles to and back to visit family in central FL. The car drives just fine no matter how long you have driven it. I did install an after market CC because of my frequent trips and I must say it has been a life saver and really makes my trips easier. I highly recommend that as an add on. Most dealers will install it for you as well.
I drive my smart daily, it is my main form of transportation, I probably do 2-300 miles a week.(time for me to buy an extended warranty lol) My car holds up just fine. At one point I was weary of my purchase but that was of course when it broke down on me and left me car less for about a week. Since then it has performed flawlessly. Overall, the pro's out weigh the cons in my opinion. I'd make my purchase again in hindsight.
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Permalink Reply by Kristen Whaley on -
Thanks to everyone for all of your input. We will definitely take all of this into consideration. Maybe we will have a smart of our own soon =)
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Permalink Reply by Jim Yedor on
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Kristen- Every car is a compromise in some way. The smart is a blast to drive and the absolutely perfect city car and for a 15 mile commute there is nothing better. All of the space issues (hauling stuff, carrying wood, a full Costco shopping cart of stuff-won't fit!) are obvious due to it's size. It will hold luggage for two for an extended weekend trip. There is no convertible in it's price range and equipped as well. We Cabrio owners can't understand what coup owners were thinking!
On a long road trip the longer the car the smoother the ride. On smooth highway the smart is just fiine. Here in California the freeways were poured in sections, each about 12 feet long. A longer car smooths out the bump bump bump those sections present. The smart bounces along- my solution is to go fast-I cruise the freeway between 70 and 80 mph. The car is stable but you will notice the tailwind from big trucks.
The other posters are all correct. And the car is quirky. That is a big part of it's appeal. I have had my car 14 months.People see it and smile. They stop me to ask questions. It happens almost every day and I live in a town with a dozen smarts on the road. I own 5 other cars. I prefer to drive the smart except for long road trips- 6-8 hours. And I put the top down every day!
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