how "smart" is a smart car?
I put a $99 reservation fee on the smart car, but then, in thinking about it
I wondered how "smart" it ws to buy one. I had thought t hat, given the
tininess of it, it would get at least 1.5X the mileage of a Toyota Prius, or that
it would be a hybrid and get at least the same. I found out since that it is
a normal gasoline engine, and it gets a mere 35 mpg, which in view of the
latest gas prices, ain't quite what it was cracked up to be in my eyes. I thought it would be smarter, then, to put a sunroof in my Honda Fit, rather
than be on the hook for another $16,000+ tax for the cabriolet model.
It should be noted that I also have these 3 vintage cars: a silver1971 BMW 2800 CS I call Robocop, a 1976 BMW 2002 emerald green sedan (the Green Hornet) and 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer gas-guzzler I call "The Beast"
I wondered how "smart" it ws to buy one. I had thought t hat, given the
tininess of it, it would get at least 1.5X the mileage of a Toyota Prius, or that
it would be a hybrid and get at least the same. I found out since that it is
a normal gasoline engine, and it gets a mere 35 mpg, which in view of the
latest gas prices, ain't quite what it was cracked up to be in my eyes. I thought it would be smarter, then, to put a sunroof in my Honda Fit, rather
than be on the hook for another $16,000+ tax for the cabriolet model.
It should be noted that I also have these 3 vintage cars: a silver1971 BMW 2800 CS I call Robocop, a 1976 BMW 2002 emerald green sedan (the Green Hornet) and 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer gas-guzzler I call "The Beast"
Views: 14
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by john on -
1st, as an owner I will admit, a smart isn't for everyone.
I bought mine for: comutting to work ( 23 miles 1 way ) Great milage ( I get low to mid 40's regularly)
comfortable for me, great safty rating ( way better than a yaris ) emitions ( calf. u.l.e.v. II rated ).price, my passion was $14,350 + tax & tic.,
a prius last year was going for over $25,000 ( I can buy a LOT of fuel for $10,000 ) and, IN MY OPINION,
a prius is one of the uglyest cars on the road.
We did a road trip last year, in Nov. Seattle to the grand canyon,3,500 miles with no problems.
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Permalink Reply by Rich Merrill on -
Eric said:I agree with you. I had a reservation, but pulled out because I just can't justify the mpg versus the size and performance. It seems like SMART should realize that people aren't going to want to sacrifice size AND performance AND price for LESS mpg than you can get on much larger and better performing cars. The Toyota Yaris gets something close to 35+ and is a lot bigger and quicker and is the same or better price.
The IDEA of the SMART car is sound, but one thing has to give - either make it CHEAP, with some of the bells and whistles, and the same mpg; or make it the price it is, (fully loaded), and give better performance and better mpg. A car this size and performance should be getting 60 mpg. It's TINY. People expect it to be better mpg than the Prius.
Personally, if it got 50 mpg and was the top of the line cabriolet model, I would be willing to pay $14,000 tops. If it got 35-40 mpg I would spend $12,000 fully loaded. If it were the cheapest model and 50 mpg, I would spend $11,000. Cheapest model at 35-40mpg, $9,000.
Too bad, cuz I really wanted this car, but the mpg and price combo just don't cut it for me - especially since the performance isn't there to justify it. At the very least it should have great performance, but even then, $16k+ for a tiny little car that's just OK on gas? No thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Rich Merrill on
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People should look at what their needs are. You read some people putting the Smart down because it is not a 9 passenger min van, or a pickup truck. If you want one of those buy one of those. The Smart concept is very evident and unless one is a misguided sales person for another make posing as a disgrunteled potential buyer, a Smart is what a Smart is. In our case my wife and I currently have 6 cars and 2 motorcycles licenced and insured, and the Smart fufills a need we have.
I am kind of weary of people trying to make the Smart into things that it is not, and then saying "no thanks".
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Permalink Reply by JohnnyM on -
Rich Merrill said:People should look at what their needs are. You read some people putting the Smart down because it is not a 9 passenger min van, or a pickup truck. If you want one of those buy one of those. The Smart concept is very evident and unless one is a misguided sales person for another make posing as a disgrunteled potential buyer, a Smart is what a Smart is. In our case my wife and I currently have 6 cars and 2 motorcycles licenced and insured, and the Smart fufills a need we have.
I am kind of weary of people trying to make the Smart into things that it is not, and then saying "no thanks".
Right on Rich. Also, some people confuse the smart with an economy car. I don't think the smart was designed to be an economy car. A Micro car , yes. Just look at the features offered on the smart, many not available on the compared economy cars.
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Permalink Reply by Todd Blackley on -
Yup, it's smart if it's what you want / need, not for anything else.
For me this is:
- Cheap (but not too cheap).
- Safe
- Very small (but you sit up high).
- Fun
- Costs less to run (48mpg commuting) and insure $37/month (yeah I'm 50+ no acc, etc).
For me it was the smart choice.
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Permalink Reply by deborah bauer on -
I did the "Smart" thing for a change - I actually rented one for the day. Granted it was not the Cabriolet with
a roof that actually opened, it was the Passion, I think, with a closed moon-roof type window, rather than an
actual sunroof. I was interested in purchasing one through the cash for clunkers program, wanted to turn
in the Jeep Grand Wagoneer -- the Beast. However, this was my experience with it: I liked all the room
inside, much roomier inside than it looks. What I did NOT like, however, was that not only does it feel every
rut and pothole on the road, but the paddle shifter option makes it incredibly a lot of work to drive -- at least to drive it so it doesn't feel like someone is continuously riding the brake. I found that disconcerting and by the time I was through driving it, my hands were gripped around the steering wheel and practically
had to be pried off. Would have been so much more fun, and a smoother and more exhilirating ride, had
there been an actual stick shift rather than the paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
In addition to the amount of effort required to drive the car, there is a substantial lack of power when
trying to get out of the way of a car that is two times heavier and going a lot faster...which is most of
the other cars on the road. Having rented one, unless they make a lot of changes, I would not want
to own one.
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Permalink Reply by Romeo on -
What I like about my smart car? 1, Its not the price of the car Its the prestige. 2, Milles versus per gallon,the I have to go to my harley Get 52 miles per gallon.Its the enjoyment I get when I drive it. 3, The most like about the SMART car is Having all this new friend I correspond with in the internet. Its world wide. Tell me. is there any other car on the world that dedicate people time to find out what going on .Its people choise to buy one, so they get in touch with somebody out threre you dont have to be politicaly correct to own one. You don't have to be white, black , asian, russian or europian to own one and thats smart enough for me...CAN YOU OUT SMART THAT,??????
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Permalink Reply by Scott Merrick on -
We love our Baby Huey. He's a new member of our family and I guess the stats that show that ppl with cars that get better mileage tend to drive more are true. My wife and I have taken to Sunday drives through our lovely local park, or out into the country (Tennessee is only 10 minutes from Nashville) just for fun.
Paddle shifting? Not so much, who needs it? Manual shifting? Once I broke myself of the urge to pull the shifter down for 2nd, I'm good to go and it puts me more in touch with the machine. Automatic shifting? Cool, kickback is my friend, after the 1st 1000 miles.
I wash the boy once a week for a dollar fifty at a local carwash. We bought t nifty chrome skull license plat e for the front and I made a nifty back bumpersticker that you can have too. I hope this is a long and mutually copasetic relationship! Buy one!
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Permalink Reply by Ron Stock on -
Let's face it the smart is a great vehicle. It is what it is. If you don't just fall in love with it, then it is not for you. I love the paddle shifters, but drive without them unless I want to control the shifting. It is the best car (Jeep CJ-7 was good too) that I ever owned. I want to drive it all the time, but sometimes I can't because I have more than one passenger so I use my other vehicle. I would love to get 70mpg, but 40 mpg is not bad. I try to drive around the bumps in the road. Yes it is bump, but it is not a luxury car. If you aren't sure it is for you then don't buy it.
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