It is... the tiniest of cars.
Howdy, everyone. For my birthday this year, my wife and I decided to trade my old Chevy Tahoe in for something a little more fuel efficient. Living in Boulder, we'd seen the Smart about, and wondered if it was a little kit car that folks were putting together in the area.
Then a couple of weeks ago, there was a little black Smart sitting in the food court of the Flatirons Mall, with a station next to it where you could give them your information and enter a raffle to win the car. Intrigued, I gave them my info.
I got a lot of communication shortly thereafter from our local dealership, and performed research on the web concerning the Smart. This is a *neat* little car. The dealership wanted about 15 grand for a fairly sparse package, but fortunately my resourceful wife found a gently used model with a *lot* more features for $11,750.00. For our money, we got the panoramic roof, heated seats (my favorite) a six CD changer, and leather upholstery.
That and the folks at Boulder Nissan were *fantastic* to us, going *way* beyond the call of duty to get us qualified and into the car. We love those guys - thank you Mike and Trent!
So. Since then, I've been tootling about town getting groceries, dropping Goodwill donations, cruising about the lake, etc... I love the way people stop and stare, and point, and giggle.
Interestingly enough, yesterday I went to get some car magnets to slap on the back of the car, and discovered that the body panels on the rear are made of fiberglass instead of metal. Fortunately, the magnets fit on the side of the safety cell. I'm thinking about getting some tasteful flames on the side panels.
My only real complaint so far is the same one I had when I was riding motorcycles years ago - seems like in traffic folks either don't see you, or ignore you. I've had to swerve out of the way more often over the last three days then I had to in my big truck in the entire last year. Folks just don't register me on their radar.
Other than that, I've got nothing bad to say, and have been really enjoying the car. I've been wandering through the manual and Internet tutorials and teaching myself the rudiments of maintenance and repair. Seems so far like there really aren't enough parts in the engine to get confusing, and the design is pretty modular.
Pictures to come...
Then a couple of weeks ago, there was a little black Smart sitting in the food court of the Flatirons Mall, with a station next to it where you could give them your information and enter a raffle to win the car. Intrigued, I gave them my info.
I got a lot of communication shortly thereafter from our local dealership, and performed research on the web concerning the Smart. This is a *neat* little car. The dealership wanted about 15 grand for a fairly sparse package, but fortunately my resourceful wife found a gently used model with a *lot* more features for $11,750.00. For our money, we got the panoramic roof, heated seats (my favorite) a six CD changer, and leather upholstery.
That and the folks at Boulder Nissan were *fantastic* to us, going *way* beyond the call of duty to get us qualified and into the car. We love those guys - thank you Mike and Trent!
So. Since then, I've been tootling about town getting groceries, dropping Goodwill donations, cruising about the lake, etc... I love the way people stop and stare, and point, and giggle.
Interestingly enough, yesterday I went to get some car magnets to slap on the back of the car, and discovered that the body panels on the rear are made of fiberglass instead of metal. Fortunately, the magnets fit on the side of the safety cell. I'm thinking about getting some tasteful flames on the side panels.
My only real complaint so far is the same one I had when I was riding motorcycles years ago - seems like in traffic folks either don't see you, or ignore you. I've had to swerve out of the way more often over the last three days then I had to in my big truck in the entire last year. Folks just don't register me on their radar.
Other than that, I've got nothing bad to say, and have been really enjoying the car. I've been wandering through the manual and Internet tutorials and teaching myself the rudiments of maintenance and repair. Seems so far like there really aren't enough parts in the engine to get confusing, and the design is pretty modular.
Pictures to come...
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Comment
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Comment by mark robinson on November 23, 2009 at 5:40pm -
You leave in the #1 city for pot use. No wonder others don't see you.
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Comment by JohnnyM on November 23, 2009 at 4:58pm -
Dude! +1 for Wolo Bad Boy!
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Comment by spicejax on November 23, 2009 at 1:19pm -
Congrats! Get ready for lots of smiles. You will become one of us smart 'Ambassadors' You will get questions everyday. Enjoy! Check out these groups.
MJB
My spiceJax page, Videos, Blogs My Friend Billo's itibiti page
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Comment by Billo on November 23, 2009 at 1:16pm
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Comment by clicker on November 23, 2009 at 10:20am -
Put in a Wolo Bad Boy airhorn,then they'll notice you!
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Comment by Ryan on November 23, 2009 at 3:00am -
well... i'm surprised you did research on the web, but somehow didn't find information about what the car is made of. The only exposed metal visible on the car without looking UNDER the car is the safety cell bit going around the doors. the outer door panels, hood, front and rear fender/bumper pieces, and the tailgate panel are all plastic.... polypropylene to be exact. same type of plastic you'd find in plastic chairs and Tic-Tac lids.
Glad you like the car. Kinda hoping that Smart will honor the warranty on the car, too.... since i wouldn't bet on a Nissan dealer knowing their way around the Smart.... not to mention i wouldn't want to work on anything engine-related myself, since it's difficult to see the majority of the engine.
can't wait to see pics, too.
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Comment by Rob on November 23, 2009 at 12:15am -
Congratulations!
Your are correct that you have to watch others. I have owned some of the smallest cars you can get in the United States. I have never been sure if they don't see the cars or simply don't care. You can try running with your headlights on like you would a motorcycle. The total number of times I had to "duck" out of the way wasn't too bad. The good thing is that the little cars a very nimble.
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