[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Smart Car......would you drive one? (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 2/7/2017 10:18:25 AM EDT
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I'm about to pull the trigger on a used Smart car. Something small to run around in. I love my truck for hauling, and towing, but not so much for bumping around town in.
I'm pretty sure I know how this will go, but I'm wondering how GD feels about these little cars. 
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 WILD '09 BIG BLOCK CHEVY POWERED SMART CAR AT RT66 4-26-14 Sure. |
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No
My wife and I bought one in 2008 when they first came out, we went through the whole reservation process etc etc. We had it for one month to the day and traded it in for something else. The gas mileage wasn't good enough to make up for the small size. I also hated the trans and how it drove. I've had 28 vehicles and the Smart car was one of the worst. Luckily back in 2008 they were still a hot commodity and we actually got 1000 MORE on trade for it then we paid. Many other better high mpg alternatives available. |
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I thought about getting one, but after driving a loaner from the Mercedes dealership while my car was in the shop, I couldn't handle how cheap they felt. Not comfortable, and not as fun to drive as they look.
I had a New Beetle that was 1000x more fun to drive, and it was the plain old 4 banger. |
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No. The Smart car is not "smart", with one exception. If you live in high density populated areas.
It was perceived as a highly efficient car, when in reality, it's main purpose was it's space saving design. One could run the basic hp and fuel efficiency numbers against a lot of compact cars and find ones that get better milage with MORE storage/trunk space and passenger room and can travel better at highway speeds. They go real cheap around here, used, for a reason |
| You know I'm pretty sure I could find three photos of any vehicle smashed just saying |
| They are designed for being able to maneuver and park in dense urban environments, especially European ones, where space is extremely limited and streets are narrow. That is their #1 goal and the only real reason to have one. If you don't have to wrestle with tiny streets and scant parking, then there are better options. |
| Wife has one. Gets 45 mpg around town, she has a ten minute commute, and as a bonus an AR15 fits nicely in the storage compartment on the tailgate. I drive a MB E500 and while the Smart isn't a race car, it is reasonably fun to drive and perfect if it suits your needs. The wife loves hers. Ymmv. |
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Quoted:
They are designed for being able to maneuver and park in dense urban environments, especially European ones, where space is extremely limited and streets are narrow. That is their #1 goal and the only real reason to have one. If you don't have to wrestle with tiny streets and scant parking, then there are better options. I thought they existed to boost CAFE numbers. |
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Hell no.
There is hardly room for a couple of bags of groceries. I know a Realtor friend that bought one and after comparing the fuel mileage to my spacious 2011 Corolla it turns out the Corolla actually gets better fuel mileage! If you want small just get a Yaris or Versa. |
 Good for you! - South Park |
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Almost any sub-compact hatchback will get you the same mileage and be 100x as useful.
some of those little tiny hatchbacks will hold a ton of stuff with the rear seat folded down plenty of subcompact cars have a lower MSRP than the smart car the smart car is for city dwellers that want to fit 3 cars into some microscopic garage attached to their brownstone |
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I bought one of the first ones in WI. I loved it. I had the cabriolet.
Since it was so new and unique, it took me forever to do anything because no matter what, people had to stop and ask me all about it. I met my friend on campus one day for lunch, he parked next to me in his gorgeous 911 convertible and a group of stunning women walked up to us and started ogling my car and chatting me up. If was fun to watch his face turn red! The damned thing will do over 90 on the highway, you can ALWAYS find a parking spot. I got 40-45 mpg driving in town and with a heavy foot. Transmission is not very smooth, and the ride is meh, but it's cheap to own, cheap to drive, easy to park and amazingly can carry a lot more than you would expect. If you need a city car, it's really awesome. Btw, I went from a Jaguar XJ8 to the Smart Car. The Jag was the most unreliable car I've ever owned. |