Smart Car

[FJRocket]

I flew with a friend of mine to Canada two summers ago. We went to a birthday party at a farm near St. Thomas. What a great bunch of friendly, swell folks. It was a fly in/ car show/kegger/barn dance, too. I had a blast.

Parked with the classic show cars was the host's sister's SMART. I didn't know what the heck it was, but I had to check it out. What a neat little (makes a Mini Cooper look big) piece of engineering. Kinda odd ball looking tiny car. She loved it. Got about 60mpg (thanks for the conversion!) and the ride was as good if not better that her last full sized car. Wow!

Back at the motel the next morning, another SMART pulls up in front. The wife gets out. She's like 300+ pounds. Big smile, hops right out and goes into the lobby. Hubby steps out. He's every bit as large as his wife. My pilot friend is a sales rep and never met a stranger. And the conversation was pleasant and lengthy. The driver said the ride with he and his wife was terrific, even at over highway speed. He talked about the fantastic mileage, car features, comfort, quality, etc.. I was sold. Can I get one? Rumor was 2007 for the US. Rats. No such luck.

Finally it looks like the cars are going to be available here in the 1st quarter of 2008. If you want to get in line for the little tripple jugged turbo diesel, you can flop down a refundable $99 deposit. I may not follow through for my Smart ForTwo Passion, but at least I'm qued up!

And the Smart can be had for less than my AE. Maybe better mileage, too. Probably not as much fun, but I'll bet it's more practical.

 

[Kaelaria]

I had been very interested until I saw the pricing of $15k+ last year. They have been much more reasonable in Europe for many years, but still higher than the competition. They have been available through select channels here for over a year, and there are a few around this area I see on weekends. CA is the largest market right now.

 

[twowheelnut]

I've been on their mailing list for quite sometime now. They're doing things right by going with a top flight organization in the form of Penske's UAG, so that's a plus in my book. As I live in a 'boutique' town, this kinda car makes a lot of sense to me as parking is tight, spaces are small, streets are twisty, etc. However, my one big concern is the gas mileage which is not all that different than my Accord. I will be very interested when/if the bring in the little diesel jobby. So, right now, it's wait and see for me.

 

[TheAxeman]

They are pretty cool looking. I've seen a couple of them ripping around here lately. Where did you see the $99.00 deposit? I may have to add one of these things to the toychest. It will most certainly be the yellow to match the VFR. :good:

 

[twowheelnut]

They are pretty cool looking. I've seen a couple of them ripping around here lately. Where did you see the $99.00 deposit? I may have to add one of these things to the toychest. It will most certainly be the yellow to match the VFR. :good:

Careful, it's not a deposit. It merely puts you on the 'list' for one. It is refundable, though.

 

[gr8eyes]

Its engineered and built by Mercedes IIRC.

 

[twowheelnut]

Yep, a joint project with Swatch, the Swiss watch dudes.

 

[TheAxeman]

They are pretty cool looking. I've seen a couple of them ripping around here lately. Where did you see the $99.00 deposit? I may have to add one of these things to the toychest. It will most certainly be the yellow to match the VFR. :good:

Careful, it's not a deposit. It merely puts you on the 'list' for one. It is refundable, though.

Oh no! Not the dreaded PDP AGAIN! :dribble:

 

[FJRSTAR]

I've been on their mailing list for quite sometime now. They're doing things right by going with a top flight organization in the form of Penske's UAG, so that's a plus in my book. As I live in a 'boutique' town, this kinda car makes a lot of sense to me as parking is tight, spaces are small, streets are twisty, etc. However, my one big concern is the gas mileage which is not all that different than my Accord. I will be very interested when/if the bring in the little diesel jobby. So, right now, it's wait and see for me.

What year model is your Accord and what kind of mpg does it get?

 

[twowheelnut]

Oh no! Not the dreaded PDP AGAIN! :dribble:

:lol:

What year model is your Accord and what kind of mpg does it get?

'06 Coupe, 4 cyl, 5 speed. 31 MPG combined (but mostly city), 38 hwy. It always bugs me that a 3,200 lb car gets similar hwy mileage as my 700 lb FJR with only 15 HP difference. Go figger.

 

[Inlaw1]

Yep, going to be marketed through Mercedes starting later this year. A buddy of mine works for one of the largest auto marketing firms out of southern CA. and he is currently doing an east coast Tundra tour but starts training on the SMART car in June for anticipation of it's roll out and subsequent marketing.

 

[twowheelnut]

Yep, going to be marketed through Mercedes starting later this year. A buddy of mine works for one of the largest auto marketing firms out of southern CA. and he is currently doing an east coast Tundra tour but starts training on the SMART car in June for anticipation of it's roll out and subsequent marketing.

Only if said Mercedes dealer is owned by UAG...

 

[kaitsdad]

OK - so what farkles is Skyway going to produce for this one?

and where do you bolt the sliders? Eh?

 

[FJRSTAR]

'06 Coupe, 4 cyl, 5 speed. 31 MPG combined (but mostly city), 38 hwy. It always bugs me that a 3,200 lb car gets similar hwy mileage as my 700 lb FJR with only 15 HP difference. Go figger.

I hear ya'. Things that make you go hmmmm.

 

[Jackson]

There was a recent article in the Rapid City Journal about a guy who bought one of these.

Here's a link to the article, but sometimes articles disappear quickly from newspaper sites. I'll paste the text from the article here:

RAPID CITY resident Rod Pettigrew has a car problem. He has too many of them. So Pettigrew turned to the ultimate solvers of car problems, Tom and Ray Magliozzi otherwise known as “Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers” n on the popular Saturday “Car Talk” morning call-in show on National Public Radio.
Surprisingly, he discovered, “Car Talk” is not a live radio program. He had to submit his problem in advance and talk with a producer about the details. Apparently the show gets 2,000 calls a week, and whittles the list down to about a dozen.

Pettigrew talked by phone with the Magliozzi brothers on Thursday morning, and the conversation was taped and will likely n but there’s no guarantee n be part of “Car Talk” on Saturday, May 5.

Now for the problem. It’s a problem that most people would love to have. The owner of Flooring America in Rapid City, Pettigrew won a 2000 Porsche in a contest put on by a supplier. He already has a Honda S2000, a sporty little car that he likes a lot but doesn’t drive.

Meanwhile, he acquired on behalf of Flooring America a little Smart Car, a tiny Mercedes-made two-seater that turns heads wherever it goes. And since the little car is splashed from stem to stern with bright Flooring America advertising, turning heads is a very good thing for Rod Pettigrew.

He wants to sell either the Porsche or the Honda, in part to defray some of the $24,000 he spent on the Smart Car.

That was the question Pettigrew posed to Click and Clack. And anyone who has listened to the show knows, the answers are usually funny and never short.

“They bantered back and forth and made me feel like about 2 cents,” Pettigrew said. But he’s OK with his role as straight man. He’s a fan of the show.

Their answer, in the end, was to sell the Porsche, but drive it for a week so you can at least tell people you used to own a Porsche.

Meanwhile, Pettigrew remains a huge fan of the Smart Car. It gets 60 miles per gallon of gasoline in town, and 75 mpg on the highway. The little cars are common in Europe, and he saw one on a trip to Montreal, where his daughter attends school.

“I know it would be an attention-getter,” he said.

But the dealer in Montreal told him that Smart Cars can’t be sold in the United States because they don’t meet U.S. automobile standards. He gave up the idea until recently, when he saw a woman driving a red Smart Car on the streets of Rapid City.

He found out there’s a dealer in Bozeman, Mont., that buys Smart Cars from a California importer. The importer installs air bags and other equipment to meet U.S. auto standards.

Pettigrew contacted the Bozeman dealer and bought the car a month ago. Two weeks ago, the advertising cover was added. And Flooring America’s Smart Car has been attracting attention all over town.

“I took it to church last week, and the whole congregation came out to look it,” Pettigrew said. “That’s the idea.”

Car Talk

Rod Pettigrew’s car problem is expected to be presented and solved on National Public Radio’s “Car Talk” sometime during the show on Saturday, May 5. Locally, “Car Talk” airs from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on KBHE Radio 89.3-FM

 

[feejer222]

A picture I took in Rome a few years ago

 

[FJRocket]

From the smartusa.com pages:

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Click here to make your reservation today!

SO we aren't getting the little turbo diesel, but the gas variant that doesn't get the higher mileage? That sucks. Small is convenient, but mileage is KING IMO. Well, we'll just have to see.

Still a lot of car for 15 grand. Hopefully.

Wonder what the environmental impact of one of THESE is like? Anyone want to start that discussion? No? Ok then.

For the money is there anything else out there that competes dollar for donuts? Besides the FJR, I mean?

 

[twowheelnut]

SO we aren't getting the little turbo diesel, but the gas variant that doesn't get the higher mileage? That sucks. Small is convenient, but mileage is KING IMO. Well, we'll just have to see.

Nope. Not initially. It seems that motor is only 45 State compliant at the moment and since most of these gas Smarts will be sold in the other 5 States... I predict the M/M Joe American Car Buyer will soon come to demand diesels and you'll be seeing lots of options within five years - including the Smart version.

 

[FJRocket]

OUCH! That smarts!