Thoughts on the Smart Car

[NickCats]

Alright guys ( and gals ), the Harley is up for sale and the ebay auction ends today and it looks like I have a buyer. I filled up the Boxster yesterday and for the first time I almost hit $60 ( 14.5 gallons x $4.05 = $58.90 ) !

So, I am actually considering buying a Smart Car for the daily commute to work :

http://www.smartusa.com

$11,590 for the base model. 40 mpg city. 8.7 gallon gas tank. 2 dealers in Chicago.

With the price of gas skyrocketing, I was considering keeping the bike, but it doesn’t do me a lot of good in the rain as a dependable daily driver.

I would still keep the Box and the Benz for the winter.

What do you guys think ?

Nick

[nola911]

It depends what your intentions are.... If you dont want the miles on your boxster orbenz, go for it..

But, if you are doing it to save money. If the boxster gets half the mileage of the smart (should be more), you would save 30 dollars a fill up. If you spend 13 on the car after TTL + options, you will have to fill up 433 times to break even. Assuming you fill up weekly, you will have to drive the smart car for +8 years to justify the cost difference.

For that minimal gain, I would much rather be in a fun, safe, sturdy, sporty car than a tin can with no protection.


NOW, if you want to talk fun...
Sell the boxster for ~20, and spend the 13 you were planning to spend anyway and buy a low mileage lotus elise that gets 30mpg. It is still not safe, but it beats driving a smart car for the same basic end result. Plus, its a toyota engine so parts are cheap and easy to come by.

[Kirk]

Car and Driver has a review in their latest issue. I wouldn't get too excited about getting one of these. I swear they said in the print version that there is a two year waiting list after you put down a deposit. I seem to think the price was more around $12K+ too with 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. My '87 CRX weighs the same (1800 lbs) and with a 1.5L 4 cyl. gets 32 mpg city, 44 mpg highway. It's also at least twice as fast, I autocross it regularly, and I can cruise at 95 mph (Nevada desert driving, the Smart tops out at 91 mph). There are other options out there for saving gas that are more readily available and probably a better option for a sports car enthusiast - although not as "cute".

Here it is:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/micro_machines/2008_smart_fortwo_passion_coupe_road_test/(page)/1

[Topless]

I have seen those in France for 10 years. A very useful car for tight downtown traffic like Paris or Chicago. Parking is a snap. You would not get me on the freeway in one though. Max's cost analysis is right on.

[blinkwatt]

hey nick,
i know this may not sound cool but geo metros,ford aspires and older civics all pull 40+ mpg and are $500-$1000 if you look around. just drive the box whenever you fell like it with all the gas you save.

[nola911]

I sold a 96 civic 4 years ago for 2k, while gas was around 2 dollars a gallon.... What a bad mistake.

[Bob Z.]

I've read a couple reviews lately and now I call it the "Stupid" car: gas mileage sucks for its size (not even close to 40 mpg), very little storage, terrible tranny, and the price is too high.

I recently bought a brand new 2007 Chevy Cobalt 5=speed 2-door for commuting and it was $10,700 out the door albeit it is a base car (manual windows, must use key to unlock the doors, etc.) but it has A/C, decent radio with CD/IPOD, and am getting 34+ mpg on my 20 mile stop & go commute. Lots of room, peppy, comfy seats, etc., and a better warranty than the "Stupid" car.

And there are many other comparable cars on the market, domestic & foreign, that would be a "smarter" buy.

[Brucelee]

The Smart car is WAY too small for my taste.

I saw many in France and for our roads and vehicles, it seems like a great way to die fast.

IMHO

[RandallNeighbour]

Max's cost analysis is very accurate at current fuel prices, but what happens if fuel goes to $6 a gallon in the next 3 years?

Would that change anything?

[lucky_topher]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Max's cost analysis is very accurate at current fuel prices, but what happens if fuel goes to $6 a gallon in the next 3 years?

Would that change anything?

probably not too much... the smart car gets a realistic 33mpg, not 40mpg

15,000 mi / 20mpg = 750 gal @ $6.00/gal = $4,500/yr gas
15,000 mi / 33mpg = 454 gal @ $6.00/gal = $2,727/yr gas

savings of $1773/yr

and if you were to just say 40mpg
15,000 mi / 40mpg = 375 gal @ $6.00/gal = $2,250/yr = $2250/yr savings

take into account the cost of the car, the inflated cost now because of lack of availability and heightened demand, the cost for additional insurance, and the fact that the money you are spending on the car up front is money you can't have "working for you" elsewhere (stocks, investments, CDs, 401k)

fact is, if you want a smart, get a smart... but if you want something to help you get ahead on $ with rising gas prices, the answer is a $2000 250cc motorcycle or an $2-3k civic/geometro/etc

[LoveBunny]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

The Smart car is WAY too small for my taste.

I saw many in France and for our roads and vehicles, it seems like a great way to die fast.

IMHO

I agree. Sometimes I get scared in my Boxster with the amount of stupid people driving very large vehicles like maniacs.

[Dr. Kill]

My understanding here is that real world gas mileage figures for this car are much lower than expected with actual highway driving because the small engine just has to work so hard to keep up.

If you are mostly concerned with fuel economy and want another car to keep the miles off of your Porsche, have you considered a diesel? There are many new ones coming out over the next couple of years. I personally am a big fan – you can get all of the fuel economy of a hybrid with the robustness of a diesel engine and none of the unknowns of purchasing a car powered by a transitional technology.

[Grizzly]

Nick! You're serious about this? Have you actually seen one on the road? My neice hit a Smart Car with her Barbie Corvette car last week, totalled the Smart Car and killed the driver. Remember the commercial a few years ago where the guy rents the two-door Speck...yeah, that'll be you.

Seriously, the Smart Car is not for this market. In Europe, they're probably the perfect thing, but here? Nah. The Country is too big. Our locations are too spread out. The traffic flow is too fast.

I did a search for a thread about the Smart, posted on another forum. I couldn't find the thread, but this was the gist. The guy ordered one and waited for delivery. When it came in he loved it. He loved the novelty and the attention he received. After the first few weeks he realized that the car didn't get anywhere near the advertised gas mileage because it had to be pushed so hard just to keep up. He averaged around 30mpg, I think. He was in constant fear for his life while driving it. He couldn't carry his mail to the Post Office. It went 0-60 by Tuesday...etc., etc., etc. In the end, he decided to sell it immediately, before the novelty wore off.

Oh yeah, my wife is begging me to buy her one.

[AUDIOGUY]

Smart car = Death mobile....

I cannot believe that the NHTSA allowed this vehicle on our roadways. I am a director of a large collision facility and if this thing was hit half as hard as most of the normal wrecks we fix, there is a serious chance for injury.

No thanks!!

[Grizzly]

See the mast sticking out of the car. It caught that little metal awning. Nuff said...

[TimAustinW]

This is what I consider the Smart Car to be and how I personally would feel driving one...



and $12K??????? These cars should cost less than $5K. Go find a used 1992 Honda Civic Hatchback VX. It gets 49 mpg on the highway

Fuel Type
Regular

MPG (city)
39

MPG (highway)
49

MPG (combined)
43


Cost to Drive 25 Miles (not with today's gas prices)
$1.97

Fuel to Drive 25 Miles
0.58 gal

Annual Fuel Cost
$1185 (not with today's gas prices)

[NickCats]

C'mon guys, don't sugar coat it, tell me what you REALLY think

I will say, you guys have successfully convinced me NOT to buy one.

Max, thanks for putting it in terms of dollars and cents. That was probably the most compelling arguement of all...

You guys rock !

Nick

[Grizzly]

I just wish they'd have stuck to the prototype. I always like the prototypes better than the production version...

[Tom Blue]

Most of the replies seem to be right on. There are many cars out there with better milage. Now safety; The Smart car has no crumble zones. It depends on the other vehicle's crumble zone to cushion the impact. That's great unless you hit a wall, rock, Jersey barrier, or tree. Just something to put into the "for what it's worth catagory".

[Grizzly]

Originally Posted by Tom Blue

That's great unless you hit a wall...or tree.

I think we should all chip in, but one and try this.