Thoughts on the Smart Car

[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!!