Anyone know much about smart cars ?

[utopia]

Sorry its way off subject, but....
My daughter has been offered one of these as a first car, and I'd like to check for any known issues with them.
This one is a top spec auto (which she needs as she's recovering from smashing her right elbow), with a 1litre engine, and comes from a known private source.
Must admit that as far as I'm aware, the specs sound pretty good to me, but you can't beat a bit of inside info, so I thought I'd put out a feeler to see if any club members had any tales to tell.
Ta.

[scrapps]

Try the Honest John review web site.
I always check on this site for car info as lots of data and honest feed back.

[maxxjod]

Hello,
I had a Smart car as a company car for a week until my new van turned up, i didn't like it very much.
They feel odd to drive due in part to the rear suspension/engine mounting and very little feed back through the steering wheel.
The gearbox felt vague and had a habbit of pushing when braking at low speeds, it wanted to keep the revs up and stay in gear but i wanted it to slow down and stop.
The foot pedals hinge on the floor rather than the bulkhead which feels rather odd.
Good luck if you ever need to change the headlight bulb, most of the front of the car has to come off/apart to get access.
The door locks are prone to sticking leading to doors that will not stay shut, the door locks are also prone to cables freezing in the winter due to ingress of water into the release cable.
The door mirror seals are poor at best leading to wet carpets when it rains.
Have a look at http://www.evilution.co.uk/index.php for more info.
I think Smart cars are a little like marmite, love them or hate them.

[Rally]

I had one for a day as a loan car and loved it as a real fun car. It sat at 80 on the motorway which was fine. I couldn't live with one, but as a fun or second car, it would be great.

A local top business guy chooses to drive his to London daily rather than his Rolls!

[He11cat]

My mum has owned one for a few years they are very safe .
The only downside is servicing is expensive.
( Merc dealers???) she was ill one day got out of the car quick and didn't put the hand break on. The car rolled down the drive and totalled their garage door .. Wrecked it all.
The car did not suffer a scratch ..
Their safety record is one of the best out there.

[Kato]

I'm guessing your daughter has upset you in some way and you want to get your own back......no other reason for getting her a SMART

Crap suspension
Crap G/Box
Unstable at speed
Crap fuel economy
Mega servicing costs
Looks ridiculous

The Smart: it's not just atrocious, it's unnecessarily atrocious. You can get roughly the same or better fuel economy, plus twice the seating capacity, better ride quality, better ergonmics, quicker (and smoother) acceleration, better high-speed stability and better styling FOR THE SAME OR LESS MONEY so why even consider it.

Look at a Corsa or Clio or even a KA personally I hate all of them but all are better all round cars, this comes from almost a year of research since my lad has been old enough to drive, the only good news is he still hasn't decided what he wants so my wallet is happy.......

[Nottsbiker]

...or a Fiat 500 Arbarth or Alfa Mito you know it makes sense ;)

[scrapps]

...or a Fiat 500 Arbarth or Alfa Mito you know it makes sense ;)

My other half has a very nice 500 Abarth and it's a awesome little car.not cheap to run but the sound/speed and great looks are worth the extra cost.

[damien666]

i hired one for a week in north of mallorca the other year. coped well with steep coastal roads, no probs. Roomy enough for two people. Sister in law has just sold hers after 5 years ownership. No corrosion issues because of majority is plastic body. Auto gearbox lets it down being slow. Short wheel base means speed bumps are a nightmare!
My dad has a vw lupo tdi which i can highly recommend with mega mpg, low insurance and £20 year road tax.o

[Scott1]

My mates son has had one for a few years, it's had two problems with a gearbox sensor, which have been a real pain to fix, other than that its been fine.

[Albie]

...or a Fiat 500 Arbarth or Alfa Mito you know it makes sense ;)

Now your talking but oh so expensive to run and service due to excessive power over the average small car that is.
I actually think the smart is a good first car due to its small look. All cars have niggles but Caroline had a nice KA before I got her the 155bhp MiTo but she would not swap back.

I think you just need to make sure it drives ok and looks fine and let her make a decision. All cars go wrong including our MiTo and they wanted to charge me £600 for the headlight sensor problem out just of warranty. They refunded me £250 and now they have lost my money from servicing.

[Nottsbiker]

Useless talking to me about cars, I have a Warrior that laughs when I fill it up and has to have veg oil just to keep it affordable. Thanks god most of my miles are covered by work at 45p per mile....

GF wants a Copen or Figaro - both of these would be cheap to run I'd imagine :)

[damien666]

sister in law that had smart for five years has just got a figaro. I went down to bristol to a specialist importer to suss it out before she bought it. 22 years old, looks like 3 years old

[NewMon]

When they first came out, there was a craze of gangs of kids tipping them over onto their side. It happened to an acquaintance of mine - he wasn't happy.

[utopia]

Thanks for the replies, people.
I must admit that part of me thinks rather like Kato on this subject, but another part of me sees a few benefits in my daughter's particular circumstances.
In particular I like the corrosion proof bodywork that nevertheless seems to have a good reputation for safety.
They also seem to have good visibility, they're obviously easy to manoeuvre and park, and they're cheap to run.
I'm less impressed by the reports of leaking door seals etc, which rather suggests an abysmal development program.
I'm really not too bothered about performance levels from either the engine or chassis, as long as it will trundle safely and conveniently around town and handle the occaisional longer journey if you're not in a hurry.
I'm suspicious of all new cars with their mass of expensive to fix electronics, but there seems little alternative under 15yrs old.
This particular one is a top end model with the bigger (!) 999cc motor and leather seats, so I'm hoping that it has all the various upgrades as std.
One thing I dislike about most small cars is the way the occupants sit very close to the door panels, whereas there seems to be much more room in the smart, with consequent benefits in the event of a crash.
The tipping over by youths is a bit of a concern though.
Anyway, thanks very much for the input.

[NewMon]

I suppose one thing not to be put off by is the 1L motor. I have a Yaris with a similar titchy engine. It has happily done 126K miles with virtually no mechanical issues (also still on original clutch). And it is fine for driving up to about 80mph - very nippy with it. Luckily I have the Monster to satisfy my baser urges.