Reposted from New Member Area (Re: purchase questions)

[KeeganOB]

Considering Buying - Questions in Wisconsin
I just drove from Appleton to Milwaukee (about an hour and 45 minute drive both ways) to test drive a smart car today.

I noticed the transmission right away, but I got pretty used to it as I continued my test drive. I was really amazed at how big it felt inside.

I am looking for a new car and the smart really has my interest. I am 28 and single so I think the fact that it is smaller is okay for me.

But some questions:

1. If something goes wrong with your smart car, do you have to bring it back to the dealership to get it fixed or if you need an oil change do you need to bring it back to the dealership? I know nothing about fixing cars or doing oil changes and I wouldn't want to have to drive to Milwaukee every time something went wrong.

2. How do the smart cars drive in snow/wintry conditions? Winters in Wisconsin are pretty brutal.

3. The warranty is only 2 years or 24,000 miles. Any ideas on how much they charge for their extended warranties and do you think they are worth it?

4. The dealership had some stock cars on the lot, but the sales associate recommended ordering custom and he said I could get it pretty quickly. He didn't actually give me a time frame though. How long do you think fairly quickly actually is?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Keegan

[curtis]

I got my Smart a year ago and love it, I had the same questions as you but I am so please with my car and the Smartcenter in Milw. As far as having work done I have needed none except a messed up latch on my tailgate that I had fixed this morning, as for oil changes, the Smart only requires it every 10,000 miles so either do it yourself or make a trip to Milw and have them do it, its just over $50 for synthetic. I was a bit worried about the transmission but it really does improve after a few months and you will get used to it. As far as snow, I would have a second car for really bad days.n luckily I have a very reliable 2002 Toyota Matrix that got most of the winter's wear and tear, I could have driven my Smart alot more but I just hated seeing slush and salt in the Smart. I hated not driving it for some of the winter, even after a year I look forward to driving it. I'm glad I ordered mine but if you can find an orphan that is what u want I'd snatch it up.
I went for the extended warranty .
Otherwise if you aren't sold on the Smart the new Fiat 500 might be headed to the USA and I really like it alot!!

[CliffK]

Keegan,

I think you've hit on the major drawback: having to drive it to Milwaukee for service.

I had one issue where the check engine light came on - Erik was able to correctly predict that it was something minor, but arranged for me to take it into a Madison Bergstrom shop to have the code read so I knew that I did not have to get it in immediately.

Taking it in for the one-year oil change and transmission program upgrade was a hassle for me, but Erik was flexible in his hours so that I could arrange for a later appointment and not have to take a whole day off work.

Winter: it slips and slides a lot in snow and ice. I wasn't too comfortable taking it out unless the roads had been plowed.

I too got the extended warranty and thought it was worth it, but I don't remember the exact amount. They can quote you that over the phone, I believe. I figured with the car new on the US market, it made a lot of sense to get an extended warranty.

I was in there a week ago and there were lots of available cars on the lot. I guess it depends on how particular you are about the options you want. Those of us who were early adopters had to wait more than a year from our first deposit, so even six weeks sounds short to us.

It is a fun car to drive, and feels surprisingly roomy inside. You'll be surprised at how many bags of groceries you can cram in there.

The sales and service staff at smart center MKE is great, which makes a huge difference both in the purchase and in times when you're sitting in the showroom waiting on service.

Good luck with your decision!

Cliff

[forestacademy]

Don't wory about the drive to MKE

Its no biggy. We got ours in Oct. Snow covered roads are not a problem, just don't go out durring the worst of the storm before the plows, Good advice for any WI driver.

I have only needed to go back to the dealer once for my 10K service and 2.0 upgrade. Only took about 2 hours. Lots of cars on the Lot but only a few that were Orphans.

A good chunk of smart owners are quite a distance from dealers. Hey it may be the same for a lot of other brands soon too.

Get the car and enjoy it.

Any questions about your safety can be calmed at safeandsmart.com: home