Before I drop $99

[spare time toys]

Has anyone actualy received the car yet? I read the posts and it looks like you just get a number and an email or two. I want to get one but paying to be put on a list sounds screwy. I didnt have to pay to be put on a list for any other cars I got in the past.
-Larry

[jwight]

Send the money! The cars will be coming in hopefully in January for folks who reserved in March 07. At this late date you'll probably end up with an 09 but you never know.

[spdickey]

$99 is fully refundable, but I can't figure out why anyone would want a refund.

[jwight]

Originally Posted by spare time toys

I didnt have to pay to be put on a list for any other cars I got in the past.
-Larry

Larry,

True, but Penske is taking a different marketing approach initially. Reservations and confirmations help decide the level of interest in the cars and what areas will need the most cars. Maybe once the smart cars catch on Penske can go to the usual dealer inventory approach but who knows at this point. Hang in there.

[propes]

Quick answer: no.

Longer answer: Nobody is supposed to get a car until Q1 2008 (we're assuming January because of comments from dealers).

You're not paying to get on a list, you're putting in an initial deposit. Yes, there's a list, but it's no different from other pre-release or high-demand cars.

Originally Posted by spare time toys

Has anyone actualy received the car yet? I read the posts and it looks like you just get a number and an email or two. I want to get one but paying to be put on a list sounds screwy. I didnt have to pay to be put on a list for any other cars I got in the past.
-Larry

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by jwight

Larry,

Maybe once the smart cars catch on Penske can go to the usual dealer inventory approach but who knows at this point. Hang in there.

This PAG marketing method is a trial method to determine how effective and efficiently they can move X number of cars thru dealerships without all the rigamorall (sp?) that usually consumes time and $$$$ at the dealership AND also to measure its effectiveness at reducing orphan cars on the lot. Reducing these *parasitic loses* enables the manufacturer to make these cars at less overall cost as they don't have to absorb the cost of the cars that don't sell for one reason or another and wind up sitting on the dealer's lots on consignment and there are costs involved with that as well.

I don't think they are interested in *going to the usual dealer inventory approach*. This marketing trial will either work or it won't....time will tell, but as you have said we need to hang in there and exercise our ability to be patient.....

[BobDiaz]

This is not unlike the people who had to wait for the Toyota Prius. In the case of the Prius, demand exceeded supply, so people had to wait. As I recall, some dealers did ask for a small deposit to get on a list for a Prius.

There are 2 different approaches to deciding to get the Smart Car: (1) Wait until users get their car, drive it for a while, and depending on what they say about it, decide then. In this case, you may have to wait until around January 2008 to around March 2008, to see. (2) Put a deposit down now, and at a later time, decide to go for it OR ask for your deposit back.

Right now, there appears to be a 1 year waiting period due to the high demand. While it's hard to say what will happen in the future, I believe that once the cars start appearing in sizable numbers on the US Roads, demand will increase. In a way, the users become an unpaid sales force every time they show off their car. After going to the LA Auto Show, I have seen that this car grabs everyone's attention.

Bob Diaz