I picked up my white/silver Passion Coupe on Saturday. It now has 300 miles on it and the first tank was 39.2 mpg, no interstate driving, just back roads (=FUN).
Corners solid and rides solid, but that's not a complaint, it is a short wheelbase. Shifts smooth, accelerates strong, a much better car than the Euro models that I traveled to Indy and Knoxville to drive.
Our plans are to retire in a few years and live in a fifth-wheeler. I have a Kenworth T2000 that I am rebuilding and the smart will sit crossways behind the sleeper. I need to tip it about 25 degrees to shorten it to be legal at 102" (Gen 1 would have been better at 98", and diesel would have been awesome for common fuel, but thank you politicians we can't have what others in the world do).
Nice car, reminds me of the feelings I had for a Volvo 544 back in '64 when I bought a one-year old model. At the time U.S. cars were huge, thirsty and didn't corner. The 544 got 25 mpg (great in '64) and while it wasn't real fast, it got around corners and carried college kids just great. The smart is loaded with features, corners great, I can't complain about the mpg when my daily driver (Ford diesel Excursion gets 17 mpg) and the smart is more fun to drive.
If you got your fortwo in knoxville, how much did they charge for (doc fee,
dealer fee, prep fee or notary fee) or whatever it is called in Tennessee?
It has been so long since I have bought a new car I am not sure what they
call it. Also, I would love to see some pictures if you have them.
Hi Russ, I think I'm close to getting the call to order my car and I'm half way between Knoxville and atlanta. I would realy like to hear how the dealer treated you.
Congrats Russ!
smartof knoxville will be my dealer also. I spoke to Kristen at the dealership today and she told me that they just opened last week and the first deliveries were taken this past Saturday. She said they only received 14 cars of which 11 were for customers. The other three were for the smartcenter.
I also asked her what were the reservation dates of the 11 car for the customers and she said they were all March and April reservervations. That really made me feel good as I am a 1213 4/28 reservation myself!
Hopefully mine will be in the next couple of shipments to Knoxville!!
smart of Knoxville has good folks, but they are new, lack a lot of things, but I credit smart USA for that. Kristen is trying hard, but she is new at being in car sales. She's a good person so if you work with her, don't loose patience, she'll try very hard for each of you.
I am 63 and have bought 76 cars, cycles, and trucks before this. Some new, some old and some junk so I have met a lot of salesmen and been at many dealerships. MB (aka smart) of Knoxville had people that were more polite and helpful than most. But hey I'm a yankee and everyone here is just wonderful. I would recommend them to anyone, if that helps. But be patient, they can only do what the factory gives them.
They charged a $399 service and prep fee and of course the same transportation fee that everyone in the U.S. pays - that is typical car business. Pictures will have to wait, we are getting ready to leave on a vacation for two and a half weeks, so no time to load the one photo I have.
There were lots of smarts there and most were set aside in another area. I think they had about three in the showroom so they seem to be taking good care of customer cars. They were getting lots of lookers at noon on Sat. and booking rides for the following weekend. A second one was ready to deliever on Sat. afternoon so I don't have an exclusive anymore.
Congratulations! Your smartie will be a real King riding on the back of your Kenworth. Ran into a couple in El Centro, CA, with a 5th wheel and smartie on the back of their diesel truck. Very impressive. It was a 450 which he wenched up on to the back. Good luck and have fun.
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