Going to reserve my Smart this week!

[The_Q_Man]

Hi all! I've been following the Smart car ever since I saw one in action while commuting early last year. They were having a "trial run" of them in Charlotte, NC then and everyday I passed the same one in traffic. As unique as I am, I thought the car would be a great fit for commuting to and from work. And now with the rising price of gas, my gas guzzling Pathfinder is about to find itself decommissioned, well, in a year or so after the wait is over.

For all the veterans, does it make a difference if you order from the web reservation or the dealership in amount of time it takes to get the car? Whichever way, mine will be ordered by the end of the week and then the long wait can begin!

[chieftmc]

Originally Posted by The_Q_Man

Hi all! I've been following the Smart car ever since I saw one in action while commuting early last year. They were having a "trial run" of them in Charlotte, NC then and everyday I passed the same one in traffic. As unique as I am, I thought the car would be a great fit for commuting to and from work. And now with the rising price of gas, my gas guzzling Pathfinder is about to find itself decommissioned, well, in a year or so after the wait is over.

For all the veterans, does it make a difference if you order from the web reservation or the dealership in amount of time it takes to get the car? Whichever way, mine will be ordered by the end of the week and then the long wait can begin!

NO, no difference; still a long wait !

[angel]

Originally Posted by The_Q_Man

Hi all! I've been following the Smart car ever since I saw one in action while commuting early last year. They were having a "trial run" of them in Charlotte, NC then and everyday I passed the same one in traffic. As unique as I am, I thought the car would be a great fit for commuting to and from work. And now with the rising price of gas, my gas guzzling Pathfinder is about to find itself decommissioned, well, in a year or so after the wait is over.

For all the veterans, does it make a difference if you order from the web reservation or the dealership in amount of time it takes to get the car? Whichever way, mine will be ordered by the end of the week and then the long wait can begin!

The wait should still be the same for the one you reserve and configure. However you will want to at least introduce yourself to the local dealership folks. They won't know you exist yet without your going by and saying hi. Plus they can maybe notify you if a vehicle similar to the one you want becomes an orphan. {Orphan being a vehicle someone else configures and orders then doesn't follow through with purchase for whatever reason.}

Welcome to the forums!

[The_Q_Man]

Yeah, they had one for sale immediately when I was there, but everything they did to it just blew the cost way up into the atmosphere. They added custom painted alloy rims (to match the body paint) for $1700, in-dash navigation and dvd player for $2700, custom two-tone leather seats for $1700, etc. The final cost for it was $24000+, so, not even I could justify getting that one.

If anyone is around the Charlotte area and wants it, feel free!

[chieftmc]

Hey The Q Man!

The sooner your get your reserve in, the sooner you get your car !

DON'T WAIT

[The_Q_Man]

Yup, just called the dealer today to schedule a test drive. Was planning on driving Saturday, but the test drive car was out at a showing at the local Wachovia golf tournament. It's in today, and in 3.5 hours I'll get my first test drive!

Woohoo!

[craven3557]

Make them let you take it on a long test drive. My dealer had a prescribed route and I wish I would have driven it longer. It takes a while to check things out. Then it takes awhile to get used to the tranny shifting. I'm going back to take it on the highway and an extended drive. If you can go during the week when it is not so busy you would have a better chance of getting the longer drive. As Forest Gump would say,That's all I have to say about that.

[The_Q_Man]

Well, went for my test drive and I'm already in love! We went for about a 20 minute long ride. I have to admit, it has quite a bit more power than I expected. We got up to about 70mph on some 35mph back road and it was nice. I can't even tell a lurch when I use the manual shift, but that could be from my manual transmission background. The automatic is a bit bumpy, but with a little practice timing, it should be fun running in that way.

I placed my order and now just have the long wait for the reservation confirmation (so I hear). The dealer told me that in my area, it is usually a 12 month wait with a maximum of about 14 months. Maybe it could be my birthday present next year!

I do have one question, after I finished everything, I noticed the fine print stated this:

Although you have indicated a preferred model and color choice on this form, there is no guarantee that the smart car offered to you will match the preferences you have indicated.

I'm shooting for the yellow with black tridion frame because by far that is my favorite. Has anyone received their smart car with preferences different than what you specified?

[curtis]

Q-Man, I'd get on an orphan list ASAP because the Yellow model is not going to be available next year from what I hear and if you are just ordering now you'll be getting a 2K9 model.

[The_Q_Man]

Unfortunately, the smart car dealership in my area "upgrades" all the orphans before selling them. They have two in there now...one has been so upgraded that it costs about $24,000 and then there is another that just came in today that will cost around $21,000 with the upgrades.

As much as I want one, I can't justify that cost for upgrades that I actually don't even like!

I was already told that I will be getting the 2009 model, so I guess I'll look on the bright side and hope that if there are any kinks to be worked out, they will be done before 2009 releases!