Late to the party

jkirsch · 05-27-2008, 03:29 AM

Hello,

We just put in a reservation this morning. My wife and I have been debating over this or a Yaris, and after visiting the Toyota dealer yesterday, we decided to go with the Smart Passion (the Toyota sales rep asked me for "the wife's" name - not a wise move, as she was sitting right next to me, and she's the one buying the car).

A long wait doesn't scare us, as it gives us more time to save up for a big down payment, and it is kind of nice not having a car payment at the moment. Still, we look forward to owning one of these guys, and an orphan may tempt us well before our confirmation email ever arrives.

And we are within walking distance of the Smart dealership, which may make the wait more difficult.

Jeff in Atlanta

**jwight** · 05-27-2008, 03:32 AM

Don't you love car dealers?

Welcome, Jeff; check out the "orphan" discussions here - you might speed up getting a car by getting on the smart dealer's list for an unclaimed car (but you may not be offered exactly what you want, and there may be some added "options" from the dealer.)

**Dunerunner** · 05-27-2008, 06:43 AM

jeff in Atlanta - Welcome!! jwight is right on with the Orphan thing and just redirect you daily exercise (walk or jog) over to the smart center just to check in and see how things are going. Establishing a good relationship with the dealership helps when Orphan time comes around. Good Luck!!

**SmartCard** · 05-27-2008, 07:18 AM

welcome jeff.....you got that right - its a party over here!

(and better late then never!)

jkirsch · 05-27-2008, 08:04 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Yes, I'll be walking over there during my lunch break from time to time, I can't go tomorrow, but Thursday looks like a good day to introduce myself over there.

We are in a great location, as I'm within walking distance to work (15 minute walk), and to the grocery store (4 minutes). My wife clocks about 8,000 miles a year on our car, so we won't be saving tons of gas by going with the Smart, but the car makes sense for so many other reasons, that the mpg improvement is just icing on the cake.

Heck, if we can't move to Europe, we might as well bring as much of Europe to Atlanta as we can. And it'll look good parked next to our BMW motorcycle.

a2jack · 05-27-2008, 08:44 AM

Jkirsch. Everyone's right on with the orphan advise.

Plus...wake that dealer up every morning when you walk, and put him /her to bed each night. Some have scored their orphans in days with that approach.

A2Jack.

jkirsch · 05-27-2008, 08:50 AM

A2Jack,

I'm really in no hurry. Who knows, by the time our confirmation time arrives we may be looking at model year 2010 or 2011 and there might be a hybrid option, or electric, or hovercraft or something.

Jeff

factor9 · 05-27-2008, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkirsch

A2Jack,

I'm really in no hurry. Who knows, by the time our confirmation time arrives we may be looking at model year 2010 or 2011 and there might be a hybrid option, or electric, or hovercraft or something.

Jeff

Jeff - I like your attitude! I agree! I think you'll be seeing some major changes to the entire car industry over the next couple of years - including improvements to the smart. Once there's competition to our smarts, I really hope that smartUSA will try and keep ahead of the competition by making the smart better, cheaper and more efficient.

**Dunerunner** · 05-27-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkirsch

I'm really in no hurry. Who knows, by the time our confirmation time arrives we may be looking at model year 2010 or 2011 and there might be a hybrid option, or electric, or hovercraft or something.

Or Perhaps the Mr. Fusion option will be available.

Just kidding Jeff! But it could happen, Right!!

jkirsch · 05-27-2008, 11:45 AM

I could see the roof panel being replaced with a yet to be invented super efficient solar panel. Hmm, that may be something I'll look into further. It can at least keep the iPod charged.

But seriously, we can accumulate a pretty hefty down payment by 2010. But I'm afraid to pre-purchase any farkles for the car, as they may not fit whatever model we wind up owning. I guess buying a key ring would be safe, or perhaps a jacket or hat. But on the bright side, that's more money for the down payment.

Factor9, I agree, there should be many more vehicle options by then, and I have a feeling that the reservation system will be a quaint memory. I'm sure a lot of people will be lining up for the Volt or the Toyota iQ in 2010. And that should certainly put pressure upon Smart to bring some neat new things to market. I guess that's the bright side to higher energy costs - more options for us consumers.