New

[JerryP]

Hello, I am Jerry from Louisville, been considering a Smart, and have been perusing the forum, for a few days, decided to join.
Got a few concerns about the Smarts, I am trying to research through.
I am a lover of little car, and own MGs in the past, and have always wanted a Micro car. It bugs when when I am out of the country, and see all the neat cars that we do not have.
Anyway, I will keep reading, and trying to decide, and work past my concerns.

[smart fortimo]

Welcome Jerry. Good luck in your quest to populate SDF with another smart!


Timo

[BB Benz]

This car has problems, thinks it is small on the outside and big on the inside. High spirited, drinks spirits spritely!
This turned out to be way more car than I ever imagined it could be. I absolutely love mine. I really like the curves and lines. The Brabus wheels, tires and body kit are sculptural and really add such a nice touch. Best air conditioned convertible go-kart I've ever driven and get to drive it to work everyday and still average 41 to 43.2 mpg on the 10 mile drive at 40 mph some stop and go traffic. It is great. Hope you decide to enjoy yours! What a load of FUN!
Rich
Get it while they're hot, Get it while they're cold, just GET IT!

[Bill Marshall]

Originally Posted by JerryP

Hello, I am Jerry from Louisville, been considering a Smart, and have been perusing the forum, for a few days, decided to join.
Got a few concerns about the Smarts, I am trying to research through.
I am a lover of little car, and own MGs in the past, and have always wanted a Micro car. It bugs when when I am out of the country, and see all the neat cars that we do not have.
Anyway, I will keep reading, and trying to decide, and work past my concerns.

What are your concerns, Jerry?

[GeekGirl]

Welcome great info can be found here.....

[mvaldes]

Welcome Jerry. There's plenty of good information to be found on the site. Others have come to learn as well. I think you're wise to "do your homework" before deciding. It's not a car for everyone, but it certainly is a car for me!

[JerryP]

Originally Posted by Bill Marshall

What are your concerns, Jerry?

long term reliability, When I turn the key, I expect my car to start dependably
Will the car last 10 years, and 100K miles
Future manufacturer support
future parts availability, and reasonable pricing.
future service should I run across something I cannot tackle. That would most likely be computer issues.
Lack of a service manual.

My research indicates most of the problems to be rather minor, like the clutch thing, and some computer/sensor stuff.
glitches can be irritating, but it seems Penske, Mecedes is working on them
I see nothing about the engines being a problem,


What I do not worry about is safety, The car is plenty good enough there
I do not care about depreciation, I keep cars until the wheels fall off, and if a 12K car loses 50% in two years, that is better than a 20-25k car losing the same percentage. I could buy a smart car with the first year depreciation of many cars.

[JPaul]

Maybe that'll help:
crystal-ball.jpg
Seriously though: 39,217 smart NA-451 have sold so far and that should be a sign. PAG seems to be holding the crisis well, maintenance appears to be feasible by anyone who can handle tools and cost of parts, service and use is relative (what may be reasonable to you may not be to me, or vice-versa...).

[JerryP]

Originally Posted by JPaul

Maybe that'll help:
Attachment 1420
Seriously though: 39,217 smart NA-451 have sold so far and that should be a sign. PAG seems to be holding the crisis well, maintenance appears to be feasible by anyone who can handle tools and cost of parts, service and use is relative (what may be reasonable to you may not be to me, or vice-versa...).

It is a crystal ball situation, but one thing I have found in life is that if you check history, you'll see the future.
I will keep perusing the forums, and ask a few questions, and basically learn from the experiences of others.
I need to find some buyers locally to see how the Louisville Smart store behaves. Being a Swope dealership, they are generally well run with decent customer service, again depending upon history. but double checking just to make sure.
My wife is not so sure about these, but she is growing into the idea. She thinks they are ugly, and too small for safety.
Funny seeing as she will hop right on the Valkyrie Motorcycle, and ride 100 miles with me. Us humans are so illogical

[Kermit]

Seeing you've owned MG's in the past, then you've met the Prince of Darkness, Mr.Lucas and I'm sure you've spent your share of time on the side of the road.

I'm lucky since my wife was onboard and not concerned with safety as she's ridden in much more dangerous cars of mine in the past. I had one car she refused to ride in due to lack of seatbelts. That is funny she'll ride on the back of the bike and have concerns about safety of a car.

As far as durability, I'd consider it average. So far I have 42k and haven't had a problem...knock on wood.