New Smart Owner! Woot!

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by mblahforu56432

That's right. I officially own a Smart. Anything special I should know about?

- The shifting will get smoother.

- Your headlights might annoy some people. (It's possible they're aimed too high, on some cars, but it's also because they're a little higher than the other car and thus hit the other driver easier.)

- DO NOT LOSE A KEY. They're over $300 to replace.

- It's rated for 91. Use 91. Don't go cheap. The engine is designed for high-octane. Spend the extra 20 cents.

- Try slightly opening the driver's window before closing the door (i.e. open it, put the key in, start it, roll the window down a crack, THEN get in). The cabin is very high-pressure and if all the windows are shut it's difficult to close the doors or the back window. When I know it isn't going to rain, and I'm only going into a store or restaurant, I leave the window open a half-inch.

- If you open the tailgate, make sure it's shut securely. (Although, personally, I never open the tailgate, I just reach through the window.)

- You can buy a cheap $12 cargo separator at Wal-Mart. You can also just buy a plastic rolling bin to store stuff in.

- Driving with the windows down alleviates some of the buffeting-about from highway winds. Of course, it'll mess your hair, and it's noisy.

- At first you'll feel like you need to stand on the brakes to get them to work, but soon you'll realize how much easier it is to stop a short, light car. When you drive a "regular" car you'll think the brakes are squishy and the car's too hard to stop.

- When you park, don't pull all the way into the spot. Line your butt up with the end of the car next to you, and leave a big space in front of you. Otherwise, people won't know you're in the spot and will rear-end you thinking the spot's open.

- Slow down if you see a pothole, or you'll lose a filling.

- Your little car is very talkative. It will growl, grumble, wheeze (especially for ten seconds when you start it), sound like Darth Vader (when you run the air conditioning), and other such things. Consider it part of the charm.

- Despite the car's tiny size, there IS a blind spot behind the back corners. You'll find it's easier to just turn your head and look than to try to use the mirrors. Never fear, though: remember, you have no trunk so, really, it's almost impossible to cut someone off and run into them... if you don't see a car next to you, that pretty much means you can move over, LOL.

- The transmission can get confused about which gear it's in. When you shift from P to D, don't try to drive away too quickly.

- Your paddle shifters (if you have them) will allow you to go in and out of D by presing the + shifter. You can press + or - to come out of D. Usually you'll find it's because you pressed - to downshift for a boost. Keep in mind that, when you press + to hold the paddle and put it back to D, it will upshift again; I usually wait until I'm in 5 before pressing and holding to go back to D.

- The seats will recline back more if you "modify" them. Of course, "modify" means "breaking the tab-stop in the mechanism". Some have done it. I haven't.

- When you check your oil--or, as you'll be doing more often, when you remove the hood to show people how damn cute the engine is--make sure it's properly re-seated or you'll get noise and heat in the car.

- The fuel tank's on the right side. It's unusual since more cars have them on the left. The fuel door IS locked, and opens when you double-open the car to open the passenger door. If you leave the key in the car, or have a full-serve station, just press the "Unlock" on the dashboard.

- You have an MP3 player jack in your glovebox. And the radio has a Mute button on it, which I never noticed. The radio's pretty tinny, but there IS a "Loudness" option on it that many people miss; it takes a while to press buttons and get the radio to remember "Loudness: ON" but it does sound better when you get it to stay on.

- You have a rear-window wiper. Push forward on the stalk. You also have a rear-window washer. Push forward, then forward again.

- You will get many questions and comments, both positive and negative. Remember, you are a Smart Ambassador, LOL. Be patient and smile and hand out some brochures (we all carry them, it's a requirement, LOL). You're also required to beep and wave and smile if you pass another Smart. If you have a moment, pull over and chat with the other owner so your two cars have a chance to chase each other in a circle and sniff each other's butts.

I think that covers it all. Probably not, though.