Quotes From Car Owners

[dave580]

Hello Group,

I am a journalism student at UAlbany and I am writing an article on the Smart fortwo. I am a happy owner of a Toyota Prius, and have already test driven the fortwo. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. I feel for the price, a Toyota Yaris is a better deal, or even a Hyundai Accent. True - not as attention grabbing, but a better overall value considering the gas mpg is very similar.

I am looking for some fortwo owner quotes - good or bad. Anything you want to say, please do. My assignment is due Monday 10/13, so please let me know your opinions, name, location ASAP.

Thank you,

Dave Finnerman

[Bum-bling-B]

I'm thinking you might have gotten a better response if you would have been less honest in asking for help. True - most of the time honesty is the best policy but coming into an enthusiasts forum and telling people you don't like something they are very passionate about and then asking for help because you have 2 days to finish an assignment, chances are you're SOL on getting luck.

Now if your REAL assignment is to see how people react if you first tell them they suck (I know you didn't say that or even mean it to come out that way, but that's kind of what I heard as I am one of those crazed Smart enthusiasts) and then ask them for help as a test to see if it is in our nature to help someone who has just belittled them - then good job!

Your best bet is to research the site which I'm sure is what you should (or are) be doing right now.

COMPARE REAL WORLD MPG's on some MPG tracking sites. You'll find the Yaris and Accent aren't so similar though they are better people carriers when you need to carry more than two people.

Good Luck.

[Trena]

Don't know what exactly you are looking for, but I love my smart. It's the most fun to drive of any car I've owned, and my last car was a Prius. Like the Prius, you'll find you have to train yourself to use the transmission right, in order to learn to shift smoothly and get the best gas mileage. I love my cabrio, because I can put the top all the way down or up at any time, even highway speeds (as long as I don't take the side bars out). It is plenty roomy even for my 6'6" 280# husband and my 5'11" 160# frame together. It can easily take two scuba divers and their full sets of gear to the quarry to do some diving, gearing up on the tailgate! And it's a perfect car for my job, as I have to drive all over town and nearby rural communities to various homes. As a home care physical therapist, it even holds walkers and wheelchairs that I may need to deliver to my patients. As for safety, I feel it's as safe as any car that small can be, with a steel safety roll cage, steel side impact bars, 4 airbags (weight-sensitive so that children can safely ride in the passenger seat), ABS, VSC, TCS, etc. And believe me, these tires are ENORMOUSLY better than the stock Prius tires in on wet roads. Mileage will vary, but I get 38 to 40 mpg with the top down most of the time, stoplight to stoplight running around town, and 60-75 mph highway speeds; and it's barely broken in, so I expect it may still improve some.

Trena Fichter, Evansville IN ('stoplight city')

[dave580]

Thank you for your response. I was not insulting the fortwo - I just said I wasn't impressed, so I wanted feed back from people who are. To make sure I had both sides covered, I wanted to hear from owners of the vehicle - whether they are happy or not. If you have anything you would like to add about your car, on record, please let me know, as I want to make sure I do the fortwo justice.

[dave580]

Thank you Trena for your enthusiastic response! I am happy you love your car! Have a great weekend!

[Orphan-Beggar]

Hey Dave,
In your article, identify yourself as a biased, licensed driver of about two years, who has test-driven the fortwo for 15 minutes.
Tell the readers that they will get WAY more action, if they just rent this vehicle, let alone purchase (They might even score with the Sorority Queen). The car is even suitable for Super Seniors! Smiles and joy are difficult values to measure.
OB
East Coast

[MinnySmart]

I've had mine for 9600 miles now. Driven it from Mpls to Denver and back. It's my only car, which I use every day.

The biggest complaint I have about it is occasionally my passenger side seat belt doesn't retract because the seat is all the way back and the belt holder kinda pinches. 2nd thing I dislike is that the passenger side sun visor buzzes/rattles a tiny bit once in a while. 3rd thing is I haven't devised an easy way to prop up the engine cover to check the oil without the carpet flopping down and getting in my way. Other than that, this is my favorite car I've owned, and It's my 14th. If I stay to the speed limit and stay behind other cars in the right lane, I can get 45-50 MPG. Same as the Prius for 1/2 the price. However, I typically drive pretty fast because it's fun to do in this car, so I average 40 MPG, and still for 1/2 the price of a Prius. I LOVE the Prius, but I didn't want the extra length taking up space in my garage that will eventually be taken up by a motorcycle. Plus, I didn't want to pay the money for it, nor did I want the battery packed drive-train. The smart fortwo is ideal for rush-hour traffic because you can change lanes with ease to get by the slow-pokes clogging the left lanes.

I also love the plastic panels that are easily/affordably replaced should someone bump into me in a parking lot or on the road. I also LOVE the projector beam headlights, rain sensing wipers, heated leather seats, stability control, clear roof (BEAUTIFUL in the Fall in Minneapolis!) and amazing ease of parking any/everywhere. I also love the smiles it gives people in an otherwise grumpy freeway (people get mean behind the wheel it seems... happy to cheer people up!) I love the cargo space (can fit large items in the back that I could never fit in my Maxima due to opening size). I mostly, however, love the production process, ultra-green facility, and the near-closed-loop life cycle of this car. Why buy a Costco sized jar of mayo if you're only going to make one sandwich? Why buy two plane tickets if you're going by yourself? Why buy a 4-seat vehicle if you never use the back seat? Why waste all those extra materials to make a whole sedan if it's just going to go to waste?

Does that help?

Thanks.

[Trena]

dave, i hope you decide to post your paper or link to it when you get it finished. i think most of us would love to read it. everyone is always posting smart car reviews and articles on here.

[SuperGeek]

Dave, I've owned a fortwo Passion for 3,000 miles and can tell you that it takes more than the customary 15 minutes to love the car. It doesn't drive like an automatic, and because there's no clutch pedal most people think it should. Drive it like a manual, and it can shift as fast and smooth as any automatic. It'll pull off the line fast enough... 70HP against 1800 lbs is like 140HP against 3600 lbs. It's not meant to be a race car, but it'll hold its own in the city or on the highway.

The Smart has better styling than most other cars... most Toyotas and Hondas look bland or blocky, while the Smart has a design that turns heads. Every day I make at least a hundred people smile at seeing my car... they won't stare at a Yaris or Prius. For a $12-16k car, the Smart is well engineered and solidly built. Some believe that the Yaris feels "cheap." The Hyundai Accent is a close competitor to the Smart, but to me Hyundais always felt cheap. I've had several people comment on how upscale the interior is on my Passion.

Plus, the whole car is designed with minimal environmental impact in mind - 20 years from now, very little of the car will be in a landfill. Plastic and metal recycle; no hybrid batteries to replace.

The Smart is a car you either get or don't get. It's not for everyone, and I wouldn't want it to be. I'm not "everyone" and I don't want to fit in to a mold. It's a perfect car for me.


Mark Holmes,
Mobile, AL

[PlainCityVWBug]

I don't know that he would.. as he has faced a lot of resistance due to what he's said in his initial post.

I would love to give an opinion, but I unfortunately, can't, as I don't have my own Fortwo yet.