Thinking about a Smart Car: Some Questions

[donerick]

Dear Smart Car enthusiasts:

Hello everyone!

I'm thinking about getting a Smart car and would like some input from you'all.

I live in Round Rock, Texas, which has a smart dealer just a couple of miles away. I drove a 2007 smart car (European) at the preview a couple of years ago, and was very unimpressed by the manual transmission. Recently a friend said the automatic was better, so I went to the dealer and drove a 2009 Brabus. Better, but not broken in and a bit "spastic". So I drove a 2008 and found it was smoother. Obviously the car needs to be
broken in for a period of time...

It reminds me of my first car, a VW Beetle with a 1.1 liter, 36bhp engine.
And a top speed of about 65 mph with a tailwind downhill.
But the smart is much nicer and safer, and will do at least 75mph. (spec: limited to 90mph)

I've been reading the postings and other information on this site for a couple of weeks, and have learned a lot, but still have questions.

It looks like a 2008 would satisfy my needs. Aside from color choices and the Brabus option, are there any important differences between the 2008 and 2009 models? In particular, do the 2008 models all have the same safety equipment? Obviously the 2008 is generally less expensive.

So many people as selling smart cars that are 2008 with less than 2000 miles -- 11 on ebay today. This is very unusual. Do they find the smart too small? or what?

The smartcarusa web site lists 2.2, 3.2, and 4.2% APR loan rates, but Smart round rock only has the 4.2. Does the rate differ by geographical location?

I really like the leather, and hate the pattern of the cloth smart seats. Does anyone have any experience with the $500 aftermarket smart leather seats? Can they be installed by a thumb-fingered guy, or do they need professional installation? Or is it worth the money to buy more expensive ones?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Regards,
Don Erickson

[Dunerunner]

Welcome to the forum donrick!!

Don,

If I remember the '09 has a shifter software upgrade allowing use of the paddle shifters with the selector in the 'auto' mode. It also holds the shift point to second gear longer giving you a little added performance at acceleration speeds.

I like the leather, heated seats, power windows, auto wipers and headlights!

I'm sure there are more and other members will surely chime in!!

[John_H]

I know of no way to find out why people sell their smarts. So here's my pure conjecture:

They have often been purchased as a "toy" rather than a daily driver or as a tow-behind for an RV. In both cases, the economy can affect peoples' decisions to keep or sell. Since there appears (to me) to be a larger number of people paying for their smarts outright rather than financing, selling a smart they don't often use can return some much needed cash. Since the demographic leans toward the older side of the scale, there may be a larger percentage of people who can no longer drive (perhaps passed away).

There's nothing extreme in 2008 vs 2009s. The Brabus is much different than the standard model in looks and in ride quality. Newer 2009s don't have the auto-lights or auto-wipers available like many 2008s and early 2009s. Safety is the same: solid.

I think financing is Smart Center specific but I'm not certain.

The factory leather seats are quite comfortable, comparing easily to the leather in my previous car: a BMW Z4 roadster. I don't know anyone personally who's done the aftermarket seats.

Enjoy the hunt.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by donerick

It looks like a 2008 would satisfy my needs. Aside from color choices and the Brabus option, are there any important differences between the 2008 and 2009 models? In particular, do the 2008 models all have the same safety equipment? Obviously the 2008 is generally less expensive.

So many people as selling smart cars that are 2008 with less than 2000 miles -- 11 on ebay today. This is very unusual. Do they find the smart too small? or what?

I really like the leather, and hate the pattern of the cloth smart seats. Does anyone have any experience with the $500 aftermarket smart leather seats? Can they be installed by a thumb-fingered guy, or do they need professional installation? Or is it worth the money to buy more expensive ones?

The only real change for the 2009 was a price increase and an update to how the transmissions shifts, and there's a retrofit for that.

You see a lot for sale with low miles because of speculators. When the car was first released and waits were over a year, lots of people bought them think they could sell them on at a profit. The 2009 speculators simply canceled thier orders, creating the "orphan' surplus; the 2008 speculators already took delivery and are stuck trying to sell the cars. Some are even gamely trying to get a premium, despite new cars being readily available without markup now. The occasional dreamer find their way here from time to time.

I'm no fan of the wacky design on the Passion cloth seats, but the leather is decent enough, and wouldn't it be cheaper than aftermarket?

[Turbo42]

Ok for your apr rates the 4.2 is for 60 months the 3.2 is for 36 months and the 2.2 is for 24 months

[jwight]

Just my .02; unless you're doing the CARS thing, buying a low miles 08 is the way to go. Probably save 2 or 3 thousand and it's essentially the same car.

[gczerw]

...and if you're doing the CARS thing, you could still find a new 2008 or a 2009 dealer demo (if you could convince them to part with it)!

[Suze]

Hello donerick -

Welcome to the forum~~
You're getting lots of good insight already.

If you're interested in reading some past conversations ... look here >

Hello - Thinking about getting a Smart
Thinking of getting a Smart
Thinking of Smart as 2nd car.
Thinking Of A Smart Car

[MB DNA]

"Dear Smart Car enthusiasts:

Hello everyone!

I'm thinking about getting a Smart car and would like some input from you'all."

Don, I would first ask you what car(s) do you currently drive and which will it be replacing?

I . . . was very unimpressed by the manual transmission. I went to the dealer and drove a 2009 Brabus. Better, but not broken in and a bit "spastic".

Bear in mind that smart does not have an "automatic transmission" but rather an automated MANUAL transmission. The "spastic" action of the transmission will never heal itself but may smooth out a bit or you will simply get used to it.

So many people as selling smart cars that are 2008 with less than 2000 miles -- 11 on ebay today. This is very unusual. Do they find the smart too small? or what?

A smart car is not for everyone. They are unique and far different than anything on the road today. As such they attracted many 2007 deposits to be first in line for a 2008. Gas was headed up and a refundable $99 deposit was a reasonable gamble on a cute fuel efficient ride. Gas went down and so has the 2009 delivery time wait so some of the speculators (who thought that they could turn the smart for profit) are now selling for a multitude of reasons in this tough economic climate.

I really like the leather, and hate the pattern of the cloth smart seats. Does anyone have any experience with the $500 aftermarket smart leather seats? Can they be installed by a thumb-fingered guy, or do they need professional installation? Or is it worth the money to buy more expensive ones?

I have the factory leather and prefer it over the patterned cloth. I have also seen the aftermarket leather and while it is quite nice I doubt that the dealer would sell it to you for DIY installation.

Don, I commend you for using the SCOA Forum as your sounding board in advance of making a purchase. As I read your post I sense some reluctance toward a smart being right for you. Are there other cars under consideration as if that were know I am sure some of our smart gearheads would be more than happy to share their experience and opnion.

Best of luck in your decision.

Tom
Top back, gotta go

[SergMadness]

Welcome to the board

As far as changes the factory "red" color has changed. 08's are more of an orange red and this 09 is a traditional red.

While I am a big fan of factory stuff weight and wiring are a big concern on a car with 70hp.

The weights vary and Smart cars can easily swing from 15XX to 18XX pounds....

I guess if your looking to maximize power to weight you can forego the goodies in hopes of keeping the weight down or look to the aftermarket for more power (turbo kit) to offset the facotry upgrades (power windows etc..)

I think a low equipment Smart sells for about 11300 brand new...perhaps lower with some negotiations....bare bones but heckuva deal if you can do without a few things.

If I was picking one up I would be hardpressed to decide on the luxuries...having power options is nice but things like the wheels, I would change those out anyways...

As far as the downsides of owning one? Smart comments from ignorant people from time to time? But you get those with any car this unique anyway so...plus the positive comments outweigh those 100:1