Another review... Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

[Willy]

Here's the review from my hometown paper...
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=688113

I thought it was pretty fair... I especially like that they compare the feel of it to the Miata.

I note that he lists different prices than I've seen elsewhere. Could this difference be the destination charge?

[jwight]

Certainly sounds like the destination charge added to the base price. Thanks!

[spdickey]

Originally Posted by jsonline.com

In an unusual safeguard, Penske has a contract provision with dealers that outlaws charging more than the list price. It should help prevent the gouging that happens with an exciting new vehicle.

This has been my biggest concerns with the smart rollout. Everyone I've talked to at roadshows, the smart House and the LA Auto Show has echoed this statement. Yippie! I hate getting ripped of by auto dealers and eBay scammers.

a hardtop coupe which starts at $12,240. Next up is the smart fortwo passion, available as a coupe with an acrylic skylight for $14,240 or as a convertible, called the cabrio, for $17,240.

Edmunds has been reporting the destination charge at $600 nationally.

[Brian7]

Thanks for the link. I live in Milwaukee and I don't get the Journal.

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by spdickey

This has been my biggest concerns with the smart rollout. Everyone I've talked to at roadshows, the smart House and the LA Auto Show has echoed this statement. Yippie! I hate getting ripped of by auto dealers and eBay scammers.



Edmunds has been reporting the destination charge at $600 nationally.

$600 sounds abit pricey considering that is what one would expect to pay for a much larger sized car or truck. Given 2 Smarts will occupy the space of one truck, for example, you'd think since they can deliver more of them that the cost per mile per car would be less.....time will tell once one of us talks to the dealer during delivery which is getting closer for some of us....

[SmartBob]

I like this:

the smart can be driven hard and fast on curving mountain roads. It provides some of the same sensations as driving a small two-seat sports car like the Mazda Miata or Pontiac Solstice.

[mr_Cash]

i liked this. hard not to fall in love with this outfit.

'In an unusual safeguard, Penske has a contract provision with dealers that outlaws charging more than the list price. It should help prevent the gouging that happens with an exciting new vehicle.'

heck, i may get in line for a second one, a pure this time.

the writer should have read my smart one liner thread. although he mentions,

'At 5 feet 1 inch, it is taller than the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Mini Cooper, Mazda 3, Chevrolet Cobalt, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.'

he might have made it really a big grabber, by saying its taller than the well known big lincoln towncar, and more head room than the big lincoln towncar. now, thats saying something, huge.

the writer did a good job on this next paragraph,

'To ease concerns about a tiny car dueling in traffic with big SUVs and 18-wheelers, the Daimler engineers developed a roll cage, called the tridion safety cell, to surround the passengers. In an impressive demonstration, a smart convertible is rolled over twice without breaking the windshield.'

thats cool.

and this was neat too,

'with quick steering, a supple suspension system and a turning circle of under 29 feet, the designers contend that the smart is so agile it can avoid accidents.'

and more, only a few words, but they mean a lot,

'Because of the high seating position, the smart does not seem small once you're sitting inside.'

sheesh, not a bad read, really,

'With the compliant suspension system ..., the smart can be driven hard and fast on curving mountain roads. ... like the Mazda Miata or Pontiac Solstice.'

and while he did say,

'smart gets 33/40' mpg,

the point is, its the best all-gas mpg usa 2008 production vehicle. its the champ. numero uno. no vehicle in america does it better. period. chew on that for a while.

frankie, not bad. some parts really good. but, next time, now you know how it could be even better.

[SmartBob]

the smart is so agile it can avoid accidents

This is what I've been saying. The mentality needs to change a bit regarding "what if " accident scenarios and more of the defensive driving "how to avoid accidents" way of thinking. SUV drivers have been lulled into a false sense of safety. Slow down...wake up. I know, this year alone, I've avoided 3 accidents just by having a maneuvarible vehicle. Leno was saying the same thing in the video we have.