The part of the letter that worries me is the statement that extending the warrantee would SIGNIFICANTLY increase the cost of the car. That suggests to me that the manufacturer EXPECTS us to have some pretty SIGNIFICANT repair costs as our cars get older- if not why would a longer warantee SIGNIFICANTLY increase the initial price?
I mean if the manufacturer can't predict the likelihood of repairs who can?
Given the fact they are saying that extending the warantee would significantly raise the initial purchase price of the car- I predict these extended warantees will not be cheap (plus the added profit the dealer gets on them that must be factored in).
It therefore will be VERY helpful if PAG lets us buy the warantee at the end of the 2 year cycle rather than only offering the option at the time of purchase.
I hope I'm horribly wrong about all this but my conclusions all seem pretty logical to me based on the facts we now have.
That giant sucking sound you hear is the drop-outs leaving the line.
Fred's right as usual. I can afford this car because I'm a little above the income level of the target customer.
Thanks for sharing the letter Shanna. It reminds me of a sign I saw on an ATM back in the early 80s that said "For your convenience, this machine will no longer dispense five or ten dollar bills." For "MY" convenience?
It just does not follow. Exactly how the hell does you betting against a horse indicate your confidence in it?
But then again, I'm like a teenager who has a bad case of hormones for someone. They can lie to me about lot but they should try a LITTLE harder for someting plausable if for nothing else than to show a little respect.
I'm going to get my smart but... I feel so... so... DIRTY!
Snakefarm- I have to compliment you on your descriptive ability! :-)
Maybe we'll need a communal bath for use with deliveries!
"Fools rush in".......etc. sung by another smitten smarty
To quote Bill Clinton- They (I) are (am) doing this because I (they) can!- that's what 30K reservations in your back pocket will do for ya!
What's a little fall off from a short warantee when they can't build enough to satisfy demand as it is?
IMO we'd still have the 3/36 warantee if the dollar hadn't nosedived versus the euro this year- it's simply the only PR acceptable way (let's see about inflated delivery and dealer prep charges too?) of raising the already announced price to make up for our peso de norte.
For good or bad, I see a business expedient behind this. I think some wrongly think of the 2Y/24K as a PAG warranty, when in fact it is the basic smart GmbH factory warranty. Two years and 40K kilometers is the rest-of-world standard (except 3Y for Switzerland). Anything beyond the factory offering would be a supplemental provided by the distributor or dealer side, including Canada’s doubling. From PAG’s view it would not be wise to expose themselves to warranty issues, and much better (safer) to throw that bone to the dealers. I would guess that any supplemental coverage would be provided by a third-party insurer and not the manufacturer or PAG.
N.B. I wouldn't be surprised to see the final warranty increased to 25,000 miles to closer correspond with the ROW 40,000 kilometers.
Last edited by Old smart; 12-13-2007 at 06:36 AM.
Reason: addnl thought
My earlier post about all of this might lead my friends here on this forum to think I'm a grouchy old (52) man. I guess from reading all the different threads about radios, colors, spares, delivery, RED, and now the warranty, I start thinking that I've never seen such an obsessive group. True, there are just a few that keep this appearance up, but when you get right down to it, you just do what's right for you. If you won't be able to sleep at night when you hit month 23, extend your warranty or get a 24 month lease - there will certainly be an improved version of the car waiting for you by then - possibly a plug-in hybrid, full electric, Brabus, or turbo. If you are worried about build quality, buy another car and miss out on the fun.
I'm sorry if anyone thinks I'm an ***, but I'm just trying to get some of you to look at things a little differently. Bottom line - it IS just a car - one of many that you'll own. The Smart will be my 36th, no big deal other than I've wanted one since I first saw them, and they appear right for time.
Looking into my future I would guess that by the second year I'll be trading for the next version of the car IF I like it, so the warranty length will be of no concern. And, if I throw a turbo on this one the warranty will be void anyway.
Get your Smart, drive it, enjoy it, and figure the rest out as you go.
My earlier post about all of this might lead my friends here on this forum to think I'm a grouchy old (52) man. I guess from reading all the different threads about radios, colors, spares, delivery, RED, and now the warranty, I start thinking that I've never seen such an obsessive group. True, there are just a few that keep this appearance up, but when you get right down to it, you just do what's right for you. If you won't be able to sleep at night when you hit month 23, extend your warranty or get a 24 month lease - there will certainly be an improved version of the car waiting for you by then - possibly a plug-in hybrid, full electric, Brabus, or turbo. If you are worried about build quality, buy another car and miss out on the fun.
I'm sorry if anyone thinks I'm an ***, but I'm just trying to get some of you to look at things a little differently. Bottom line - it IS just a car - one of many that you'll own. The Smart will be my 36th, no big deal other than I've wanted one since I first saw them, and they appear right for time.
Looking into my future I would guess that by the second year I'll be trading for the next version of the car IF I like it, so the warranty length will be of no concern. And, if I throw a turbo on this one the warranty will be void anyway.
Get your Smart, drive it, enjoy it, and figure the rest out as you go.
Well said Randy. At least I now know I wouldn't have to check my e-mail or hope my dealer will call to finalize everything everyday and focus on work and the holidays until January.
If I feel I need for extended warranty coverage, and before diving for the smart dealer's whatever, I will look first at the numerous levels of extended warranties offered by AAA. My delivery will be delayed long enough that all the data will be out there to make comparisons when the time comes.
In AAA's case, the chosen coverage becomes effective after 30 days and 1000 miles of the purchase (the coverage, not the car). So, I would wait until my 2Y/24K smart factory warranty was just shy of 23 months and 23,000 miles, then buy the AAA.
Last edited by Old smart; 12-13-2007 at 08:32 AM.
Reason: addnl thought
Well said Randy. At least I now know I wouldn't have to check my e-mail or hope my dealer will call to finalize everything everyday and focus on work and the holidays until January.
As posted previously:
We're literally days away from the promised newsletter 11,[didn't happen!] dealership confirmations, dealership openings and (hopefully) delivery of the first batch of cars in January.
In the spirit of the holidays, can we just put all the guesses, estimates and plain ol' WAGs on hold and let PAG roll things out as they've planned all along. Frankly, all the "guesstimating" is getting a little old and I for one would appreciate a break for the rest of this month. Probably too much to ask but it's worth a shot.
In the spirit of the holidays, can we just put all the guesses, estimates and plain ol' WAGs on hold and let PAG roll things out as they've planned all
If you want some Christmas cheer, click this and leave us to "guesstimating."
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