Anyone Go From A Mini Cooper To A Smart??

[bumblebee]

Had a 2003 MC. Then to a 2005 Scion xB RS2.0. Then 2006 Chevy Colorado crew-cab. Now 2008 smart while keeping the truck.

[pwbapro]

'02 Green Mini Cooper, then '02 silver Mini Cooper (2 cars in between, non-small mistakes), with a 1991 original Rover Mini right hand drive stuck in there, too. Now Smart Cabrio. I feel I can see over everyone these days (compared to my Minis), and compared to the classic Mini, well....safer.

[MrVvrroomm]

The modern 2nd generation MINI Coopers have new motors. They did away with the supercharger and went with a turbo on the S models. The one I have pictured previously in this thread is my wife's. She's been getting a very consistent 32-33 mpg in real world driving. I've been averaging right about 40 mpg with my fortwo.

Her MINI is much more fun to drive. Her car is a 6spd manual, haven't heard of any problems with it, works as slick as any BMW manual I've driven. We bought it new in March of '07 and she currently has over 32K miles on it. We've had zero problems with it. It's been in for scheduled service several times for a total cost of $0.

Do yourself a favor and go out and drive a new MINI.

[paroyboy]

Yep, the Mini now has a Citroen/Peugeot motor instead of the Chrysler sourced original one. Supposed to get better MPG and more HP. I always wondered why smart went with a Mitsubishi motor instead of a Peugeot since its right there in France.

[caschumann]

I added a Smart to my '03 MINI Cooper S. They are both really fun cars for very different reasons. Many posts previously talk about the MINI being a fun car to drive because of the performance - they're right. When I want to go fast around tight corners, I want the MINI. The Smart is great as it's a car you can drive around and everyone just smiles when you pass by. It's a very different reaction than the MINI had when it was new to the US. Everyone thinks that the Smart is an electric car here in Minnesota when they stalk me in the parking lots to chat with me.

[bucketboss]

I had a MINI Cooper S and waited for months for the first batch. With the runflats and suspension tuning, it rode harsh and the supercharged engine was not only a turd....it got maybe 26 mpg max. I guess I was expecting more performance or economy but got neither. I could sacrifice one for the other. I did make out on the trade in value though on that car and I was impressed by the fit and finish.

My Audi TT Roadster is awd, gets 26 mpg, and is waaay faster.
My VW Beetle TDI is seemingly faster (because of the torque) and gets 45 mpg. Maybe the MINIs are better now but I never looked back.

Conversly, the Smart I had expected to be a toy and had low expectations but it pleasantly surprises me daily even after 6 mos. of driving. I absolutly am enamored by the Smart.

Oh, BTW nice stripes.......1973 Porsche 2.7 Carrera S derivitive?