Some of you might remember me from last summer saying "I'll be buying a new car Summer 09", well, that actually became Summer 10 due to economic downturn August 10 is when I am expecting to finish paying for my most recent car... 2008 Nissan Rogue. Yeah, I know its a year away and as we learned from last year a lot of things can change in 12 months, but I just want some information/predictions.
About a year ago, the wait was quite literally 12-15 months if you order from the factory, with occasional availability of orphans. Right now the smart usa website says "available stock for immediate delivery"... so my question is, is there really that many orphans now? Also if I decide to custom order...has the wait decreased to something more reasonable?
Pricing... back then it was fixed, no negotiating beyond having the dealer throw in a free set of rugs. Has that changed? I noticed they are offering financing deals (not 0%, but better than 8% a bank would want), is that a sign of better things to come?
Quality...now that these cars are rolling over 30k...has anything serious developed? I know there has been a Transmission 2.0 update, did that fix the jerkyness, especially when going from 1st to 2nd?
Other notes: I am sorta all over the board here on what I am cross shopping, and is likely to change. The budget is sub-$20k...and so far the smart is near the top of the list, sure it lacks a back seat but its a happy and fun car to drive (i test drove it about 10 months ago). Other considerations are Rabbit 2door (after my test drive, I would only consider if the price was right), Suzuki SX4, Hyundai Elantra Touring, Hyundai Accent...in other words small cheap hatchbacks minus Yaris and Fit which don't appeal to me at all.
Availability
Yes they are on the lots, and if you want something specific you can still custom order or use the smart express system where they find your match at the docks before they are sent to the dealer.
Price
Not a lot of wiggle room in one of these cars. Some but not a lot. We occasionally hear of someone getting screwed by the old practice of dealer add ons, but for the most part that isn't happening much any more.
Quality, See this thread for details of problems "Actual" problems your car has had (so far)
Most have been delt with except a strange random beeps when you turn off the key and the gas gage reading 7/8 when full.
Cross shopping
More small/ micro cars are coming. A lot can happen in a year, and at the same time the industry does take a lot to change direction.
Low financing is being offered for the higher-end smarts (1.2%). Otherwise, some dealers may be able to offer a small discount for cars on the lot, but I haven't heard of much. I wouldn't expect the situation to improve for the buyer as the economy improves and/or gas prices continue to increase.
The main advice I would give is to first determine your needs.
The Smart has it's space limitations but a little trailer will fix that.
Many of the new cars have bugs which will require trips back to the dealer, so be sure a dealer is within 50 miles or it will become a PIA real fast.
When gas hit $4 we pressed our little car in to service as a business tool, Many days putting on 300 miles plus. The car served the purpose as far as comfort and driveability,but we became uneasy driving it as little problems kept coming up.
As for the other cars on your list we test drove most of them before buying the SX4. We bought the full package as we were replacing a Subaru outback.
The SX4 is fine ,but not quick, as we went with the auto trans. It has been reliable, so far, @8k. The lack of dealers could be a problem here as well. We get 28mpg which is OK for 4 wheel drive.
Bottom line here... The Smart car is the most fun car we have ever owned, but not a reliable work car, as yet.. A2Jack.
@a2jack...thanks on the SX4 input. I am in the NW chicago suburbs so dealer availability isn't much of an issue. My nearest Smart dealer is Lincolnwood which is about a 20-30 minute drive depending on traffic. There are about 2 or 3 Suzuki dealers within the same radius.
Of course everything is still too far away to tell...things will change. Since I am looking for a "deal", financing/cash back offered at time of purchase will be a great determining factor. Of the cars I've looked at / test driven so far, the fortwo is near the top of my list just for the joy to drive / bang for the buck. The only downside is no back seat, but then again thats why I have a Rogue to manage those occasional trips to IKEA.
Availability shouldn't be a problem, barring a spike in fuel prices or some other event. Remember, the color panels can be swapped out, so that's an advantage in finding a car with the right equipment (and avoiding being pushed to agree to more than you want). It's an easy thing to forget, but color is the easiest issue to solve.
The upgrade 2.0 was actually a software upgrade and it did affect the shifting, so you might want to take another test drive. The other issues like updated manual and batteries in some cases shouldn't be an issue at this point because you should be seeing 08's with the upgrade or 09's on the lots.
Check the problems encountered and other posts/threads, but keep in mind you're seeing the minority with problems concentrated in one place. If there are 30,000 cars on the road and 500 with problems that are discussed here, you're not seeing the 29,500 votes for "no problem." Also, some problems aren't really problems, they may be operator error or lack of knowledge. . .OK, I admit it, I don't read manuals, so I bring it on myself.
On pricing, I saw a lease offer that was $99 at one point. They weren't offering leasing at the beginning. I have my Smart, so I didn't pay a lot of attention to the offers, but with the CARS program done, I'm sure everyone is coming up with promotions to get you into their dealership.
The one thing the dealer won't tell you, but which you can learn here is, we're all a little nuts. You'll have to consider whether you want to be branded for life with a scarlet S. If you do, you'll be welcomed and properly hazed.
[QUOTE=orangecones3;270026 The only downside is no back seat, but then again thats why I have a Rogue to manage those occasional trips to IKEA.[/QUOTE]
Don't worry about IKEA
As far as deals go: would you prefer to get what you need at an excellent price or get something that costs 30% more list price with a 15% discount?
I am confused by this question. I am assuming you meant would I rather get the car I want at a decent price, or a car I can live with (not exactly first, or second, or third choice) but get it because it comes with a good discount?
I guess it depends on how bad that "cheap car" is. From experience.... in 2003 we bought a left over 2002 Daewoo Leganza for $10500 (this is the car that will be replaced next summer....currently @ 83k miles)... the original sticker was $19500. On the other extreme...we bought the Rogue when they just hit the market... we paid only about $100 less than MSRP (+ free floor mats)...but that was exactly the car that we wanted. So I guess my answer is no answer at all....I've done both cases, and neither was really good/bad....it just all kinda worked out ok.
Then you're in "a good place" with respect to your "looking for a 'deal'" that you mentioned earlier. You know that not getting much of a discount on a smart may still be a better choice than getting $2k off an overpriced alternative to the smart.
You're not stuck on getting a percentage off or cash back after financing. You just want a great car for a fair price!
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