Is the demand for smart going down??

[gothlicroni]

So I reserved my smart August 13 and configured it today August 26th and my DDE is set for January. I'm on Long Island and I've been reading some stories about people waiting for over a year. How is this possible? Is the demand going down?? Are less people reserving this car? Or is NY really just lucky?

[dubblxtc]

Well seems like they all wanted 2008's now that can configure 09's now they want 2009's. So that leaves alot of 2008's out there to get. So now buyers that are in orphan line are getting 2008's but 09's will be out soon to dealers so there will be list as well for those too. You may have luck getting orphan if 2008 is available. However, 2009 orphan lists are getting long.

[orngandblack]

NYC gets them faster, more dealers. dDo a search there is an entire thread on it.

[SPDYII]

Originally Posted by gothlicroni

So I reserved my smart August 13 and configured it today August 26th and my DDE is set for January. I'm on Long Island and I've been reading some stories about people waiting for over a year. How is this possible? Is the demand going down?? Are less people reserving this car? Or is NY really just lucky?

You live in New York = You are Lucky!

It has been proven over and over on this forum. Try ordering a smart in Dallas TX and you will wait a minimum of two years.

[rawlus®]

i suspect demand is low on long island while there are several dealers in the NY area - this amounts to unusually-short wait times. elsewhere in the country where demand is much higher and the # of dealers is much smaller, wait times are quite significant... 20+ months at best estimate.

if you look at it on a national level, demand is still very high. supply low. regionalize it to dealer coverage areas and the results are not so uniform.

this is consistent with the fluctuation of other goods and services.

[SEEBURG200]

According to an aritcle there are 80,000 reservations. Here is what Penski said "The 41-m.p.g. Smart Fortwo is selling briskly, with dealers holding reservations for 80,000." July filled orders were about 2500. At this years rate, it will take 2 1/2 years to fill all the reserves outstanding. They are reserving more cars a month then they are making. The only good thing is, I've read they have filled 14,000 to date, and when I reserved mine there were over 20,000 reservations. I'm do to get mine next month. That would be about 16,000 orders filled, so about 4,000 people have cancled there reservations. I'm sure not all 80,000 who reserved them will actually get a smart car. That is about a 20% drop out rate. These figures are only based on Articles I've read, and estimates, so don't hold me to it.

[mmmeat]

Originally Posted by gothlicroni

So I reserved my smart August 13 and configured it today August 26th and my DDE is set for January. I'm on Long Island and I've been reading some stories about people waiting for over a year. How is this possible? Is the demand going down?? Are less people reserving this car? Or is NY really just lucky?

People were reserving Smarts before they were being built for the U.S., so of course their wait times were long. Now that they're being built and delivered, the waiting times will inevitably get shorter. Plus, not everyone who reserved a Smart will buy one, and people can snatch those other cars up without having to wait forever to get one.

Dealer markups are becoming a thing of the past as Smarts are sitting on lots unsold (even though they don't sit around for long), and ebay's sky-high asking and reserve prices are falling to far more acceptible levels as the market begins to fill with the wee beasties.

Your pal,
Meat.

[ronstaug]

When I ordered mine in May 07, they told me it would be about a year, I got it in 13 months. Same dealer now is quoting 15 to 18 months. That would be in Jacksonville, Fl. And this is SUV & truck country, although starting to see a few Smart Cars on the road in Jax & St. Augustine area.

[deaconpark]

Dealer markups are becoming a thing of the past as Smarts are sitting on lots unsold (even though they don't sit around for long), and ebay's sky-high asking and reserve prices are falling to far more acceptible levels as the market begins to fill with the wee beasties.

Your pal,
Meat.

Saw the same phenomenon when the New Beetle, Miata and Coopers were introduced. As production and deliveries increase the demand will even out. May be a year or two, but it will even out.
Russ

[MsJoanne]

Originally Posted by SEEBURG200

... so don't hold me to it.

Sorry, holdin' ya to it! (snicker)