Don't cancel your reservation. There's a 1.5 year waiting list so you'll have lots of time to evaluate the smart before you take delivery. And lets say you decide not to buy it. You can orphan your smart for some other lucky person and get your $99 back or you can buy it and put it up for immediate resale. Right now they're going for $5,000 over sticker on E-bay, maybe that will continue when you get yours (by then gas should be $8 per gallon) or maybe not. You can't really lose. No point in cancelling your reservation and eliminating your options. I for one love my smart and wouldn't trade it for any other car in the world. And it's not just about gas mileage. I love the way it looks, handles, parks, and I love all the looks and thumbs-up I get everywhere I go.
I think it is fair for you to second guess your decision. Everyone who is driving a smart in the US is an early adopter. There are few dealers, few mechanics and few available parts. The transmission is new. The car is unusual. The
bugs are still being worked out.
Most people have had a perfect experience (me included), but there are more "issues" with this car at this time in this country. (flat tires, availability of parts, learning curve of mechanics, long towing waits, etc, etc)
Having said all that, we LOVE our smart and are
thrilled with our purchase. However, our smart is our third
car and we live 15 minutes from the dealership.
If I were in your position, I would probably get a more traditional and wait
till the smart (and all its support services) are as ubiquitous as Honda or Ford.
I am usually not an early adopter.
My husband, however, fell for this car so
hard I'm sure he would have bought it under any circumstances!
If you can let yourself let go of the anxiety a bit, I think your smart will probably reward you in fun and cost savings to make up for some inconvence.
If you can't stand the worry, go get a Fit and wait a while.
I would not cancel your smart order though. You probably won't get the car for 12 - 18 months (or more) and maybe by then you will be assured enough to want it. You can get your $99 back any time, even after the car has been delivered. Just orphan it and some lucky orphan list sitter will be thrilled to buy your car!
Holly (who was dragged kicking and screaming into early adopting a smart and loves it!)
As the others are saying, the only "widespread" issue is with the shifting mechanism (either sticking or giving the three-bar error). And this only appears widespread on the forums, which contains only a small portion of smart users. Other issues are limited to one or two users and are no different from issues with any car of any year.
By the time you got your smart, all of the recurring issues will be ironed out, including that shifting thing. Early adopters make things easier for year 2 and beyond people!
I commute in my smart every day to work, 87 mile round trip, 4000 miles in 7 weeks, only issue was the p0410 emmisions code(see other thread). Best buying decision I ever made. I love this car, wouldn't trade it for anything. Averaging 43.5 mpg.
Keep your reservation if you can spare the $99. If smart has your money for a year and you could have earned 10% you are out $10. You can always get it back, or if you want a car now there is the orphan program.
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this is a great car, front to back, top to bottom.
Today
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