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As time goes by, I'm feeling like buying this car would be a mistake.
I was a big fan 10 years ago and it was on my, "must do" list when in Germany to test drive one.
I've had a model, talked it up and followed everything in print I could on the device.
I am an 1180, figuring Roger would shower me with insider swag until the car was here, meanwhile setting up an impeccable distribution network and dealerships with highly trained and motivated staff from top to bottom.
"Facts" now show that not one part of the plan is/was done well.
As of 1/25 our dealer has no parts catalog and pricing, one existing service guy spent one day at school - with no plans of hiring a specialist in service or parts, the world's worst warranty, mediocre gas mileage and besides the engine, it still is an EU product which isn't known for price/reliability/service cost nirvana and the list goes on.
Oh yeah, no knowledge of my reservation and the offer of nearly 6% financing with an 800+ credit score hasn't endeared me to it either.
My extended drive at the "Grand Opening" that had a dinner plate of fruit, popcorn and bottled water showed there's no way I'm parking the Subaru during the winter, the smart would just be another moving roadblock wandering and lunging from rut to rut, it's electronics taking control over my wishes.
The car would have been bought and gone if I'd been in the first batch but now I'm not so sure.
I hope the car is enough of a hit that a Jap version comes out that works like it should, the concept still appeals to me but this isn't the way I wanted it to turn out.
You have summed up, fairly accurately, my feelings as well. You know, if they had been quicker getting the cars to the dealers a lot of people would never have known any of the things that you have mentioned and they, along with me, would be rushing to sign on the dotted line only to find out all of these things after it was too late. I'm saddened, not only because this whole affair has been handled in such a slipshod manner, but also because there are so many apologists here that continue to wait with baited breath for the moment that they can enter their Dealer and, with their chest thrust out and a great grin on their face state that, yes, I am a 1395 and I hold in my hand my e-mail from Steve Schembri, the keeper of the keys. I have come to claim what is rightfully mine. Ah, what a proud moment. I'm sure it will be captured on video tape for the six o'clock news.
Wow.....Our emails said First Quarter 08...not Jan 1 08. Get a grip people. If you reserved in March or April, Start getting upset after the first quarter is over....not before January is even over. I would not even know what to do with a coffee mug. I would rather just pay less for the car....its a very inexpensive car!!!
Wow.....Our emails said First Quarter 08...not Jan 1 08. Get a grip people. If you reserved in March or April, Start getting upset after the first quarter is over....not before January is even over. I would not even know what to do with a coffee mug. I would rather just pay less for the car....its a very inexpensive car!!!
Meaux
...inexpensive particularly when you look at the dollar/euro exchange rate and the direction that has gone since the announcement that smart would enter the US market. Yes, a little more attention would have been nice, as would the $2 in interest they probably made on my deposit. More importantly, for the success of the brand, their website should always have provided more information about the product. It still should.
Wow.....Our emails said First Quarter 08...not Jan 1 08. Get a grip people. If you reserved in March or April, Start getting upset after the first quarter is over....not before January is even over.
My Reservation Confirmation e-mail said that "An authorized smart USA dealer will contact you in the second half of 2007 to place a formal order for a smart fortwo". The follow-up letter from Roger Penske says "During the second half of 2007, that dealer will contact you directly to formalize your order, work out the details of your purchase agreement and arrange for delivery". That didn't happen.
The Volume 10 newsletter says "Please be patient as the smart USA team will be contacting reservation holders based upon the date the reservation was placed" and "Access to the smart USA Reservation Confirmation Program is granted based on the date of your reservation". I see that reservation holders in the 1300s have now been contacted and granted access. I am a 1262 and have not been contacted and granted access. So, that didn't happen.
But, at least, they started delivering cars in Q1 '08, like they said they would. That's the only thing that they committed to that matters, right? They can miss every other commitment that they made because they made this one, right?
Reservation holders can sit around for 3/4 of a year with no idea when they might get their car. By the end of March, they will have a 90-day window of when they might get their car.
Smart is building one model that is simple to construct with limited options and easy to change exterior color, plus they have a pre-order list for more than a year's production. What is their problem that they haven't figured this out by now? How do other car manufacturers survive at all without Smart's advantages?
My gripes:
I went with convertible, with the options I chose (everything except alarm, silver tridion) it gets up to $19K. Kind of expensive for a small car. MPG is not that good, I was hoping 45-50, you'd think that newer technologies get better gas mileage than 10 year-old engine.
While stability on highways is hit or miss with everybody giving mixed reports, I see that harsh ride is 100%. Plus better not go over 70 as it gets fairly unstable.
I live in suburbs (Schaumburg, Chicago area), I mostly drive highways, that's where the speed and highway stability comes in question.
I used to have MINI Cooper S, I sold it because manual transmission got to me (at that time I was doing about 70 mile commuting (both ways)), but also because ride was exceptionally harsh. I changed runflats to regular tires, then sold my original 17" rims and bought 15", it was somewhat better, but still too harsh for my liking. Other than that I loved that car and still do.
Now I have BMW 325 wagon, but I wanted a convertible.
I'd probably choose MINI convertible, but they're still putting in that old engine with low MPG.
I went to Devon, Pa to the Smart Center with my brother and got a big dose of happy car. Just pulling into the parking lot made me smile. We walked around for a while and talked about the different models then went into the showroom, cranked up the radio and got our salesperson giggling. It was a nice moral boost for the long wait and I went home much more positive about my purchase. Highly recommended BTW!
I went to Devon, Pa to the Smart Center with my brother and got a big dose of happy car. Just pulling into the parking lot made me smile. We walked around for a while and talked about the different models then went into the showroom, cranked up the radio and got our salesperson giggling. It was a nice moral boost for the long wait and I went home much more positive about my purchase. Highly recommended BTW!
That sounds wonderful! I would love to do that but my smart dealer isn't open yet.
Today
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