More Smarts Please, I'm Losin' It

[spikey01]

Dear Mr. Penske.
I'd like to point out that there are millions of people in the USA who would like to buy a Smart and can't because
there aren't any to be had. (I am one such person - I've been waiting for a year and the good people at Smart say I have another year to go. Which makes my heart heavy. I want to drive around LA in my Smart tootling and yelling, "Fun Fun Fun" and 40 miles a gallon!"
I figure you, being one of the smartest people in the auto business, can figure out the solution to a 50,000 demand and 24,000 cars a year being imported.
You have to admit, 2 years is Lamborghini and Ferrari territory for waiting lists.
So how about this for a solution? Build a Smart factory in America. I hear there are a couple lying fallow in the South. A factory, maybe not as slick as Smartville, but as capable of cranking out 50.000 cars on three shifts (America Needs Jobs). Would blow off the excess demands and make Smart Cars as common as Volkswagen Bugs on American Roads.
Don't you think asking people to wait 2 to three years to partake of the pleasures of smartdom is a little CRAZY?
C'mon. You and your business cohorts have the requisite large piles of cash and influential connections to make this work.
Everybody Happy.

[curtis]

Nah, I'd rather keep the Smart unique, by pumping out gazillions it will turn my smartie into a PT Cruiser...and I want Smart built in Europe. I think my flooding the market if it were possible would actually damage the appeal and future of Smart...

[Big Panda]

i fully understand your frustration. its a 'phase' all of us who 'reserve' and 'configure' go through. frustration begins at the onset and only ends at delivery.

as soon as you recognize that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, then waiting for your smart becomes somewhat more bearable. best advice i can offer is get involved in other things such as following your favorite sports, increase your reading if you're a reader, take on some home improvement projects if your a homeowner. in other words, KEEP BUSY and KEEP YOUR MIND OFF YOUR SMART CAR!

of course, the LAST thing you want to do is come on this website each day, several times a day, UNTIL you realize that you WILL have your smart........eventually. pay no attention to your DDE, the reservation numbers of others and you will keep most of your sanity.

i've learned a valuable lesson by ordering my smart and would like to think that i'm better off, or should i say smarter, for doing so.

[letsgoskatepool]

I disagree on it ending upon delivery. This artificial manufacturer imposed shortage negatively effects those of us who already have smarts because if anything goes wrong that requires parts(lets be honest, quite a few smarts have had major issues already and they haven't been out a year) makes the owner wait often weeks for a simple part.

[ladyguenivere]

Originally Posted by MENSA42

of course, the LAST thing you want to do is come on this website each day, several times a day, UNTIL you realize that you WILL have your smart........eventually. pay no attention to your DDE, the reservation numbers of others and you will keep most of your sanity.

Oh that was my problem! I thought that by checking the forums everyday I was vicariously having smartie fun and releaving some frustration by knowing that I am not alone. (Does that mean I'm a voyer when I look through the gallery?) But checking the DDE 1, 2 or more times a day has it's drawbacks as when everyone is saying their's got closer while yours moved backwards.

Only consulation - time does indeed move forward when it seems like it's standing still.

Lady G
livin' smart

[letsgoskatepool]

Originally Posted by curtis

Nah, I'd rather keep the Smart unique, by pumping out gazillions it will turn my smartie into a PT Cruiser...and I want Smart built in Europe. I think my flooding the market if it were possible would actually damage the appeal and future of Smart...

I really don't understand this. Shouldn't it be about what YOU think about your car and not everyone else?

[2smartArizona]

Originally Posted by letsgoskatepool

I really don't understand this. Shouldn't it be about what YOU think about your car and not everyone else?

True, the car is about what the owner thinks and not what the public at large thinks. I've never bought a car to impress anyone but myself, but I don't like to have a car like everyone else haves either. I like to think I like things that are not what everyone else likes. Reality is, I think that there are a lot of people that like getting great fuel mileage, but not really that many that like the smart. Demand yes, but effective demand...not so much.

[F150SC]

I too have about a year to go , however the recent economic trends will be
1. Recession will cost more cancellations , orphans will be easier to access at close to msrp.
2. European demand will also decrease, increasing share for the U.S.A.
3. Mercedes needs the Smarts for EPA mileage credits, each smart presently is about 15 mpg credits for each car sold ( EPA still uses old method for credits)

[jediknight36]

Originally Posted by ladyguenivere

Oh that was my problem! I thought that by checking the forums everyday I was vicariously having smartie fun and releaving some frustration by knowing that I am not alone. (Does that mean I'm a voyer when I look through the gallery?) But checking the DDE 1, 2 or more times a day has it's drawbacks as when everyone is saying their's got closer while yours moved backwards.

Only consulation - time does indeed move forward when it seems like it's standing still.

Lady G
livin' smart

At least you guys have a DDE. As frustrating as a moving DDE is, not having one will wake you up in the middle of the night and post on a forum. My clock says 4:11am central time which is 11::11am in Berlin.