Not a smart decision - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

jayskulls · 03-10-2010, 09:04 PM

No this isn't a "I sold my smart" thread, no worries. In fact it's quite the opposite. So back in 11/2008 I purchased a smart Passion. I loved it. Over the course of a year I drove it nearly 30,000 miles. Here is when things take a turn for the worse. As a lot of you know when you drive a smart, everyone has opinions about safety, etc, etc which really can get to you after a while. At the same time I had just done my 20,000 mile "check up" for 300 bucks, which made me even more annoyed. On top of that my warranty was just about up and the heater was making noises.

So, fueled with all that negativity, almost exactly a year later I traded it for a Nissan Cube. At first I liked it a lot. The transmission and suspension were much better, didn't require premium, and it had a lot of nice features. About a month into it, though, I didn't just regret my decision, I hated myself for trading it in. Every time I'd fill up I'd be let down with awful gas mileage (when compared with the smart that is). The size was too big, and it was just big and sluggish, like I was driving a minivan.

I tried to get used to it but every day I hated driving it more and more. I looked into alternatives such as the Yaris, or Fit, but my search kept leading back to fond memories of my old smart. His name was Rocky, btw. So tonight I took a test drive and fell in love again. I traded in my Cube for a 2009 smart Passion Cabrio

. So in the end, I'm in more debt, however I have a maxed out smart car with all the fixings and only 8 miles on it.

I made sure to get a 90,000 mile warranty this time. There is still that "checkup" problem though. Am I just being screwed over by the Mercedes dealership. Is there a cheaper way to get your smart worked on every 10,000 miles?

That aside, I'm picking it up tomorrow night, and I am super psyched, though everyone else thinks I'm insane.

Huronlad · 03-10-2010, 09:33 PM

Any good mechanic should be able to service the car, even better if there is a Mitsu dealer close to you, that is if you are not able to do the oil changes yourself. Warranty work is less of a headache if left to smart though.

**SmartDigger** · 03-10-2010, 09:35 PM

Welcome back.....Do the work yourself. or have a local do it.

fpage77 · 03-10-2010, 09:48 PM

Are you the mynameisjay guy from Fuelly? I think I remember you were on my list of followed smarts. I go through my followed "friends" and look at what everyone is getting and noticed a Cube on you and that smart wasn't being tracked. I removed you as a friend thinking you didn't have a smart still and I must have been right. It could just be a small world or I'm just nuts and have you mixed up with someone else. It's good you're back in the smart fold though.

fastturb · 03-10-2010, 09:55 PM

welcome back. good story. if the negatives start hitting you again, just let us know and we'll remind you of the positives!!!

smartSparky · 03-10-2010, 11:16 PM

Ask around among German car owners and find a good independent shop that services Merc, BMW, etc. That's what I did here in CA and get quality service for less than half the price of MB/smart.

chieftmc · 03-11-2010, 06:23 AM

you can do yourself

smart USA - operate and service your vehicle

forestacademy · 03-11-2010, 06:50 AM

Stick around here and get lots of tips for Doing the service yourself.
It can be quite easy for most of it.

And if all else fails, take it to click and clack for service

I hear they need to make some more payments on that boat

Old smart · 03-11-2010, 06:58 AM

There is a difference between maintenance work and warranty work, and ideally you never get into the later. Competent DYI, or having work done by an independant, does not automatically void the warranty. If something does goes wrong and there is a warranty issue on a particlar part or system, and incompetent work or insufficient documentation of the work was found, then there could be a denial of warranty, but for that specific part or system only, not the entire vehicle.

Old smart · 03-11-2010, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forestacademy

Stick around here and get lots of tips for Doing the service yourself.
It can be quite easy for most of it.

And if all else fails, take it to click and clack for service

I hear they need to make some more payments on that boat

I have used "Click & Clack," aka: Good News Garage, Hamilton St, Cambridge (between Brookline St and the back of MIT). They did good work on my '86 Peugeot 505S when no one else in Eastern MA could or would. One warning, it is "cash-only" - no checks, no credit cards, no barter.