Reserve?

[Smartdavis]

Originally Posted by Sbrodacz

Are you guys talking about the 2nd dairy list? They said 75% of the people that order them actually buy them and this list it so for the 25% that are not purchased.

Everyone knows the reserve list is for people who like high quality wine. The 2nd dairy list is for milk drinkers. The wait list is for people who are looking for a career in the restaurant business. Your best bet is to find an orphan and for that you need to call social services.

However, you need to go back to the dealer and have them explain to you what is really going on. You might be able to get a Smart sooner if a cancellation occurs, and the dealer has you high on their list, otherwise most people expect a wait of many months. Good luck!

[smartyPantz]

OHHHHHH** "secondary"... gotcha.

Well, I have been on 4 orphan lists for over a month now, no calls...
so... yeah...

[smartyPantz]

Originally Posted by Smartdavis

Everyone knows the reserve list is for people who like high quality wine. The 2nd dairy list is for milk drinkers. The wait list is for people who are looking for a career in the restaurant business. Your best bet is to find an orphan and for that you need to call social services.

[2009Aveo5]

Originally Posted by smartyPantz

OHHHHHH** "secondary"... gotcha.

Well, I have been on 4 orphan lists for over a month now, no calls...
so... yeah...

You'd do better if you visited the dealer and became known...these orphan lists generally speaking are done through phone calls. They skim through the list looking for a match and the first person they call who gives them money over the phone gets the car, so your dealer could be getting orphans and they likely are calling other people first.

Part of me thinks the 11-12 month estimates that are being thrown around is to create hype of high demand for the car, which I don't see that at all...these cars would be selling for more on ebay if they were high demand and I had two orphans offered to me in the first week I started looking. Of course, my rants about the tactics that my local dealer does to customers is in other threads, but I seriously think they are more available than people are claiming. I've called dozens of dealers and I'm being told there are 15 to 30 coming in at certain dealers for March/April which February numbers were single digits and often counted on one hand.

Most of these Smart cars on ebay for a higher profit just aren't selling for that much more...some are lucky and sell for a decent profit. I don't see the big demand. The orphan/waiting lists at most dealers aren't that big. There are some dealers with 50 to 70 people on that list but most are a quarter or half that size and if you go with a dealer that is requiring special requirements such as a refundable deposit of $300, $500, $1000 and even as high as $2000 or a dealer that requires you to visit the showroom to be put on the list. Those dealers have few people on the list.

After sales tax and ebay fees and looking at final sale prices, I don't see the hype where one car allegedly went for $11k over...making $5k has been done and some are making a some extra cash but not very much, at least not much on ebay after all is said and done after the taxes and fees the seller has to pay.

My biggest concern is if the prices aren't crazy right now with all the sky is falling statements...some claiming the wait is going to be 2 years, why aren't the prices higher and so my biggest concern is if the prices are reasonable now with such scarcity of the actual product then how far will these things depreciate when they become available. Why is there a brand new 2006 diesel smart from Canada on ebay...why do they have a 2006 leftover if the car is so popular, yes Canada has had this car for a long time and I know these 450 series did quite well in resale in most places but I'm not sure this is taking off in the U.S....wouldn't you see higher sale prices on ebay if it were really a year waiting list?

I might be playing the devil's advocate...but it does make me wonder.

I'll put it this way. If my Smart dealer called me up today and said we have your car and I pay my state sales tax and register it, then resell the car on ebay, according to the past few weeks in the completed auctions I may make a grand after all is said and done...maybe two if I'm lucky. My sticker is going to be $18k without any add-ons, no extra warranty or anything...I pay $1500 for taxes and fees, and ebay is pricey to sell a car, looks like the cabrios loaded are selling for $20 - 21k...it's cost me at least $20k without any add-ons total...so I make a few bucks. I don't see the big demand for this car at all.

What I see is a car that only costs $99 to reserve...that's a tank or two of gas for most people, so why not reserve it if you have the slightest interest in it. There will be a lot orphans IMO. I could be wrong...demand could skyrocket and people will take delivery, but I doubt it.

[Sbrodacz]

Originally Posted by 2009Aveo5

You'd do better if you visited the dealer and became known...these orphan lists generally speaking are done through phone calls. They skim through the list looking for a match and the first person they call who gives them money over the phone gets the car, so your dealer could be getting orphans and they likely are calling other people first.

Part of me thinks the 11-12 month estimates that are being thrown around is to create hype of high demand for the car, which I don't see that at all...these cars would be selling for more on ebay if they were high demand and I had two orphans offered to me in the first week I started looking. Of course, my rants about the tactics that my local dealer does to customers is in other threads, but I seriously think they are more available than people are claiming. I've called dozens of dealers and I'm being told there are 15 to 30 coming in at certain dealers for March/April which February numbers were single digits and often counted on one hand.

Most of these Smart cars on ebay for a higher profit just aren't selling for that much more...some are lucky and sell for a decent profit. I don't see the big demand. The orphan/waiting lists at most dealers aren't that big. There are some dealers with 50 to 70 people on that list but most are a quarter or half that size and if you go with a dealer that is requiring special requirements such as a refundable deposit of $300, $500, $1000 and even as high as $2000 or a dealer that requires you to visit the showroom to be put on the list. Those dealers have few people on the list.

After sales tax and ebay fees and looking at final sale prices, I don't see the hype where one car allegedly went for $11k over...making $5k has been done and some are making a some extra cash but not very much, at least not much on ebay after all is said and done after the taxes and fees the seller has to pay.

My biggest concern is if the prices aren't crazy right now with all the sky is falling statements...some claiming the wait is going to be 2 years, why aren't the prices higher and so my biggest concern is if the prices are reasonable now with such scarcity of the actual product then how far will these things depreciate when they become available. Why is there a brand new 2006 diesel smart from Canada on ebay...why do they have a 2006 leftover if the car is so popular, yes Canada has had this car for a long time and I know these 450 series did quite well in resale in most places but I'm not sure this is taking off in the U.S....wouldn't you see higher sale prices on ebay if it were really a year waiting list?

I might be playing the devil's advocate...but it does make me wonder.

I'll put it this way. If my Smart dealer called me up today and said we have your car and I pay my state sales tax and register it, then resell the car on ebay, according to the past few weeks in the completed auctions I may make a grand after all is said and done...maybe two if I'm lucky. My sticker is going to be $18k without any add-ons, no extra warranty or anything...I pay $1500 for taxes and fees, and ebay is pricey to sell a car, looks like the cabrios loaded are selling for $20 - 21k...it's cost me at least $20k without any add-ons total...so I make a few bucks. I don't see the big demand for this car at all.

What I see is a car that only costs $99 to reserve...that's a tank or two of gas for most people, so why not reserve it if you have the slightest interest in it. There will be a lot orphans IMO. I could be wrong...demand could skyrocket and people will take delivery, but I doubt it.

That makes a whole lot of sense. Hopefully that's true. I drive a lifted wrangler getting 8 mpg if I'm lucky. It'd be a lot of fun to be able to use the smart car as my daily driver and keep the jeep in the garage. Driving to work today I saw a trailer with atleast a dozen on them heading to the dealership that I have been dealing with. Hopefully someone won't want one of them and I'll be able to get it.