Shopping and questions.

[saskdiesel]

I am shopping for a commuter vehicle to replace my V10 F250.
Yes, thats right, a V10............
Anyway, I need a small eco car for the daily drive when I'm not riding my bicycle. My commute is about 15km of highway and 5km of city.
I have narrowed my choices to the Smart and the Honda Fit.
My wife is partial to the Smart Fortwo as they have been running around here for the last couple of years (Canada).
I have driven the Fit and found it very nice. I am going to drive a Smart Car Tuesday.
There are no waiting lists here, I can buy anytime but I have a couple of questions as I have never driven the previous versions of this car.
There are lots of questions on this board regarding noises, rattles, transmission problems and handling. Actually there are many other questions people are asking! Should I be worried about this?
Anyway, I don't mind a bit of tinkering with my cars and I am not expecting Honda type quality from a Smart Car. But is the new gasser motor better then the diesel? Should I look for a used diesel?
Is everyone happy with the level of refinement? My wife likes cute but I don't want rattles driving me nuts.
I am wondering if maybe I'm not the type to own such a car like this?
I am buying one of these two cars this week regardless.....

[angel]

Good luck with your decision.

[aslusers]

You've narrowed your search to two good cars!

As for the number of posts about problems...

Of all the people who have taken delivery of their Smart, the small subset who had some early problem seek out a forum like this one. The vast majority who are happily motoring are less likely to bother to read or post.

We've only had our Smart for three weeks, so our experience won't be of much comfort. However, our car runs beautifully! No problems!

This car has a unique transmission that has a bit of a learning curve for best performance and comfort. It took me about a week to adjust. My husband and I argue about who gets to drive the Smart because it is so much fun to drive.

If you are comfortable with a 2 seater, I would go with the Smart. If you think
you would be better with a 4 seater, you can't go wrong with the Fit.

Can't advise about the diesel!

Enjoy whatever you get!

[MichaelJ]

Originally Posted by saskdiesel

Is everyone happy with the level of refinement? My wife likes cute but I don't want rattles driving me nuts.

I have over 4000km on mine with no problems with fit/finish or rattles. It IS a small lightweight car, and one of the ways they achieved the low weight was to eliminate most soundproofing. It is a bit noisier than my minivan.

That being said, I had no problems listening to music and podcasts from my iPod on an 800km road trip that I took just to see what it was like on a longer ride. The Smart is as much a statement as a means of transport.

It is what it is, and has a certain level of cachet that separates it from the generic econoboxes. I had considered both the Fit and the Yaris, but stuck with the Smart. Absolutely NO regrets.

[saskdiesel]

Originally Posted by MichaelJ

I have over 4000km on mine with no problems with fit/finish or rattles. It IS a small lightweight car, and one of the ways they achieved the low weight was to eliminate most soundproofing. It is a bit noisier than my minivan.

That being said, I had no problems listening to music and podcasts from my iPod on an 800km road trip that I took just to see what it was like on a longer ride. The Smart is as much a statement as a means of transport.

It is what it is, and has a certain level of cachet that separates it from the generic econoboxes. I had considered both the Fit and the Yaris, but stuck with the Smart. Absolutely NO regrets.

This is one thing that does appeal to me. Although the Smart Car is not uncommon here it does separate itself from others on the road.
And thank you for the responses, I believe you are right when you say the vast majority of the motoring public is very happy with their purchases and will never visit a board like this.
I look forward to my test drive tomorrow!