So here I am again for the 5th time since I have owned my Smart (since Oct) looking for a new car. Every time I have to venture North to Santa Fe I come home and tell my wife that I am going to replace my Smart. The road noise and the lack of power is just too much for me to deal with. Besides feeling unsafe on that lonely drive to and from SF and having 3 kids in which my son is always with me in the smart.
Before this my everyday car was a 2006 330i. I elected to just keep the Smart as my primary car and see how it goes. I tell my wife that I am going to order rims and the body kit and she keeps saying look just buy a new car. You are going to keep pouring money into the Smart till there is nothing left to do and still be unhappy with it. I can appreciate her honesty but I am not sure.
I do really love the rest of my smart. I don't drive very much unless I have to go to Santa Fe. I go from home to my office and back home. Nothing big so keeping the smart was perfect.
Also the insurance is in fact ridiculous. I have posted before that it is not but to find out that a challenger srt8 will cost me 100 bucks more every 6 months to insure than my smart made me really wonder.
For the last reason my 4 year old son absolutely loves my smart. I told him I may get rid of it and his reply was "probably not dad"
As I was driving to a birthday party last night I happened to pass by a Dodge dealership and out in front was a brand new Challenger SRT8 and I honestly fell in love with it for some odd reason. American cars are not my style. My wife has a Denali that I had to force myself to buy.
So what do you guys/gals think? I would appreciate your honesty and opinions because I am really at a loss right now.
Good luck with that...... I wonder who will be the first to fling personal insults at you for buying the wrong car or for just not "getting it". It's risky to come in here with any sort of criticism of the smart, you're a brave guy.
If you bought a smart when your primary driving was going to be highway, you probably made the wrong choice, since they do move around in the wind.
I don't know why your insurance is high, because the symbol number for the car is one of the lowest on the road... but that's for the passion, not the cabrio (which, as a convertible, will naturally have a higher insurance rate).
In our passion, we have little road noise, plenty of power to get up to 75 MPH, and we never feel unsafe. Now, power from a stop, I'll agree, is awful... but this is an inexpensive car. You don't get power from a stop when you pay $12-14k for a minicar.
If you've only had your car for four months and are that dissatisfied, sell it before you get too many miles on it and/or Americans start to lose their interest in the car. You can probably recover most of your purchase price right now.
If you are a car guy and you dislike your car, it's time for something different. If I didn't think we are going to be looking at $4 a gallon gas by the summer, I'd buy the Challenger also. Or a hotrod Mustang.
I went from a Honda (hate them, they suck), to a Jag (top of the line), to a Hyundai. Loved the Jag (while it was under warranty) and decided due to its being at the end of warranty and really too big for DC driving, much less trying to park it, to part with it and get something else. I bought the Hyundai for no other reason then the 100,000 mile power train warranty.
When people ask me how I like it, I call it a "piece of ****", but it has been a SUPER car, no major issues, and basically LIKES being abused (say 10,000 miles between oil changes). Its almost paid for and the wife and I plan on it being our long distance car for years to come and use the Smart she has and the one I intend to buy for short distance trips.
So, I can feel your pain going from the luxury of a BMW to a Smart, its very similar going from a Jag to a Hyundai. I really loved my Jag, hated to get rid of it, but things changed during the time I owned so it became a nuisance instead of a joy.
As far as your decision on the Smart. If your gut says sell it, then so be it. A car (any car, or really any material prosession) is not worth stressing over. My material days are WAY behind me.
I hope this helps with your decision. You can count on me to support you for any decision you make.
Good luck with that...... I wonder who will be the first to fling personal insults at you for buying the wrong car or for just not "getting it". It's risky to come in here with any sort of criticism of the smart, you're a brave guy.
IMHO, your wife is correct.
I would rather not deal with the personal insults but I can handle it. Thanks for the reply
Apparently I missed this one. I hope you are not talking to me because I have not gone anywhere saying Smart sucks! I hope your talking to someone else.
Last edited by jwight; 01-18-2009 at 03:25 PM.
Reason: removed abusive post
If you are a car guy and you dislike your car, it's time for something different. If I didn't think we are going to be looking at $4 a gallon gas by the summer, I'd buy the Challenger also. Or a hotrod Mustang.
That is another concern. Who knows where gas is going.
Sounds like your mind is made up. Do what you think will work best for you. Don't worry what other people say. You are the one who is in the drivers seat.
Get your son one of those RC Smart cars and he will probably be happyt.
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