I don't mind the negative comments. If they are of interest, I read them. If not, I pass them over. Everyone has that choice. But the original request was for those of us that have received delivery. Are we happy?
Yes, I am still happy. More than happy and I have been more than satisfied with this vehicle. I look forward to the end of my day just so I can drive the 10 miles home. I look forward to the weekend so I can take a drive. For those that know me, this is craziness. I have never been impressed by a vehicle and certainly have never taken a drive simply to drive.
For those that have not received delivery, I sympathize with the agony of waiting, I was there, but when you get this car you will be happy you waited. Take my word for it!
Negativism and personal attacks gutted that forum. Really, better suspension feel than your Cooper S? You ARE in love.
Actually the suspension/feel of the Smart over bad pavement is better then either MCS we've had, with or without runflats. The MCS is quite a hard jarring ride over road imperfections (which likely contributes to all of the strut tower 'mushrooming' occurrences I see reported), surprisingly the Smart seems to absorb bad road surfaces better. Prolly doesn't hurt that its lighter and doesn't have the torque steer of a front wheel drive car
I wanted something fun to drive. I wanted a car with some good gas mileage. I didn't want to spend a huge amount of money or have batteries to fool with later. I wanted to have fewer parking hassles because parking spaces where I live are getting so darn narrow I sometimes can't fit my regular car into them. I got all of that.
Then there were some unexpected "extras" that came with it.
I sit high in the driving position, have excellent visibility, can get in and out of the car without doing deep knee bends, and frankly the transmission is something I've become really fond of. Can't explain why, but I like the way it shifts. To heck with seamless automatics. This car makes you feel something both when you grab the wheel and turn the car, and when you press the accelerator hard with your foot. The engine purrs at stop signs. It's just not like any other car. The engine just sounds better and the car has it's own kind of "feel". More alive. This car works for me.
Last edited by Smartdavis; 03-04-2008 at 07:26 PM.
Reason: spelling
I will chime in as well. I now have 3200 miles on mine. I have a 60 mile round trip commute each day. I am 326 miles from my dealer and, yes, I just made a trip to the dealer to have the linkage inspection done since mine was one of the first. Do I regret getting it? No. Not at all. I really enjoy driving the smart. I very seldomly drive in manual mode. I, like some others, have come to know the transmission and have got use to it and now love the way it shifts and how I can control it to some degree even in auto mode. I actually look forward to the drive to & from work. And my other car is a Corvette convertible. What do I drive when the weekend comes? I believe you can guess.....if your smart.
I love the concept of this site and hope it continues just the way it is. It is fun for me to research the rumors as much as it is a valuable tool to communicate with my clients and potential customers. Any manufacturer or retailer (me) would love a place where every review and post is positive. The problem is NO ONE WOULD READ IT!!!
Many of our reservation holders, as well as pre-reservation visitors to the store, have expressed concern after reading the forums. Some of them are very valid, while others are based off of misinformation, early unconfirmed rumors, or the poster’s opinion presented as fact. Any savvy shopper does research on the internet, and if you Google smart car, this site comes up in the top 2 or 3. Even if internet shoppers do not join or participate in the forum, they are going to read it. If I am a prospective buyer and I read some of the less than accurate posts, I would think twice about ordering thinking that PAG and smart USA were completely incompetent or worse, ripping people off!
Most of us want to promote cars like the smart for various reasons. What needs to be policed is not posting negatively, but posting accurately and honestly. If every post was about how bad the car and the company are, that’s okay if it is true. We can’t ask for balanced (negative and positive) and expect for any of the discussions to matter. When I make a major decision I write out the pros and cons and evaluate which out weighs the other. If I did that using the “information†on this site alone, would I buy a smart? Probably not. If I did the same evaluation reading only owner reviews, I probably would. In the end, if the disclaimer at time of ordering was actually a 2 or 3 or 4 year wait, you wouldn’t be contacted until the day your car arrives, and some dealers are going to try to charge you a little extra for the doc fee, would it change what matters to most of us, how much we love the car? NO!
Or we could just morph in to a Pollyanna bunch of feel good kumbya nerds with a Jones for a cutely little cool car and not discuss the merits of this particular car buying decision...
Really!! IMO, some of you are just bent to accept any form of screw over and think it great as long as you can get you hands on some esoteric thing you have pined over two or more years for...
There is a reason there is much frustration and angst... glossing it over is not going to do any service to any one... PAG and Internet Brands have seriously screwed the pooch... we seek to get some things fixed..
Our carping and *****ing has actually changed a few things and may impact other aspects of being a Mercedes Benz car owner...
Pa- lease.!!..feel free to NOT read threads that distress you!
This is exactly how I feel about the whole experience. I'm still going to buy the car, but this is not how I expected a Penske run operation to happen.
I am wondering if we are doing a dis-service to readers of this forum with some of our negativity? I notice a growing number of reservationists starting to question the wisdom of purchasing the smarts they have reserved.
We have all had issues with dealers fees, lack of communication, delayed dealer openings and deliveries etc, but once we have the cars are we happy?
There have been reports of linkage problems, check engine lights etc but has anyone who has taken delivery been realy dissapointed in their car?
I have been as vocal as anyone regarding pre delivery issues but since taking possession I have been very happy with the smart. I am not at all dissapointed in the car and am very happy owning it.
So, I am curious! If you have taken delivery how do you now feel about the car? Are you happy? Would you recomend one to a friend? Have you had any major dissapointments.
I think we owe it to those who are yet to recieve their cars to provide a balanced review of our impressions.
I am very happy with mine and think anyone interested in an urban commuter car, an economy about town car and or a unique and interesting run-about would be thrilled with one.
If you have yours, weigh in with your thoughts. Let's make sure those still waiting know how those of us with cars now feel about them.
But isn't a post about negativity a negative post? jk
Kwagar your own experience is probably a reason some Florida dealers adjusted there fees. not because we all held hands and sang about the beauty in the world (there is a lot of it). If you are looking for a micro car this is the only game in town right now. This one is a hoot to drive. my wife and I Love ours. We both commuted to work with it one week went out to shop to eat and a few joy rides for 20 bucks. Not happy, Ecstatic
but thats just me, let people make there own choices based on the free exchange of information. What a concept.
karl
Pollyanna here. I LOVE MY SMARTIE. There does appear to be a lot more negative posts on here but I remind myself that you can't please everyone. Owning this little guy has been a 19 month dream that came true. Hate the car or the process so move on. Love the car, drive the car...keep us informed. Regina
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Take my word for it!
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