Went to my local MB dealer yesterday...

[SmartCard]

I stopped by our local Mercedes dealership yesterday - the only one in Louisville- to see if they had any info on Smart dealerships and the road tour. I asked the front desk receptionists girl about Smart, and she said "Oh, you'll have to talk to 'so-and-so', he's the guy to talk to" and called him over. The way she said it, it gave me this positive feeling. However when I ask him about any word about being a Smart dealer he said "we considered putting in a bid for it, but in the long run didn't think the market here would support a dealership." He went on about something about a new C-class diesel that MB would be introducing that would get about the same mileage (yeah, right!) with twice the room, etc. He finally said that the 5-10 Smarts they might sell a month would not be worth the electricity. I mentioned to him that in the first year you wouldn't even have to keep any on the lot! I said, afterall you've got 25000 reservations and supposedly only 16,000 to be produced in the first year. He seemed to be surprised by the 25000 reservations number!
Made me wonder if the dealership had thought and decided about this a while ago, before the reservation program opened.

He did go on to say that he thought the "area" would have a Smart dealership, and by area he meant Louisville, Indy, Cincy area...or maybe some where in between? In any event, it left me with the bad feeling despite being a road show stop, that Louisville may not get a dealership.
(we don't have a MINI dealer yet, as well)

[pokeyrider]

Yes, I think Mercedes is going to push their B-Class "Baby Benz" in place of Smart.
Bill

[kurt013]

Well, good for you, Smartcard, for trying. If enough people stop by their local MB dealer and ask about the Smart, they may get the message. Anybody remember Alice's Resturant? If one person a day sings the refrain they may think he's looney, but if 5 people a day do it, they may think it's a movement, and that's what it is.

[MSOEMiller]

Originally Posted by kurt013

. . Anybody remember Alice's Resturant? If one person a day sings the refrain they may think he's looney, but if 5 people a day do it, they may think it's a movement, and that's what it is.

. . . The Alice's Restaurant anti-massacre movement. . . You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant . . .

I listened to that record sooo much. I'm not old, it was my Dad's

[ilovesmartcar]

I have a friend whose brother owns a few car dealerships in the VA area. He didn't apply to be a dealership because he didn't think there would be enough interest. He's now regretting that decision.

[Nicholas]

Just spoke with the manger from the local (Tallahassee, Florida) MB dealership and asked if they might be handling the SMART car and if they might be servicing them either way. He explained to me that he thought Smart was trying to "stand alone" and was being sponsered by the Pensky group (of that, I already knew) and that the MB dealership locally wouldn't be handling anything. My only real concern will be if I am able to preform basic maintenance myself (oil and filter changes, brake jobs, lube, etc.)as that I understand that the closest dealership might be three hour drive from my location.

[spdickey]

Originally Posted by Nicholas

My only real concern will be if I am able to preform basic maintenance myself (oil and filter changes, brake jobs, lube, etc.)as that I understand that the closest dealership might be three hour drive from my location.

Oil and filter changes looked easy from viewing the car at the LA Auto Show. (drain plug and filter very visible near the right rear tire). First oil/service is scheduled at 10,000 miles; you might want to take it on a spin to visit the dealer once a year. Also Penske is offering free roadside assistance nationwide, you might get someone out on the "smart one" program but no one has seen any details yet.

[shack01]

Originally Posted by spdickey

. . . . but no one has seen any details yet.

Gosh! Now there's a surprise!

tm