Your first smart car trip

[giltsmart]

I haven't gotten mine yet, but my first trip is going to be from San Jose to LA! I can't wait!

Where do you plan on going for your first long trip if any?

Where was your first long trip when you got your smart?

[saronian]

No big trips so far. This weekend will be the first short trip from Oakland to visit family in Fresno. We'll be surprised if we see another smart nearby.

[24-42]

Originally Posted by giltsmart

I haven't gotten mine yet, but my first trip is going to be from San Jose to LA! I can't wait!

Where was your first long trip when you got your smart?

First trip was picking up the car. Took delivery in Columbia, MO and drove to LA,CA. 2250mi - 2 1/2 days. Left the following day for Roseburg, OR 23hrs 900 plus miles. Departed OR and arrived LA the next day (took scenic route).

Enjoyed every minute of that trip. For the trip to Oregon, I took out the right seat and slept in the car. Had a park ranger think I was a midget, until I got out of the car.

The whole trip was one great adventure. I'd do the whole thing over again in a N.Y. minute.

Donald LaFavor

[factor9]

Originally Posted by 24-42

First trip was picking up the car. Took delivery in Columbia, MO and drove to LA,CA. 2250mi - 2 1/2 days. Left the following day for Roseburg, OR 23hrs 900 plus miles. Departed OR and arrived LA the next day (took scenic route).

Enjoyed every minute of that trip. For the trip to Oregon, I took out the right seat and slept in the car. Had a park ranger think I was a midget, until I got out of the car.

The whole trip was one great adventure. I'd do the whole thing over again in a N.Y. minute.

Donald LaFavor

WOW!!! I can't come anywhere near that, Don! Love to hear about your mileage, any mechanical problems, interesting human (or other) contacts besides the park ranger! Congratulations!

Any way, to respond to the original thread, we just came back from a 375 mile trek in NorCal during the serious windy conditions that hit the Northwest this past week. Besides avoiding some grass and forest fires along the way as well as thick dust clouds that necessitated using the A/C (recirculate mode) for half the trip, we were buffeted by 45+mph cross and head winds for most of the drive. Naturally, over night, the wind directions changed enough to prevent us from taking advantage of a corresponding tailwind - UGH! So, with two in the car, luggage, rough winds (that knocked the "beast" around enough to require two hands on the wheel at all times), A/C for half the trip and an avg. speed of 65 mph., we still were able to get 42.5 mpg (figure 10% city driving)! The car was very comfortable, the A/C was great, I never felt like the winds were going to push us out of the lane and there was a large number of envious people watching as I filled up at the pump! It was a great time, and I can't wait to take a longer trip soon! Bob

[giltsmart]

^^^Wow. I was going to ask how did your Smart handle with the wind, but it sounds like it did OK?

[LittoDeviL]

I picked up my smart from mercedes of manhattan and drove it all the way back to san francisco =X in a little under 2 days... non stop driving. Got about 5,000 miles on it within 1 month. Still writing up my long journey =) but I made it in one piece hehe and got some comments from other truck drivers... Drove thru a snow storm.. ran out of gas and rolled into a gas station at the next exit 100 feet away... my litto smart and I went thru a lot those two days haha..

Larry

[rwjrn]

I just returned from my 800 mile round trip to Orange County. The wind was bad, but I never felt like I would get blown off the road. The biggest problem I encountered was the construction on I 5. There were massive bumps every few hundred yards that the Smart just couldn't handle at highway speeds. I had to slow way down which probably pissed off the big SUVs that could hit them at 70 without blinking. I eventually got off on a frontage road for about 8 miles that took me around the construction. I got a lot of positive comments and envious looks when I stopped for gas and usually put in around 6 or 7 gallons. I drove too fast, and with the wind and the slowing for bumps then speeding up as quickly as possible to avoid getting rear ended I averaged around 37mpg for the trip. Way better than my usual 18mpg in my Edge. The best thing was only having 2 seats I wasn't the designated driver to return my drunk relatives to thier hotels.

[Smart Trip]

Originally Posted by LittoDeviL

I picked up my smart from mercedes of manhattan and drove it all the way back to san francisco =X in a little under 2 days... non stop driving. Got about 5,000 miles on it within 1 month. Still writing up my long journey =) but I made it in one piece hehe and got some comments from other truck drivers... Drove thru a snow storm.. ran out of gas and rolled into a gas station at the next exit 100 feet away... my litto smart and I went thru a lot those two days haha..

Larry

Looking forward to hearing about your journey, Larry. My wife and I are doing the same thing in August, although we're going to take a full week to make the trip! We plan to arrive in San Francisco in time for the Lombard St. photo shoot. We're also going to shoot the trip with a semi-pro HD video camera for a documentary project.

[mimota]

Hi,

I am planning my first big trip in a couple of weeks and was happy to hear that some of you have made huge trips with no problems. I am wondering if I should get a spare tire and if I do, what needs to be ordered. Is there a small spare that will fit in the car easily?

There will be two of us and a little bit of camping gear. Should be fun! Anyone staying in at Honeyman State Park at the end of July? Would be fun to meet other Smart owners.

[doenut]

Taking a short trip today, 7/5/08 from RI to Casino in CT (about 75 miles). Looking forward to it!!!