So far, 2008 as been a great year for Smart Car of America - and the year many of us have waited for. The all new Smart for 2008 has been unleashed for the American market.

Some sixty-plus dealerships, handpicked through the Penske Auto Group in conjunction with smart USA , began selling the cars last month. Fourteen or so additional dealers are scheduled to open at different times throughout this year.

Unfortunately, some 16 states will not have any Smart dealers whatsoever, while states like California, New York, and Florida will have as many as seven.

There are mixed feelings regarding the selling process, as is the case with any highly sought after cars with limited inventory.

To date, around 1,500 to 2,000 units of Smart cars have been delivered to some very excited Smart aficionados. Deliveries are expected to increase monthly.

Nonetheless, almost all 2008 models are spoken for - and with only 20,000 plus units available for the entire 2008 model year and some 40,000 prospective buyers on waiting lists, many buyers will remain on hold until 2009.

However, a few channels are available to obtain a Smart car for individuals who did not reserve a car through smart USA .

One method is a secondary market place that has started up on eBay.

On any single day, upwards of 20 nearly new Smart cars are for sale there. Most have only a few miles and come with the remainder of the factory warranty. They range in price from $16,100 to $20,601 for a top-of-the-line cabriolet. 

The other method is buying an “orphan.” An orphan Smart car is one that has been prepped for sale but, for some reason, the buyer did not complete the transaction. 

It's a straightforward process. You can start by submitting your request and information to all the smart USA dealers. E-mail or, better yet, phone them and tell them you are a buyer, not merely a tire kicker.

If the dealer says yes, ask how you can send your deposit and when you can take delivery. Some dealers may be impartial in their allocation of the cars and you may get lucky. In some cases, simply put, it may be a first-come, first-served deal?

Smart Cars of America has re-launched two new sites for our members.

Car Sales Buy Owner and Smart Car Automall are specialized Internet classified portals, focused on the selling and buying of clever cars.  

Our consumer awareness is prominent within this niche market and will be a key ingredient for your success in selling or buying cars.

 
Dealers make a great deal of their profits off your trade-in.

So if you're contemplating trading your car in on a new Smart, you may want to consider this as an alternative, putting some extra cash in your pocket by listing it on either Car Sales Buy Owner or Smart Car Automall , or both. It's free!

Many new developments recently have been available for us. 

CARCHEX , the trusted resource for professional automotive services for

consumers and dealers, has been named the official extended warranty provider for Smart Cars of America, LLC.

Through this arrangement, Smart Car owners now can access warranty options at a specialized CARCHEX -owned web site, SmartAutoWarranty.com , directly through our SmartCarofAmerica.com web site.

We also are pleased to have Expose Yourself USA as the "Official Smart Cars of America" wrapping company for South Florida.

Expose Yourself USA offers customized vehicle wrapping to all of South Florida and, as our "Official Smart Cars of America " wrapper, all registered members are eligible for an exclusive discount from ExposeYourselfUSA.com and additional savings on other media wrapping.

Have you been looking for Smart apparel lately?  Well, Smart Car of America is pleased to announce the arrival of its new white polo shirts. Pre-orders currently are being taken and should ship in March!

We'll soon be offering members and readers several additional products and services relating to the Smart Car.

New services will be low-cost Smart car specific insurance quotes, discounted rates on your Smart car shipping needs, on-site Smart car inspections for those of you who are thinking about buying from a secondary market, customized Smart car graphics, and aftermarket parts and accessories.     

Information concerning these cars is still at a premium, and not all potential customers are pleased. So we need to thank our members for their input. Without it, many would be clueless.

Smart Car of America also would like to offer congratulations to the first 100 members of the Smart Car of America Club . As you know, we've been happily congregating around the Smart Car of America Community Forums, and we're very pleased to see membership growing in this exclusive club that offers great benefits to club members. 

If you are interested in becoming a SCOA Club member, and participating in a national level automotive club centered on the smart fortwo, this is the place for you!  Act smart, join the club today!

With more than 20,000 registered members at smartcarofamerica.com, SCOA has taken the Internet by storm and has made us the number one destination site of choice.

Our sincere gratitude goes out to everyone for their help with our site and the SCOA forum.

We appreciated your suggestions, ideas, daily input, and all the efforts to make SCOA a great place to learn, and hopefully have some fun!