Smart Car of America Forum banner

Do people not have smart cars anymore?

8K views 93 replies 42 participants last post by  PennyR 
#1 ·
Like the title says... 🤷🏻‍♀️ I am glad I found this forum because it has become very helpful but for the most part a lot of the threads are very old. I wonder why these cars aren’t popular anymore? I mean here in the islands there isn’t many to begin with and here on my island especially I’ve seen maybe 4 or 5 of them! I do know that when people see me with mine they will think I’ve lost my mind and it’s just insane to have this car! Oh well I dare to be different anyway!! 😏🤷🏻‍♀️
 
#3 ·
It's not our fault that most people made mistakes on their car purchases over the past few years. :) We absolutely love ours and people who don't know them or have them can choose and say what they want. I say to myself "Do they really need that huge SUV?" You're one of the lucky ones. Ask away here. You've got lots of knowledge available.

Len
2014 EV Coupe 20,500 miles
2014 EV Cabriolet 19,500 miles
 
  • Like
Reactions: PennyR
#7 ·
They have definitely retained interest, I had wanted one since before they were even available in the US, but as its not a practical vehicle for me it had to wait until circumstances changed allowing it to be fit in. Before anyone gets annoyed at my practical comment, realize I have 3 dogs; one at 40lbs, one at 120lbs, and one at 160lbs and trips in the Smart just don't work with them.

One of the things I really appreciate about the Smart is how little space it consumes in the garage, I have both my daily driver and my project car in the same bay that my previous daily driver occupied; with most other cars I'd have to leave one out or consume another bay.
 
#8 ·
When we stopped counting in September, 2019, smart USA had recorded 98,800 sales here. M-B USA has not seen fit to release smart sales numbers for the final quarter of 2019....
In 2008, the first year smarts were sold here officially, smart USA recorded over 25 thousand cars sold. Numbers declined from there, but very nearly 100K cars is not "unpopular" IMHO. Like a lot of niche vehicles, people either get the smart or they don't. It's encouraging to see new owners buying used smarts and fixing them up to keep them on the road. :)
 
#58 ·
Sorry, but 99,000 cars in 11 years is pretty unpopular. From 2008 until 2018, Ford was selling more Focuses in any of those years than Smart did in 11 years. They were also selling, on average, over 50,000 Fiestas a year. More than twice as many Chevy Sparks were sold between 2012 and 2019 than total Smart sales. So, yeah, overall, it's pretty unpopular IMHO. I wouldn't trade my 2010 for any of those, but let's face it, it's a lot cheaper and easier to find parts for or to have any of those repaired than our Smarts.
 
#10 ·
I am happy that I stumbled upon my smartie! I’ve had people actually private message me telling me not to do it and let me tell you that that really scared me and made me second guess getting one! I decided to take it with a grain of salt and cross my fingers that it won’t be a wrong decision! I am anxiously awaiting my penny racer (hehe) to get here so we can start our journey together! Like I’ve mentioned there aren’t many here and the ones that are people aren’t letting them go so short of getting one from the US mainland and having it shipped out here from there which can be very pricey you have to jump on it when it’s available! Coming from a Tacoma this will be a nice little gas saver! 😊
 
#11 ·
Smarts have always been a niche car and a lot of people would rather ridicule them than get to know what they are all about. I have always enjoyed small cars and had my smart for over 11 years. If you notice on the new members page, we are getting about a dozen new members a day. Not a lot, but there is still interest and I would imagine a lot of those new people are buying used cars that now fit their budget. We are here to stay.
 
#12 ·
A dozen a day is really good, in my opinion. I used to run the largest ford escort ZX2 site on the net and we had about 5k members total. The people to whom I gifted the site ran it until it was only getting 1-2 posts a day total.. not threads, but posts.

To make a forum seem busier (which brings people coming back), you have to shrink the number of boards. I think this forum could use a little downsizing but I also understand it's difficult given the vast archive of data here.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I haven’t seen a smart car on the road here, for months, on end. Saw only one 453 convertible, last year. At the Ace hardware up the street. That was only one, besides at the auto show. That was Years ago. Fiat 500’s are becoming rare on the road here too. The America public, not into small cars. Glad that I got to enjoy those vehicles. This was taken 9 years ago....

 
#16 ·
I haven’t seen a smart car on the road here, for months, on end. Saw only one 453 convertible, last year. At the Ace hardware up the street. That was only one, besides at the auto show. That was Years ago. Fiat 500’s are becoming rare on the road here too. The America public, not into small cars. Glad that I got to enjoy those vehicles. This was taken 9 years ago....
Same here. I spotted a red 451 Cabrio a few months ago, first one I had seen for well over a year that wasn't mine.
 
#19 ·
i have been wondering about the smarts convertible top. i have a place that works on only mbz and smarts, but, they say dont buy the convertible, as if it breaks it is very expensive to fit that top to go up and down. can it be un-electrified so as to be a manual top???? my mbz slk230 top broke and it was outrageously expensive to fix, so after than i had a coupe. ild prefer to make what i have now, manual. is that possible????
 
#20 ·
I bought my first Smart, a 2014 electric coupe, last December. I liked it so much that I just bought a second one, a 2014 electric cabrio. I’m in the Midwest and I don’t see a lot of them here. I’m glad they aren’t very popular because it has made them quite affordable on the used car market. I’m tempted to buy an EQ if I come across one.
 
#21 ·
I must say I am so Happy I found my car. I have driven full size trucks, gas guzzlers and hotrods most of my life, but this little Electric Smart Car has got to be the winner hands down the most fun toy I have ever driven!
I have had mine 2 years and in Phoenix I only see about 4 others and all are gas and beaters.
 
#23 ·
Ive had mine for almost a year now and love it! I put new seat covers a bad ass sound system JL audio all around! Lol sounds dope af love it. Ive done cold air intake. Throttle controller. Motor mount upgrade. Changed all lights on it to led. My baby car is awesome i might wrap it myself!
 
#24 ·
Ive had 3 smarts, a 2008, then 2013, then I leased a 2016 for 3 years. I turned it in at the end of the 3 year lease. When they quit making the smarts a while back I figured Smart would sort of be abandoned by Mercedes and I was right. Its a fun car to drive and an attention getter! The service was my main downer. For example they have a wierd size tire and you cant just walk into a tire store and buy them . You have to order the tires. The smart doesnt have a spare tire so I always got nervous when going on a long trip. Also, there was only one Smart dealer here in Indiana so whenever I needed service I had to drive all the way up to Indianapolis. As the smarts became less popular the dealer would say"we cant work on the car today because the Smart mechanic only works one day a week. Once when my car wouldnt run I had to have it towed 55 miles to the dealer. Thank goodness the warranty covered it. We did have fun one time we got 80 smart cars together and took a lap around the Indy 500 track! The 2016 was my favorite one they made them 4 inches wider (the 453 model) and changed the styling and the car looked a little cooler.
I enjoyed driving a smart for 10 years but I like my Honda I have now because I can get service just about anywhere.
 
#56 ·
Ive had 3 smarts, a 2008, then 2013, then I leased a 2016 for 3 years. I turned it in at the end of the 3 year lease. When they quit making the smarts a while back I figured Smart would sort of be abandoned by Mercedes and I was right. Its a fun car to drive and an attention getter! The service was my main downer. For example they have a wierd size tire and you cant just walk into a tire store and buy them . You have to order the tires. The smart doesnt have a spare tire so I always got nervous when going on a long trip. Also, there was only one Smart dealer here in Indiana so whenever I needed service I had to drive all the way up to Indianapolis. As the smarts became less popular the dealer would say"we cant work on the car today because the Smart mechanic only works one day a week. Once when my car wouldnt run I had to have it towed 55 miles to the dealer. Thank goodness the warranty covered it. We did have fun one time we got 80 smart cars together and took a lap around the Indy 500 track! The 2016 was my favorite one they made them 4 inches wider (the 453 model) and changed the styling and the car looked a little cooler.
I enjoyed driving a smart for 10 years but I like my Honda I have now because I can get service just about anywhere.
Mercedes did not abandon Smart Car... they abandoned the US. Americans love their SUV's and don't care about micro-cars. That's amazing the whole state of indiana only has one Smart Car dearlership, we have two in Houston (Nine in Texas) alone and they have excellent service... but then again, there are a lot of Smart Cars in Texas. I have to special order tires on all my cars also so its just something you get better at planning ahead of time for.
 
#25 ·
Welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy your Smart as much as I have. Yes, most of the threads are old. I bought my 2011 Cabrio 3 yrs ago. The Smart Madness seems to have dwindled, but I’ve found the old threads helpful since the closest Smart service center is in Oklahoma. I’m in Little Rock, AR and fortunately I’m able to work on mine myself. I haven’t found any local shops that will work on a Fortwo. Every time I drive “Smitty” I smile. He’s been a fun car, but I’m probably going to sell him soon. They are definitely a niche item in my area. They only reason I’m considering selling him is because I usually don’t keep a vehicle for vet 2 yrs. I’ve enjoyed him so much I’ve kept him a year over my usual. He is a toy/weekend car, so I won’t sell him until I decide what cabrio I want to replace him.
 
#29 ·
I'm getting ready to change oil on Minimus. I just ordered the sock for the filter. 453 oil can is way up there. I plan on using 0W-20 full synthetic. It's close enough the fall and winter to justify the switch. I have the comfort to know that I still can rely on the advice of this wonderful forum, the Interweb and as a last resort an MB dealership. We still have 1 and a half years, then MB wipes their hands clean. At least we're not going the same route as the Yugo or the La Car!
 
#30 ·
Hello, Thought I would jump in and say I also love my little "Smartass" car. I bought the 2009 Smartcar 2 years ago (2018) with only 15,495 miles on it. It sat in the guys carport and always thought it looked sharp. Then saw the for sale sign on it and a month later, bought it. The next day after I bought it, I looked "under the hood" (engine area) and found out it had a turbo. No wonder it zipped around so well. Only use it alittle in the summer and now have 18,000 on it. Love using the paddle shifters and with its special exhaust pipes, makes it sound as good as it goes, especially for a little 3 cylinder :). That poor burnt Smartcar looks like it had some of the same equipment as mine. Enjoy reading all your comments and insights. Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle City car
Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Car Mode of transport
 
#31 ·
Two problems, maybe 3, come to mind.
1- SERVICE Mercedes dealers never wanted them. They were forced upon most by the need to raise fleet mileage trying to avoid poor mileage taxes on monsters. We were all supposed to get 4 for the family to drive around town. Dealers always felt like this was a Maybach limo that needed to spend a thousand to swap out a light bulb. Smart buyers came to save money, not buy the dealer a new 737 jet. Buyers didn't come back. Little cars are supposed to be cheaper. When my stealer misdiagnosed a grounded fuel pump wire, he charged me $1086 for a little plastic fuel pump in an 8 gallon plastic fuel tank. Nobody wants a little car that costs as much to fix as an S600. Rich don't care. So, dealerships dried up and proprietary crap nobody else can fix, Apple mentality.
2 - Americans are terrified to die in a crash. Google 59 Chevy Crash Test and see what a 6000# American car looks like in a crash. Safe Eurocars are all death traps in Amerika.
3 - Resale value near zero. A 3-year old $18000 Smart car is near worthless. They were designed to be disposible. See?
Mine is over 100K miles, way past it's death date.
 
#34 ·
Two problems, maybe 3, come to mind.
1- SERVICE Mercedes dealers never wanted them. They were forced upon most by the need to raise fleet mileage trying to avoid poor mileage taxes on monsters. We were all supposed to get 4 for the family to drive around town. Dealers always felt like this was a Maybach limo that needed to spend a thousand to swap out a light bulb. Smart buyers came to save money, not buy the dealer a new 737 jet. Buyers didn't come back. Little cars are supposed to be cheaper. When my stealer misdiagnosed a grounded fuel pump wire, he charged me $1086 for a little plastic fuel pump in an 8 gallon plastic fuel tank. Nobody wants a little car that costs as much to fix as an S600. Rich don't care. So, dealerships dried up and proprietary crap nobody else can fix, Apple mentality.
This is probably right. Mercedes should have kept the old smart dealers open because the ForTwo didn't fit it at Mercedes dealers.

However, I had our car serviced at the Seattle Mercedes dealer once (they needed to reset the computer after the insurance-designated shop couldn't get some codes to stop throwing codes after they repaired the car after it was rear-ended). It was inexpensive.

A local mechanic replaced the clutch actuator when it failed. I have been able to repair everything else myself.

2 - Americans are terrified to die in a crash. Google 59 Chevy Crash Test and see what a 6000# American car looks like in a crash. Safe Eurocars are all death traps in Amerika.
How about googling "smart ForTwo crash test"? The survival cell in a ForTwo is usually intact after a crash like that. That 50s Chevy wasn't designed to do well in a crash and the ForTwo was.

We still get "death trap" comments. That tells me more about the ignorance of the commenter.

3 - Resale value near zero. A 3-year old $18000 Smart car is near worthless. They were designed to be disposible.
Worthless? Yes, there is depreciation, but 10 year old ForTwos are being sold for $5-7K in the local Craigslist. If you want to see massive depreciation, check out Mercedes S Class cars.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top