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Future Vehicles SmartCar smart cars?
72 messages, Last post on Aug 07, 2008 at 9:30 AM
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I had the opportunity to make it back to Toronto recently and noticed a number of Smart Cars cruising and parked in the streets. Although time didn't permit me to seek out the "expert" dealer opinions, I was interested tosee if there were any out there that have first-hand knowledge of these vehicles and what the experience is like. I've been to the Smartcar website and liked what I saw... especially the Roadster version. I'd consider purchasing one for South-Central Texas although I'm sure it would be laughed at and ridiculed by the "bigger in Texas" mentality. Also, I'm not sure how to get one of these down here for my own personal use. I thought I had read somewhere that they weren't "legal" in the states just yet. Any thoughts? Thanks |
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Hello friend Seems lot of people in Texas are trading their SUV's for smaller cars. If you have only 1 or 2 members in your family, u can go for Smart car and zapcars is selling that vehicle. Lot of smaller models are coming up while the biv SUV sales are declining. |
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I've sat in one, which was placed inside a department store as a prize or something. It feels quite roomy inside. The quality of the materials is quite high. These cars are good for driving in congested cities, because they get great mileage, and are so easy to park that you can actually park them head first at a curb, since they are as long as some cars are wide. The downside is that there is virtually no storage space, no cruise control, and these cars are rather expensive for their size (they cost like an entry-level midsize sedan, or a loaded compact sedan). But being sold by Mercedes, it's hard to expect anything else.
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Replying to: bcmalibu99ls (Nov 11, 2005 8:23 pm)
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| I just test drove a fortwo on the weekend. Absolutely loved it! Fun Fun Fun. Very slick clutchless shifting, plenty of zip (esp. low end torque from the 800cc. diesel engine), lots of room, and more space behind the seat than you would expect, (you could pile a few duffel bags behind the seats. The seats are comfy, highway cruising is no problem and the brakes are great. How does 60mpg in the city and 80 on the highway sound? The little diesel is quiet and smokeless yet I have heard they are developing a gasoline engine for the US market (I hope they still offer the stingy, torquey diesel). The vehicle has a formula one inspired space frame that makes the little car safer than many bigger cars. In Europe, where they have been selling since 1999 the Smartcar has a reputation for excellent reliability also. It is my understanding that they sell from $16,900 to about $22,000 Cdn and there is often a waiting list. | |
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Replying to: deaner14 (Sep 29, 2005 12:44 pm) I will be listing it on ebay as of this friday 3/24 it is a '99 mercedes smart passion fortwo with under 57,000 km great condition, clean no problems. starting bid is $12,000
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Replying to: smartcarforme (Mar 22, 2006 8:30 pm) Are you upgrading to a new Smart ForTwo?
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Replying to: jchan2 (Mar 22, 2006 8:34 pm) 
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Replying to: smartcarforme (Mar 23, 2006 4:47 pm) |
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| Zap got the jump on Mercedes and I suspect there will be a big blow up once Mercedes decides they can actually sell the car in the US. More than anything I think its all politics. We have motorcycles with 1000cc engines sold by the hundreds with minimal polution controls on them in the US each year even in California. I ride a motorcycle all the time and if I could trade it for a quality car like the SMART with airbags and a roof I would be there in a second. I think the problem with the small cars and the perception in the US is that all of the small cars we have seen besides the original Civic are total junk. The SMART appears to have serious engineering and quality materials and that is a big plus even if it is a pint sized car. The small GM cars are still $18K or more and they are garbage. Seriously I think the first company to get SMART and sell a quality small car for a resonable price in the US will have a winner. The Mini is clearly to expensive for most people but the concept of a small quality car has made it very popular. I don't see why the SMART car would be much different only perhaps more affordable and great for the daily trip to the office. | |
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