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Hatchbacks Smart Car Smart Fortwo
491 messages, Last post on Oct 07, 2009 at 6:46 AM
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Replying to: bobndebi (Apr 05, 2008 7:41 am) Upstatei |
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| Like the proverbial boat owner, I reached euphoria when someone purchased my pre-owned smart the other day. What a wake up in a few hundred miles to find "some" of its shortcomings. | |
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Replying to: bobndebi (Apr 05, 2008 7:41 am) 2. 2 year/24 month warranty. The WORST in the US. 3. Instead of 60 mpg or more the US model at best gets in the 40's but many users are reporting 30's. {At least one owner in San Diego is getting 20's.} 4. Some owners with the first year 08 models are having problems with gear shifts breaking. {See #1 about lack of dealers.}{smartcarofamerica.com} 5. Poor safety ratings. 3 star rollover. 3 star passenger side crash. {safecar.gov.} 6. Wait times as long as 2 years in some area's. Though one can be readily purchased on eBay.com for anyone willing to pay a premium for a slightly used one. {Buyers remorse or some buyers looking to flip and make a quick buck? Either way congesting the system for those who want one and waiting on the reservation lists.} 7. People who made reservations later than others getting theirs sooner thus causing discontent among some with longer wait times. 8. Dealers putting as much as $2K or more in aftermarket items to make money for the ones not claimed by original reservation holders. Then selling to anyone who walks in and can afford it thus circumventing the ordering and waiting process all together. It is a novelty item for many. Some purchasing it just for the wow factor and attention. That same curiosity has drivers of other vehicles taking pictures while driving on the highway of the smart cars. It's cute so it gets one star for that. It is decent on gas. It is small and can fit in smaller spaces than many other sedans. It's good for a commuter car but with only 2 seats it certainly is not a practical family car. Without cruise control it's not practical for long distance driving. |
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At best, once the newness wears off, they will sell but approx 24K units per year. Once the Toyota IQ hits our shores, smart is toast. If the VW hybrid diesel comes here, they're both toast. Yeah, I sold mine on eBay but at even cost. 6 months from now there will be a profusion of them for sale on eBay. 
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Replying to: dunepearl (Apr 06, 2008 4:39 pm) Scott
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Replying to: dunepearl (Apr 06, 2008 4:39 pm) There are plenty of happy smart car owners. They were just not looking at the same attributes as you. There will continue to be a niche market for the smart, but no, it will not supplant sales of other high mileage subcompacts. I think some folks ordered it for its uniqueness factor and did not seriously consider the shortcomings of a car that is shorter overall than the wheelbase of most subcompacts. |
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| I've seen several on the road around DC this past month. They were so small it was hard to believe something like this got past Nadar. I read a little about it and, from what I read, interest in MPG, I find it probably ranks 2nd or 3rd behind slightly larger vehicles that get nearly the same MPG. I have on 05 Honda Civic Hybrid (5 speed manual trans) which I drive 79 miles one way carrying approximately 800 pounds of human flesh (4 MEN) out of WV to DC. As long as I maintain RPMs climbing out of and into Charles Town on 340 I have not problem. I have gotten as high as 49 MPG and as low as 42 MPG with an average of 45. MPG is more affected by termperature then speed. Honda is willing to RUN once optimum RPM is attained. Honda cost 19K - Fortwo cost 12K. I guess it depends on the person. Fortwo will probably sell to singles or people who choose to commute by themselves. I'd have to drive one before I could make any other assessment. | |
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Replying to: scwmcan (Apr 07, 2008 9:08 am)
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Replying to: dunepearl (Apr 07, 2008 3:25 pm) Scott |
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Well, I've never had anything flattering to say about the smart car. However, I don't necessarily want the car to fail. The "poor" safety ratings noted above aren't really all that bad. The driver side did well. What worries me, however, is the Ins Instit for Hwy Safety hasn't tested it yet--and their test is the more rigorous offset frontal impact. However, many of you have seen the recent British video of a smart car rammed into a barrier at 70mph. It came away ok. (That was not an instrumented test, however.) They shoulda made the car a foot longer. They shoulda given it more power and a genuine stick shift. They shoulda designed it to run on regular gas. They shoulda given it a killer warranty. But in the end, the car just isn't delivering on its fuel economy promise. You can only survive on being "cute" for so long before you gotta start delivering. Just ask any child star!! |
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