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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: swtnlovabl (Sep 02, 2008 7:18 pm) How did you manage to get a Euro Smart, register it, insure it and get it serviced in the USA? I've had no luck at all trying to get the Euro Smart TDI, even though it's sold in Canada!, never mind obtaining the car you got. I'm puzzled at the Mitsu-equipped Smart's lousy mileage. The Metro got 45-50 mpg with the same engine more than 15 years ago! I pretty much lost interest in the Smart when they put the Mitsubishi in the US version and announced that low 40 mpg. Also, they STILL don't import the 800cc Diesel to America!? WHY NOT? I've always wondered why German car companies have such bad marketing techniques. Asking so many willing American customers to wait 10 years just to get what was once a decent car (but no longer is) is truly insane. The first tiny Toyota turbo-diesel that comes to these shores gets my money. Your reply would be appreciated. Herb |
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Replying to: snakeweasel (Mar 03, 2007 9:12 pm) By the way, When I traded this car for an R-5 in 1976, the fellow who bought my R-16 (with 137,00 on the clock) as spare parts for HIS 1970 R-16 got back to me and said that the engine was so good, that he'd made his car the spare-parts donor instead. Apparently, toilet paper oil-filters do an engine a lot of long-term good in addition to greatly improving gas mileage. |
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Replying to: templeton3 (May 21, 2007 11:40 am) |
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Replying to: dunepearl (Mar 01, 2009 5:09 am) Herb
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Replying to: jack137 (Mar 18, 2009 11:16 am) All it took was a couple of trips on I95 to get me to sell my Smart (made a couple of bucks) and get a pre-owned Jetta TDI 2006 with all the bells and whistles for what I paid for the Smart. I have four doors, huge trunk, all the power options you can think of, and get a solid 38 mpg around town and 44 to 45 on the road. Best move I ever made. 
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Replying to: dennismau (Mar 01, 2009 7:28 am) For example, on Pearl Harbor Day in 1971, I got rear-ended in my Renault 16 by a drunk driving a huge Buick. His car ended up being 3 feet shorter, mine got pushed in just 16" and was cheaply repaired. The drunk hit the steering wheel so hard, he bent it over at a 90-degree angle and lost all his front teeth. I ended up having a sore neck for a week. The seat and head-restraint did their jobs. So, just keep buying all those over-priced pick-up trucks gussied up with cushy interiors and way too powerful engines for the suspensions to handle (I think it's unfair that Firetone tire had to pay a heavy price for poor SUV suspension design). Finally, insurance statistics reveal a very different picture than Marketing copy about SUV "safety" does: Rollover accidents with SUV's are far more common than with other vehicle types, and it's rollovers that produce the most fatalities. It that surprising? Think how high up an SUV's center of gravity is! Give me a small car with a low center of gravity any time, thank you! |
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Replying to: dunepearl (Mar 18, 2009 11:38 am) |
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"By analyzing crash test results published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as what hundreds of auto critics have written about today's most popular cars, we created a short list of dangerous vehicles that you should think twice about before buying for your young driver. And, in the interest of compromise, we provide a safer alternative that both of you can live with. Smart Fortwo Sure it's cute, cool, and economical, but the Smart Fortwo isn't safe for everyone -- let alone inexperienced drivers. Because it's much smaller and lighter than most vehicles on the road, auto critics doubt it can hold its own in a serious crash. Many also note that strong gusts of wind can make controlling the Smart on the highway a difficult task. And while the IIHS rates it well in both frontal offset and side impact crash tests, NHTSA has issued a "safety concern" for its poor performance in side impact testing, in which "the driver door unlatched and opened." What's more, the Fortwo's debut was mangled last year when Smart issued a recall after an adhesive problem caused some drivers' windshields to fall out. A Safer Alternative: For a ride that's just as quirky-looking, but performs better in crash tests and features loads of standard safety equipment, consider the MINI Cooper. It's a bit more expensive, but is probably a safer bet for a new driver." http://clubsmartcar.com/index.php?showtopic=17626 |
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Replying to: priggly (Apr 28, 2009 5:58 pm) 
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Replying to: priggly (Apr 28, 2009 5:58 pm) And, while the "Safety Ratings" are excellent, the "real world" is the most important. I suggest that everyone check out the "Safe And Smart" website (http://www.safeandsmart.com) and read about the actual experiences from owners.
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