Smart cars (you know, the little ones)

obakesan · Post by **obakesan** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:38 am

Hi

I've been wondering about getting one of these little beasties, but wonder if its worth the trouble. I've always thought that with smaller engines that high mileage = (problems)³ but I'm tempted still.

Does anyone here have any experience with one? I'm thinking that perhaps it might be worth a trip to Germany to get one there ... perhaps a diesel?

**Sponsor:**

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:19 am

a work mate of mine had one, chipped it and got to do 190, but he needed to get wheelie bars

Cod · Post by **Cod** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 12:19 pm

..they're a bit anti-social.. ie it's just the two of you (yawn).

obakesan · Post by **obakesan** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:24 pm

well I just want a low cost commuter to and from work, so 90% of the time it'll only have me in it.

I wonder how well they go between cities ... you know, say 200km's worth on the "highway" from one Kyla to another

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:35 pm

the cows will die of laughter

EP · Post by EP » Sun Oct 12, 2008 4:13 pm

I wonder how well they go between cities ... you know, say 200km's worth on the "highway" from one Kyla to another

I have no experience of Smart Cars, but I have experience of tiny cars. I had a Suzuki Alto (small wheels), and it was pure nightmare to drive. No way I would have taken it to a highway. It felt really unsafe. If there was a tiniest pothole or rut the car went where it wanted to, not where I tried to steer it. And every time a truck passed the car shivered.

Never again.

EP · Post by EP » Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:04 pm

I just remembered a very BIG MINUS in driving a tiny car with small wheels: driving in snow is dangerous and difficult.

Cod · Post by **Cod** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:54 am

.. get the roadster, as long as you don't look down (ie how fast you are actually going), apparently they are really fun.

http://www.carpages.co.uk/smart/smart_r ... _03_04.asp

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:33 pm

EP wrote:I just remembered a very BIG MINUS in driving a tiny car with small wheels: driving in snow is dangerous and difficult.

On a plus side: http://fmi.fi/saa/tilastot_181.html

kirky · Post by **kirky** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:09 pm

i have a new smart for 2 and its the best car i have ever had its so cheap to run for instance i fill the tank on just under 40 euros and i can usally drive between 700 to 800 kilometers. and its quite a nippy as it's so light the boot space is also bigger than you think. i have not yet tested it in winter conditions but im sure it will be very safe and reliable after all it is made by mercades.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:09 pm

kirky wrote: im sure it will be very safe and reliable after all it is made by mercades.

obakesan · Post by **obakesan** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:49 am

right ... so the cabrio is definately out.

ad · Post by ad » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:12 pm

That's an 'A' class, not a smart. They fixed that problem with a computerised stability control which made every bump feel like a big kick up the ass...

Mattlill2000 · Post by **Mattlill2000** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:16 pm

Actually the Smart did quite well in crash tests. I think you can find it on Utube. Last summer I saw a Smart doing 150 on the autobahn.

Still for my money, if I wanted to get a small car I would get something more practical like a Renault Twingo, Toyota Yaris, Fiat Punto etc.

Cod · Post by **Cod** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:07 am

Mattlill2000 wrote:Renault Twingo

..ah, a man after my own heart. Now there's a quality small car - takes a towbar, carrys lots of bikes on the roof and a surfboard inside and the heater is a real roaster!

See, the thing I don't get about a Smart car, is that you get all that car - all that slowly corroding, decaying mass, but you put all your eggs in one basket and have only one passenger seat. You can't even help your mates shift house, pick up a lawn-mower for your neighbor or takes the sisters kids to the funpark. Seems a bit 'London' which is why they're so popular there I guess.

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