Smart Car

[Digger]

Anyone see or drive one of these. I am thinking of grabbing one for a work car. http://www.smart.com

[tribalman]

i used to see one at my old job in the parking lot. i just don't trust something that small. plus i don't think i can fit in it i've seen some of the crash tests, and it scares me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

[WaveAction]

we got alot of them up here, theirs a smart dealership about 10 minutes from me, i've test driven one, they're pretty nice cars..the inside is like any other car, such as the vibe, but..instead of a backseat and hatch..it's just the bumper

[wyatt89]

you should get one of the diablo converted ones with the suzuki hayabusa 1300cc engine conversion in it those things are amazingly fast yet still get good gas mileage

[jake75]

Seems to me that a Honda Fit or Scion Xa (I think that's their 4 dr hatchback) would be a better value. The Smart One mileage is only slightly better than thre Fit or Scion.

[VivaVibe]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »The Smart One mileage is only slightly better than the Fit or Scion. And, I might add the Vibe. For such a small car, it should be getting much better mileage. As strictly a commuter it would probably be nice, if you had a long distance, but a rather expensive choice. They are being sold by the Mercedes dealer near where I live.

[WaveAction]

ya for a lil car they're quite expensive, but they are made by mercedes benz, a division of theirs, similar to the mini coopers being made by bmw

[Digger]

The vibe would be driven by my wife as our big car. The Smart car will replace our minivan. never thought about a fit.

[TJinPgh]

Quote, originally posted by VivaVibe »For such a small car, it should be getting much better mileage.If we lived anywhere else but in the U.S., it would be.European models get a good 15-20 mpg more than ours do.We've bogged them down with so much extra emissions and safety crap that we're lucky they get 45mpg here.

[TJinPgh]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Seems to me that a Honda Fit or Scion Xa (I think that's their 4 dr hatchback) would be a better value. The Smart One mileage is only slightly better than thre Fit or Scion. Well, not really. Not by the new EPA standards, anyway.Honda Fit5sp Manual28 city 34 hwy Mini Cooper6sp Manual (Requires PREMIUM gas)28 city 37 hwy Scion xD (1.8l)5sp Manual27 city 33 hwy Toyota Yaris (1.5l)5sp Manual29 city 36 hwy Smart Fortwo33 City 36 Combined 41 HwyYou pretty much have to buy a Prius to get anything better these days.Toyota Prius48 City 46 Combined 45 HwyAlthough, there ARE a few that are on the horizon that can compete/beat that.

[WaveAction]

i'd love to own a mini cooper s...and wish they brought the x drive that bmw has on their actual cars onto the mini...that'd be mint..lil nimble car like that, thats all wheel drive and slap in a turbo..wow..

[joatmon]

I wouldn't buy one on principleamerican nothing . well, those (asterisks) will never get any of my american money

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[Neouka]

the reason why the new ones suck (comparatively) on gas, is because ever since they introduced the Smart Car to the US, they scrapped the original 660cc diesel engine and put in a 1.0L gas engine instead.We've been getting the diesel one for a few years here in Canada, but the new generation ones are not available with the diesel any more.It's a shame, the diesel one got WAY better gas mileage, but I guess they figured Americans won't buy it if it had a diesel engine. Lame.

[chevelle_lover]

The report that I got from a few owners of the Smart cars is that the Diesel engines are not available because Mercedez is having a hard time meeting the new Diesel emmissions for 2009 and beyond. I still cannot find anything substancial on the internet to confirm or deny what they told me.Okay I found the news article:http://en.autos.sympatico.msn....14656

[TJinPgh]

I don't doubt that it's true. There's a decided effort within the government of this country to eliminate diesels.The reason behind it is based on totally outdated thinking regarding diesel fuel and emissions. The truth is that European diesels put out SUBSTANTIALLY less in emissions than gasoline engines do, but our laws don't allow anyone to import them.But then, as I've said before, the government doesn't really want us having more fuel efficient vehicles. And, that's BOTH sides of the political aisle.

[Vibe_dude]

Price wise I think i would go with a Aveo/Wave.....great gas milage and much cheaper then a Fit...and also its a GM car.

[TJinPgh]

Quote, originally posted by Vibe_dude »Price wise I think i would go with a Aveo/Wave.....great gas mileage and much cheaper then a Fit...and also its a GM car.The Aveo gets quite a bit less mileage than the Fit in town. 24 vs. 28.As for it being a GM car. Well, I suppose, from the extent that GM now owns Daewoo. I doubt most people here would consider it American, though. Nor would most people say that it compares in quality, but, I digress.As for Price, there's not a huge difference between the Aveo 5 LS and the basic Fit. And, I suspect that by the time out outfit the Aveo to completely match the Fit, the price may not be much different at all.There's an Aveo 5 Value Edition that's quite a bit less. But, it's fairly stripped down and many options aren't available on that model.

[NibCrom]

I would never buy a car that a single person (or a strong wind) could tip over.

[ramenboy...]

the fortwo is a little small (scary) for my taste.i wouldn't mind trying out the forFour though

[Digger]

It will be dryer than a Motorcycle. The trim package is far better than anything in its class and It is better than a standard econo box.

[TJinPgh]

Not to mention they are safer than most mid-size cars.I saw the European crash test on youtube that was mentioned earlier in the thread. The result looked horrendous, but the cabin was amazingly intact.Anybody thinking our beloved Vibe would fair any better in those tests would probably be highly surprised.Smart cars are incredibly safe.