2008 Smart Car

[Donald]

I am considering getting one of these to make up for the poor MPG my Suburban and Jeep get. I talked to someone in a parking lot with one (I think it was a 2010) and they said after a bit, it no longer feels like a small car and they had just driven it to Canada (a few hours drive from where they live in NY) at 85 MPH and it drove fine. Yet an Edwards review of the 2008 said basically its not a highway vehicle.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

If MPG are what you're after, get one.

If you are OK with the lack of size and the great potential for a non-good outcome in a major highway accident, get one.

Are you in NYC? Perfect. If not, hmmmm.

 

[needsducktape]

There was a pretty lengthy discussion about the Smart car last week-

My thinking is basically, a Civic, Ford Fiesta and corolla etc will give you very very good MPGs and have some added utility (aka trunk space!). Which to me, is much smarter and more frugal than a SMART car.

Despite the opinions back and forth on here, you should decide for yourself AFTER you test drive one.

 

[adamjeeps]

The mileage is not that good and you must use premium gasoline, so I don't think they are very smart.

 

[gathermewool]

I'm thinking of getting a DD to help compensate for my STI's poor gas mileage of around 18-20 around town - it's a relative term, ok? New or newer isn't an option, since CT motor vehicle property tax and insurance costs may exceed the gas savings. IMO, a late '90s Civic or Corolla that has recently had all of it's major 100k mile maintenance done is your best bet. You may pay a premium for a better-maintained older car, but the other costs to own will make up for the it. Besides, 100k is the new 40k as far as I'm concerned.

FWIW, I've never driven a Smart car, so my bias against them is based solely on the reviews I've read about them. The reviews make it seem like a terrible value, if what you're after is MPGs. This car seems purpose-built for areas where parking is limited, making it's small size ideal, with very few other redeeming qualities.

 

[daves87rs]

Heck no. Better off with a motorcycle in that case...

 

[cadfaeltex]

Drove one a couple of months ago and it was horrible. Transmission almost gave me whiplash on about every shift and the salesman told me - 'you'll get used it'. Gas mileage just isn't that much better than a lot of small cars with a back seat and storage room.

 

[tomcat27]

yaris, civic, corolla, fit.... have more space, really good MPG, a known track record, and good resale.

but if you really like it.... go for it.

 

[Spazdog]

The MPGs just aren't there for the Smart. It's not significantly better than the Yaris. And the Yaris has more cargo space. Don't need a backseat? Fold down the Yaris seat and the Yaris has a LOT more cargo space.

The Fit is even bigger inside.

Bigger engine, more horsepower, more space, more cylinders, doesn't have a sketchy Mitsubishi 3 cyl, negligible difference in mpg. Why get a Smart?

 

[MrCritical]

I'll addd another downer for Smart.

Lack of dealer network. As mentioned before, premium fuel, ride, shift quality, lack of room.

If you want a two seater, get a Miata. You'll be way happier.

 

[pottymouth]

It comes down to where you actually live and spend most of your time. If you live in the city, a Smart would make a lot of sense for the ease of parking and maneuverability. If not, I would probably look at something else.

I'm guessing that since you have a Suburban you probably don't.

 

[exranger06]

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/smart-car.154937/

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: adamjeeps
The mileage is not that good and you must use premium gasoline, so I don't think they are very smart.


Our local newspaper auto editors reviewed one the week after we had that thread here. They gave it top ratings for maneuverability, parking ease, interior comfort etc. and just shredded it for everything else. Their biggest complaint was not-so-great mileage compounded by having to burn premium fuel at 20cents/gallon more than regular. Their second biggest gripe was with the automatic transmission, which they said paused for an unbelievable amount of time between gears so that the car actually would decelerate a bit as it shifted. One editor said it could be an outright hazard because it upset your timing in merging into traffic. The other editor's comment was "Daimler-Benz owns the company that builds these, and they should know better."

I was driving in the lane beside one the other day, and sure enough I saw its nose dive on every shift for like half a second. And I know it was an automatic because the lady driving it had both hands on the wheel the whole time.

 

[dishdude]

I test drove one thinking the short wheelbase would have made it go kart fun to drive, boy was I wrong. It was like driving a Corolla down the road, and you lost 10MPH everytime the transmission shifted.

 

[M1Accord]

Could you just get a Honda Fit and live with 45 mpg?

 

[ahoier]

+1 on the Honda Fit

They are fun cars to drive and ride in, lot more room too. Smart Car is a glorified street legal golf cart