Has anybody driven one of these? What did you think of it? About $18,000 for the convertible with all the options, but it's another car that's selling way over the msrp. There's a reservation program and I guess if I got one through that I would only pay the msrp. They are so cute and I want one!
Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D062; Blazer/4.5) 16;320x320) yes they are so cute. ill take the red one please.
And I thought waiting for the Kindle was bad! I just put in a "reservation" ($99) for a yellow with black convertible and then called the only AZ dealer (in Chandler) to have him measure the cargo area to see if my wheelchair would fit. His estimate is I'd probably get shipment in 18 MONTHS! At least they guarantee the current 2008 price for the 2009 model. I can also get put on an "orphan" list - for orders people decide they don't want. And if I get an orphan in a color I don't want, I can switch out all the panels for about $800 and sell the extras. Or something. I think I've lost my mind. - sheureka
They're cute cars, but I can't imagine driving one in the L.A. area. They would be extremely vulnerable being so small. They might accidentally get run over!
It has a 4-star crash rating (whatever that means!) and I think you sit very high in the car. Take a look here - the smart fortwo car is safe for you - and see if it seems safe. Thanks! - sheureka
Need Some Advice! All of my friends think I'm completely insane, so I don't even bother asking them anymore - so here goes - There's a Smart convertible available right now - yellow with silver, 600 miles on it, with every available factory option (6 cd changer, subwoofer, fog lights, alarm system, heated leather seats, extra gauges, light sensing headlights, rain sensing wipers, all that stuff). If I want to wait 18 months and they don't go up any next year (ha!) it would be about $20,000 out the door at the dealer brand new (still the cheapest convertible in the country). I can get this one for $20,500 but I'd have to either transport it to Arizona from California (about $400) or fly out there and pick it up although I'm not crazy about driving from San Diego to Bisbee (a little over 500 miles) by myself in a car I've never driven (and what's with those steering wheel shifter paddles?). Anyway, what do think? And for those concerned about safety, here are some pictures of a smart t-boned by a pickup - Accidents involving a smart? - Smart Car of America Forums. The pickup was totaled and it looks like the smart will just have to have a couple of panels replaced. A full set of panels (you can switch them out to change the color of the car) are under $1000 (cheap insurance rates!).
That looks sweet. Sheureka, I'd recommend paying the money to have it sent to you. You'd probably end up spending that $400 in flight, hotel, gas, food, and who knows what else. I don't blame you for not wanting to drive 500 miles in a car you've never driven before. Play it safe and have it sent to you, otherwise take the risk, fight the fear and go pick up that baby and drive her home!!! Good luck whatever you decide to do!
Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D062; Blazer/4.5) 16;320x320) that's what I think too. go for it and let us know how it goes. good luck.
I saw one on Wilshire Blvd in the Beverly Hills area, it was making heads turn since there aren't too many around yet.... Sheureka, that yellow looks awesome, i like it better than the red and blue, go for it, don't forget to post pictures once you get it. I'm looking to get a Austin Martin Mini Cooper, but prices aren't cheap around here.
Nice car! I checked out the mini's - but now I've bought the smart. I got it for 20,000 - and the transport will be $250. Since dealer prep in Arizona is so high ($500! - in California the maximum is $55) it will end up costing me about the same as if I had waited, although it's not clear to me what the taxes are going to be here (I've gotten two different answers from DMV). And if I decide I don't want to keep it for some reason (like my wheelchair not fitting in the cargo space) I can sell if for close to what I'm paying for it if I don't put too many more miles on it. I checked on two others today, here in Arizona, and even without all the options the asking price was 25,000. And they both had more miles than the one I bought. There are close to 200 people on the orphan list in Phoenix, and the dealers can't charge more than the MSRP for an orphan (a configured, reserved car that somebody passes on) so they're loading them up with all kinds of aftermarket stuff - gps, Lojack, rust coatings, etc. - that they're making huge profits on. Anyway, I won't actually get it until after the first of May because I won't have enough cash until then. But in the meantime I put a deposit on it, and it looks like it's a done deal. I'm pretty excited.
That happened to one of our ambulances at the squad years ago. It slid off the road into a deep ditch. The ambulance stopped on the read end, facing the sky. The driver was upset because they claim they saw my mother drive by right after it happened. They said she pointed and laughed. We joked with that driver for years after that... They were going to launch the ambulance to the moon... -Jay
I got the car last Saturday morning - delivered here in Bisbee on a big auto transport rig. I haven't had so much fun in years. Not for shy types though - it draws a crowd wherever I go! It's really fun to drive (after the first few blocks - I haven't driven a stick in a while and at first I was kind of lurching along) - and it costs me about $20 to fill up instead of $85. The fit and finish are excellent, and it's remarkably quiet even with the top open. My wheelchair fits in the back just fine, and it's very easy for me to get in and out of the car. Huge doors, lots of leg room, and the seats are very, very comfortable. They sit high too - and with my messed up legs it works great for me. The seats are also deep. I wear long leg braces and so often in small cars the front of the seat hits me in the wrong place. I'm not short, but the front of the seat on this car is almost at my knee. I'm going to wait until I get 1000 miles on it before I do a calculation to see what kind of mileage I'm getting, but I should be able to average at least 40. I'll take some pictures and post them in the next couple of days. And thanks for all the encouragement.
I'm looking at possibly getting a Honda Insight. Not nearly as cool as that old school MINI, Tony but 50mpg without even having to change the way I drive is a good thing with gas prices the way they are. I've already been changing how I drive to try and get better mpg out of my current car. Plus, I like the way Insights look. They're sort of cool. I've never been a big fan of the Smart cars because they're too expensive in the US. When I first heard about them they were supposed to cost between $5,000.00-$8,000.00, I think. Now they're more than double that. You can get a Honda Fit for less than the Smart and it's more practical, I think.
I've always had large vehicles with big V-8 engines. Mostly because I'm 6'4" and I need a vehicle with lots of legroom. Another reason I generally do not like small vehicles is that they generally do not fare as well in an accident as a large vehicle. For example, I hit a deer in my truck a few months ago. There was a very minor dent in the fender, and of course blood all over the front end. If I was driving a small car it most likely would have taken serious damage. All I did was drive it through a car wash. I don't know that I've changed the way I drive, because I've always driven these large vehicles I've trained myself to drive them in a manner that gives me good mileage. I can get almost 30mpg on the highway in my pickup truck. I think that's pretty darn good considering its a full size 4wd extended cab pickup truck. I would like the new hybrid GMC Yukon, but I don't have $50,000 to spend on a new vehicle right now. I may wait a year or 2 and buy one used - let someone else take the hit on depreciation. -Jay
Wow - I don't know where you heard that figure. The Smart is about $20000 to $30000 US in most of the rest of the world and has been since it was introduced. I don't think Mercedes will ever make a really inexpensive car, and with the way the dollar is right now, I'm surprised they're as cheap as they are here. - sheureka
