Smart Car

[movinsoon]

I am thinking about getting a Smart Car for a second car and would love to hear pros and cons

[billethkid]

will not carry as much as you can in a golf cart...requires premium fuel...yes it goes further than a golf cart...not much of anything between the occupants and the bumper of the car in front of you or the one turning toward you.
Other than the above, why do you think you want a smart car? If I had to have a really small car like that I would but the Chevrolet Aveo or Ford's little Focus.

btk

[movinsoon]

Right now we only have one car and now that I am working it seems that we need two cars more often that we had anticipated. I think the Smart car and the golf cart would both fit on the same side of the garage and our car would fit on the other side. I hate having a car parked in the driveway all of the time. Another option of course to move to a house with a golf car garage and we really do not want to move again. I am just trying to get as much information as I can so we can make a good decision and I can think of no better place than TOTV to get information.

[Hawkwind]

I looked at one and found that it would be difficult if not impossible to carry a set of clubs in the back storage area. I did pass one once on the turnpike going 80 mph so they will get up to speed. Might be interesting handling in a strong cross wind due to weight.

[Russ_Boston]

will not carry as much as you can in a golf cart...requires premium fuel...yes it goes further than a golf cart...not much of anything between the occupants and the bumper of the car in front of you or the one turning toward you.
Other than the above, why do you think you want a smart car? If I had to have a really small car like that I would but the Chevrolet Aveo or Ford's little Focus.

btk

Some of your points are valid BTK but your point about safety is simply not true.

You'll see at this site: http://autos.aol.com/cars-smart-fortwo-2009/safety-ratings/ that the Smart is actually BETTER than the Aveo in almost all safety ratings.

It has to either meet or exceed Federal standards. Also meets or exceeds the private insurance company standards.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

I had a Smart car for a while and think it is a great car for here at TV.
When I retired last year we did not need 2 cars and 2 golf carts so we traded my Smart and the wifes Scion in for a Buick SUV.
The Smart has lots of safety features and more room inside then you would expect. It has very good safety ratings and multiple air bags. I was able to park it in my CYV garage and park a golf cart in back of it and the other cart on the side with no problems.
The Smart does not shift like a usual automatic............imagine driving with someone in a 5 speed manual shifting gears......that is how it shifts, but without a clutch. I got 39mpg with the A/C on and also while driving on the turn pike.
For the money there are better deals out there then the Smart car, but I bought it because of the size and safety ratings.

p.s. I had a black car and it would get really hot.......White would be the way to go. You can check the cars out at the Orlando Smart dealer where they have them available for test drives.

[hdh1470]

I am thinking about getting a Smart Car for a second car and would love to hear pros and cons

Think it would be great for use in tv buy not outside.google smart car wrecks

[Carla B]

We had two mid-size cars that were hard to park in the garage and encroached on my husband's hobby space. So we traded one in on a small car. We looked at all the small cars and decided on a Honda FIT. It's got lots of cargo space and it's great for getting around TV and going to Home Depot, etc.

[2catsmeow]

I have had my Smart car for almost a year. I live by LSL and work in SS and am able to go back and forth every day for a week on a GALLON of gas. My husband is 6”3” and had no problem getting in or out and has plenty of headroom – not something you can always find in a smaller car. We use it all the time for our Villages errands – and have even loaded as many as 12 pieces of sod in the back behind the seats. When we drove our new Smart car home on the turnpike we had no problems – even when we passed a semi. You really do not feel like you are in a small car when you are driving it. If you really need to take your golf clubs with you, the passenger seat does fold down, and they will fit….. We just love our Smart car.

[Russ_Boston]

Some of your points are valid BTK but your point about safety is simply not true.

You'll see at this site: http://autos.aol.com/cars-smart-fortwo-2009/safety-ratings/ that the Smart is actually BETTER than the Aveo in almost all safety ratings.

It has to either meet or exceed Federal standards. Also meets or exceeds the private insurance company standards.

Yes, I'm quoting myself:)

I want to add that everyone must feel comfortable and safe in the car of their choice. Personally I would feel OK in TV with a Smart but not outside the bubble.

[memason]

I have a Smart Car in Germany. But, it's a 0.6 liter diesel (3 Cylinder). Gets more than 60 miles/gallon. I can park it just about anywhere, even perpendicular to the curb, which I do often. As someone said, it does feel much bigger, when you're in it and it's a rather safe car. I only drive mine about 70 or 75mph and it's my work car. Mine is a cabriolet, so lots of fun in the summer. I have had my golf clubs in it one time, so they will fit. You have to be creative...

[jeffy]

I would check out what Consumer Reports says about the Smart Car. If memory serves me I believe it was the second worst new car that they reviewed. If it were me I would check out the Honda Civic or Fit as much better choices.

jeffy

[Rag Bagger]

It's not a good deal if your trying for over all cost savings based on MPG. Other cars like the small Kia or Yaris are better. You will never recoupe the savings in MPG vs the up front cost of the Smart Car. Bur if it's a space issue in your garage it may be the shortest car available. If tha't your criteria you may be stuck with a smart Car or a Gem street legal if you don't have to take it on highways and just use it in TV.

[memason]

Check this out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJHpUO-S0i8

[Russ_Boston]

Great video - thanks.

[Russ_Boston]

It's not a good deal if your trying for over all cost savings based on MPG. Other cars like the small Kia or Yaris are better. You will never recoupe the savings in MPG vs the up front cost of the Smart Car.

Huh?

According to Edmunds.com the cheapest Yaris is $12,605 and gets combined 32mpg. The cheapest smart is $11,990 and gets combined 36mpg. What is there to recoup? Of course there are more expensive models in each brand but I'm comparing cheapest of each.

[Pturner]

My sister-in-law drives one in Atlanta, where traffic is legendary. It scares me, but she does. She loves that little car!

[TrudyM]

My sister-in-law drives one in Atlanta, where traffic is legendary. It scares me, but she does. She loves that little car!

The 285 or the 75 in a smart car OMG. When we lived there was the only time I wished I drove a big heavy car. Bumper to Bumper at 70 in the slow lane. It nearly gave me a heart attack every time I drove. Driving from CT into NYC was a breeze compared to driving from Marietta into Atlanta.

[Rag Bagger]

Huh?

According to Edmunds.com the cheapest Yaris is $12,605 and gets combined 32mpg. The cheapest smart is $11,990 and gets combined 36mpg. What is there to recoup? Of course there are more expensive models in each brand but I'm comparing cheapest of each.

OMG I stand corrected. I thought the cheapest smart car was around $24,000.00.

[Russ_Boston]

OMG I stand corrected. I thought the cheapest smart car was around $24,000.00.

Maybe you were thinking about Minis?

[Rag Bagger]

No, no confusion between a Cooper and a Smart. I really like the Mini Cooper for a lot of reasons. Fast, stable, great ralley car and a lot more room than a Smart but that's not saying a whole lot.

I have never driven a Smart so maybe I am totally full of it but they just seem way to short and unstable not to mention so little room. For as small as the Smart is I would have thought it would get upwards of 40 MPG easily. As mentioned earlier there is a diesel version available in Europe that gets higher mileage but In Europe there are a lot of small diesels that get 40 plus MPG.

My previous vehicle was an F-250 Super duty with the 7.3 liter diesel engine. We used it to tow our trailer. When empty, not towing that big heavy truck would get 20 MPG with major reserve power. I hated giving it up but when we bought a house and retired from RVing the truck was just too big to drive around town and major over kill for any other transportation requierments.

Regarding the Smart price, I must have been thinking of the prices I had seen advertised a few years back when they first were introduced. It seems the price back then was near $24,000. Maybe that was for a more US acceptably equipped version.

[JohnN]

I think it's a great TV and local vehicle, especially when size is a consideration. I've talked to a couple/few people who own one and they loved it.

[memason]

I think it's a great TV and local vehicle, especially when size is a consideration. I've talked to a couple/few people who own one and they loved it.

I agree... It's great for tooling around town, parking and it's easy on the fuel budget. As far as stability, the Smart has a wheelbase of 73.5 inches. Compare that with a standard golf cart at 65.7 inches. Certainly, for a vehicle designed to drive at highway speeds, the wheelbase is rather short. In my experience, that is only an issue at highway speeds and not city driving.

In a typical Designer home garage, you could easily get 4 Smart cars. I did a little calculating and with a standard 2 car garage, you could park a Smart and golf cart on one side and still have plenty of room for your "Sunday" car.

The Smart feels much larger than it is, when you're sitting in it. I was expecting it to feel like driving a roller skate, but was really surprised at how spacious it is. For sure, very little storage space, but we take it to the store every week and have no problem getting all our groceries in it.

When I get to TV later this year, I will look very hard at getting another Smart to supplement my "Sunday" car...