Thinking of buying a Smart Car - any opinions?

~GoodLife~

Hi there,
Thinking of buying a Smart Car as a cheaper run around, to and from work etc.
Can I ask for any good and bad opinions on them please? Only looking to spend about £3000. Anything to avoid or to look out for?

Many thanks in advance!

Idiophreak

Do you have your heart set on a Smart, or have you considered alternatives that are a little cheaper....the Aygo/C1/107 may be worth thinking about...

jaydeeuk1

I presume you mean the fortwo. Gearbox is useless (imo), check exhaust for smoke, signs of possible expensive engine probs. Friend told me theirs is prone to leaks so check carpets for damp. Prone to understeer. And by prone, I mean don't go full blast in to a corner, an Elise it isn't!

I'm biased, but it isn't as good as an IQ

linni

I loved my Smart car but I found it a very bumpy ride. I had the semi-automatic but if I got another one, I'd go for the fully automatic. I loved the inside, good views all around and lots of space in the front. Nice driving position and seats were really comfy. Haven't tried the Aygo/C1/107 so can't compare. Other Smart car users wave at you which is quite nice too! Don't know much about the mechanics though.

BaileyB

If you have to use a dual carriageway with a bridge forget it, ours felt like it was going to blow over at any point.

googler

Good; economical, easy to park, comfy driving position, loads of headroom, even for 6-feet plus of me, lots of safety features.

Bad; expensive bits, especially from main dealers, very twitchy in crosswinds, and some weird procedures required for basic maintenance - who would have thought you'd have to remove the whole front panel to replace a headlight bulb?

daveyjp

Our Aygo is far cheaper to run than our smart ever was.

lil.smartie

Don't bother checking exhaust fumes, won't tell you anything, check oil levels! NEEDS serviced every year regardless of mileage, plugs every other service!
Headlight bulbs can be changed through the small service grills on the front, I can do them & so can our mechanics!
More fun than an iQ, sold the iQ after a year still have the smart after 13!

Did I mention oil & servicing... that'll be check the oil levels & service history.. Low oil or recently topped up or missing services run a mile!

04+ Pulse = flappy paddles & wide wheels
Passion = AC & fully auto 'mode' (automated manual so not as smooth as a proper auto)
Pure = basic, seats mark easily

Cabrio, check runs smoothly & level both sides, drop it down on top of the boot too, not just full length sunroof to check that's smooth too!

Coupe's leak from rear 1/4 light windows, simple 1/2hr to fix!

2 keys, or negotiate as a new one is about £150!

Servicing at a good indie around £100 1yr £225 the next...

Kate

forgotmyname

Lots of bigger cars are actually cheaper to run.

googler

lil.smartie wrote: »

Headlight bulbs can be changed through the small service grills on the front, I can do them & so can our mechanics!

So they say, but I swore at it and skinned my knuckles for an hour before admitting defeat.....

Oh, and another point for the OP; with the engine under the rear, everything has to come out of the luggage area to access it for oil checking, etc. ....

On the fully auto model, there's what appears to be a yawning gap in the gear changes; they're not instant and super-smooth, as you'd find with the auto boxes from GM or SAAB, for instance - find yourself in the wrong gear as you try to accelerate, and nothing seems to happen while the transmission thinks; apply more throttle, and initially it doesn't do anything, then the transmission catches, and there's a big lurch as you now have the throttle all the way down....

If you are tall, make sure you can cope with the huge blind spot caused by the rear view mirror being mounted low on the screen

There's no spare tyre, so make sure the puncture repair kit is present and correct under the carpet on the passenger side footwell. The cars were supplied with a warning triangle when new - that should be in a plastic box, velcro'd to the carpet behind the seats.

almillar

Great little cars with character. How many miles per year are you planning to do? I think if you'll be doing more than, say, 10,000 you might want to consider something bigger, unless we're talking purely about city driving.