Smart Car: Good Car or Trendy Crap?
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Canada got diesels for their Smarts. USA issues are gas- requiring 91 octane for only 33 MPG and an anemic 0-60 of 12.1 seconds. Add to that a waiting list to get one for list price? They should call it the "Joke." Steve Urkel might trade his BMW Isetta in for one. :lol:
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vw has it's diesel's on the market. unfortunately they're expensive in a new car-$25k+. but the MKIV's are out there with low mileage and prices. the MKIII's were one of the most durable engines VW ever made, they go for about 3K in good shape-if you can find someone willing to sell it. and i've seen a number of MKV's in the $10-15K range, they're only a few years old. and for some reason the diesel's have fewer non-drivetrain related problems than the gassers even though the systems are the same.
jonnyslick said:
Unfortunately, it get's panned by critics for it's un-sporting nature in stock form, and poor stability at interstate speeds. Plus, who thought a center mount speedo was a good idea? I haven't completely said no to it, but I do like the Fit better because it has more interior practicality and a better looking (IMHO) dash layout. However, I like that the Yaris can be had as a radio delete car since for the same money as Toyota wants for a mediocre head unit and speakers I can put together a decent system.
Canada got the gasoline engine Smart car as of the 2008 model year. In terms of safety, they're just as safe as most other small cars out there. I believe that there is a film clip on YouTube from a British show called Top Gear which shows a Smart car being crashed head-on into a concrete barrier at 60 miles per hour. The passenger compartment is pretty much completely intact after the crash. The car has a very strong steel cage structure surronding the passenger compartment. Mercedes Benz is usually very serious about safety in any of their cars. I'm not saying that the Smart is the best or most economical small car out there, I'm sure that companies like Honda, Toyota, VW, etc all offer good choices as well, but I would imagine that there will be enough people who are willing to buy a Smart car for it to be worthwhile for Mercedes Benz to market it in the States IMHO.
New cars are too heavy, which is why it is so hard to find a TRULY fuel efficient vehicle at a reasonable price. I had a loaded 1995 Sentra that weighed 2350lbs. New Sentras weigh almost 3k, as does the Civic, Cobalt, Lancer, etc. People seem to expect too much from a cheap car so manufacturers have shied away from producing small, efficient cars like they used to. I mean, I would take a 1.2 liter car that hit 60 in 13 seconds if I got 40mpg city, and 50+ highway in a hatchback if it were cheap. That's the Smart car's problem, for it's level of content and size it should run $7500 to start, not $11,500. For $7500, I would accept the shortcomings, pay extra for A/C and a diesel engine and drive it for a few years. Not fun, not pretty, but I would save enough cash to justify it's purchase.
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