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, Sun, 3 May 2009 00:57:22
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I am real live smart owner. Twice. The first one arrived a few months after they'd been selling here, after a 10-12 month wait (can't remember exactly). That one didn't go so well. On the delivery test drive a problem revealed itself that wound up dooming the car. Check engine light at 8 miles that essentially never went away. Smart took amazing care of me and eventually bought the car back and replaced it with a twin to it in July of 2008. The new one was terrific. Everything about the car is quite brilliant -on its terms. This isn't a vehicle that compares well to others. Its vices are in every car review printed. Its virtues are evident clearly. I live in San Francisco. Parking here can suck and can waste your life. Like a bad commute, you could easily loose 200 hours a year looking for parking. Not in the smart. It is the safest tiny car you can buy. But of course, it's the only tiny car also. It's massively safer than a MIata, got better safety ratings than a brand new Dodge Ram (!) though of course, that's conditional as well. You can watch the youtube tests to decide how you feel about it. People die walking crossing the street, just as often as in car crashes... it's a chance you decide to take or not. It's still a hard car to justify outside a tight town like Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston.. but heck, we justify a lot all through our lives.
The smart satisfies on all these levels that don't mesh with 'normal' cars. It is huge inside and makes you wonder why a BMW 3 series is so cramped for how huge it is (we have one). The transmission is quirky, but easily the most involving, interesting transmission I've encountered in the 18 cars I've owned. The mileage is somewhat pathetic, but it's still the most efficient non-hybrid you can get (which doesn't let it off the hook when my 1992 Honda Civic VX got WAY better mileage and seated 4 etc..). It offers luxury some 'luxury' cars don't provide: heated seats, pano-roof, leather (vinyl still comes standard in many Mercedes and BMWs), auto on/off wipers & lights yet it still holds a 6' piece of lumber or enough groceries for a week. It's the smallest rear wheel drive you can buy, and the next one up the ladder is the $30+k BMW 1 Series.
The new Toyota/Scion iQ will better it in every way, yet it won't have most of the virtues of the smart I'd need to be seduced: no heated seats, no leather, no transparent roof, won't be as short -but it will be slow, seat 4(ish), have a 'normal' transmission, alleged Toyota/Scion reliability- and be dull as a sewing machine. Different strokes for different folks.
All that said, today at 10 am I sell it. Sadly. We ordered it around the same time we heard my partner's oldest daughter was pregnant with our grandkid. We were ready to sell the BMW wagon, keep the Saab wagon, and have one big and one small car till we got the fun news. Obviously the smart and kids don't combine well, nor does a 90 mile drive to see the little tyke. So, it was time to sell the smart. A cool dude with 5 other cars and a business, a dog, who just served 2 years in Iraq (and he's in his 50's) bought it and didn't think for a sec before giving me a check for asking price. I'll really miss it. Just like a good friend with some odd character flaws.
, Sun, 3 May 2009 00:57:22, Mon, 11 May 2009 00:58:56, Wed, 6 May 2009 16:11:59
, Tue, 5 May 2009 11:45:34
, Mon, 4 May 2009 07:50:56
, Mon, 4 May 2009 13:18:58, Mon, 4 May 2009 06:18:15
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