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We had a 2006 Passion Cabrio - it was a fun car. Don't get bogged down in the gearbox - once you have driven it a couple of times you will be very familiar. We loved the top down as well. We pulled our on a proper trailer.
We were always dissapointed by the fuel consumption claims.....we averaged high 40s. In my opinion the reason for the low number is twofold....... 1. Weight, although it is small it weighs just shy of a ton. My first car, a 1983 Mk1 Golf Gti was 750kg!! 2. To get anywhere you have to wind it up a bit, which is fine as the three cylinder does sound nice.
Reading between the lines I would avoid a high mileage car - all sorts of problems seem to occur.
Ride quality - it is a joke.....great on smooth roads, even a bit of fun in the twisties.....but terrible on bumps. Bumps that a regular car would ride over smoothly would have you believe that you had just driven into a wall...... I know, I hear you all saying just avoid the bumps, well, I consider myself very good at reading the roads and avoiding the ups and downs but it is not always possible.
Lastly......cost.....the Smart car is really, rather smart in so many ways....BUT.......the price is nuts. In hindsight, we would have bought something like a 12 month old Panda or similar.
Cheers JonandJules. We would like a cabrio and I even got a great insurance quote the other day. So we are seriously looking for a cabrio. Gearbox I now understand and which ever type we buy it's easy to make full auto (misses says she may drive if she doesn't have to do gears!) As you say low mileage is best but still need history.
I had a 1984 Mk1 Golf Gti, a Mk2 16valve Turbo Techniques conversion and a Mk1 Cabrio that I put the turbo engine in
Trailer isn't really an option as we have no where to store it. We will probably stay in UK any way so a braked a frame it is for us.
A smart is fun to drive and holds it's value well. A Panda is 'boring' to drive and it's value drops like a stone.
My experience of Smart ownership was not as 'glowing' as the comments posted here so far.
It was a 2006 Passion forTwo 700 cc. and there was no doubt it was 'fun' but the caveats outweighed the fun quotient.
I changed it for a Toyota iQ3in 2011which, for starters is built to a much higher quality than the Smart (or the Aygo et al for that matter). As a matter of fact, the Aygo/Citreon/Peugots are built in the Czech Republic. The iQ's are built in Japan. The Smart s assembled in France.
I tugged the Smart on an a-frame for many thousands of miles all over Europe and exposed it to some rough roads in Poland and elsewhere, but on roads no worse than it was designed to operate on.
It towed extremely well, was stable at speed and was satisfactory in this regard. However, during my ownership both front springs snapped (they are made of very thin wire IMO); the rear window leaked water into the rear compartment, soaking the carpet over the engine cover. This also caused the interior to mist up necessitating the A/C to be on most of the time...and it (the A/C also failed, too). The window seal is overly complex and needs redesigning! Both front brake discs and pads needed replacing after 19,000 miles - the only car I've owned where these components failed so early.
The gearbox 'delay' I never got used to (it was dangerous IMO). The lack of fuel economy for such a small car was unacceptable (to me).
Thus, the iQ is like a breath of fresh air. Well built (think Lexus) and ideal for towing.
A tip I found useful regardless of what car is being towed is to put in in neutral, brakes off and manually pull it the last foot or so onto your ball hitch. It gives you peace of mind that it's still not in gear!
Sorry to be so 'down' on Smarts but I report on my own personal experience.
I remeber we also used to get water in between the tailgate and hood.
I understand about Smarts holding their vaule, it's just at the time the Smart was our only car and boy did we struggle with shopping. We could just about get a weeks worth of grub for two in the back. As I say, for us, in hindsight we would have been better off with a slightly bigger car.
As for towing, there is no doubt that storing a trailer can be difficult. Our trailer was made for a Smart, so nothing else would fit - which you would think would make it a small trailer......noway, it was a huge thing!
Ched, you're obviously up on oils so would probably pick this up anyway.
But if you do get a Smart, do be very careful about the oil levels. They can use considerable amounts of oil, and it doesn't take much for them to run dry. Of course, with the engine where it is it's a pain in the proverbial to check the dipstick.
Cheers Rosbotham. Yes I have read lots about oil issues and not to overfilling as they only take about 3litres. Plus there is only 0.7L between min and max. Most other cars have 1.0L between marks. The weird bit is that it is supposed to be checked hot which is unusual.
As you say they can use a lot of oil but that is generally when the piston rings have started to 'stick' causing high crank case pressure. This causes oil to get past the rings and into the combustion chambers. This then can cause spark plug fouling and valves to burn out!
If you notice that your Smart is starting to use oil, at about 50K, it will be worn rings, A rebuild with new rings and a hone should sort it out,
If not, your in for a "FULL BLOWN" rebuild at £2k +.
Mine went at 55k, but Rob at S2 Smarts Watford ,made it better than new, and if your going to tow it read the owners manual.Trailers are recommended by MB, you have been warned !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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