Smart Car

[Woodcarver]

I'll bet got good mileage, too, Tom. 

[Ianab]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FokorVaisRQ

The smart car VS a concrete wall.

It survived fairly well, a real driver would have been killed, but the doors still opened making it easier to remove your body.  :D

Ian

[Tom]

I never tried that with my bike.  :-\ :D

[beenthere]

C'mon Tom.
Ya never put a 12' 2x6 across a ditch and tried to use it as a short-cut on the bike, goin to the house?  Didn't work...!!
Ditch was about 5' deep, and the bike made it about half way across...then took a nose dive with me right behind it. Lots of rock and dirt ground inta da skin for a facial, of sorts.   : :  :D

[Tom]

Yeah, I used to ride boards a lot, when I could find a board.  Favorite fun was to get going down the driveway and around the house as fast as I could and then slam on the brakes when I reached the dirt under the Oak tree.   The bike would slide and turn and end up going sideways before it stopped.   What was the fun part?   It was to see who could leave the longest skid mark.   :D

[beenthere]

Yeah, I used to ride boards a lot, when I could find a board.  Favorite fun was to get going down the driveway and around the house as fast as I could and then slam on the brakes when I reached the dirt under the Oak tree.   The bike would slide and turn and end up going sideways before it stopped.   What was the fun part?   It was to see who could leave the longest skid mark.   :D

Yep, on gravel roads we did that too...then graduated to cars. : :

[Furby]

Not just the longest skid, but as many or as much of a rotation as possible.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  link

[Dave Shepard]

I find it interesting that whenever a car of this type, i.e. low cost, tiny, and fuel efficient, the first two comments are about looks/image, or how well it will hold up in a cross country demolition derby at 100 mph. Then people talk about how much they like their motorcycles.  : >:(

I think that a car of this type, while not ideally suited for freeway traffic, serves a desperate need anywhere people commute on anything other than a camel. I drive a 3/4 ton gas pickup. It's all I have until I can fix my personal diesel 3/4 ton truck, which will get a little better mileage. I do many things that require a truck, like move my backhoe. I also do a lot of things that don't, like scoot to town for pizza. I wouldn't want to give up the pickup entirely, but it wouldn't take too long to pay off a car like the Smart fortwo just in fuel and tires. Using the last mileage numbers for when I was in business, and adjusting for current fuel costs, supplementing with a Smart would save at least $4800 per year in fuel, oil changes, and tires.

I think the people worried about their image should research the miles per pound of oats the average plow horse gets. ;) :D


Dave

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

... It was to see who could leave the longest skid mark.   :D

I think I won but never could be sure since I didn't want to drop my drawers to measure the mark...

[thecfarm]

I'll add somemore to get this of topic that much more.  :D  Growing up I was not allowed anything with a motor.Good thing too.I actually broke a bike in two pieces.I went to a friends house and we was tearing down an old building.One of us found out that we could lay a alpaht shingle on the tar road and hit the brakes on the shingle and that would lay a nice black mark with no wear and tear on out tires.I put a slick tire on the back of one of my bikes.That thing would really squeal when you slammed the breaks on.That tire did not last long.  :

[Modat22]

I find it interesting that whenever a car of this type, i.e. low cost, tiny, and fuel efficient, the first two comments are about looks/image, or how well it will hold up in a cross country demolition derby at 100 mph. Then people talk about how much they like their motorcycles.  : >:(

I think that a car of this type, while not ideally suited for freeway traffic, serves a desperate need anywhere people commute on anything other than a camel. I drive a 3/4 ton gas pickup. It's all I have until I can fix my personal diesel 3/4 ton truck, which will get a little better mileage. I do many things that require a truck, like move my backhoe. I also do a lot of things that don't, like scoot to town for pizza. I wouldn't want to give up the pickup entirely, but it wouldn't take too long to pay off a car like the Smart fortwo just in fuel and tires. Using the last mileage numbers for when I was in business, and adjusting for current fuel costs, supplementing with a Smart would save at least $4800 per year in fuel, oil changes, and tires.

I think the people worried about their image should research the miles per pound of oats the average plow horse gets. ;) :D


Dave

I no longer care what my car looks like, If I fit in it, I'll drive it. Personal tastes are changing slow but sure as economics make certain tastes unobtainable for most of us.

[Brucer]

Things have been happening around here.

• Last week my 14-year-old Cavalier developed a $1000+ repair problem.
• Diesel Smart Cars are no longer being sold in Canada -- they're going to sell the same gas-powered version in Canada and the U.S. (and the gas version has lower mileage).
• 
  Don has a used Smart coupe on his lot.

I was planning to replace the Cavalier next year with something quite a bit more fuel-efficient -- it only gets 36 MPG (30 MPG US). But looking at that kind of repair bill, I decided it was time to make a decision.

Will the Smart fortwo work for us? If so, buy it now. If not, fix the DanGed Cavalier one more time, and start researching other fuel-efficient cars for next year.

On Tuesday I was 4th on Don's waiting list. By Thusday #1 had put off buying ('cause there might be a strike at her workplace), #2 wasn't replying to phone messages, and #3 was suddenly having second thoughts. Don suggested we take the car home overnight and give it a serious test.

Barb liked the idea of the car, but really didn't think it had enough space for our needs. When we went to pick it up, she realized it had a lot more room behind the seats than she thought. When she came back from her "training run", she had a big grin on her face. On the way home with the car, she was already rationalizing around the few situations where we'd need a bigger car.

This is from a woman who hates trying out new cars, and sees them as a necessary evil at best.

Here's a random selection of impressions.

A whole lot more passenger space inside than you'd think. A hefty six-foot plus driver will have lots of room. There's room for a couple of big suitcases behind the seats -- or a fairly large dog. Barb has two artificial knees and has to position herself "just so" to get in and out of our Cavalier, or any similar car. It's not much better when she has to climb into a bigger vehicle like our truck or an SUV. But she just stepped right into the Smart and sat down (and then realized she'd done it ;D).

Amazingly easy to drive. Very intuitive steering, nice feel to the brakes.

Shifting gears took a little getting used to at first, hence the "training run" with the salesman. Standard or automatic? "Yes", or "both", or for people who still don't quite get it, "It's a semi-automatic." Actually, it's got a 6-speed manual transmission, but there's no clutch pedal. You can operate in "manual", where you select the gear you want to be in, or you can set it to "automatic" mode, where it behaves like a conventional automatic transmission. However, even in manual mode the car won't let you do something stupid (like downshifting when your rev's are already way up there).

The body is plastic panels attached to a steel "cage". Want to change the colour of your car? You can buy a complete set of panels for about $1500. It comes in a box that two people can easily carry. And it takes about 3 hours in a properly equiped shop to change the panels.

The car is full of nice little touches. For us folks with serious winters, you don't have to wait for the engine to warm up before the heat comes on. There's an electric heater in the air duct that will provide instant warm air while the engine gets up to temperature.

There's no sunroof, put there's a window in the top -- along with a sliding panel that you can position to keep the sun off the top of your head.

Ground clearance -- now that's an issue for me. I have a quarter-mile driveway composed of dirt and/or mud, with some good sized rocks thrown in. No problem -- the Smart has 15" wheels and a belly pan.

Safety. Well, you saw the 70 MPH crash. Think about it for a minute. How many times have you been in a serious, high speed crash? A small car doesn't attract bigger vehicles. Maybe it doesn't worry me, because I grew up driving a Mini, and my first new car was an early Honda Civic. In any case, I saw the photos they took of Don's car when they were changing all the body panels. That's one heft safety cage.

I'll shut up now. If you've got any specific questions, fire away.

Oh, yeah. We decided. Just gotta arrange the financing and the car is ours. Anyone wanna buy a slightly rusty Cavalier that needs a new head gasket?

[Dodgy Loner]

Oh, yeah. We decided. Just gotta arrange the financing and the car is ours. Anyone wanna buy a slightly rusty Cavalier that needs a new head gasket?

No :, but I do want to be able to buy what you're buying  :-\

[Toolman]

I was changing my serpentine belt on my 03 Ford Powerstroke a couple months ago. I used the diagram sticker under hood to replace correctly. The sticker contained diagrams for all different engine sizes. There was one for a 4.2 L diesel.
I thought , wow, never heard of that one. Did some research, turns out they are sold in S. Africa on 1/4 and 1/2 ton models!! They get between 45 - 70 mpg!!! Man, are we Americans gettin hosed!! It's a disgrace. These EPA regulations create more fuel shortages than anyone. How much farther off is our clean air when you have to burn more fuel.

[Brucer]

Social Issues

You gotta have some quick comebacks saved up for those smart aleck big-car-drivers. Here's a few ...

During my test drive, waiting to make a left turn at a stoplight. Guy pulls up beside us in an F350 diesel 4x4, looks down and says, "That car's smaller than my engine compartment. Sorry, man, but I need to drive a real car." My comeback line: "Hey, the amount of fuel you burn getting to the next light will take me half way to Vancouver (200 miles)."

Last year Don was filling up his Smart at the gas bar next to his dealership. Guy walks past, having just paid his bill at the kiosk. Nods at Don and says, "Electric car, eh?" Don's comeback line: "Yep, I'm just topping it up with a few move volts." The guy stopped, smacked himself on the forehead, and said, "I can't believe I just said that. I sure hope my wife didn't hear me." Then a female voice came drifting out of the guy's Suburban, "I heard it alright, you idiot."

;D

[Bill]

I was changing my serpentine belt on my 03 Ford Powerstroke a couple months ago. I used the diagram sticker under hood to replace correctly. The sticker contained diagrams for all different engine sizes. There was one for a 4.2 L diesel.
I thought , wow, never heard of that one. Did some research, turns out they are sold in S. Africa on 1/4 and 1/2 ton models!! They get between 45 - 70 mpg!!! Man, are we Americans gettin hosed!! It's a disgrace. These EPA regulations create more fuel shortages than anyone. How much farther off is our clean air when you have to burn more fuel.

Amen.  and why can't ford and chevy do it here ? Seems they need to certify the engines anyways - and the pollution per mile ought to be the criteria not something else.

leastways my $0.02

[Brucer]

As of 5:00 PM today, Barb and I own a 2005 Smart fortwo and the Cavalier is somebody else's problem .

We were walking out of the dealership, Barb in front, me with the keys in my hand, when Don says casually, "So who gets to drive it home." Barb stuck her hand behind her back, palm up, and wiggled her fingers for the keys. First time I ever saw that woman take to a car like that ;D.

I find there's a certain context to things people say, and it's fun to watch their reaction when you don't quite fit into their perceptions. For example, a conversation I had today ...
  "What car did you say you got?"
  "It's a Smart."
  "Oh, yeah, isn't that some kind of Chevy?"
  "Nope, it's made by Mercedes"
  "Oh ... so what kinda engine's it got?"
  "It's a point 8 litre turbo diesel."

Then there's a pause, while the guy is trying to put together the "turbo diesel" and the "point 8 litre" (that's 49 cubic inches for you folks in the US of A). 'Cause he's associating "turbo diesel" with 6.2 litres and things just aren't coming together for him.

Barb filled it up on the way home. 14.9 litres (just under 5 US gallons). "That didn't take much," said the attendent. "Naw," said Barb, "it was already a quarter full."

Now I'll see how far I get before the next fill up.

[Ianab]

Sounds like an great little commuter car.

Heck, one time I had a 1100cc diesel (no turbo) Daihatsu loaner while my work car was being fixed. Crazy underpowered.. I drove for 15min with the pedal flat to the boards before I found it had a speed alarm at 65  ;D. OK some of it was uphill, but not the whole way.

I suspect it was the same engine Mahoe use in their sawmills.  :

But after 2 days I could get the speed alarm after 5 mins, I guess the engine just needed freeing up  ;)

But seriously, 90% of the time a car like that would do me to get to work. As a second car in the house it's 99%.

Smart move  8)

Ian

[OneWithWood]

Congrats, Brucer.

Sure wish we could buy that car with the diesel here in the good ole US of A.  :-\

[John Mc]

Congrats, Brucer.

Sure wish we could buy that car with the diesel here in the good ole US of A.  :-\

Me too! Unfortunately, it sounds like they're pulling the diesel out of Canada as well. I wonder why?

John Mc

[sawdust]

Maybe the same reason they are not going to have the diesel in the Jeep Liberty anymore.... it was a good idea.

[Bill]

Congrats Brucer - wisht they had the diesel version down here.

and I agree - it'd be too good of an idea.

Latest I heard - and that makes me guilty of repeating "gossip" - is that the enviro folks say diesel exhaust has particulates and they're bad for you - like there's nothing in gas cars exhaust that wouldn't kill you !

I like that line where the guy in the movie says " Follow the money . . . "

Oh - almost forgot - the other side of the particulate coin I heard was that at least the particulates fall out of the air where as the " gassers " exhaust stays in the atmosphere to cause all sorts of bad things ( like smog and such ) .

[Dodgy Loner]

Particulates reflect sunlight and reduce the greenhouse effect.  Maybe all we need is a few more diesels on the road and we'll have this global warming thing licked ;D.  Seriously, though, I would buy one of those diesel Smarts in a heartbeat if they offered them in the U.S.  I could drive it 95% of the time and buy an old pickup to use if I ever needed to haul something.

[John Mc]

I'd buy one tomorrow if they offered the diesel in the US... assuming they didn't modify it for the US market it by putting in a larger engine and otherwise monkeying around with it to screw up the great mileage they supposedly get with the diesel version sold in Europe.