USED Smart Fortwo Coupe (03 - 07)

My car

Having attended a February event back in '04 at Merc dealership & realising the bargain (10.5K brand new knocked down to 7.5K) with only 1280 miles on the clock we got ourselves an ex-demo with big grins on our faces we began the experience which has been a SMART move into motoring!

Now with almost 35K miles later I still admire this piece of automotive engineering ahead of its time=look what happened to the market people!

Yes there are comments (mostly unfounded) about its high Centre of Gravity and understeer = if driven right (BTW it includes a turbocharger) it has many positive attributes, and is surprisingly comfy - we got nice leather heated seats.

Ours has the soft-top and (yes) I have heard people ohhh-ing in the street when they see it topless!!

Bear in mind I drove from Devon to the Western Highlands of Scotland, then via Stirling on a 1700 mile round trip, no problem, with all our luggage - especially amusing when you see people in those parts confused by what they see !

I am a testament to its appeal, take a test drive and i dare you not to smile!

My car

I was temporarily unable to use a clutch so reluctantly bought this Smart as a fill-in for my daily 15 mile commute to work. Nearly 3 years later, and now doing between 15 and 18 thousand motorway miles a year commuting weekly between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, I still have the same car and will be replacing it in September with a new Pulse 70 (would be ealier but for the 3-month waiting list). Whilst I would be the first to admit that it can be very noisy in the cabin, the handling is sloppy and the Pure specification is somewhat Spartan, it sips petrol and I love the amazement on peoples faces when I leave them standing at Traffic Lights or zip past them on the A90. Thanks to the folding passenger seat, the load capacity is incredible (I managed to squeeze a 90cm wide Ikea Mattress into it), and driving it never fails to bring a smile to my face. Probably the most fun car I have ever owned.

My car

Whilst fun to drive in short bursts (albeit not for long on motorways) the overall build quality in the cabin disappoints. Mine is a Cabriolet and despite having had the roof seals replaced under warranty, it still suffers from excessive wind intrusion at anything over 50 miles per hour. Heater controls have proved to be very flimsy with repairs having to be undertaken after 6-months and after 12-months they need to be looked at again, as the control lever defies attempts to move fully to the right. Biggest disappointment however is fuel economy as only getting 45 miles per gallon on non-urban cycle, nowhere near the figures suggested by the manufacturer. Other gripe is with the dealer, poor service both in terms of quality of work completed and general accessability.

My car

I am shocked that my Smart needs a new engine after 42,000 miles. Alerted to this fault by the AA man who came to rescue my daughter, I quickly discovered that this is a problem experienced by several Smart owners. I am now faced with a bill of £3000 for a repair to my car which had been bought as new 4 years ago. So far the goodwill gesture would not cover 1/2 the cost of the new engine and includes no contribution to labour. I can't remember the salesman telling me that the car would need scrapping between 40 and 50,000 miles.