[epbrown]

I bought a washing machine.

[marty_mcfly]

pure model huh? nice!
you're gonna love it. they are fun to drive and make nice get-around cars

[jerrybajwa]

hahha that looks pretty fun to drive...i wouldnt fit in it however lol

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by jerrybajwa

hahha that looks pretty fun to drive...i wouldnt fit in it however lol

Actually, you probably would. The seating area is just this side of a Cadillac Escalade (and it's almost as high up). It's just that everything else is cut away - hardly any hood, only half a trunk and the engine is under that. I'm 6'1" and 200# and I've got 5" of headroom. Everytime I get out and look at it, I think "This must be what it's like exiting the Tardis."

Originally Posted by marty_mcfly

pure model huh? nice!
you're gonna love it. they are fun to drive and make nice get-around cars

Yep, the Pure. The extras of the Passion didn't appeal, except for the nicer wheels, and Tire Rack has those on sale this week for $99/each. I'm also going to swap the panels for black once the weather warms up so it'll match my M - after that, I'm set. The car does have radio (9), AC, and power steering.

[LI E90]

very cool

The PURE is all you need for a commuter car, I bet you get 2x the amount of looks in that car compared to the M...

[White08M3]

Awesome. My neighbor has an orange one!

Hes 6' 5 and he fits in no problem, ive been in it with him and im 6'2 myself and we both fit with no problems... cool little car

[Incompatible]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Yep, the Pure. The extras of the Passion didn't appeal, except for the nicer wheels, and Tire Rack has those on sale this week for $99/each. I'm also going to swap the panels for black once the weather warms up so it'll match my M - after that, I'm set. The car does have radio (9), AC, and power steering.

After the wheels and panels, maybe dual exhaust, headers, cam, LSD,????

[FStop7]

How much does one of those cost, and what is its range? And can it do 75mph?

I just looked it up - $17,000?!?! ROFLCOPTER, whatever.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by FStop7

How much does one of those cost, and what is its range? And can it do 75mph?

I just looked it up - $17,000?!?! ROFLCOPTER, whatever.

There's a HUGE waiting list for them in the US, so you see crazy prices for them on eBay. The model I bought, the Pure, lists for $11,990. With destination and options, it was $13,600. The base Passion is $13,990, and the Passion Cabrio is $16,990.

The prices on eBay make NO sense. I had several sellers asking for more than MSRP, saying the cars are impossible to get. Thanks to the current economy, a LOT of people that ordered cars over a year ago can no longer take delivery, and others have changed their mind because gas got cheap, so dealers are sitting on cars (one dealer in Chicago has 30). And the dealers can't ask for more than MSRP.

As for range, it gets good gas mileage but also has a crazy small gas tank - around 9 gallons. I'm told I'll get 400 miles or so from the free tank I got with the car. Top speed is limited to 90mph. Zero to 60 is 13 seconds.

[Deda]

i will never buy that car..security reasons only! what if one Cadillac Escalade crash into your little car! good bye,forever!

[chuck92103]

That 3 cyl engine and tranny combo is killer. Reviews said the smart cars shift like a bucking bronco. I never understood why people would buy them when a Honda civic with 4 seats is cheaper and gets the same mileage.

[MCMLXXXIX]

LOL that thing is so small. and Deda is right, wth is gonna happen in an accident (god forbid) but you know...what if? that thing doesnt look safe at all!

[Scorpion]

Nice man, just waiting to see how ppl pimp them out haha.

[wj4]

My friend bought one several months ago and I was surprised how roomy it was inside. PS why do people automatically think that big car = safe?

[Motor She Wrote]

Originally Posted by chuck92103

That 3 cyl engine and tranny combo is killer. Reviews said the smart cars shift like a bucking bronco. I never understood why people would buy them when a Honda civic with 4 seats is cheaper and gets the same mileage.

Same reason people were paying through the nose for Priuses (Prii? Pruii?) when the premium to get the thing cost more than the gas the car would save over a comparable non-hybrid subcompact. It's about making a statement. You could get a Yaris or a Civic that does the same thing but buying the Smart is supposed to be cool.

[marty_mcfly]

Originally Posted by Motor She Wrote

Same reason people were paying through the nose for Priuses (Prii? Pruii?) when the premium to get the thing cost more than the gas the car would save over a comparable non-hybrid subcompact. It's about making a statement. You could get a Yaris or a Civic that does the same thing but buying the Smart is supposed to be cool.

i guess you can say it is just hyped up for now since it was just released here in the US.

its one thing when you buy it just as an "extra" car or are some sort of car collector. but if its your only car? hmmm....

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by Scorpion

Nice man, just waiting to see how ppl pimp them out haha.

There are a few already. This is the Hermes edition:



Not that I've thought about it much, but if I were to embark on such a project, after I bought the black panels I'd have a paint shop do the current white ones in Sepang Bronze Metallic and leave the T-cell black, then replace the cloth interior parts with Saddle Brown leather, leaving the black cloth inserts in the backrest for a two-tone effect. Do the spokes on the rims in gloss black with polished lips. Good to go.

[chuck92103]

Originally Posted by marty_mcfly

i guess you can say it is just hyped up for now since it was just released here in the US.

its one thing when you buy it just as an "extra" car or are some sort of car collector. but if its your only car? hmmm....

The Smart was popular in Europe due to unorganized parking. They do not have parking lots at the malls like we do.

In the U.S. a mall parking spot will hold a suburban or a smar car so the parking advantage is not there. I don't think they are selling as they expected.

[marty_mcfly]

Originally Posted by chuck92103

In the U.S. a mall parking spot will hold a suburban or a smar car so the parking advantage is not there. I don't think they are selling as they expected.

really? thanks for the info.

and trust me... they're selling A LOT. these things will be like civics (if not already) in a year or two. i already almost see at least 1 everyday.

[Sniz]

people think a big car is safe because inertia and physics are a bitch.

[marty_mcfly]

well good thing this isnt epbrowns only car

even though his other one is pretty small

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by Motor She Wrote

Same reason people were paying through the nose for Priuses (Prii? Pruii?) when the premium to get the thing cost more than the gas the car would save over a comparable non-hybrid subcompact. It's about making a statement. You could get a Yaris or a Civic that does the same thing but buying the Smart is supposed to be cool.

Think of every crappy thing that you've ever heard of happening to a car in a big city, and this car has been designed from the get-go to withstand it or lessen the effects. Delivery trucks blocking most of the street while they unload, people double and triple-parked, or parking to take up a space and a half. The Smart will fit in spaces and down streets and alleys a Yaris, Civic, Focus, even a Mini, can't. It can resist the abuses of city life because the entire body is dent-resistant plastic panels, and all of the panels can be replaced by the owner fairly cheaply. ($900).

Because the panels are all plastic, someone trying to key the car for whatever chickenshit reason will have trouble marring them, and if they do it's less noticeable because under the plastic is... more plastic of the same color.

If someone came in complaining how their Porsche Carrera GT3 was cramped, got poor mileage, and was a lousy commuter, they'd be flamed and laughed off the forum. Not because the car isn't bad at those things, but because we all know that's not what it's for, and we don't expect it to be good. But most of the criticisms of the Smart are equally baseless - it's considered bad because it's not good at things it wasn't intended to do, when it's darned good at what it was built for: 2-person urban commuting.