Smart Car '08 $17k
 

Anybody like these cars? They're going for around $17k on Craigslist for an '08.

Built by Mercedes. Has a functional roll cage built in. Rear mounted engine with break-away technology.

Looks scary, but it should be safer than most two seater cars that have been in production for tens of years ....such as the Miata, MR2, Del Sol, CRX, etc.

I would say it's safer than the Honda S2000, Porsche Boxter, BMW Z's, etc. How about a Corvette with all that fiberglass?

Maybe safer than most 4 seater economy class cars such as the Civic, Corolla, Accord, etc... due to the roll cage and motor that will break away upon impact. Plus it's got side airbags too.

MPG is not awesome (although very, very good city). Seems like the old Geo Metro 1.3L, 2-door w/a 5spd gets better MPG, weird.

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

Why would you consider buying one from craigs list for 17k when they are about 14k from Smart?
http://www.smartusa.com/

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

I didn't know they were that low. Looks like the usual thing with people ordering it early and trying to flip it for a profit.

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

We have a couple here in town and I think for a commuter car it looks like it would be good. I think they look like they would be fun to drive.

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

I see quite a few on my drive to work. I've seen 2 separate instances where another vehicle has nearly hit one while changing lanes. I think they can easily fit into a driver's side mirror's blind-spot. The horn is not very loud, but luckily in both cases the other driver could hear it.

My sister has driven one in Munich for about 5 years and she loves it.

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

pass. rather have an insight and get 70+ mpg. oh wait.... i do! :)

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

Having driven a Smart fortwo at a work event, I can honestly say I would never, ever consider one, nor would I let anyone in my family get one.

Small, cramped, extremely noisy, very sluggish. It might have a roll cage, but against any of the large vehicles on the road today it still wouldn't stand a chance (a walnut might be tough but hit it with a rock that's slightly bigger and see what happens).

The car's suspension bottomed out on small potholes. If we had hit a big one, we would have just become part of the patch for the hole.

The short wheelbase meant that going over bumps was similar to riding a really ticked off horse. Front end pops up, crashes down, then the back end follows suit.

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

I agree on the sluggish part, but the rest is on par or better than other 2 seater small cars (or even 4 seaters) that have been in production for many, many years.

For example: Honda CRX, Del Sol, MR2, Miata, S2000, BMW Zs, Fiesta, Sprint, Metro, etc.

The roll cage is a big deal here. Also, you've got side airbags. Then there's the engine with break away technology (used in high dollar race cars). None of these other small cars had these features. Some didn't even have airbags and if they did, it was old tech that were quite dangerous.

The visibility factor should be decent since the car sits a normal height compared to, say a Miata.

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

I have nearly 8K miles on my smart, bought January 2008. I drive it about 50 miles on freeways each day commuting to work.

The smart is a blast to drive. I put 30K miles on my former Insight and 37K miles on my TCH. Neither was as entertaining or fun to drive as the smart.

The smart is extremely solid, loaded with features, and very comfortable. Mostly it is insanely fun. I've had about every sports car and luxury car you could name, and wouldn't trade any of them for my smart.

Averaging 45 MPG, but still looking forward to a future hybrid or electric model!

Re: Smart Car '08 $17k
 

Whoa, now I know I've been away from GH for too long. Last time I was posting here regularly, stevenvillatoro was 'the TCH guy' and now he's got 8k miles on a Smart? What's going on around here? Nothing personal, Steve, just a surprise.

The Smart has always been very appealing to me since I started seeing them in the UK. Can't imagine paying $3k over sticker just because of the wait, though- I'm saying, being an early adopter is a good thing and all, but there are sometimes limits. Or there probably should be. :)

last thought- all those people who fret about the safety of the smart and the mini probably just haven't looked at the crash/rollover test data- small cars can be quite impressive, actually.

Oh, and along those lines, as everyone ought to know by now, cars are far, far safer than SUVs when it comes to rollovers- I don't see how anyone could look at this chart and then talk about how 'safe' an SUV is. http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/...002fd17898RCRD