Should I buy a Smart Car?
Discussion
Rammy76 said:
I'm struggling to understand where you live, is it in a village or in the city centre?
If you live in the centre of a city then I'd buy a bike or moped for getting about I'd fail to see the benefit of spending more money on a 3rd car which you'll still struggle to find a parking space for no matter how small it is!
Sorry, I could have been clearer with that. Its a smallish city/village, whatever you want to call it. I live in the centre of it in an apartment. All of the streets in the centre are narrow and its all a one way system. Parking is a nightmare in the summer months, to the point that realistically the Gallardo is going to be unusable and will need to go into 'occasional use' and stored away from home. If you live in the centre of a city then I'd buy a bike or moped for getting about I'd fail to see the benefit of spending more money on a 3rd car which you'll still struggle to find a parking space for no matter how small it is!
Edited by Rammy76 on Sunday 4th May 19:34
Edited by Rammy76 on Sunday 4th May 19:35
I don't see any major problems parking a smart car - it'll go in spaces my other cars won't, and it'll also go in spaces that my other cars would but I was worried about using. If it gets scratched or dinged, then I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. And if I do need to lap the one way system on occasion I'm not going to be pissing all my neighbours off by charging around town in a decatted v10....
A bike or moped isn't going to work - I need to be able to fit 7 people in my current car & what I buy now. My mum is refusing to let my little brother go on the back of a bike, so that is out unfortunately, so a small and cheap car is the only real alternative.
I suppose one other route would be to trade the Cayenne in for a 7 seater and then buy a bike to use myself. I don't really fancy that though as I can't see any 7 seaters that I like the look of.
valiant said:
I'll just leave this here...
There isn't a single one of them for sale in Portugal. Plus I can't get a car near enough to my apartment to charge it so anything electric is out. I'd have loved one of those Renault Twizzy things if that wasn't the case.
KFC said:
Sorry, I could have been clearer with that. Its a smallish city/village, whatever you want to call it. I live in the centre of it in an apartment. All of the streets in the centre are narrow and its all a one way system. Parking is a nightmare in the summer months, to the point that realistically the Gallardo is going to be unusable and will need to go into 'occasional use' and stored away from home.
I don't see any major problems parking a smart car - it'll go in spaces my other cars won't, and it'll also go in spaces that my other cars would but I was worried about using. If it gets scratched or dinged, then I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. And if I do need to lap the one way system on occasion I'm not going to be pissing all my neighbours off by charging around town in a decatted v10....
A bike or moped isn't going to work - I need to be able to fit 7 people in my current car & what I buy now. My mum is refusing to let my little brother go on the back of a bike, so that is out unfortunately, so a small and cheap car is the only real alternative.
I suppose one other route would be to trade the Cayenne in for a 7 seater and then buy a bike to use myself. I don't really fancy that though as I can't see any 7 seaters that I like the look of.
I'm still not sure of the size of your town? Not very PH but is walking or a taxi an option to avoid parking? You could enjoy a few Super Bocks then.I don't see any major problems parking a smart car - it'll go in spaces my other cars won't, and it'll also go in spaces that my other cars would but I was worried about using. If it gets scratched or dinged, then I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. And if I do need to lap the one way system on occasion I'm not going to be pissing all my neighbours off by charging around town in a decatted v10....
A bike or moped isn't going to work - I need to be able to fit 7 people in my current car & what I buy now. My mum is refusing to let my little brother go on the back of a bike, so that is out unfortunately, so a small and cheap car is the only real alternative.
I suppose one other route would be to trade the Cayenne in for a 7 seater and then buy a bike to use myself. I don't really fancy that though as I can't see any 7 seaters that I like the look of.
Lewtyper said:
Yes, sorry.
Honda Beat?
Thanks, but there isn't a single one for sale in Portugal.Honda Beat?
poing said:
In your situation I'd buy a Fiat Panda and be done, you want something simple to drive and park whilst not having to worry about it. I can't think of a car that better fits your needs and this one has the bonus of 4 seats which sounds like it would be an advantage.
I could get a 1.1 litre one cheaply - http://santoandre-setubal.olx.pt/fiat-panda-1-1-ac...skip_1 said:
I'm still not sure of the size of your town? Not very PH but is walking or a taxi an option to avoid parking? You could enjoy a few Super Bocks then.
Taxi's aren't really practical enough. I could get them from the taxi rank 60 seconds walk from my front door but getting them home from anywhere else would be a complete hassle - not worth it. Staying within the centre, I could walk from my front door to pretty much anywhere else in 20 minutes. But the supermarket is maybe 40 minutes walk away. A nice stroll in the sunshine on the way there - but it feels more like a type of torture on the way back carrying a few bags of shopping
The less touristy beaches etc are about the same distance.... the short answer is you won't starve without a car but realistically you need one.
We've had three in the family, a 51 plate 600 cc, an 06 plate 700 cc soft top, and at the moment my wife has an 11 plate 1000 cc.
No serious issues with any of them, the earlier ones "use" oil, and don't hold much, so check the levels (I'm told low oil was the cause of most faliures).
I love driving them, fantastic around town, and so so different and quirky.
If you like them, try one, the later the better of course, and condition is everything, as with all cars.
No serious issues with any of them, the earlier ones "use" oil, and don't hold much, so check the levels (I'm told low oil was the cause of most faliures).
I love driving them, fantastic around town, and so so different and quirky.
If you like them, try one, the later the better of course, and condition is everything, as with all cars.
Congrats on your new Smart. Wise decision.
All the other suggestions in this thread are like stretch limo's in comparison to the Smart.
I used to have no time for the For2 and when SWMBO decided she wanted 1 to use at our house abroad I was reluctant to even test drive it. In the 6 months prior to permanent export it became the car of choice. We also had a Z4 and an X5 but it was invariably the Smart that was used.
The car we bought was a Limited 2 with the 71bhp 999cc engine and not MHD. It came with lovely Ferrari Brown leather, flappy paddles, heated seats and a nice light blue flip paint. I use the flappy paddles all the time and SWMBO uses auto.
It is the perfect city car. We recently drove it 1200 miles across Europe to Ancona in Italy with our last overnight stop in Faenza. Faenza is a typical Italian city with a centre full of small width, 1 way systems which even got the TomTom completely confused. Anything bigger than a Smart and we'd have been stuck there now. As for the trip across Europe it was not as good as the X5 but not bad. The Alps were a struggle with us fully loaded but cruising at 65 - 70 was no problem. Longest day was 391 miles, all taken well within it's stride.
It now resides on a small Greek Island and is perfect for the town and country roads.
All the other suggestions in this thread are like stretch limo's in comparison to the Smart.
I used to have no time for the For2 and when SWMBO decided she wanted 1 to use at our house abroad I was reluctant to even test drive it. In the 6 months prior to permanent export it became the car of choice. We also had a Z4 and an X5 but it was invariably the Smart that was used.
The car we bought was a Limited 2 with the 71bhp 999cc engine and not MHD. It came with lovely Ferrari Brown leather, flappy paddles, heated seats and a nice light blue flip paint. I use the flappy paddles all the time and SWMBO uses auto.
It is the perfect city car. We recently drove it 1200 miles across Europe to Ancona in Italy with our last overnight stop in Faenza. Faenza is a typical Italian city with a centre full of small width, 1 way systems which even got the TomTom completely confused. Anything bigger than a Smart and we'd have been stuck there now. As for the trip across Europe it was not as good as the X5 but not bad. The Alps were a struggle with us fully loaded but cruising at 65 - 70 was no problem. Longest day was 391 miles, all taken well within it's stride.
It now resides on a small Greek Island and is perfect for the town and country roads.
Thanks, I'm definitely happy with it so far.
The furthest I've been in it is 30km on a-roads... I had to follow a friend who was dropping off his c43 at a garage so I could bring him home. Across town I had no problems keeping up with him as it was pretty much the traffic flow that was the limiting factor there, not how fast your car can in theory go.
I've been to the supermarket a couple of times... going on your own its no problems at all as theres plenty storage space on the passenger seat/football. Likewise taking the dogs to the beach.
I don't really like the way the gear box will change down but not up automatically... I'd have preferred it to do both. But its hardly a big deal. I can even cut 5 mins off my journey home by driving the wrong way up a one way street for 30 metres if I can see its clear - can't do that in the other cars as they are too big to turn them around
For the type of use I need it for, I've definitely made the right decision. So thanks for the replies everyone.
The furthest I've been in it is 30km on a-roads... I had to follow a friend who was dropping off his c43 at a garage so I could bring him home. Across town I had no problems keeping up with him as it was pretty much the traffic flow that was the limiting factor there, not how fast your car can in theory go.
I've been to the supermarket a couple of times... going on your own its no problems at all as theres plenty storage space on the passenger seat/football. Likewise taking the dogs to the beach.
I don't really like the way the gear box will change down but not up automatically... I'd have preferred it to do both. But its hardly a big deal. I can even cut 5 mins off my journey home by driving the wrong way up a one way street for 30 metres if I can see its clear - can't do that in the other cars as they are too big to turn them around
For the type of use I need it for, I've definitely made the right decision. So thanks for the replies everyone.
KFC said:
Thanks, I'm definitely happy with it so far.
The furthest I've been in it is 30km on a-roads... I had to follow a friend who was dropping off his c43 at a garage so I could bring him home. Across town I had no problems keeping up with him as it was pretty much the traffic flow that was the limiting factor there, not how fast your car can in theory go.
I've been to the supermarket a couple of times... going on your own its no problems at all as theres plenty storage space on the passenger seat/football. Likewise taking the dogs to the beach.
I don't really like the way the gear box will change down but not up automatically... I'd have preferred it to do both. But its hardly a big deal. I can even cut 5 mins off my journey home by driving the wrong way up a one way street for 30 metres if I can see its clear - can't do that in the other cars as they are too big to turn them around
For the type of use I need it for, I've definitely made the right decision. So thanks for the replies everyone.
The three we've had all change up and down automatically, if that is what you ask it to do, so I'm confused by that statement.The furthest I've been in it is 30km on a-roads... I had to follow a friend who was dropping off his c43 at a garage so I could bring him home. Across town I had no problems keeping up with him as it was pretty much the traffic flow that was the limiting factor there, not how fast your car can in theory go.
I've been to the supermarket a couple of times... going on your own its no problems at all as theres plenty storage space on the passenger seat/football. Likewise taking the dogs to the beach.
I don't really like the way the gear box will change down but not up automatically... I'd have preferred it to do both. But its hardly a big deal. I can even cut 5 mins off my journey home by driving the wrong way up a one way street for 30 metres if I can see its clear - can't do that in the other cars as they are too big to turn them around
For the type of use I need it for, I've definitely made the right decision. So thanks for the replies everyone.
KFC said:
Nigel Worc's said:
The three we've had all change up and down automatically, if that is what you ask it to do, so I'm confused by that statement.
I've not seen the manual yet so maybe mines can be changed also...I love some of the stories here by the way. Makes me want to buy one but I really haven't got the right kind of use. I could stick one in my garage in my house in the mountains but I like my old cars there and if I get anything, it would be a quad to go on some of the tracks.
Right now I don't think I can afford or justify anything but I feel that when I can, a quad would be too noisy. I'd want an electric quad if such a thing exists.
Edited by Eagerbeaver on Thursday 15th May 13:07
There's a little button on the side of the gear knob which you press to put it into full automatic mode. A letter "A" will appear on your instrument dial and a smaller number underneath will tell you what gear it's actually in.
This info assumes you have a 451 (2007 onwards)
From what you describe you're using it in manual mode which will change down automatically but you have to use the gear stick to go up the box.
Couple of links to very useful sites:
http://www.evilution.co.uk/323
http://www.fq101.co.uk/
This info assumes you have a 451 (2007 onwards)
From what you describe you're using it in manual mode which will change down automatically but you have to use the gear stick to go up the box.
Couple of links to very useful sites:
http://www.evilution.co.uk/323
http://www.fq101.co.uk/
Edited by Denis O on Thursday 15th May 06:31
Edited by Denis O on Thursday 15th May 06:32
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