Smart car advice please
Discussion
Hello all.
My daughter has asked about changing her skoda fabia for one of these smart cars, like this one :
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Does anyone have any experience of these, any tips advice etc ?
My daughter has asked about changing her skoda fabia for one of these smart cars, like this one :
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Does anyone have any experience of these, any tips advice etc ?
Buy a post 2003 and you get the later 700cc engine rather than older 600cc engine. Ok for city driving but make sure the engine is ok before buying.
Pure is basic model with steel wheels, metal roof, manual change, Passion top model you get full auto (button), aircon and glass roof (fixed) pulse model in between the two. Some Pulse and Pure do have aircon and full auto just depends how they were specc'ed when new. All models drive the same have same engine (except later Brabus).
They use oil when they get old and often end up being driven with not enough oil (very small sump) and cyclinder number three goes first. I've had to fix a few of them, they had all done over 40,000 miles.
No cheap solution to engine problems, recon engine fitted £1200-£1500 although there are some specialists who will rebuild your own engine if still running, new rings, mains, valves, hone block etc but it still comes to over £1,000.
It can be hard to tell if they are using oil when viewing; easy way is to do test drive in the dark and look for the smoke behind as you accelerate with a car behind you.
Turbo/manifolds also go and is expensive to fix.
Springs also snap although most have been replaced.
Steering racks get worn at high mileage.
They are horrible things to drive.
They are horrible things to work on.
The handling is shocking.
They dont go over speed bumps nicely.
The mpg is not very good if you try and drive at a decent pace.
Max speed on a motorway is 85 but its hard to maintain a steady 70 if there are hills and traffic.
Pure is basic model with steel wheels, metal roof, manual change, Passion top model you get full auto (button), aircon and glass roof (fixed) pulse model in between the two. Some Pulse and Pure do have aircon and full auto just depends how they were specc'ed when new. All models drive the same have same engine (except later Brabus).
They use oil when they get old and often end up being driven with not enough oil (very small sump) and cyclinder number three goes first. I've had to fix a few of them, they had all done over 40,000 miles.
No cheap solution to engine problems, recon engine fitted £1200-£1500 although there are some specialists who will rebuild your own engine if still running, new rings, mains, valves, hone block etc but it still comes to over £1,000.
It can be hard to tell if they are using oil when viewing; easy way is to do test drive in the dark and look for the smoke behind as you accelerate with a car behind you.
Turbo/manifolds also go and is expensive to fix.
Springs also snap although most have been replaced.
Steering racks get worn at high mileage.
They are horrible things to drive.
They are horrible things to work on.
The handling is shocking.
They dont go over speed bumps nicely.
The mpg is not very good if you try and drive at a decent pace.
Max speed on a motorway is 85 but its hard to maintain a steady 70 if there are hills and traffic.
Had one for 3 years and clocked up 45000 miles in it, no problems with it.
As a town car it was great - ours was a Passion so was automatic; they really need to have power steering. As a car for doing lots of miles in out of time there are many better.
Expensive to maintain, mainly due to access issues. I never was really convinced that the local indy changed all the spark plugs, but I could take them out to check.
As a town car it was great - ours was a Passion so was automatic; they really need to have power steering. As a car for doing lots of miles in out of time there are many better.
Expensive to maintain, mainly due to access issues. I never was really convinced that the local indy changed all the spark plugs, but I could take them out to check.
She's had this one, we'll pick it up on Saturday, my mate checked it out and thought all was well :
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Many thanks for the replies
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Many thanks for the replies
My eldese is on her 2nd,I bought her a brand spanker when she was 18, which she kept for a couple of years, then sold it for more than I paid for it. She went on to a beetle convertible, but found it too big, or at least found the arch she had to go through on a daily basis too small, so I bought her one from a specialist in Nottingham. This one had been a Cartridge World car, but had been transformed by virtue of an all over paint job in Lambo Pink (I kid you not). Subtle it isn't, but fun it is, always raising a smile and getting lots of attention.
It burns a bit of oil, not much, but a little, mpg is good, tax is £30 a year, and insurance £277 fc for a 25 year old, which I think is great. It went through it's MoT yesterday, no advisories, and to be honest, I like driving it, it is SO much fun. Handling is appalling, compared to a normal car, but accept it for what it is, a town car with a limited top speed of 86 and it's just dandy !
It burns a bit of oil, not much, but a little, mpg is good, tax is £30 a year, and insurance £277 fc for a 25 year old, which I think is great. It went through it's MoT yesterday, no advisories, and to be honest, I like driving it, it is SO much fun. Handling is appalling, compared to a normal car, but accept it for what it is, a town car with a limited top speed of 86 and it's just dandy !
I thought it was actually "dandy" as you say, all things considered.
Insurance changeover was pleasant, I think she paid £500 or £550 TPFT for the skoda last december (she's 19), they wanted £50 to change over, or £70 to convert her to fully comp for the rest of the policy life, so she's now fully comp !
We'll pick it up Saturday morning, and daddy then has to drive it a couple of junctions down the M5 ....... so I'll let you know lol
Insurance changeover was pleasant, I think she paid £500 or £550 TPFT for the skoda last december (she's 19), they wanted £50 to change over, or £70 to convert her to fully comp for the rest of the policy life, so she's now fully comp !
We'll pick it up Saturday morning, and daddy then has to drive it a couple of junctions down the M5 ....... so I'll let you know lol
Have a Passion from new (2005) which is purely for city use. It in outside for very short trips which is hard on it and it parked outside for the Canadian winter (still used daily). Blew turbo at 17,000 kms but was outside guarantee period; handbrake seized from a couple of weeks parked outside in the snow. All usual comments about gearchange etc, but my wife loves it and I am forbidden to ever consider selling it.
I've never felt the speed limiter one a fortwo 600 or 700, except in reverse where you cant go above about 10 mph.
On the motorway I tended to be more concerned about the engine going bang and having to force myself to try and drive slower, did York to London a few times in the wind - what a horrible way to travel.
On the motorway I tended to be more concerned about the engine going bang and having to force myself to try and drive slower, did York to London a few times in the wind - what a horrible way to travel.
Wider tyres help with the sidewind issue. Pulse models have them as standard (195/50 rear and 175/55 front.
A good option for the original fortwo is to fit standard wheels from the roadster, roadster steel wheels are cheap if you can find a set.
http://www.evilution.co.uk/467
A good option for the original fortwo is to fit standard wheels from the roadster, roadster steel wheels are cheap if you can find a set.
http://www.evilution.co.uk/467
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