Smart Roadster as a First Car?

[JandyA]

Hey all,

I posted a short time ago about my daughters first car.

She is due to pass her automatic test soon and is on the hunt for a car under £3K ..... she has considered all sorts... but has set her heart on a roaster now.

She is 25 , and will use the car maybe 2/3 times a week. She will only be traveling within a 15 mile radius of home, to pop to the shops or to get her hair done etc ( she works form home)

Insurance is working out reasonable... and she has found one she likes.

However I have read that the gearbox can be a pain ? She has been learning in a new shape ford focus and the automatic gearbox is super smooth and thats what she likes...

Would be good to have some feedback or advice.

[mike9009]

I owned a Smart Roadster for a couple of years ... mine was almost new when I got it.

The gearbox is sluggish, but would only bother 'keen' drivers. I used mine in manual mode a lot (with flappy paddles) and getting the timing 'right' on a gear change became an 'art' and part of the fun (character??) of the car.

I enjoyed my Smart Roadster. I thought the handling was a bit safe, the large width of the wheels made it difficult to loose grip. But this is probably ideal for a new driver. They are small cars so it might feel quite intimidating driving in heavy traffic for your daughter. Never bothered me though......

I would recommend it.....


Mike

[JandyA]

Thanks Mike!

Just so I can understand (sorry I don't mean to sound stupid!)

The gearbox... , is it a case of on the gear stick there is D N R , and you select the option and go ? Or is this more complicated and you have to do it a different way ?

Sorry I have only driven manuals and never seen one up close and can't make it out from the images.

[mike9009]

Shall I be honest - I cannot remember! (it was 14 years ago!).

I don't remember it being complex - and my wife drove it without issue.

How embarrassing!

Mike

[kuro]

I have one, a Brabus roadster which I love. The gearbox is an automated manual, not a true auto. I always use the paddle shift on mine as the auto mode is pretty hopeless. A remap also helps speed things up and mine is much much quicker through the gears than an old fourtwo I used to own. They can be temperamental little cars but mine has been great but I only use it for fun and don't do loads of miles. Contrary to popular belief the 700cc engine is very reliable if looked after properly and is capable of big mileage. It's mainly electrical problems caused by water leaks onto the sam control module, if that's suffered water ingress expect a big bill to sort it. They also require servicing by Mercedes or a good specialist with access to star diagnostics. Servicing can also be expensive especially the B service which requires the removal of the rear of the car to change the spark plugs and a proper service history is of paramount importance with these. I suggest you have a look at the buyers guide on the roadster.net that will explain more on the pitfalls. As a first car I would get her to look at something more conventional. It's easy to be seduced by the unique character and looks and they are great fun but get a bad one and she will end up hating it.

Edited by kuro on Tuesday 13th February 01:28

[JandyA]

Thanks for your replies,

I have found a purely automatic model, would this make the car any easier to drive for an automatic licence holder ?

Its got a years MOT, 99K Miles, 2004 Model and has the following work just done too it...

Engine drive chain assembly replaced
New water pump
New alternator and belt
New brake pipes tyre shock absorber for MOT repair
New battery
Full service oil filter air filter plugs fuel filter changed engine and gear box oil

[kuro]

JandyA said:

Thanks for your replies,

I have found a purely automatic model, would this make the car any easier to drive for an automatic licence holder ?

Its got a years MOT, 99K Miles, 2004 Model and has the following work just done too it...

Engine drive chain assembly replaced
New water pump
New alternator and belt
New brake pipes tyre shock absorber for MOT repair
New battery
Full service oil filter air filter plugs fuel filter changed engine and gear box oil

It looks to have had a fair amount of work done but by who? If it's a specialist or Merc then fine but a lot of garages don't have a clue with these cars and will cut corners. Mine failed on brake pipes last year but it turns out the brakes have to be bled using Mercedes star software. My local garage couldn't guarantee they could do it properly so I had to take a 50 mile round trip to my nearest specialist to have it done and will never take it anywhere else from now on. Why only one shock? My car had an advisory for a corroded front spring so I had both replaced when having the brakes done. They have 6 spark plugs, the three on top of the engine are easily accessible. It's the other three at the bottom that can be passed over due to needing to remove the rear panels. I would be scrutinising that closely.

Lastly you mention it's full auto. These are not conventional auto's and in my opinion the auto mode on these can be indecisive and bordering on dangerous in some situations. A car with the manual option will give far more control but she will either need to push the gear lever or use paddle shifters if fitted. If she is set on it then get an extended test drive to get a feel for it.

I'm not trying to put you off, they are nice little cars if you get a good one and can live with it's characteristics.

[ZX10R NIN]

Check for leaks these cars are well known for letting water in a number of locations & if memory serves me correctly one of those points helps water land on the ECU of Fuse board.

[kuro]

ZX10R NIN said:

Check for leaks these cars are well known for letting water in a number of locations & if memory serves me correctly one of those points helps water land on the ECU of Fuse board.

The door mirrors and roof seals are two. There was a recall to have these sorted with revised design seals. Those that were fixed were costing Mercedes about £3k in warranty claims per car which eventually led to the end of production after only 43000 were built worldwide. Perhaps the worst leak is the wiper tray issue below which the sam unit is located. This was also part of the warranty claims although a lot weren't done hence the continuing issues. It's a relatively easy fix with a few tools and a tube of silicone sealant.

[Valgar]

JandyA said:

Thanks for your replies,

I have found a purely automatic model, would this make the car any easier to drive for an automatic licence holder ?

Its got a years MOT, 99K Miles, 2004 Model and has the following work just done too it...

Engine drive chain assembly replaced
New water pump
New alternator and belt
New brake pipes tyre shock absorber for MOT repair
New battery
Full service oil filter air filter plugs fuel filter changed engine and gear box oil

This tells you all you need to know about Smart cars, unreliable and costly to repair.

Also the gearbox is st, it's jerky and doesn't shift when you want to, smooth it is not. It's best left in manual shift mode which defeats the object for your daughter.

[giveitfish]

It is a full auto as far as driving is concerned by the way, paddles or not (Paddles are optional, came with sport pack identified by 3-spoke wheels).

You just stick it in D and away you go if that's what you want to do. There is no clutch pedal.

However.... like posters above say you get a smoother and more rewarding drive if you try and control the gear changes either with paddles or by using the shift lever - push forward for up, pull for down a gear.

I had 2 and drove over 50k miles in them. Loved them, especially with an electric roof BUT could be quite a challenging first car as they are very small and low, have a couple of big blind spots, no parking sensors, and can be very sluggish to pull away if you're indecisive with the throttle - could be almost dangerous on roundabouts if you hesitate pulling away in auto mode as it takes so long to re-engage drive.

I'd say she should test one and see. If she's confident she could well fall in love with one.

Here's my Carpool article on my old car - https://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-carpool/ph...

Edited by giveitfish on Tuesday 13th February 23:08

[kuro]

Valgar said:

JandyA said:

Thanks for your replies,

I have found a purely automatic model, would this make the car any easier to drive for an automatic licence holder ?

Its got a years MOT, 99K Miles, 2004 Model and has the following work just done too it...

Engine drive chain assembly replaced
New water pump
New alternator and belt
New brake pipes tyre shock absorber for MOT repair
New battery
Full service oil filter air filter plugs fuel filter changed engine and gear box oil

This tells you all you need to know about Smart cars, unreliable and costly to repair.

Also the gearbox is st, it's jerky and doesn't shift when you want to, smooth it is not. It's best left in manual shift mode which defeats the object for your daughter.

It's 15 years old. Most cars of this age are likely to have had this kind of history. The important thing with the roadster is that it's all been done correctly.

As for the gearbox, yes auto mode is terrible and an auto only car is certainly not recommended for a new driver. The addition of the manual option allows much more control. The original fourtwos were still pretty rubbish in manual but the gear change was improved on the roadster and further still with Brabus cars. Then there's remapping which improves them even further.

My own car is a good example of how they can be setup to the point where any shifting issues are practically eliminated.

Edited by kuro on Wednesday 14th February 15:16