Smart thinking

"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
04/30/2018 at 11:34 • Filed to: Smart Roadster

Your correspondent is thinking of the possibility of making a Smart move. No, not the For Two as it’s now called.

One of these:

Upsides: Cute, quite cheap. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! from where I’d probably have to import one so add on the ferry as well and a few hundred € in tax.

Downsides: leaks, quite old by now, leas, not very quick (700cc engine), not a lot of room for those of us north of 6', leaks, sump tends to rust through (which is exotic indeed). Did I mention the leaks?

Now I need to give myself a severe talking to for considering such a foolish purchase.

DISCUSSION (19)

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 11:47

And let Miss Mercedes talk you into buying it

For Sweden > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 11:48

Is the transmission actually terrible?

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 11:49

If you listen carefully, you can hear Mercedes trying to figure out how squeeze a Roadster into her fleet before the intervention.

Cé hé sin > For Sweden
04/30/2018 at 11:54

I drove a Smart (conventional model) back in 20o4. Having heard nothing but bad about the automated gearbox I found.....that it was absolutely fine. I’ve driven several automated manuals since - several Citroen c3s, a Peugeot 107 and a Fiat 500 - and the Smart remains the best of the bunch.

djmt1 > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 11:55

I mean if you want something leaky, RWD and a bit odd for £2500 just buy 3-4 RX8s.

someassemblyrequired > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 11:55

There was one in Howth at one point on an Irish plate. In fact that’s the only one I’ve ever seen in person.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > For Sweden
04/30/2018 at 11:56

When I drove it, it was pretty bad. Right when you want power, it’s gone. That’s especially noticeable when there is so little power to start with. A manual version(which I don’t think it got) or at very least a tune, are the minimum need. It does handle like a go kart though.

Cé hé sin > someassemblyrequired
04/30/2018 at 12:12

I see the odd one. The most recent one had mildew on the canvas section of the roof which wasn’t very encouraging.

Cé hé sin > djmt1
04/30/2018 at 12:14

I could, but in the past year or two they’ve just vanished. Engines that last about 150,000 km will do that for you.

and 100 more > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 12:24

I’m sorry, I missed the part about the Hayabusa swap. You did mention a Hayabusa swap, didn’t you?

AuthiCooper1300 > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 12:29

I am familiar with a facelifted 450, bought secondhand but in excellent condition. Its ECU had been upgraded to Brabus specs (around 75 bhp). It also used to have a nice Brabus exhaust, but I don’t know how much that contributes to an increase in performance over the base version – if at all. At some stage the ceramic core in the catalyst rattled itself to pieces and disappeared downstream; the nice Brabus exhaust had to be replaced with a standard one.

The car has had a history of silly faults, some of them expensive (mostly because to get at something you always end up disassembling the whole car): timing chain tensioner, exhaust manifold cracking (partly integral with the turbo housing), cooling fan, etc. Not exactly a paragon of reliability but this is a warmer place than yours. A/C condenser radiators seem to corrode easily if you live near the sea.

Have a look at www.evilution.co.uk. Lots and lots of info there, also to fix/improve stuff.

I supppose you’ve heard about this...?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Kimber

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 12:33

I know they are not the best cars, but I’ve always liked them. So yeah, you should get one!

AuthiCooper1300 > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 12:55

I have always been intrigued by the Roadster/Coupé Smarts. People seem to rave about the handling. If you manage to test one please do tell.

It would be a nice experience in any case (at least for a while), but over time I wonder how much the inherent lack of reliability would sour the affair.

That 450 ForTwo also happens to be a cabriolet version and yes, its stop is slightly mildewy in places (rear corners). I imagine the fabric is prone to that unless it’s been kept in tip-top condition from new.

Hopefully one day some enthusiast outfit will start building improved gearbox/engine units. Particularly for the Roadster/Coupé versions.

Mercedes Streeter > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
04/30/2018 at 13:00

It really isn’t that bad in Manual Mode. The shift programming is absurdly stupid, and Manual Mode fixes all of that. You choose your shift points, not the computer.

Mercedes Streeter > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 13:01

Buy two.

Send one to me. I’ll grease enough wheels at Customs to get it through. ;)

someassemblyrequired > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 13:48

Signs point to rust... :D

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > Cé hé sin
04/30/2018 at 14:27

Do it! The gearbox can be reprogrammed, and so can the engine (to 100-110 hp). They were supposedly designed to fit people of 1m90 comfortably.

The leaks are an issue though, as is the aircon.

Get one with the paddle shifters if you go through with it.

Cé hé sin > AuthiCooper1300
04/30/2018 at 14:31

Yes. Sadly went nowhere.

NerdyCraftyFoodie > Cé hé sin
05/09/2018 at 09:50

That’s good to hear. I was scared off them previously by the “common knowledge” of a bad automatic gearbox.