They'll be available next year and by that time our other cars will be paid off.
Since Paul has to go to DC everyday, which can be a brutal commute, and thepossibility that we'll see 4 dollar a gallon gas, a SmartCar might be in our future.

We'll keep the MINIs and the Legacy (until MINI makes an all wheel drive Clubman).

Check them out here: http://www.smartusa.com/index.html We're thinking a cabriolet in silver/black.
SmartUSA is doing a national tour starting this month. They'll be in Balto in Sept., and DC in late August. Paul and I are definitely going to check them out...

 

Katie

My wife loves the Smart Car, simply because its 3' smaller than the MINI (she doesnt care about the 40 mpg but I do).

Unfortunatly, I would want it to commute for the mileage and she would not get it

I think it would make a great runabout for around town and she loves the cabrio too. One downside I see on the car is first year offering most always have problems ... no track record whatsoever. The other thing is at $17K and probably more with markup the first year, its no longer an economy car because you can get much more utility and the same mileage out of a Corolla along with Toyota reliability for cheaper money.

I would worry only about one thing. They will be so small ... and some ppl complain that other cars can't see the MINI ... don't know about ppl will react to such a tiny car

Still, we are interested in the smart car

I guess $4/gallon is your tipping point.

 

These were everywhere in italy and were great because parking in Sicily was impossible.. Our parking was not with meters but with tickets (if parking in the blue zones). So they would shove as many cars into one strip of street as possible and as long as everyone had a blue ticket, you were good. It really wouldn't be that much of an advantage in DC for parking simply because most spots are metered and clearly defined.

I'm not sure how you'd do it but when i left (in Jan) I knew a guy who was selling his for 10K.. not sure how it would work with inspections etc but if you know a way and want it ill see if I can get in contact with him.

 

To import it, it would have to be over 25 years old...stupid american import laws :(

 

We have our reservation in for a Cabrio. Since the $99 is refundable, thought what the heck. We loved them in Europe. Test drive on a freeway and on twisties will be the key...

 

Hmm....very..very..interesting.

 

I'm thinking the same thing.... added my name to the list a couple of months ago... think I'll use the Smart to commute and not put so many miles on the MINI.... and the Smart uses Regular fuel too....

Smart's should be in Phoenix June 29 - July 5th... I hope to test drive one then

 

Sounds like a plan!

 

no track record? They're all over Europe..have been for years, and have sold in Canada for the last 2 years. Besides, the same thing could've been said for my MINI since it was a relatively early build. I've survived so far, despite Tate's best efforts.

I imagine the reaction would be the same as the MINI was..stares and grins. As far as avoiding idiots on the road...well..it's a crap shoot isn't it? The Smart is basically a roll cage on wheels.

I also imagine, before all is said and done, that the SC will cost almost as much as my S did.

 

I saw a video.. can't remember if it was mythbusters or what but they did a crash test on the Smart vs. a concrete baricade and the smart was in suprisingly good condition afterwards.. pretty strong little buggers..

 

http://www.smartusa.com/safety.html

take a look...I think it's impressive for such a small car...

 

When David learns to drive, I want the Smart to be his first car!

Safe, small so he can't cram a lot of folks into it, and somewhat underpowered so he can't race the thing!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

There it is!

 

I drove the Smart for two days in the DC Metro area last November. I found the car to be a lot of fun and you can go over 40 mph. I know I pushed mine at 60... visibility is pretty good and overall it was better than expected .. for the city is perfect.. but I don't know if I will feel OK to drive it to Rt 50 or
Rt 97 among SUVs and other crazy traffic... The car is just too small and with people zooming at 80 mph the Smart is too ...small.

 

I'm looking around to find out about the trunk size (if any, )

Wondering if we can fit a mid-size camera bag in there.
I might consider getting one myself as well.

 

There is no way I would drive one of these on 95 or Rt 50 for that matter. I would get a civic or corrolla for a lot less and be safer and more visible to other drivers. As far as in city driving - the smart would be perfect.

 

Katie

I have been seriously considering these since late last year. My commuting is almost all city and my parking almost all city and I think a Smart might make a lot of sense as my daily driver and save Isabelle to be the "fun car."

I have been toying with plunking down the $$ for a reservation too (since, as pointed out already, it is refundable)

They are apparently coming back in the late summer for test drives in the area.

Does anyone have any data on expected insurance costs in the US?

 

Didnt know if you guys knew, but these are already for sale at a dealer here in baltimore...

 

I saw a Smart at a dealership in Laurel this weekend. I wanted to stop by and check it out, but didn't have time. If anyone is interested, PM me. I can investigate further and gather a few details regarding price, features, etc.

On a side note, was your MINI at MoS over the weekend? I was there last night and saw your signature line as a bumper sticker on a silver MINI in the service lot and KNEW I'd seen that quote before!

 

Did it have a grey UJ on the roof?

 

To be honest, I didn't get out of my car so I didn't see the roof on this one. My friend was dropping off his MINI for service and I was just motoring him around. The sticker WAS rolling up/peeling off, though, if that's any help.

 

I seriously doubt that Katie's car was at MoS for service... since she no longer goes to Tate, I imagine the obvious choices would be WS Motorcars or Towson, simply due to distance. MoS is a long way from Annapolis!

Besides, if you noticed the bumper sticker, you probably would also have noticed the MD license plate: "MY S"

 

Actually the one I drove - convertible- had some room: more than expected, the engine after all is a small 750 cc and the battery was in the front.
You can easily accomodate a medium shopping trip and a overnight bag.

In Europe the car is doing very well as everything is on the smaller side.
Parking is at a preminum and meter maids are more relaxed...
Meter maids in US - DC and Annapolis, at least - will need some training

In Dupont Circle, we parked two Smarts in the spot of one car (plus extra space) yet a MPD officer was going to give us a ticket because we were not correctly parked .

In Annapolis it is illegal to park two cars in one meter and we get by with that because the parking officers knows us, but legally we are breaking the law every time we put two MINIs in one spot

 

Nope, wasn't at MoS, tho' it's nice to know someone else has that sticker.

We plunked down our $99 yesterday. Since Paul will be using the car the most, I asked him if he had any qualms about driving it on 50 on a daily basis. He said "no". Since he sets his own office times, he avoids rush hours. If we get one, we'll see how that works out. It'd certainly save gas money.

The trunk has 8 cubic feet. We're not getting the thing to be a major hauler, that's what the Subaru's for.

Pen, do you remember the dealership's name? Just curious..

BTW, there's a Canadian forum for SCs. It's very similar to NAM. I signed up yesterday...here's the link in case you're curious: http://www.clubsmartcar.ca/forums

They're known as "Smarties"

 

I think it's a fantastic idea! I haven't really kept up with all the poop on them - I didn't even know they came in a Cabrio version - awesome!!! I think they'll be very popular for sure....

Donna