Faye Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Problem: I need a car to get to the station and back, I'm doing longer hours, so is Keith and its just not viable for him to take me there and for me to walk back anymore. I want some small that I won't worry about at the station car park. We've both agree it can't be something that may be more practical than the Supes as I refuse to get into the situation where I won't use them at the weekend. Solution: Smart car, placcy panels that are cheap to replace if there are door dings and less load capacity than a Supra - perfect. So has anyone here owned one, are there particular models to avoid (pure, pulse etc)? I don't care whether its LHD or RHD. Who were you insured with? I may be looking at a mirror policy, but am also tempted with the idea of another NCB building up for a future purchase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmark Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Very very bad cars, to of my girly girly friends bought one and both hated them, there is no punch to them, they are slow even for city traffic. Best solution and a car that is also cheap as chips to repair and service is a old Mini cooper, brilliant cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edd_t Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 i wouldnt go for the Smart FourTwo. But go for a Smart Roadster, they are seriously good fun in the corners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 My dad uses one for work, don't know what model but it's not got a boost guage on the dash like some others - it's RHD though. I drove it and it seemed pretty good, the sequential gearbox takes about 37 years to change, but after about 20 mins I'd got used to the best place to change gear etc. It was fast enough, nothing amazing but then it's not supposed to be, I'm sure there are faster models (Brabus). Suspension was rock solid!! Cornering didn't seem to improve because of this (although I'm guessing if it was softer it would roll!!!!). Went off the clock on the motorway, so it does over 90 (people's faces are funny when you overtake them at that speed in one of them!). You can park it front end in down city streets!!! I think it's actually wider than it is long . Overall I'd recommend one, I'd have one if I could find a spare 5k (what they seem to be going for). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 it's RHD though. Isn't that normal in our country? They seem expensive for what they are, but they're built for the job of city driving, easy parking and economic to zip around it. For that goal I think it does very well indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I have smart for fours as courtesy cars and i like them. I think they are really good as a practical car. If you are near essex anytime let me know and you can come round and have a drive of one! Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Isn't that normal in our country? Yeah but most that you can get here seem to be LHD, I'm never sure why just see LOADS of lefties driving about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faye Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 Very very bad cars, to of my girly girly friends bought one and both hated them, there is no punch to them, they are slow even for city traffic. I don't need them to go fast! I have two Supra's for that! Pig/Jon - thanks for the offer, that's really kind. Pete/Trev -the first Smarts were only available as imports - hence the leftyness, now there are official UK versions the righties are starting to take over. I've seen a few in between the 2-3k mark, 3k is really my budget, and yes I know I can get loads of other more practical cars for less than that! So apart from being slow and not handling too well, do they seem like a good bet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Have you thought of a 306 turbo diesal. I used to have one and loved it! I did then lover it and put alloys on, handled like a dream...but how chav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 What about a little Corsa? We hired one for a weekend and it was such a pleasure to drive. Only a 1.4 auto but it was proper nippy in town and managed to hassle a Volvo S70 on the m-way. If we had the money and space we'd definitely have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Dunno but your main concern shud be reliabilty for something like this, does anyone know how reliable they are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 My mum's got a 1.5 FourFour in bronze and silver. She's 75 FFS and still hasn't grown up - the showoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faye Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 What about a little Corsa? We hired one for a weekend and it was such a pleasure to drive. Only a 1.4 auto but it was proper nippy in town and managed to hassle a Volvo S70 on the m-way. If we had the money and space we'd definitely have one. I can see the arguments for Corsa or 306, but it'll have a back seat and people will want us to be practical and give them lifts places or make us be helpful Being very girly the Smart is what I've set my heart on and I like the fact the road tax is only £40 a year I've had a scout round the Smart forums but not finding any obvious reliability issues, but thought I'd ask you chaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 They're not that slow and the handling isn't crap, probably better than most of the standard pugs and vauahxhuauls you'll find! I'd recommend it. Go and drive some and see for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Pete/Trev -the first Smarts were only available as imports - hence the leftyness, now there are official UK versions the righties are starting to take over. Indeed. When they came out people were falling over themselves to sell them. Even dedicated garages springing up just to bring them across. It was a good 1 - 1.5 years I think before they were official UK product with a dealer scheme. In a car that size I'm not sure it matters which side you sit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmark Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I still think that this is much better than the Smart. Tuneable and reliabel and very easy to fix. and a damn sight cheaper than a smart. Its got character, nippyness and easy around town. http://www.miniworld.co.uk/images/smallwall/cooper_small.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I used to rent one from Avis .. when I lived in Dusseldorf for 2yrs. I didn't like the car at all. But I thought for a city car they were great. Sure, they're a girly car and incidently voted in the 10 of gay mans car ... but for parking in a space that was only 4ft ... it was perfect! And living in centre of the city - I need a car that I could park in a matchbox. For sure, they don't have any punch .. they feel very unstable at 95mph. The semi-automatic box was ok. I could either leave in Auto .. or go up and down the box by pressing up or down. The ones that I drove back in 2000 from 2002 .. seemed top heavy. Brake hard and you might feel like the car is going tip forwards. Also, handling was absoluely horrendous ... but it wasn't designed for zipping around bends. For what they were - easy parking, cheap to run on fuel .. they served their purpose while I was driving around the city of Dusseldorf. But as a daily driver - forget it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey76364 Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 What about a little Pug 107. My mum goes to swanley sattion every day so she needed a car to leave and to get back so just a cheep little run around. and I have been using it for the last few weeks. Have to say a great little car and so cheap !!! £50 ish Tax a year. insurance group 1 and fills up on about £30 of petrol !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faye Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 I still think that this is much better than the Smart. Tuneable and reliabel and very easy to fix. and a damn sight cheaper than a smart. Its got character, nippyness and easy around town. [/qimg] Hmm mini.... not a bad backstop. Not thought of them. Well had a look at a few on Autotrader, our budget isn't daft so next thing is test drives Looking to get the little fella for Sept/Oct, its going to look sooooo cute sandwiched next to the Supes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 My advice try and find a 1.4 or 1.5 citroen AX diesel for abouts 500 quid. The 1.5 is a solid motor that I have owned myself for 3 years. Its a very nippy motor and does in excess of 55mpg. Insurance is a pittance, its as parkable as a smart car, and is far more useable. When it comes to commuter vehicles the less it costs the better. Initial outlay on expensive new vehicles is seriously offset by depreciation costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Peace Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 They're a girly car and incidently voted in the top 10 of gay mans car ... ! 'gay mans car' is that a new automotive magazine for gay men Christian ?he he. I used to think they were bit too camp, until my brother thought of buying one...and hes not camp ...well can be when hes shopping for hair dye i spose (hope hes not reading this lol) I actually think they have shaken off that image these days, given the high car tax's and fuel costs, you see a lot of men driving them these days, married blokes like my brother. Its coz they are 'cheap' to run and easy to park..and quite fun i suppose, you can take them to an eco village and no-one will moan I'm sure lol. A friend of mine has just bought a Roadster version hes a big fan of Smart hes had three so far including the one Jon talked about (the 4 Door) I wouldn't buy one coz dont want to give the game away ha ha! but i can seee why people do these days..would save a bloody fortune! I think my mate got a really good deal on his Roadster quite a few grand off, much cheaper than i thought they were ill find out where he got his and what he thinks of it and report back if ya want Faye! Si (-: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 'gay mans car' is that a new automotive magazine for gay men Christian ?he he. Here' ya go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Peace Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Here' ya go. lol at this qoute... "Cars might not seem the queerest things, know what I mean mate? A scratch and a sniff" Surely thats offensive to the people its aimed at lol... 'scratch and sniff' thats way too much info too lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now