smart fortwo 2006Change

We got the 06 Passion for my wife's commuting, we cover a lot of highway miles this way - about 94 Km per day with a warm up and cool down at each end. it is very comfortable and quick enough and uses about $20 in fuel per 5 day week. It has a "Goldilocks" life, It is kept inside and not run in the winter (not to cold not too hot (Canada). It is not a winter car, due to lack of heat and other issues. It is also Lavishly maintained like all our cars have been. The diesel is the way to go in economy , but the car has some disturbingly expensive habits.

It eats tires, fronts last OK but rears last 20 to 30 thousand km before hitting the wear bars. - (normal cars see 60 to 100,000 Km). This is deplorable but the alignment checks out and warranty wont cover tires that cant be rotated (different sizes front and rear) so $450 in tires every 12 or 18 months.

Turbo Failure. first turbo at 97,000 Km second at 142,000, that is $1500 to $2000 per failure.

Clutch: with a car that very rarely gets used in the city we had a clutch failure at 135,000. It didn't wear out, some spring on the Flywheel in the clutch broke and began to rattle. Dissemble the left side of the car and repair. Plainly a quality Problem. - - throw another $1500 at it.

Keys: loose a key and it has to go to the dealer $375

All this has happened in the 85,000 Km - 4 years we have owned it.

If you need Reliability and total low operating costs the Smart is not what you want.

To put it in perspective, years ago we did the same driving with a 1985 Chevette, It only had one on road failure (tire) and it got retired at 360,000 Km - It got brakes a heater motor and core and a water pump - all cheap to repair and NONE were surprise failures even though it was driven 365 days/year no Goldilocks life for that one.

With all the Kings horses and all the Kings budget the Smart is never going to make it to those Kilometers.

This car has been good to us, originally purchased for my neice who is getting married so we bought her a different car. It has been a great run about for around town. easy to drive, easy to park, it has no problem on the highway. The only drawback is carrying space.

The fuel economy is incredible.

highway will need more comfortable car. more noisy than gasoline type but will get used to. overall, great for city for its easy parting

I was sold solely on the idea of fuel economy, and - being poor - I figured it was a good choice. The car was fairly inexpensive to purchase (second-hand), and it only cost me $20.00 every 2 weeks, or so, to fill up.

That's where my satisfaction stops.

Mereceds has never released a Haynes manual for this car, and only certified (Mercedes) mechanics know how to work on it. To my displeasure. The mechanics (and my research) told me that all the information is tucked away in Mercedes, and they refuse to give it out... Why lose the millions of dollars they get by keeping it a secret.

I also had a problem with Smart Canada... a few, I should say. Starting with their refusal to honor their warranty, refusing to honor the warranty if the car broke down in the USA (if a person took a drive to the USA, the warranty is invalid if the car breaks down on the drive). The customer service was horrible, the vehicle full of issues, and the regular service was extortionate.

They look cute. They are cheap on fuel. But do yourself a favor and stay away.... unless you have the money to pay for service, service, service. Mercedes charges the same amount for servicing a Smart as they do for servicing a 100,000.00 vehicle.

People laugh when they see me in a Smartcar...I laugh back as I leave the pumps after under $20 to fill it for a week. Love it. Got the first because it was a perfect car for work...Community nursing...door to door all day and night....perfect. I don't need a back seat. I need fuel savings...Got that. Then my husband kept snagging it to take long distance runs across the border to pick up supplies for his shop. Then we opted to take the Smartie across the province on vacation. What I saved in fuel, I could afford to stay in some motels enroute!.
Drawbacks...can't usher my grandchildren around in it, to and from daycare....

I have owner this car for 8 yrs now from new and the it is the little diesel that could. Driven it through almost any kind of weather and the traction control is amazing.

I have had nothing but good to say about this little car. It was fun to drive, quick off the light and a frequent conversation piece. I have had no repairs and have had regular maintance checks.

i love the car for in the city and it is so easy to find parking and also easy to park uses very little gas and i love the look

Very economical driving at 60-70 mpg. High quality engineering by Mercedes Benz. Car looks small on outside, but feels like a large car while driving. Even a tall person will find the smart has plenty of head and leg room.

it will never win a drag race but its good on gas. I repair several systems that weren't cheap, but the car never broke down and now that i repaired these systems you wont have to.

Concerned parents. This car is great for teens. The convertible makes it fun but you cant over load it with friends. It's not built for drag racing or DRIFTING. Its cheap on gas and easy to maintain.

it will never win a drag race but its good on gas. I repair several systems that weren't cheap, but the car never broke down and now that i repaired these systems you wont have to.

Concerned parents. This car is great for teens. The convertible makes it fun but you cant over load it with friends. It's not built for drag racing or DRIFTING. Its cheap on gas and easy to maintain.

I've enjoyed this car since I bought it new but now that family is expanding is time to get a bigger car. It is ideal for parking in busy malls and parking lots or downtown. Fuel performance is awesome and driving in the summer with roof down is a great experience. Perfect for day to day grocery shopping and running errands.

Great little car. Takes a bit to get used to a clutchless standard / automatic. Good vehicle for city driving and highway driving. Have done some major road trips, small gas tank so watch your gas station locations. Use a fuel additive for diesel as North American diesel is not as clean as European diesel. Love my car.

I have loved my Smart car from the beginning. I am selling it because it is not practical for my lifestyle now. I highly recommend it for town and city use. Great on the highway. You'll be surprised at what you can put in this little car. Have trouble finding a parking spot, not with a Smart car. Can park just about anywhere. Great Mileage.

Mercedes is the only Co. to service this vehicle. They charge you the same rate than for a 100,000 Dollar car. So all you save on fuel is lost on repairs and sevice.
They wanted over $7500.- for a new transmission, clutch and cluth actuator, a part that fails frquently.
Lately, that yellow Airbag-warning light stays on. $250.- for diagnosis, plus several hours of work.
I leave it ON.
The Air-Condition never worked. I leave the windows open.

Amazing car to zip around, easy to park and great on fuel)))
Spacious interior with great options. Car server very well in city and on a hwy.

Great car overall. Enough power, exceptional fuel mileage, and very comfortable. You dont realize how small the car is unless you look back! Handles exceptionaly well.

The car is quite old and as such I have had to make a few repairs within the past year. I've had to replace a fault ABS sensor, a blown fuse, and fix some of the electrical. Luckily all of this cost approximately $1000. It only takes me approximately $20 to fill up on gas and it lasts my a good week.