Hundreds Greet Cdr. Cody In Jacksonville, Fl

[Commander Cody 1]

Well not really. But the motel clerk was friendly and the lobby was crowded. Picked up my white/silver Passion and headed back to Chas. Bunches of people looking, catching up and passing only to slow down and let me pass on the right so they could look...and photograph. People trying to converse with me at a stop light...I mean it keeps going on.And you've got to drive this little bugger. Some of those winds coming off the Georgia marshes had me death gripped to the steering wheel. My only concern was at the motel. It was cold down there. And the little one was shivering in the darkness. I peered out a couple times at night to make sure she wasn't molested. Driving up was a blast. A very unique, quirky car. And the manual. Great day it must be a manuscript but if you read it all the way through all of your questions will be answered. And take the time to fish out the tire repair kit under the passenger side footwell. It takes some studying but it will be well worth it. Open it up - the directions are in the manual and with the kit. Your maintenance schedule is in another little pamphlet. The people down in Jacksonville were great, easy going and had my car right in the smart showroom all polished, gassed up and ready to assault I-95. Traveling I did notice some people a little too close to my tailpipe but thats the motorcyclist in me. I never did like it when someone got too close to the rear of my bike at 70mph. Enough of the mini rant. Anyway they opened the bay door at the dealership and off I went. Wrong way of course. I finally got to the street and somehow got across various lanes and through stop lights to careen into a restaurant for dinner.Once on the road you can go through the gears or stay automatic. I prefer going through the gears and working with your rpm's. I will attempt to insert some pics. No luck I'll have to check some things out. It' not uploading. The only thing I've done to the car is to attach the MB badge on the rear bumper. No rebadging - just adding this one thing and it looks great even though some may not agree in its placement. Got all my polishing stuff - shoot I'm ready.Moe later gator-Cdr. Cody

[MikeT 744]

Congrats! Seriously think about wider rubber and a front spoiler if it's windy where you live. Either or will improve things, and both will do as much as can be done.

[Tardis 3]

WOO HOO! and another one hits the open road. That's great. congrats on your first hyway adventure. can't wait to see the pictures don't forget the cat! BTW I still get up several times a night when we are at motels too. One time there was a crowd gathered to talk about our "electric" car but they never hurt him. very funny to listen to the "experts" discuss your ride.Have funKaren

[Gent 1]

I'll always treasure the memories from our drive down to Vegas in 2005. Gotta love having a cheap car that the Bellagio valets decided was interesting enough to keep out front with the quarter million dollar rides.

[smart142 605]

Congratulations! So glad that you're enjoying the smart experience!

[wayneo66 0]

Congratulations Commander! I'm very happy for your new delivery, and I'm also very happy that I'm not far behind you! I got my first phone call from the dealer on Friday, 2/29, so Happy Freakin' Leap Day 2008 to me! My dealer's 'Smart brand manager' told me that my passion coupe is tenatively arriving in mid-March, and I am like a bottle rocket with a fresh-lit fuse. I can't wait to get the official word now to "Come On Down!" (Apologies to Bob Barker/Drew Carey... So from one Carolinian to another, Congratulations Commander Cody! The only thing that could make me any happier is to have my own fortwo, and it's literally just around the corner now!Happy motoring!wayneo66

[Speedie 4]

Way to go Cmdr. - you now have the conn!Lowering the car helps with the wind as well - the new cars react a bit differently than ours - my experience it is more like someone pushing down on a corner in the new ones.After a bit you get used to it - I have driven in winds up to 50 mph gusts - just takes some finesse.Cheers,Cameron

[yolanda 0]

Welcome to the experience!I'm finding that most of the wind effect is just that, effect. We get some pretty strong blows here on the flat prairie and it affects the car, but I don't think it'll ever actually pick the car up or anything. You just have to correct steering. The smart's steering is so nice and tight this isn't hard.But then, my first vehicle had a broken front shock for the first year. I couldn't afford to fix it, and everything I hit any kind of bump the van would jump to the side and require immediate correction. Then there was the loose play in the wheel. I would get a quarter turn before it engaged.Then there's the time I drove my 72maverick through the mountains on a rough narrow highway all night and all day, stopping every half hour to pump the balding tires back up, both front shocks sheared off. HehehOh, and the time a boyfriend and I drove his rattletrap van to Van with even worse problems in steering than the above. LOL I've driven some prizes!Maybe I'm just more trained for handling erratic behaviour in a car, so I'm more forgiving? I find the smart quirks pretty reasonable.

[deezle 0]

...they opened the bay door at the dealership and off I went. Wrong way of course. I finally got to the street and somehow got across various lanes and through stop lights to careen into a restaurant for dinner.

The convoluted traffic is obviously why those hundreds of people in the welcoming party couldn't make it to the dealership in time. Their loss.Congratulations on your delivery, Commander!!I read here some time ago about somebody driving a stretch of highway with strong crosswinds. After several trips with white knuckles, constantly correcting for the gusts and then re-correcting after the gusts---they decided to just relax and let it move a little within the lane. It made for a much more relaxed drive----and in fact the car moved around less because they weren't correcting their corrections. Unless you're in a hurricane (which might be the case in Florida), it's not likely to blow the car out of it's lane.Anyway, I subsequently tried this once in a strong crosswind, and it was indeed much more relaxing and no more severe. The old VW van I once had was worse in crosswinds. I guess you've got a few years ahead of you to experiment with the little beast.

[rrrucke 0]

Cmdr Cody has a new ride!! I'm so very happy for you. Just wait, once you hit 1,000 miles you can open up the engine. Everyday, I feel like my little guy is getting smoother.I can't wait to meet up with you some day soon. How about I travel down to FL for the sun and to meet you two?Also, you had me LOL with the molestation comment and having to check on her throughout the night. How sweet (and understandable)!Congrats and enjoy the ride!!Your girl, Regina:hotrod:

Edited March 4, 2008 by rrrucke

[Commander Cody 1]

Thanks Regina. It was interesting reading about all your goodies over in another post. I'll start with some mudflaps, maybe that antenna thing, some chrome goodies. I got the stock smart rubber mats installed and that's about it for now. By the way ,everyone, take some time to dig into the engine compartment. The main problem is just getting the mat up and hooked - after that it's easy.

[smart142 605]

Awesome! Great pics and showroom!

[rrrucke 0]

Cool pixs. Without clicking on the pixs, it looks like your smart is inside someone's living room. Keep us posted on your aftermarket mods and purchases. BTW, those mud flaps really do work although technically I received a set of two rear flaps but Edison made them work which is good enough for me right now. Enjoy, Regina