CBT

Honest opinions please

7 posts in this topic

Hi to all you Smart owners!!!

I am considering purchasing a 2006 diesel with 69800 kms (one owner, 82 year old man).  It will be my only transportation.  I would like to know how they handle in the winter (snow) as i live in Southern Ontario.

I am getting different opinions.  Some people are telling me to stay away from them and others are saying go for it?  Reading the comments, i am a little nervous, with cost of repairs?

Please inform on how you like yours and if it would be a good choice for a single person with not much money!!

Thanks CBT

Edited by CBT

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Welcome to the club!,Good winter tires are a must for any car around here, Get to know your smart inside and out, check this web site on repairs and care pertaining to your smart. Find someone you trust to work on your smart if you not able to. These cars are a lot of fun and dependable, but you have to stay on top of things. If and when you need parts check on this site and ask some one will help. hope this helps.

 

 

Edited by Wild!

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:welcome: to the club!

 

I too, have an '06 smart.  My winter car is an '05 smart.  I have had no major issues with either.  That said, the car you are looking at is 10 years old and not getting any younger.  Finding a reliable mechanic is a must!  Cost of repairs "can" be expensive, depending on the problem.  Hopefully, you can ask the seller and get an honest answer about any issues the car has had.  Before buying, I would also check the oil level and for oil leaks. 

 

For reliable service in your area, you might try Active Green & Ross or Kompressor Autoworld .  I have had work done at Active Green & Ross and it was done in a timely fashion at reasonable cost.  A fellow club member is a mechanic there and has his own smart.  I have had no dealings with the Kompressor Autoworld shop.  Another option, if you don't mind the drive, is Uncle Glenn In London.  A direct quote from one of the comments in the "Uncle Glenn" link is "Hands-down best Smart repair shop in Western Ontario in my opinion... Very reasonable prices, no job too small or too big….if you haven’t met Uncle Glenn yet, Smart-en up!"

 

If used primarily in stop and go traffic, a gas model would probably be a better bet.  They also produce better heat in the winter.  The diesels like to run at highway speeds and although I have had no issues with heat in my diesels, some, particularly those who drive at lower speeds in traffic, have commented on the lack of heat in the diesel models. .

 

Winter driving has been no problem for me, but if you get huge amounts of snow (Niagara area is noted for that) keep in mind that really deep snow, as with any low-to the-ground vehicle can leave you hung up.  Common sense needs to prevail here when driving in deep snow.

 

I hope this helps.

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If I might suggest...the original writer suggests that it will be their only car AND they don't have much money...so...unless they are mecjanically inclined I would say...buy something else!:wub:

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A Smart car is a great "single owned vehicle" if you were debating between it and a motorcycle. It carries more cargo than a motorcycle and keeps you drier, but it doesn't carry more passengers. When I was a young man all I had was a motorcycle at one point, so this does actually apply to some people.

 

The Cdi also gets better fuel economy than most bikes. When you compare it to other cars, it only makes sense if you have to drive in very tight areas with hard to find parking, or if you want to put decals all over it, they get more looks than many vehicles. If you can't work on it, think hard about whether or not you should just buy a new electric or something. Any German vehicle that is old will cripple you if you don't do the work yourself. Especially a German diesel.

 

Having just said that, I say you should go with a VW Golf TDI (1.9L ALH) with a manual tranny and don't look back. Easy to work on and get better fuel economy than even the cdi does if the speeds are frequently on the highway. I've owned three and I've owned three smart cars and I love my smarts, but for an only vehicle the Golf is a hatch with a ton of versatility and relatively cheap parts for what it is. They also have the best crash test ratings in the business.

 

Dave

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I have to disagree with MikeT about snow.  I do agree that real winter tires (as opposed to all season) are a must, but even so, the traction control just kills power to the wheel that's lost traction.  Doesn't transfer it to the wheel that does.  So you go slower, and slower, and slower until you're stuck.  Might be good on ice, but its crap in our kind of snow.  

 

Heat?  We're 35 k from town, and even with five or ten minutes on high idle the cold can be pretty bad.  We park it after -25.  Must be gettin' old.

 

Can't beat it in the summer though!   '05 Pure.

Edited by yukoner
addenda

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