Willys

Smart Car Adventuring....?

16 posts in this topic

Hi guys and gals....

Let me start this thread by saying a bit about myself and what turns my crank so to speak.
I love to see far off locations and camp while doing so.
I have been all over Canada  for the past 38 years doing just this in one vehicle or another. Starting with a Cj5 then multiple jeeps, then to a KLR650 motorcycle, and now into a Smart Car.  My latest itch is to get to the Arctic Ocean via the Dempster Highway. I've ridden up to Inuvik twice now and was going a third time but after a bad rear-end accident which let me with herniated discs in my neck, I can no longer ride as my right arm goes to sleep. This isn't the best as that is the throttle hand and front brake operating hand...so it's time to hang up my helmet sadly!  So I wanted something small and economical similar to the bike and still giving me somewhat of the thrill the bike gives you.  So I kicked around the many options available to me, even thought about a huge van and converting it to live in so to speak. But the gas consumption really upsets me about that idea. I ended up settling on the Smart Car and so far love it. It does take some getting used to simply for the gear shift time lag, but if you think about it as if you were taking the time to push in the clutch and engaging the gear and releasing the clutch , it's comperable.  So I will get used to it.

OK, I have a thought or question.......does anyone else have an interest to do weekend camping adventures and possibly a longer adventure to seriously far off locations like Dawson City in the Yukon in the future?  Just camping on weekends at different campsite up north would be great as a way to get the club active if there is interest?  Similar to the weekly dinner nights...etc.

 

If anyone has interest, let me know, speak up.....nothing set in stone, it's all fly by the seat of your pants type thing.  No pressure.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Welcome. Im on the west coast Langley BC actually and have been trying to get coffee groups together here too. So far to no avail. My wife just retired her 1100 Virago so we got Yellow FLO for her as a town runner. 08 Passion cabriolet. She and I love it. I'm still riding however. If you venture out here on the way to Dawson or wherever look me up. Have Fun.  

 

Sparky.

 

1 person likes this

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I will drive the Dempster to Tuk someday soon but in a comfortable car (our Mercedes).

 

In 2008 I organized along with some other members here in Canada and one from the USA a factory tour at smart in Hambach France, and it was great!  But those days of heady group adventure seem to be over, at least dormant.

 

I also considered organizing a track day at Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit but no-one showed any interest.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well at least I got some responces...lol.   Yes it's a bit of a quirky car to adventure travel in and you need to be comitted so to speak, maybe in more ways than one...lol.  But that is what makes it all the more adventuristic..imho. Anyone can travel in luxury, if you have the funds.  Where's the adventure in that..? No offense intended...to each their own.

The last bike adventure I took up to Inuvik we rode 26,000kms in 5 weeks!  Excessive for sure, but we saw it all....lol...and would go back today if i could...lol.  I would like to do it one year during the winter months, yes in a better vehicle for the conditions etc. Just to see the Northern Lights again from the far north. I have seen them from the upper middle of Hudson's Bay when in my early teens....excellent, just can't remember it well.

 

I hope there will be some interest in even coffee meetings anything within reason, no $100 meals for other Smart Car owners to get together and chat etc etc and hopefully plan anything of interest. I have an issue spending a lot of money for one meal when you can buy so much more with the same funds. Yep call me cheap, but after riding on so little across the country and then to drop  so much on a single meal it simply gets under my skin...lol....yep insane...lol

 

As for the Dempster Highway, it's not as bad as they make it out to be really. Yes slippery when wet and possibly 4" deep slop to drive through, but on a dry day and there are many, it's simply fantastic. Yes the occasional pothole or 50 but it's not washboards as it's constantly being graded to keep it in great condition. I also wouldn't take a car you didn't want covered in calcium. It does wash off if you do not allow it to set for weeks.....ask me how I learned this. We sprayed down our bikes with rust check the secondtime we rode up and it simply washed off easily, the firsttime was a different story! I was finding calicium in every electrical connection for years afterwards on the bike.  It's cleanable but it wasn't easy!  It also isn't a deal breaker for the smart car either, simply spray it down well with any oily fluid to not allow the calcium to stick to the vehicle. Then wash it off in Dawson City afterwards...job done. The rad under the car would be my only concern at the moment and I haven't invested any time yet into seriously protecting it from the elements for such a trip, but it's no different to a bike's rad, out in the open behind the spray off the front wheel.  That and stone chips from passing vehicles would be the other possible damage, but again I never got hit with a single rock while riding. You simply slow down and move over for the oncoming traffic and they do the same. We both have areas we want to protect....lol.  It's only the town folks down in the lower provinces that scream around without any care for the other drivers/riders......folks from up there know what happens and how much it costs to repair their vehicles and respect  each other.

 

So, again I hope other drivers are interested in starting up a meet and greet type thing and get anything happening for the summer months etc.

 

Stay tuned.

 

Smart142 has it going in the London area, but that is a 3 hour drive each way for me, just too far for an evening meal...lol...sadly.

 

If I do get to your area Sparky I'll definately give you a shout....thanks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In BC we did a group drive to Seattle in 2005 (fun!) and a group drive to the west Kootenays (also fun!).  We did a group drive through Stanley Park / Vancouver to BC Place where the smarts were parked on the concourse and we got free entry to the Auto Show.  There were events in southern Alberta too.  We did a cross-country relay involving hundreds of cars, culminating with a police-escorted 106 smart parade down a closed off Douglas Street in Victoria, a lovely barbeque at Three Point Motors and the raising of over $10K for a charity.  You're just late to the party!

 

We've driven our present smart from Toronto to Vancouver Island in 4 days in a winter storm in February, driven it to southern California for the Desert Trip music concerts in 2016.  But I would never take a smart on a hundreds of km long gravel road.  They're very light duty vehicles.  The other thing to be aware of with 12-14 year old cars is the possibility of a major breakdown and the likelihood that the car would have to be abandoned en route if that happened, unless you are willing to spend thousands to get it back to somewhere that it could be repaired!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In Ontario, we used to have an event called a Mystery Run, albeit, not as ambitious as the one you are aiming for.  They were fun!   (see this link for a sample of the Mystery Run ) ( See this link for a sample of an annual event that we attend as the Featured Car club at the Plunkett Estate )

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Damn...I'm always late to the party....augh!   I wanted a Smart when they first came out but, chose the Toyota Echo, because I was told...it didn't have 3 seats!!!!   and yep, we have a daughter who happened to have to come with us...lol. Thanks for thos elinks, sure looked like a blast for sure.  Maybe someone wants to set it up again,...? Who knows?  I sorry we have done scavanger hunts in the 1952 Willys pick-up I have and that was a blast......well until I had to refill the gas tank, at 15MPGs....lol. So I doubt it'll be as expensive to win firstplace at the next one we attend...lol.  We were very lucky...lol.  Just today while toodleing around we saw 6 Smarts all in my area...so I know they are out there somewhere.

As for it being an older vehicle, well that's another thing to make it an adventure....you must attend to all issues well in advance that could possibly go wrong and figure it out.  Search and destroy anything that could stop you dead in your tracks. Simple, well maybe not so simple preventative maintenance of th whole machine.  The Dempster is roughly 900kms each way on gravel roads......with 2 or 3 ferry crossings, memmory is failing me...lol.  Plus you do not need to go the speed of sound, simple take it easy and enjoy the scenery. I did ride the entire length in a long day in the rain one year. I hadn't planned on doing it, but after coming off a few times I lost my temper and gave her well you know what. I was even towing a single wheeled trailer behind the bike! All loaded up with gear.    IF it's too easy everyone would do it....and that takes all the thrill out of it and doesn't make it any different than driving to the local supermarket for a bag of milk and a lof of bread, now does it....lol

 

I doubt anyone will take me up on the adventure, but the offer is out there if you wish, and that is in any vehicle really, except an RV....as the camp spots might not be able to squeeze one into it.  I rough camp for 3 days then pay for a campsite to use the showers etc, or more often if needed.  Again nothing is set in stone, we simply have a destination and everything in the middle is fair game.

 

Well hopefully something gets organized or I will see everyone at that car show in June....I will plan on the Arctic Ocean for 2019....if anyone is brave enough or crazy enough to come along.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

We're not going to camp up there!  No chance!  Hotels or B&Bs all the way!

 

The problem with modern cars is that failures are often impossible to fix with bubble gum and bailing wire.  Not that the Mercedes is any older (actually, it's newer) but it is fundamentally more reliable than the smart, by quite a margin.  And it's more comfortable, as I said before.

 

Good luck with the idea.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@ Willys ..... Those links only took you to one event (one year) and there are several more to find if you look in those forums around the same date, but different years.  If you have the time, feel free to browse those forums for more coverage in different years. 

1 person likes this

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

MikeT...lol....what's wrong, don't like bears...lol.  Yep it keeps you on your toes to say the least....lol

As foir the vehicle...it doesn't matter what you take, there;'s always a chance it'll break down...and then it is your responsibilty to be able to either repair or abanden it...lol.  So far neither has really happened to me and I have been all over the country on all sorts of back roads adventures. It's all in the premtive strike against possible issues before you leave that will dictate what happens..imho.   If you simply think changing the oils is enough I bet you'll have issues, but if you have done over the entire vehicle with a fine tooth comb, the issues will be sorted out beforehand. It's as much of a lifestyle so to speak for me.....gives me something to work towards ...I have plenty of time and a fully equiped shop to work in.  I over kill all my vehicles for never leaving me walking..so far so good.

 

I'll plan and take pics etc etc, and afterwards will post up some sort of adventure thread....but that is far off yet...I've only owned it for a week...lol

You never know, I might install a trailer hitch so I can build a single man trailer, a metal covered wagon type thing all alluminium to keep the weight down really low...if a bike can tow it then this may...?  Again time will tell.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nothing is wrong, thanks for asking:lol:

 

I've done my share of backcountry wilderness hiking and camping in the 1970s thanks, including living in a tent near Banff for two months in 1976 where every morning there was a bear or two snuffling around the tent.  Of course, the food was far away.......

 

I just don't enjoy camping much anymore, having probably spent hundreds of nights in tents already in my lifetime.  Hotels are so much nicer.  SO much nicer.

 

The main problem with a smart on a run like that is the dire comfort.  It's just tolerable on smooth roads but on rough roads the car is plain painful.  Not only that, its suspension is super light duty and would not take kindly to a hard pounding.  People who have upgraded the smart for rough road use have welded box sections on the front A-arms, for example, because they distort so easily.  You are warned, and, I will leave it at that.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks MikeT I have a year to get things in order....thanks for the warning...lol.
 

I too have hundreds of nights sleeping in a tent, been doing it almost every year since the age of 20.....I just enjoy getting away from the crowds etc.  To each their own as I'm sure you will agree, we're all not the same by any means.  So much so that normally when i go on these serious adventures I limit the people to 5 at a max. Just because even at that many there's always discussions on what the day holds for the group. Which doesn't always sit well with one or two in the group after a vote on what to do that day.  It's human nature to disagree, it's just how you deal with it at the time. Like i said before I have a destination and that's the main goal, the rest will fall into place as you go along.

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well I have to give you Kudo's for being adventurous but most of us "have been there done that" if you know what I mean and at 74 we tend to enjoy a bit more luxury and will have to agree with Mike on that and his other comments. It might be advisable if you haven't done so to find one of the worst gravel roads in your area and spend a day driving it. I do love our Flo as we call her but after having that experience I would never take her again on an extended gravel, mud or loose road as we are done punishing ourselves that way. Not to discourage you but you will be in for quite an adventure for sure. Take lots of spare parts which I have always done traveling, bike car, truck and RVing as good insurance then hopefully like us you will never need them. We wish you luck. Maybe you'll want to build something light, about 175lbs like my friend did for behind his Wing. It will offer some needed rest and protection from the elements at the end of each day.  I couldn't insert any pics sorry.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I forgot to add this alternative "Smart car RV" is another possibility.  

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Absolutely up for a Western Canada adventure in a smart this summer. Have been from Mile 0 to Mile zero and back, including Labrador, in a smart. Lots of trips to SK, camping and hyper-miling… Icefield Parkway of course! Have been to at least Hazelton in a smart, but not to Rupert or beyond... Will probably pass on taking a smart to Tuk if only because it'll be a lot nicer trip in something bigger.

 

Working a few things out on my newly acquired passion cabriolet to make sure it's going to be reliable for the longer haul. This looks to include a Malone Tuning remap which will also deal with the EGR issue I have AFAIK. That and some fluid changes to be done ie: coolant and I should nearly be set.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had to put the adventure off until next summer, very very ill uncle in england and am sort of waiting....sniff sniff....sorry. BUT next year it's on for sure.....I want to be in Dawson City or above for the summer solstice weekend just because I used to ride that on my bike for a huge adventure rider bike meet  called the D2D   it's a sane thing not a drunk fest.....lol

So if you're still interested that's when I'm working towards now....will be towing a trailer also I think, tow bar is on, now to finish building my coffin on wheels....lol

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now

    Chatbox
    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More