Three years of Ownership

[mixed]

As of April 8th I will have had the car for three years.

2005 smart pulse…..fuel consumption average after 3 years...... 3.75 l/100 kms give or take

Total kilometres 179,380

Number of services in this period 17 (9 “A” and 8 “B”)

Previous truck

1997 Ford F-150 pickup…..fuel consumption average.... 12.81 l/100 kms

Savings with smart per 100 kms...... 9.06 l/100 kms

or roughly 16,252 unused litres of fuel over the last three years

Not to shabby........

On the downside in the last year the car has required both a new intercooler and a new turbo, new front ball joints and several intercooler scoops.... other than that still pleased...

Edited April 8, 2008 by mixed

[bilgladstone]

Great fuel savings! Another FREE smart car... it has paid for itself already.Whenever people ask me how much my car cost, I tell them it is free. I.e. what I save every month in fuel pays for the car!Bil

[MikeT]

Congratulations Craig, and I hope you keep it to 500,000!

[LKern]

That's over 75 MPG! Holy crap. Must be a diesel... why can't I have on in the states? Oh, the EPA... whom I greatly respect but pulled a big one when they decided to cram anti-pollution devices on a car that out of the factory spills way less than the average car here. Is that what it is?Confused in Illinois, where 45mpg was my best tank, averaging low 40's combined driving.And you're right... that Smart WAS free.

[spinner]

A free smart? That is a premature assessment without all the costs being presented. Craig and Matt (One Year: In Numbers) should be comparing notes. It would be interesting to see what other savings Craig is yielding from his long-distance commutes. For one, Craig can go on average 9,441 km between scheduled services (instead of the usual 8,000 km).

LKern: That's 63 MPG in your country. 75 MPG is on the British gallon.

[MikeT]

Mr. Coldwater!Unless Craig has spent over $6000 on repairs that were unexpected, for all intents and purposes the car is better than half-price already. And the longer he keeps it, it will actually get to the point where the car is paying him. Regular servicing costs over and above the Ford P/U should be deducted too, but expected repairs for the old Ford could be added to the savings.I average 10,000 km between services and they're still too frequent! I do the A-service myself now.

[spinner]

For one, Craig can go on average 9,441 km between scheduled services (instead of the usual 8,000 km).

Gah! Scratch that. Craig has had five fewer services than one who gets theirs done every 8,000 km. Or, he goes 32% further. Which is awesome.

[fairsider]

That's terrific. Based on diesel at 1.289/liter (what I've paid recently), the car saved almost $21,000 over the three years.Don't know about the longevity of the intercooler or turbo, but the balljoints on a vehicle of that mileage wearing out seems entirely reasonable (especially with the roads in southern Ontario!).Thanks for letting keeping us posted!Lyle

[mixed]

still on the original brake pads too....forgot about that...but they are getting changed next go round...

[yolanda]

Yah still can't beat a bicycle for fuel economy though. My smart is actually costing more to run than my VW rabbit. the monthly insurance rate is nearly triple. I've added a $430/mth car loan payment I never had because the rabbit cost me $500 cash on the barrel head. Repairs on the Rabbit averaged $2,000 a year, which was considerable. Lastly, the fuel. Although the smart goes twice as far on a dollar, I'm driving 5x as much because it's so darn fun to drive!!!! I used to leave the car at home and plan trips around biking. Now I rarely bike. I'm getting weak from sitting in those cushy heated leather seats. My bike is languishing in the garage.

[waiting]

Although I don't have near the mileage on my Smart as some do, over the past 2 1/4 years in 95% city driving I have used about 3,000 lliters of gas less than if I had continued to run my SUV full time. I still have the SUV because there are some jobs the Smart just can't do but over the past 2 1/4 years I have used the SUV only on weekends and usually then it's because we head out to the cabin (I have taken the Smart to the cabin if it's just me, the two dogs and some gear; I love driving it on the highway). In terms of cost I am about breaking even because the savings in fuel pays for the insurance and some of the maintenance service (or course I am not factoring in what I spent on the Smart itself but then again I am also not factoring the eventual higher resale value on the SUV given the low mileage because of the Smart or; the fewer repair bills on the SUV due to the less wear and tear from city driving etc. etc. It would be interesting to do a ten year or so "all-in" cost assessment but, that sounds like a lot of work so I think I'll just enjoy the ride). Up to now the price of diesel was considerably less than gas so that just added to the benefit.As fuel prices continue to rise it is comforting to own a Smart.