Smart owners waiting patiently for their cars
Click image for photo gallery
We've heard stories that people are starting to receive their Smart cars here in the U.S., but with some 42,000 total deposits made, those of you who were a little late to the game are probably still waiting. Even some who were quick on the draw with their order have not gotten their cars yet. John Schwartz from The New York Times is one such person. After reading through the comments to his post describing the delay, it seems that many people are frustrated that it's taking so long for their cars to arrive, which is understandable. We hope that most of the early adopters can wait for their machine without canceling their orders, but for those of you who want to fast-track your way to the front of the line, consider looking around for a canceled order at dealerships close to you. It's a long shot, but at least one commenter at the Times got theirs this way.
Gallery: 2008 smart fortwo
[Source: The New York Times]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jim 10:33AM (2/18/2008)
Passed the nearest Smart dealer on Saturday, pretty forlorn looking place still under construction with one lonely FourTwo parked out front.
Reply
rgseidl 11:03AM (2/18/2008)
Relative to its capabilities, the smart fortwo carries a premium price tag. Customers get their car tailor-made at the factory, which is how premium cars have been sold in Europe for a long time.
Americans expect to drive their new car off a dealer lot right away. This means dealers always have a lot of capital tied up in both land and unsold vehicles - but manufacturers can keep factories running at high capacity, which keeps prices down for high-volume econoboxes.
However, the highest margins are always in the options. Any manufacturer with sufficiently flexible assembly lines will want to offer as many of those as possible. Of course, no dealer can keep more than a small number of combinations in stock. This is why building to order makes more sense for premium cars.
Reply
Larry Hill 11:06AM (2/18/2008)
Just take a look in eBay...There are a dozen Smart cars for sale! A little pricey though.
Reply
Throwback 2:55PM (2/18/2008)
Well I did not buy "my" car earlier this month, so there is at least one all black Smart available in NJ. At least there was. My reason for not buying has everything to do with the awful transmission. However after seeing these 2 road tests, I am even happier I did not buy. If I was only getting 33 mpg I would be very upset. My SAAB gets 32 mpg.
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/video/roadtests.shtml
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=6400
Reply
66coronet 6:52AM (2/19/2008)
I've seen a couple on the streets of Everett WA.
I've seen one before they announce that they were selling to the US market. It must have come from Canada. Or maybe as an electric vehicle since there were companies buying smarts and making them full electric.
Reply
Trace 9:29AM (2/19/2008)
I stopped by the SMART dealer in Jacksonville last night and test drove one. Yes the transimission is a bit funky, like the old VW autosticks. Mileage sticker says 33/41. Coming from a diesel Beetle, with 4 seats and twice the torque, turning a minimum 39MPG, those numbers are hard to swallow.
The sales guy said they were sold out for the year, but he did note that they were alloted 30 and received 41 of them. Looks like the tide is flowing. Now the infinite wait for a diesel option...
Reply
john riley 2:07PM (2/19/2008)
Saw one on the street in Coral Gables, FL today.
Re diesel option, now that they are being sold in the US, might it not be possible to bring in a used diesel of the previous generation from Canada? I mean if you had to have diesel.
Reply
JP Hedin aka DrSmart 6:17PM (2/19/2008)
They don't even sell diesel models of the new improved (?) smart in Canada and no you cannot import Canadian diesels into the US because the earlier cars were not crash certified-only those that were upfitted by G & K Automotive and JK technologies-and those were only the gas model. PS_There were never electric smarts-ask Panoz and all the other dreamers who have sunk money into this loser. ZAP had nothing to do with the engineering/conversion of smarts. The original engineering mid/rear engine is stupid. Toyota is on the right track with the IQ. Build a modern Mini-Front wheel drive-seating for 4-120" long good handling-probably a cvt with 50 mpg capability-70 MPG Diesel and 100 MPG hybrid diesel with 5 STAR crash rating.
Reply