Buy a smart fortwo for just $99 a month
2008 smart fortwo - Click above image for high-res gallery
With smart fortwo sales in the U.S. not going as well as hoped, smart USA has decided to offer its first incentive on the diminutive little car. That incentive lets qualified buyers get 4.2-percent financing on a 2009 fortwo through the end of July. There's another deal brewing for the fortwo that's tied in to the recently-signed cash-for-clunkers law. The highlight: it will be possible to get a new fortwo for just $99 a month. The details as we know them are as follows:
smart USA will allow qualified consumers using the federal rebate to purchase a new smart fortwo for as low $99 a month. The smart fortwo will qualify for the highest voucher level of $4,500 upon the trade in of an eligible vehicle. This special financing was designed to provide an additional monetary incentive for consumers to replace older vehicles that guzzle fuel and emit high levels of greenhouse gasses with new, highly efficient ones like the smart fortwo. It will launch later this summer when the rebate system officially takes effect.
More on this as it's announced. Sound like a good deal?
Gallery: 2008 smart fortwo
[Source: smart USA]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
contact 2:01PM (6/27/2009)
How do they plan to do this? Finance a $12k car over 72 months @ 4.2%??? I'm going to be picking one up ASAP but will wait for the $99/month details to surface first.
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Jay 10:38PM (6/27/2009)
Yeah this kind of pisses me off. I bought a Smart back in Nov and I got no perks at all.
contact 1:02AM (6/28/2009)
do you like yours? I went to test drive one today.....I'm not thinking about buying one now. The transmission is just far too jerky for me to consider it. I'm a car lover and I LOVE that car but the transmission will keep me from buying one.
Shane 6:37PM (6/26/2009)
Why doesn't this car get 50-60mpg? Yes, I know there was a diesel available (I live in Canada), but it just seems like you sacrifice a lot of space for hardly impressive fuel economy numbers. (You also have to fill up with premium gas!)
A quick search reveals that the curb weight is heavier than a Toyota Yaris. I'd rather take the Yaris' 4 seats and trunk. Also, let's not forget about the Smart's transmission. I think the cute look will only get you so far, and people have realized the shortcomings of this car and are speaking with their wallets.
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DasBoese 6:48PM (6/26/2009)
You're spot on:
The smart was never meant to be a particularly economical or practical car. It's a fashion statement. It's probably a little known fact today that the car was co-developed with swatch (the swiss watchmaking company), who enjoyed a high pop-cultural popularity back in the late 90s when this car was penned.
It could have been much more.
DasBoese 6:50PM (6/26/2009)
You're spot on:
The smart was never meant to be a particularly economical or practical car. It's a fashion statement. It's probably a little known fact today that the car was co-developed with swatch (the swiss watchmaking company), who enjoyed a high pop-cultural popularity back in the late 90s when this car was penned.
It could have been much more.
GoodCheer 7:16PM (6/26/2009)
"It could have been much more."
Yeah, it could have been an iQ.
(Toyota, Scion, whoever.... PLEASE bring the iQ here!!!)
Sir.Vix 1:00PM (6/27/2009)
Every post above mine is exactly right. It's very refreshing to see an entire thread of posts ripping on the smart car!!! Lots of people are realizing they suck and it's great! You have to not use your brain in order to want to purchase one. If it's not for the fashion statement, its (i see small car. Small car = efficient! I also think that the size of a car is directly praportional to its efficiency), and then you have to not read any of the numbers and not compare this car to any other in its price range. Then you'll think a smart is a good buy.
DasBoese 6:40PM (6/26/2009)
The problem here is that the only car that the smart can replace is, well, a smart.
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CaramelZappa 7:14PM (6/26/2009)
It's fuel economy isn't that great, it's just as expensive as a Yaris or Honda Fit, which both offer similar fuel economy but are both MUCH more practical and safer as well. They might have hoped the Smart would do well here, but they obviously didn't think it through.
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Nick 12:54AM (6/27/2009)
Yes, this car would sell IF:
It got 60mpg min.
It cost $10-12k
It had a good tranny.
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Paul 1:54PM (6/27/2009)
I tend to agree here, that the Smart has limited appeal. Even if you mainly commute (ie 1 person), I personally would never consider a Smart mainly because you can never really carry passengers at all. A 4-seater Smart would sell much better as it would have a lot more usefulness. Also, as one poster mentioned, the fact that you have to buy premium fuel, negates a lot of the fuel economy benefit. In Canada, we're overcharged for premium, as it'll often cost 15-20 cents more per litre. This is probably not a lot by European standards, but the differential is more than in America, I believe.
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