estreka
- Dec 5, 2007 8:17 am
(#1 Total: 19)
|
|
|
|
subarctic north - Great Falls, MT |
|
|
Let's see here, base ForTwo or Chevy Aveo (with at least AC) and an extra $1,000 in my pocket. Hmmmm....
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Ellicott City MD United States of America |
|
|
Yeah, but which would you rather have? Just another me-too econobox, or something really cool? I know which one I'd pick, even though I may have to wait a year...
|
|
|
|
opfreak
- Dec 5, 2007 9:01 am
(#3 Total: 19)
|
|
|
|
this is cool?
if your a dork. something steve urceil would love.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ellicott City MD United States of America |
|
|
I guess there are 30+ K dorks out there then.
|
|
|
|
jknop
- Dec 5, 2007 9:37 am
(#5 Total: 19)
|
|
|
|
I am a dork too! mine has been on order for the last year. can't wait .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Astoria (New York City) NY United States of America |
|
|
But how well will they sell in their second year here and beyond?
For what it's worth, if I were in the market for a new car, I'd seriously consider one, but only because I would expect to find on-street parking here in NYC a lot more easily than I would in something else. That advantage might be negated if there were a fair number of these on the streets, though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Demand is only high because supply is so low.
I'm sure the Aveo will outsell it easily.
30k/year is still low volume. Let's see them try to outsell others in that price class.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm with you opfreak, how is anything this small and this expensive?
I've said this over and over again, why bother buying a trashy Chinese car or one of these when you could get a quality used car for the same price?? Or forget used, I'm sure you could get a Aveo, or an Accent for the same price, and I'm pretty sure they would have AC, PS and a radio.
Really, who cares if the car doesnt stick out in a crowd? At least an Aveo or Accent can carry more than two people and has a decently sized trunk. As for mileage, the Smart's mileage isnt high enough to give it any distinction.
What a joke.
|
|
|
|
|
|
$11,950 is expensive? What have you got that's cheaper? Almost everyone I see is fully loaded (which makes it more the the price of most Civics) and they still sell everyone they can get in it's 3rd year here.
It really is a love it or hate it car though. What I can't understand is why some people hate it so much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
It would be great if its mileage was higher, which it should be for such a small car with such a small engine. However, the mileage isn't much better than some of the subcompacts out there, so why bother?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ellicott City MD United States of America |
|
|
Why bother? Because it's more fun. You can park it in spaces only a motorcycle rider might consider, etc.
People don't buy cars just for gas mileage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
But if you're buying one this small, it should have exceptional gas mileage. You can only have one passenger, no luggage, its slow, doesn't exactly handle like a Lotus, has a herky jerky transmission, just as expensive as some of the subcompacts, and still doesn't get exceptional gas mileage. So parking in a really small space is now the only thing you're left with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I can't speak for the gas version but the diesel version beats everything on the road including the Prius. A friend of mine traded a 1999 Civic for a 2005 Smart a couple years ago. He went from getting 6 to 7L/100 km (33 to 40 mpg) in the Civic to getting 3.5 to 4.0L/100km (58 to 67 mpg US gal) in the Smart.
The little Mitsu gas engine likely won't match the diesel but given the car extreme light weight, it should have little trouble beating most economy cars in the real world especially in the city.
|
|
|
|
|
|
TDI Golf, still the best mileage car on the road for the size and money....
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ellicott City MD United States of America |
|
|
stovt001, everything you say may be true. However, it doesn't mean a thing when you're purchasing an "emotional" vehicle like this.
That's why there are sports cars, SUVs, and Smarts. Putting forth a rational, Mr. Spock-like argument just doesn't work. It's a "right brain" thing, not a "left brain" thing. Oh, there's some left brain thinking here, but it's mostly the right brain at work here.
|
|
|
|
mz3s
- Dec 6, 2007 8:01 am
(#16 Total: 19)
|
|
|
|
I want one. It's really weird how I can't find a spot for my small-ish Mazda 3. I think I just want to park sideways.
|
|
|
|
crowb
- Dec 6, 2007 11:27 am
(#17 Total: 19)
|
|
|
|
ateixeira-- "Demand is only high because supply is so low.
I'm sure the Aveo will outsell it easily.
30k/year is still low volume. Let's see them try to outsell others in that price class."
Low volume, high demand. That seems like an acceptible business model for this obvious niche vehicle. Why try to be a volume leader when it makes more sense to be profitable? If they make a nice healthy margin on the Smart, then who cares how many Aveo's get sold? If keeping the supply under control helps keep demand high then that's all the better. That way inventory is manageable, customers will pay sticker, and incentives and discounts never have to be offered.
This is the same reason that GM has been massaging the production of the Enclave, and Ford has been taking similar steps with some of their good sellers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
"TDI Golf, still the best mileage car on the road for the size and money...."
+1
|
|
|
|
|
|
>>>So parking in a really small space is now the only thing you're left with.
Not quite. Parking in a really small space, while looking like a dork, is what you have left.
So do these dork-mobiles come equipped with an Apple Macintosh window sticker and a set of Spock ears?
|
|
