Smart Car advice (possible purchase)

[Mudster]

I've just had a phone call from my sister asking for advice on a possible Smart Car purchase for my 21 year old neice.

She's had her heart set on these for years and has saved some pennies to get herself one.

As luck would have it (or maybe not) one of my sisters collegues (a policeman) has one for sale, this is what I've been told:-

Smart Pure 2005 "55"
31,000 miles
11 months MOT (passed with no advisories)
10 months tax (£35 pa)
2 owners (current owner since 5,000 miles)
No service history after first owner, it has been privately maintained by current owner who is a smart fanatic (don't know if this is supported or not with paperwork).

He's asking £3,200

Questions:- (I know nothing about Smarts other than hearsay that they don't last long engine wise and are expensive to service/repair.)


Is the money right?

Annual mileage likely to be under 6000 miles pa. (She's a 21 year old student)...

What running costs will she expect

Tyre costs

Anything obvious I've missed?

Thanks all, I know there are some Smart people on here...

If this comes off we'll need a good independant that can deal with Smarts in a reasonable distance of Southern Norwich. That has some forum recommendations......

A trip to Olly is a bit of a push from Norwich in a smart car!

TIA.

 

[wemorgan]

Hi, my wife has a 2003 Smart ForTwo, so I'll try to answer some of your questions.

As you already know, the engines are not known for longevity. Why? It's hard to say. I suspect partly because the cars are often owned by young people not driving the sympathetically and also doing many short journeys. The early signs are oil consumption. So check for smoke from the exhaust. My car burns some oil, but doesn't smoke, so even that's not a guaranteed test. If she does buy the car get her in to the habit of checking the oil weekly or monthly at the very least. Too many people leave it too late and with no oil the consequences are obvious.

£3200 sounds OK to me. I paid £3000 in summer of 2008 for mine with slightly higher mileage,

I service the Smart myself and the basic cost of fluids and filters are cheap. Though spark plugs (6) cost ~£25 (parts). Front brake discs & pads £60 (parts). Independents charge roughly £100-£200 for servicing, depending on A,B or C. For her low mileage still budget for 1 service a year.

Tyres, despite being small are not cheap as they are not a common size. I forget exactly but near £60-£70 each.

The engines have timing chains and should be quiet.

If it does need an engine rebuild that's ~£1000.

Fuel: 40mpg around town, 60mpg on the motorway.

The rear bumper beam is aluminium but the body steel. So where the two meet there can be rust. Check with a torch under the bumper fascia.

What colour is the car. Some came with bespoke colour schemes with the panels no longer being made by Smart. So if ever in an accident will be difficult to repair.

Some links to pass on:
Parts: Smart Car Parts and Accessories from Smart Tune
Forum: Home - smartManiacs - smart car forums and information sites
Mobile mechanic: Fudgesmart - Smart Servicing, Engine Rebuilding and Maintenance
How-To guides: Evilution - Smart Car Encyclopaedia

ps. no need to post in the OT forum, Smart are a MB brand car

 

[Doosh1]

Great little car! I had an early one (2001) for two years, it was used and abused with no problems at all, was about £30 to fill the tank and did over about 350 miles on that..

Tyres are cheap between £30-60 each depending on make.

Gearbox are pretty reliable but if they do go wrong you usually find its a deal only as quite specific with the auto style change.
Would personally go for one with history but if you can confirm the mileage with MOTS you may be ok. Can usually tell a rough one from close inspection.

They can show signs of rust around the lower windscreen seals(usually due to poor screen replacent damaging paint) Also I have seen a few with rust under the door seal at the bottom when its pulled back by door hinges and floor area. I would be concerned if a 2005 plate was rusty though.

I wouldnt want to do too many motorway trips in one as you do tend to get blown around a little bit on windy days especially around the big trucks.
Top speed was about 85mph flat out but cruises hapily at 75mph.

I would happily buy another for my kids when they're older..

Hope this helps

 

[Mudster]

ps. no need to post in the OT forum, Smart are a MB brand car

I did umm and ahh about this before eventually choosing the OT forum!

Thanks for the posts chaps this was just what I'm after.

The more the merrier so keep them coming.

 

[lil.smartie]

Check for cracks on turbo/exhaust manifold they usually appear at around 30/40,000 miles (design thing later ones like this are improved but still happens) Check oil levels & ensure all 6 plugs have been changed every 2yrs or 20,000 miles (minimum!)
Pure's are the basic ones (check if 61 or 50 bhp, 50 bhp are group 1 insurance) seats will make with a drop of rain water so don't expect them to look good unless just been cleaned!
Tyres not cheap 145/65 15 fronts pretty much JUST fit Smarts! can fit 195/50 15 rear which are reasonable! (175/55 std are more)
Should get around 55 mpg, top out (un remapped) at 85mph so fine for motorway driving! Semi-auto will take some getting used to if she usually drives a manual but not known anyone not to take to it!

Any more Q's just ask as a (very) long term owner (over 10 yrs now) and running wellsmart I know the answers to most! (Paul calls me a smart geek!)

Kate

 

[Smarties]

Check for cracks on turbo/exhaust manifold they usually appear at around 30/40,000 miles (design thing later ones like this are improved but still happens) Check oil levels & ensure all 6 plugs have been changed every 2yrs or 20,000 miles (minimum!)
Pure's are the basic ones (check if 61 or 50 bhp, 50 bhp are group 1 insurance) seats will make with a drop of rain water so don't expect them to look good unless just been cleaned!
Tyres not cheap 145/65 15 fronts pretty much JUST fit Smarts! can fit 195/50 15 rear which are reasonable! (175/55 std are more)
Should get around 55 mpg, top out (un remapped) at 85mph so fine for motorway driving! Semi-auto will take some getting used to if she usually drives a manual but not known anyone not to take to it!

Any more Q's just ask as a (very) long term owner (over 10 yrs now) and running wellsmart I know the answers to most! (Paul calls me a smart geek!)

Kate

Likewise, We have had Smarts for 10 years now. Great and very clever little cars.

 

[spinaltap]

I better proposition may be buying new.

You can either have a brand-new Pulse or Passion for only £99 per month over three years, which equals £3,564 (with deposit of either £1,000 or £1,500), from your local Smart dealer.

That means no MOT, tyres or warranty worries.

 

[jonnyboy]

at an MBOC gathering at a wheels place in Crawley recently we spoke to his neighbour a german marque indi.
He had a 2002 model in, I was quite surprised how much surface rust there was underneath. He mentioned to check if it was a self-serviced one that the rear (front of car) plugs were changed as well as the accessible ones as they are a bugger to get to, and could be seized in.
Bore ovalling quite common, I was shocked at the one he had on his workbench to rebuild - it was an egg shape.

 

[BlackC55]

They tend to use oil too.

If you need any more advice just call as we are Smart specialists too.

We have had one for 30,000 miles now and we have fitted a new clutch, clutch actuator and turbo so far

I always to the oil every 3,000 miles without fail.

It's worth re-mapping them too. The horrendus gearchange is improved with a decent map.

 

[Mudster]

I better proposition may be buying new.

You can either have a brand-new Pulse or Passion for only £99 per month over three years, which equals £3,564 (with deposit of either £1,000 or £1,500), from your local Smart dealer.

That means no MOT, tyres or warranty worries.

Hadn't thought of that.....very viable at that kind of money.

 

[vincenz]

I drove one as a company car about 6 years ago, I was really impressed with them for short jounreys and they were even pretty decent on short motorway distances.

Great off the mark to about 30 and for two people and a bit of shopping I thought they were fantastic.

I didnt keep this one long enough to learn about longevity however the front tyres were 125 or something as they were the standard rims and they were re-nound for getting punctures and as it was a bespoke size with a tiny width it usually resulted in a new tyre that took a couple of days to source.

Nice functional car IMO.

 

[wemorgan]

Smart car check list

I made this list when looking at Mudster's Smart car. It's not comprehensive and mostly quite generic, but there are a few Smart car specific checks. Might be of use to someone if ever they want to look at a Smart car.


Exterior
Tyres (tread, make, condition)
LF: RF:
LR: RR:
Brakes (pads & discs)
LF:
RF:
Body panels:
Windscreen chips:
Springs (cracks):
Water leaks through front/rear screens:
Rear sub-frame rust:
Lights:
Expansion tank:
Brake fluid level:

Interior
Service Indicator:
Carpet dampness:
Dash warning lights:
Interior switches:

Engine
VIN:
Oil level:
Oil cap:
Air filter colour:
Exhaust:
Noises (chain & pump):
Smoke:

Test Drive
Steering:
Brakes:
Noises:
Gear changes:

 

[Mudster]

A deal was done today at £3,150.

Thanks to Will for taking the time to give it a once over.

It's being collected on Friday and I've asked for pictures so I can post them on the forum.