I am curious as to what you think of the SMART fourtwo cars being brought into the US. You can actually get one here now from a company called ZAP but they are charging way too much for them. The actual price for the "fully loaded" one should be around $15,000. It has a 3-cyclinder turbo charged 900cc motor that makes around 85 HP. It is rear engine and rear wheel drive. It has a paddle-shift 6-speed transmission, that can be set to automatic. Top speed is regulated to 85MPH. They get about 50MPG on the HWY. They have A/C, radio, ABS, traction control, etc. They weigh around 1550lbs. They are supposed to be more crash worthy that you might think when you look at it. It is available as a diesel also, which gets a little better mileage. The SMART platform is also going to be used for hybrid and full electric versions fairly soon. The gasoline version is going to be available here in 2007, at least rumor has it. It is manufactured by Mercedes Benz and will be sold through DaimlerChrysler dealers.
So, would you buy one if you could get one with all the options for around $15,000?
Discuss...

 

Once the gas prices will hit $4 everyone will love this car.

 

People that live on Grosse Ile by me already drive those.. Grosse Ile is a little island next to my city located in the middle of the Detroit River. I guess they are ok for around town, but I would not go on main roads with one.

 

If they would actually hold up in an accident I would think about it. It just looks like a death trap if you ever did get in one. I just got back from a week in Vancouver B.C. and those things were everywhere. They move around pretty good.

 

I can see college students driving these. I can also see lots of people having one of these as their second car and keeping the SUV for weekend trips and Home Depot trips etc.

 

Also, there is a huge aftermarket for these cars in other countries: Bigger turbos, big brake kits, suspension parts, intakes/exhaust etc. I think they even have racing leagues for these cars...

 

Too ugly for me.

 

I wouldn't buy one, but I've seen a few on the roads. Actually the first I saw (in the US) was driving across the GWB from NJ to NYC about a year ago.

 

Those part are expensive as hell!!

 

The car is still kind of a niche vehicle at the moment so parts are going to be expensive. If the car starts selling like crazy, parts will get cheaper as more and more aftermarket suppliers start offering parts...

 

Some more pictures.

 

Here is a video of a SMART with a GSXR 1000 motor in it: http://www.flurl.com/uploaded/Smart_17422.html
Here is the GSXR conversion kit: http://thekneeslider.com/archives/20...very-smart-car

Here is a video of a "home made" GSXR 1000 conversion: http://media.putfile.com/Diablo-19mb

 

these things have been for sale in Canada for a while now, they start at 16 000 canadian.

 

What makes it smart?

 

I do not know how they came up with the name. The thing that makes it not-so-SMART is the price: It should really be between $10,000 and $12,000 at the most...