Well, I Bought One

by Tom Palmer on March 12, 2008

Smart%20Convertible.jpg**

I did the math and I figured that by cutting out taxi fares (which add up fast) and a few other things, I will end up ahead.

The purchase experience was non-stressful. No heavy-handed sales techniques. Friendly and well trained staff. And the car is great.

The best part (after the reasonable price)? I drove to my neighborhood, passed by a few parking spots because I feared they were too small, then said, “Why not try?,” and found that I could easily fit into one that I thought was too small. And there were comfortable margins on both ends.

(It’s so small, it could be considered a large iPod accessory with wheels. But it is astonishingly roomy inside.)

**I bought this one: a convertible “Cabriolet” with a blue and silver exterior and a red interior.

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

PJ Doland March 12, 2008 at 10:17 pm

Can you fit your Segway in the back?

Alan March 12, 2008 at 10:20 pm

Does it make trips to the country?

Tom G. Palmer March 13, 2008 at 12:48 am

Alas, no, PJ. But it will be on the market soon. And it does have a quite long range, so, Alan, you and your sheep may be visited in the near future.

Anca March 13, 2008 at 4:38 am

Congratulations! That happens to be the car of my dreams ;)

Robin Datta March 13, 2008 at 6:40 pm

It originates form the Chrysler-Daimler folks. And they sell them in Canada. But not in the U.S.
Maybe the US will be immune from Peak Oil. Or else they think the US consumer is not savvy enough.

But in any case, just about as soon as I can get one from a Chrysler dealer (and not retrofitted by a third party) I will get one.

Tom G. Palmer March 13, 2008 at 9:35 pm

They are available in the US. I bought one from the Smart dealer in Germantown, Maryland. Not retrofitted, but manufactured for the US market. Go to http://www.smartusa.com for information.

I just parked it this evening in a tiiiinnnny parking spot that no one else could fit into. :)

Charles N. Steele March 14, 2008 at 12:51 pm

Can you fit it on the back of your Segway, then?

Robin Datta March 15, 2008 at 12:11 am

Thanks, Mr. Palmer for the information.

I was thinking that ZAP cars was still importing and retrofitting them, but a quick lookup of the Web showed that you are correct.

Had I known that this was coming I would have held onto my old riceburner (Toyota Supra ‘94 twin turbo) instead of getting a Bowling Green (KY) zo6 in 2007.06

But I still should get a Smart Car (and use the zo6 sparingly – I already have a battery tender on it to keep the battery from running down – it powers the fob detector and OnStar even when shut down) so that I can ride a bike to work without worry about a dead battery in the unused car (It already went dead once, never happened with any of my four previous riceburners).

Sulkhan Khalvashi March 17, 2008 at 4:06 am

Congrats Mr Palmer
Nice car

Robert S. Porter March 17, 2008 at 2:12 pm

Just don’t crash it over 50MPH!

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