Well, it looks as if I might have to get rid of my beloved 9N in the near future. If things go to plan, I'll be moving to the centre of a v large city this summer and it would break my heart to see my baby suffer the knocks and keyings of city centre life...
So, before I lost my current job my original plan was to push the boat out and go for something really special, but now that the move to "a big city" is on the cards, I'm thinking of going for something cheaper and more disposable.
A second hand (they depcreciate like stones, it seems) Smart Roadster (probably the coupe) has come into view. Does anyone know anything about them? Very light. Only 80hp, but 0-60 in 11secs. More torque than my Polo and excellent fuel econony. I understand that the semi-auto box can be improve/masked by chipping, but does anyone have any real-life experiences? It is a worthy move?
Deek.
Smart Roadsters - any good?
I cant speak for the Roadster but before my polo i had a smart pulse and it was great fun.
It was quite nippy and the aftermarket stuff you could get for them was unbelievable!! theres a website www.funkysmart.co.uk that has loads of info on it.
Hope that helps!!
Chris
It was quite nippy and the aftermarket stuff you could get for them was unbelievable!! theres a website www.funkysmart.co.uk that has loads of info on it.
Hope that helps!!
Chris
Ah this is where i come in, i have owned one since december 2003 
On the whole its a fantastic car, very quick, cheap-ish to run (servicing can get pricey) and bags of fun to drive.
If your buying second hand, ask about the new seals around the doors and door mirror fixes as some are prone to leaking, nothing major, its more of an inconvenience than a problem.
Its true the gearbox issues can be improved with a remap giving you an extra 0.5 bar of boost pressure and anything between an extra 10 to 25 bhp. But there's only so much a remap can do, the alternative is to replace the clutch assembly with an uprated/race/performance clutch. Ive had no experiance of this but im told its much better than the standard.
The reason for the sudden price drop is unfortuantely smart/dcuk have decided to cease production of the roadster for the foreasble future, this doesnt mean that parts will become a problem as most bits are shared with the fortwo.
If you have any other questions, drop me a line.
Cheers,
Brian ( roadie2003 on www.smartz.co.uk )
Here's a wee pic.......
On the whole its a fantastic car, very quick, cheap-ish to run (servicing can get pricey) and bags of fun to drive.
If your buying second hand, ask about the new seals around the doors and door mirror fixes as some are prone to leaking, nothing major, its more of an inconvenience than a problem.
Its true the gearbox issues can be improved with a remap giving you an extra 0.5 bar of boost pressure and anything between an extra 10 to 25 bhp. But there's only so much a remap can do, the alternative is to replace the clutch assembly with an uprated/race/performance clutch. Ive had no experiance of this but im told its much better than the standard.
The reason for the sudden price drop is unfortuantely smart/dcuk have decided to cease production of the roadster for the foreasble future, this doesnt mean that parts will become a problem as most bits are shared with the fortwo.
If you have any other questions, drop me a line.
Cheers,
Brian ( roadie2003 on www.smartz.co.uk )
Here's a wee pic.......
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Tahrey1043
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Definately sounds worth looking into more deeply, then -- thanks for the comments. I really do like the idea of one... Just to tide me over until the VW roadster in 2007, of course 
I recall the annoucement that they were going to stop making them a couple of months ago. The dealers seem to be awash with run-outs at the 10-11k mark and "delivery mileage." Hopefully there'll still be some around when I know when/if the move is happening.
Deek.
I recall the annoucement that they were going to stop making them a couple of months ago. The dealers seem to be awash with run-outs at the 10-11k mark and "delivery mileage." Hopefully there'll still be some around when I know when/if the move is happening.
Deek.