Smart Roadster Advice
Discussion
Looking at a more economic option for getting my wife to work and back 4 days a week and a Smart Roadster seems to tick a number of boxes, most importantly for being a fun car coupled with good fuel.
Few questions though:
1)Can they realistically do reasonable mileage or are they more a plaything, she will likely do about 12k-14k a year, work being circa 30 miles each way (which will at least mean it's not used for short hops where it won't even get up to temp).
2)The above involves a reasonable amount of motorway work, probably not a natural habitat but how do they feel? I would hate for her to feel hugely exposed on a daily basis, it wouldn't last long if she didn't feel reasonably safe in it. She has used Alfa Spider/Mgf/TVR's before but the Smart is going to be a smaller step again. A test drive will help with this, but it only shows how it is in the current conditions (i.e not a wet busy windy night on the M25); also you can get caught up in the moment and forget to appraise faults and failings properly on a test - least I seem to
3)I have picked up that they are not altogether the last word in reliability, but given I have a TVR I am pretty sure we can cope with the odd hiccup; we will always have other options for getting her to work if required, what we don't really want is being stranded en-route a lot etc.
4)Budget will be around £6k and looking at something ideally with less than 25k on the clock and ideally with leather (a quick look on AT would seem to show this as being achievable). Not sure if they all have aircon etc, are there any options or things we should be looking for that we might not immediately think of? Also any age related revisions we should be aware of?
Thanks peeps, hoping for positive responses or we might be off diesel hatchback shopping
Few questions though:
1)Can they realistically do reasonable mileage or are they more a plaything, she will likely do about 12k-14k a year, work being circa 30 miles each way (which will at least mean it's not used for short hops where it won't even get up to temp).
2)The above involves a reasonable amount of motorway work, probably not a natural habitat but how do they feel? I would hate for her to feel hugely exposed on a daily basis, it wouldn't last long if she didn't feel reasonably safe in it. She has used Alfa Spider/Mgf/TVR's before but the Smart is going to be a smaller step again. A test drive will help with this, but it only shows how it is in the current conditions (i.e not a wet busy windy night on the M25); also you can get caught up in the moment and forget to appraise faults and failings properly on a test - least I seem to
3)I have picked up that they are not altogether the last word in reliability, but given I have a TVR I am pretty sure we can cope with the odd hiccup; we will always have other options for getting her to work if required, what we don't really want is being stranded en-route a lot etc.
4)Budget will be around £6k and looking at something ideally with less than 25k on the clock and ideally with leather (a quick look on AT would seem to show this as being achievable). Not sure if they all have aircon etc, are there any options or things we should be looking for that we might not immediately think of? Also any age related revisions we should be aware of?
Thanks peeps, hoping for positive responses or we might be off diesel hatchback shopping
1)Can they realistically do reasonable mileage or are they more a plaything,
I'd say they will last high mileages, as long as looked after. If she warms it up, cools it down, and keep it serviced, there is no reason why it should not last.
2)The above involves a reasonable amount of motorway work, probably not a natural habitat but how do they feel?
How many miles of her journey is on the motorway? What time does she travel? In summer, it's fine, a touch noisy but get one with cruise and an armrest and they are pretty relaxing. Being able to open and close the roof at any speed is a major advantage to many things here. However, 30miles of door to door motorway in the rain in November with standing water etc, could be tiring. I use mine for a 50odd mile trip across the pennines, and it's just enough to make me sell it and take a company car.
3)I have picked up that they are not altogether the last word in reliability, but given I have a TVR.
My only experience of the TVR's is a friends tuscan. My roadster has certainly had less issues but, like the TVR, the only odd things have been superficial, I don't think the mechanicals would ever strand you.
4)Budget will be around £6k and looking at something ideally with less than 25k on the clock and ideally with leather...
I'm biased here as selling mine, but I'd say go for as new / in warranty as you can. Try and get a car where you can open the roof with the remote (not sure when it came in, but it's damn handy). For any motorway use, try and get one with cruise. You can get it fitted, but some cars just refuse to accept it, so there is a risk if it's essential. Air con is of course essential in almost any car these days. Ensure you get one with dashboard pods to keep an eye on temperatures.
I think that covers it, they are brilliant cars and I know I will regret mine going. Nothing so cheap (and cheap to run) gets so much attention as this, or is as fun to drive.
I'd say they will last high mileages, as long as looked after. If she warms it up, cools it down, and keep it serviced, there is no reason why it should not last.
2)The above involves a reasonable amount of motorway work, probably not a natural habitat but how do they feel?
How many miles of her journey is on the motorway? What time does she travel? In summer, it's fine, a touch noisy but get one with cruise and an armrest and they are pretty relaxing. Being able to open and close the roof at any speed is a major advantage to many things here. However, 30miles of door to door motorway in the rain in November with standing water etc, could be tiring. I use mine for a 50odd mile trip across the pennines, and it's just enough to make me sell it and take a company car.
3)I have picked up that they are not altogether the last word in reliability, but given I have a TVR.
My only experience of the TVR's is a friends tuscan. My roadster has certainly had less issues but, like the TVR, the only odd things have been superficial, I don't think the mechanicals would ever strand you.
4)Budget will be around £6k and looking at something ideally with less than 25k on the clock and ideally with leather...
I'm biased here as selling mine, but I'd say go for as new / in warranty as you can. Try and get a car where you can open the roof with the remote (not sure when it came in, but it's damn handy). For any motorway use, try and get one with cruise. You can get it fitted, but some cars just refuse to accept it, so there is a risk if it's essential. Air con is of course essential in almost any car these days. Ensure you get one with dashboard pods to keep an eye on temperatures.
I think that covers it, they are brilliant cars and I know I will regret mine going. Nothing so cheap (and cheap to run) gets so much attention as this, or is as fun to drive.
Cheers for the info Ian, it will be about 3/4 motorway so probably not ideal but she does want something fun; she will still have access to other cars (inc the alfa she uses now) if she wants to use something else on really grotty days or just if/when she needs more space.
Chief, yes flagged up the Fiat to her as I know the Evo lot love them, didn't do anything for her though. The good bits about that car won't benefit her with with what she needs/wants from a car, she wants funky looks with good fuel and a softtop. I think the Panda looks quite funky, she said it looked like an MPV that got shrunk and even with a sunroof it was no substitute for the fabric roof of the Smart.
Chief, yes flagged up the Fiat to her as I know the Evo lot love them, didn't do anything for her though. The good bits about that car won't benefit her with with what she needs/wants from a car, she wants funky looks with good fuel and a softtop. I think the Panda looks quite funky, she said it looked like an MPV that got shrunk and even with a sunroof it was no substitute for the fabric roof of the Smart.
1)Can they realistically do reasonable mileage or are they more a plaything, she will likely do about 12k-14k a year, work being circa 30 miles each way (which will at least mean it's not used for short hops where it won't even get up to temp).
Mine's been fine so far - one small issue with the Stealth exhaust recently due to faulty manufacture (more Stealth Fighter than Stealth for a while there!!), other than that nothing exciting has happened. I've had it almost a year now and use it intermittently, not every day.
2)The above involves a reasonable amount of motorway work, probably not a natural habitat but how do they feel? I would hate for her to feel hugely exposed on a daily basis, it wouldn't last long if she didn't feel reasonably safe in it.
With the smallest wheel option fitted, I found mine to be quite skittish on the motorway, especially when overtaking big trucks. Swapped for the next size up, with slightly wider tyres - problem solved. It's a bit noisy at high speeds, but not unbearably so.
3)I have picked up that they are not altogether the last word in reliability, but given I have a TVR I am pretty sure we can cope with the odd hiccup; we will always have other options for getting her to work if required, what we don't really want is being stranded en-route a lot etc.
I've not had any reliability issues with either my Roadster or my TVRs.
4)Budget will be around £6k and looking at something ideally with less than 25k on the clock and ideally with leather (a quick look on AT would seem to show this as being achievable). Not sure if they all have aircon etc, are there any options or things we should be looking for that we might not immediately think of? Also any age related revisions we should be aware of?
I don't think they all come with aircon, that's definitely worth getting. If you can get one with a speaker upgrade, that's supposed to be good because the standard fit ones are reportedly pants.
And depends on your viewpoint, but apparently flappy paddles for the gearing are meant to be good.
HTH.
Mine's been fine so far - one small issue with the Stealth exhaust recently due to faulty manufacture (more Stealth Fighter than Stealth for a while there!!), other than that nothing exciting has happened. I've had it almost a year now and use it intermittently, not every day.
2)The above involves a reasonable amount of motorway work, probably not a natural habitat but how do they feel? I would hate for her to feel hugely exposed on a daily basis, it wouldn't last long if she didn't feel reasonably safe in it.
With the smallest wheel option fitted, I found mine to be quite skittish on the motorway, especially when overtaking big trucks. Swapped for the next size up, with slightly wider tyres - problem solved. It's a bit noisy at high speeds, but not unbearably so.
3)I have picked up that they are not altogether the last word in reliability, but given I have a TVR I am pretty sure we can cope with the odd hiccup; we will always have other options for getting her to work if required, what we don't really want is being stranded en-route a lot etc.
I've not had any reliability issues with either my Roadster or my TVRs.
4)Budget will be around £6k and looking at something ideally with less than 25k on the clock and ideally with leather (a quick look on AT would seem to show this as being achievable). Not sure if they all have aircon etc, are there any options or things we should be looking for that we might not immediately think of? Also any age related revisions we should be aware of?
I don't think they all come with aircon, that's definitely worth getting. If you can get one with a speaker upgrade, that's supposed to be good because the standard fit ones are reportedly pants.
And depends on your viewpoint, but apparently flappy paddles for the gearing are meant to be good. HTH.
SGirl said:
If you can get one with a speaker upgrade, that's supposed to be good because the standard fit ones are reportedly pants.
Standard speakers are apparently pants, and I can verify the "sound upgrade" is also poor! Plenty of speakers fit, I have Blaupunkt 2-way and head unit, still not the best acoustics of any car but 100 times better than the "sound upgrade" mine came with.A quick hijack of the thread if I may. I am absolutely in love with the Smart Roaster-Coupe Brabus models, and am seriously considering one to go alongside the barge I've ordered. I will go and test-drive one in the next month or two (before the summer arrives) but I'd appreciate any help or advice that current/previous owners can give:
realistic MPG?
reliability?
capable of a 600mile round trip every six months or so?
different specs?
I keep seeing a black '05 model wizzing about my local town, and it's just beautiful. That's what I'll probably be wanting.
Cheers in hopeful advance.
realistic MPG?
reliability?
capable of a 600mile round trip every six months or so?
different specs?
I keep seeing a black '05 model wizzing about my local town, and it's just beautiful. That's what I'll probably be wanting.
Cheers in hopeful advance.
Roady is lovely car...
7.5K service intervals.
service costs quite high - using MB dealerships - these were sh1t and the car was not without a few niggles - water leaks were common. The independants seem to have a good reputation but servicing can be awkward given the tight confines of the engine bay.
insurance quite high my roadster was group 14.
fuel economy super... had one as a 3rd car and loved it, but not hugely practical with the small boot....
I now run a Panda 100HP economy not as good - but a lot more practical (proper 5 door) and lots cheaper to run IG6 and fiat servicing each 12K . we're 6 months at 7K miles in and it's not put a foot wrong. We ran it as the family car for 4 months waiting for her ladyships new company car to arrive - it took everything in it's stride. The ride can be a bit bouncy though...
which ever way you go two good small cars.
Simes.
7.5K service intervals.
service costs quite high - using MB dealerships - these were sh1t and the car was not without a few niggles - water leaks were common. The independants seem to have a good reputation but servicing can be awkward given the tight confines of the engine bay.
insurance quite high my roadster was group 14.
fuel economy super... had one as a 3rd car and loved it, but not hugely practical with the small boot....
I now run a Panda 100HP economy not as good - but a lot more practical (proper 5 door) and lots cheaper to run IG6 and fiat servicing each 12K . we're 6 months at 7K miles in and it's not put a foot wrong. We ran it as the family car for 4 months waiting for her ladyships new company car to arrive - it took everything in it's stride. The ride can be a bit bouncy though...
which ever way you go two good small cars.
Simes.
Mrs XXPLOD and I test drove a Brabus one prior to settling on the Cooper D. I thought it was brilliant. Real hoot to drive with plenty of poke. As a very small car owner myself (classic Mini) I would echo the sentiments that a long m-way drive in the dark/rain will not be fun, esp. as the Roadster is so low.
I'll add a few more comments
fuel: 50-55+ mpg depending on use (city/cruising)
600 mile round trip - used to take it from Bolton to Basingstoke and back in the summer sat happily at 80 leptons - in the winter would have been another matter - you're so close to the ground and them trucks are big - the wheels come above the car..
Achillies heel is the gearbox - made better by the sportpack (flappy paddles)... but the bundled 17" tri-spoke wheels are a bit overtyred. the gearbox had a mind of it's own and being a semi-auto would change when it felt like it and took a long time doing it.
There was a base one "roadster light" with steel wheels that was cheap.
Radio can be upgraded - base one is naff with better speakers and an amplifier board.
Don't bother with the CD changer you can get a connector that plugs in the CD interface and provides power and audio input for an mp3 player - there is also a dension plugin for an ipod.
Aircon saps power and really isn't needed although its good for clearing the screen.
the leather seats were nice, as was the heated option.
the rev-counter was an option..
there were styling options changing from a black tridion to a silver one on the roadster (as opposed to roadster coupe) was an option and you could get loads of plastic that blended in...
I still have my suit holder that fits the rear boot up in the loft - forgot it when I sold it. the rear boot was fairly useless otherwise.
Towards the end they had massively overproduced and were selling 2 year old cars that had never been registered as new in 05 and were discounting heavily - we got ours with about 6K off the pricebook price for the level of extras we had (and cheaper than a new roadster light).
The brabus variant had loads of extras more power and was extortionatley priced...
Simes.
fuel: 50-55+ mpg depending on use (city/cruising)
600 mile round trip - used to take it from Bolton to Basingstoke and back in the summer sat happily at 80 leptons - in the winter would have been another matter - you're so close to the ground and them trucks are big - the wheels come above the car..
Achillies heel is the gearbox - made better by the sportpack (flappy paddles)... but the bundled 17" tri-spoke wheels are a bit overtyred. the gearbox had a mind of it's own and being a semi-auto would change when it felt like it and took a long time doing it.
There was a base one "roadster light" with steel wheels that was cheap.
Radio can be upgraded - base one is naff with better speakers and an amplifier board.
Don't bother with the CD changer you can get a connector that plugs in the CD interface and provides power and audio input for an mp3 player - there is also a dension plugin for an ipod.
Aircon saps power and really isn't needed although its good for clearing the screen.
the leather seats were nice, as was the heated option.
the rev-counter was an option..
there were styling options changing from a black tridion to a silver one on the roadster (as opposed to roadster coupe) was an option and you could get loads of plastic that blended in...
I still have my suit holder that fits the rear boot up in the loft - forgot it when I sold it. the rear boot was fairly useless otherwise.
Towards the end they had massively overproduced and were selling 2 year old cars that had never been registered as new in 05 and were discounting heavily - we got ours with about 6K off the pricebook price for the level of extras we had (and cheaper than a new roadster light).
The brabus variant had loads of extras more power and was extortionatley priced...
Simes.
Edited by 51mes on Tuesday 12th February 22:11
ehyouwhat said:
A quick hijack of the thread if I may. I am absolutely in love with the Smart Roaster-Coupe Brabus models, and am seriously considering one to go alongside the barge I've ordered. I will go and test-drive one in the next month or two (before the summer arrives) but I'd appreciate any help or advice that current/previous owners can give:
realistic MPG?
reliability?
capable of a 600mile round trip every six months or so?
different specs?
I keep seeing a black '05 model wizzing about my local town, and it's just beautiful. That's what I'll probably be wanting.
Cheers in hopeful advance.
Not in Worcester are you chap? We've just picked up this 05 plated lovely.. realistic MPG?
reliability?
capable of a 600mile round trip every six months or so?
different specs?
I keep seeing a black '05 model wizzing about my local town, and it's just beautiful. That's what I'll probably be wanting.
Cheers in hopeful advance.
MPG, dependent on how it's driven, 250 miles to a tank
Reliability, only had it a couple of weeks, cant report yet!
600 miles? Did 500 this weekend to Middlesbrough and back not a problem at all..
Spec wise, have a look at http://www.roadstermodelguide.co.uk/ for details on specs..
HTH, btw, I'm loving this car, tis probably the best purchase so far!
slinky
Slinky said:
ehyouwhat said:
A quick hijack of the thread if I may. I am absolutely in love with the Smart Roaster-Coupe Brabus models, and am seriously considering one to go alongside the barge I've ordered. I will go and test-drive one in the next month or two (before the summer arrives) but I'd appreciate any help or advice that current/previous owners can give:
realistic MPG?
reliability?
capable of a 600mile round trip every six months or so?
different specs?
I keep seeing a black '05 model wizzing about my local town, and it's just beautiful. That's what I'll probably be wanting.
Cheers in hopeful advance.
Not in Worcester are you chap? We've just picked up this 05 plated lovely.. realistic MPG?
reliability?
capable of a 600mile round trip every six months or so?
different specs?
I keep seeing a black '05 model wizzing about my local town, and it's just beautiful. That's what I'll probably be wanting.
Cheers in hopeful advance.
MPG, dependent on how it's driven, 250 miles to a tank
Reliability, only had it a couple of weeks, cant report yet!
600 miles? Did 500 this weekend to Middlesbrough and back not a problem at all..
Spec wise, have a look at http://www.roadstermodelguide.co.uk/ for details on specs..
HTH, btw, I'm loving this car, tis probably the best purchase so far!
slinky
Is this the replacement for the MX5 or an addition?
touching cloth said:
1)Can they realistically do reasonable mileage
I used mine for a daily motorway commute of 22miles each way and it was fine. There's a bit of noise but nothing too extreme. I also used it for several 120mile drives to the Lakes and a 250mile drive to the Isle of Wight, so it's good for distance slogs too. I averaged 47mpg on 95RON unleaded to start with, but started using 97RON Optimax and got 55mpg from then on (and a lot smoother driving to boot!).
However I would echo the sentiment expressed earlier regarding the service intervals. At 7,500 miles they're come around fairly quickly, but there're not crippling on cost (the minor one was £105 for me).
touching cloth said:
2)The above involves a reasonable amount of motorway work...how do they feel?
To me it seemed like a much bigger car. The comfort level of the cabin is close to that of my Z4, and it didn't get blown around like a small hatch would. The benefits of being designed by Merc come through in bad weather; the wipers cover all the screen and go intermittent when you come to a stop, and the demisters work well.touching cloth said:
3)I have picked up that they are not altogether the last word in reliability
Mine never had the slightest fault. In fact I only had to put in 0.5 litres of oil and that was at the end of the running in period, and it didn't drink any subsequently.touching cloth said:
4)Budget will be around £6k... ideally with leather... Not sure if they all have aircon etc
Not many non-BRABUS cars had leather, but the standard trim was pretty nice (although Light entry-level models had the plain grey seats from the ForTwo which weren't as nice but still worked). Aircon was standard on the Roadster-Coupe (the one with the domed glass fastback) but optional on the Roadster. Mine didn't have it and I never missed it, as in warm weather I had the roof down!If you're dead set on a convertible that in that price range the Roadster will be the car for you, but if you're willing to compromise a ForFour with a panoramic glass roof may be worth a look.
51mes said:
the rev-counter was an option..
The rev-counter was standard on UK Roadsters, as it was integral to the instrument cluster unit. The boost gauge and water temperature gauge were optional.Thanks for all the advice peeps, think we are going to give one a go, well as soon as we find the right one. Personally would love a Brabus, but as I'm not the one driving it probably doesn't warrant the premium they seem to command. Will hunt down a leather one though, there seem to be a few here and there (although I agree most are not), don't mind traveling to get one with the right spec for us so that will help. Aircon I thought would be a must but then maybe not, as you say, roof will be open probably whenever it is hot so I won't make it a dealbreaker (although I have a gut feeling that if someone specced up a "normal" roadster with leather, then there is every chance they will have added aircon too).
Will hopefully be able to update the "roll call" thread in the next month or so.
Will hopefully be able to update the "roll call" thread in the next month or so.
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