Bought the second, I was told, Smart4Two in California in Jan 2008. Drained the oil and replaced it with Mobil 1. Put a trailer hitch on it and drove to Chicago. Brought back a Wildfire and some other junk. About half a ton. Other trips from California were to Laramie, WY; Kansas City, MO; all of the west coast Hy 1; and another half ton haul out of Houston, TX. 75,000 miles now. Wore out one set of tires. No issues ever.
Perhaps the most amazing thing is that I had a Dodge truck with a utility bed that got 12 mpg when I bought the Smart. My lifetime average in the Smart is 52 mpg, a 40 mpg difference.
75k miles / 52 mpg = 1442 gallons
1442 gallons x $3.32 average price per gallon = $4,788 in gas expense
But if I hadn't bought the smart and kept the truck and driven the same miles...
75k miles / 12 mpg = 6,250 gallons
6250 gallons x $3.32 = $20, 750
Fuel savings from 2008 to present
$20,750 (truck) - $4,788 (Smart) = $15,962
That's about exactly what I paid for the Smart.
Don't that beat all?!!
I got a free car.
Na na na na na