smart cdi (diesel) owner from BC, Canada

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello,

I could have sworn that the Smart cars I saw in England a few years ago were 500cc and 600cc -- and the fast ones were turbo 750cc's...

[smartzuuk]

There's a lot of engine variants. Including the 600 cc gasser you refer to from the previous model. Some turbo, some not. Even the 451 will soon have 6 or 7 variants.

[smartzuuk]

Latest news - I now have TWO smart diesels again!

A 2005 pulse coupe with 70,000 kms, and a very limited 2006 canada 1 cabriolet, one of 4 in canada... this one has just 1000 kms on it.

You can be sure I'll be going for some 100 mpg trips soon enough.

[Domman56]

Damn I envy you sir
A smart ANNNND it's a diesel, You are a lucky man

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by smartzuuk

Latest news - I now have TWO smart diesels again!

A 2005 pulse coupe with 70,000 kms, and a very limited 2006 canada 1 cabriolet, one of 4 in canada... this one has just 1000 kms on it.

You can be sure I'll be going for some 100 mpg trips soon enough.

Hmm, I see there are diesel smarts creeping into the US, too bad they have such unreliable motors

[War_Wagon]

And transmissions, and leaky windshields that let the electrical get soaked and cook the ECU, and....

I think they are neat and all, but I see more than a few go through the auction on the back of a tow truck because they either need transmission work or some other major repair, and they just aren't worth what it costs to fix them.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

And transmissions, and leaky windshields that let the electrical get soaked and cook the ECU, and....

I think they are neat and all, but I see more than a few go through the auction on the back of a tow truck because they either need transmission work or some other major repair, and they just aren't worth what it costs to fix them.

If I could remove the turbo and get the motor to work stand alone and mount up to a different transmission

Then the reliability issues would be fixed! LoL too bad MB stuff won't run without all the bells and whistles, 80's tech is so much simpler.

That MB motor would be sweet inside my subaru 360, especially without the turbo and a proper shiftable transmission with the right cogs.

Ah well.

[War_Wagon]

My friend with a dealership in the States imported a few gasoline powered ones he bought up here. He gets the speedometers/odometers changed to miles up here as it's cheaper. Parts were taking forever, so his speedometer guy decided to take a used part from another car, and flash the cars ECU to recalibrate the new part. Ya, that didn't work, the ECU locked up. And you can't just buy a used ECU and throw it in. Nooooo - Mercedes has to do it. $3600 later. And then another $800 to have them convert the speedo to miles. They are neat little cars, but anything that stupidly expensive / restricted to manufacturer repairs is not something I'd ever own. I can see why so many people just cut their losses on them when they do break.

[RoadTripRob]

My 2006 smart CDI pulse with 85,000km has been running well for the last few months. I have eco tires at 44psi(much better handling at high pressure) and i get about 4L/100km city driving normally. I live in a very dry climate so i think that helps cars like this. So far i would 10/10 recommend one. Ill save about $1000/year in fuel vs another eco car(honda fit) so if i have less than $1000/year repair bill it will be worth it. I plan in taking it on road trips, and on a single 3000km trip vs a highway cruiser car Ill save about $240 just in fuel(wear on car will also be less $)

[Lemmy]

Mines is 14 years old, returns well into the 60s mpg as standard, costs nothing to tax annually, parks in the tiniest of spaces, and is utterly reliable. Theyre also a hoot to drive - every journey is an event mixed with equal measures of hilarity and terror!

I maintain mine myself fastidiouslty anr dont thrash the arse off it. Because of their small motors many peolle thrash the bejesus out of them, and they dont live long if treated like that. Thet also dont like typical car owners who never lift a bonnet and miss the odd service.

Maintain them by the book and threat them sympathetically and theyre perfecrly reliable. Theyre easy to work on, parts are cheap from a thriving aftermarket, and theres a huge support network of owners who have come up with tricks and workarounds for most things, making them a very viable DIY proposition for anyone with a braincell and some tools. This idea that they have to go back to the dealers for this that or the other is tosh, and is almost never required. Peole who F around with them when they dont know what theyre doing deseeve a $3000 dollar bill for their stupidity.