Would you buy a Smart car with 150k miles on the clock?

Asking for a friend ?

Ignoring the fact that most of you wouldn’t even consider buying one no matter what the mileage, if it was cheap enough would it be a daft purchase buying a Smart Roadster with this sort of mileage in the clock?

Got a full service history and has a few bits upgraded (suspend, brakes)

I appreciate it depends on how it’s been driven as much as how far, but is 150k a bit much for a 0.7ltr turbo engine? It’s 20 years old so I guess it’s not too many miles a year.

If it’s not got any visible rust around the main areas, and has been serviced recently, and the MoT history is good, don’t see why it would be a bad buy, it’s not diesel, so none of the expensive failures that could occur, not a lot of tech on a 20 year old car as well, just check it over well.

No.

The mileage wouldn’t bother me, my current car has 128k on it, but at 20 years old things just expire. Rust, perishing rubber components,  breaking down of wiring insulation, lack of availability of spare parts etc.

Maybe if it was less than 2 grand and came with a years full MOT but even then…

Can you fix cars or are you paying a man.

That determines how silly a move it is.

It will need fixing.

Maybe if it was less than 2 grand and came with a years full MOT

It’s a ‘yes’ to both of those. TBH I’d not thought of spare parts availability so might check their availability first. Cheers for mentioning that.

If it’s in good nick and cheap enough, certainly. It’s not so old that parts are unavailable, and they’re pretty basic to work on. Both cars in my household are approaching that age, and I expect to keep them for a good while yet!

How confident are you of your ability to assess condition? Take the time to have a good look at everything you can get at.

I’m reasonably good with a spanner but not too worried about getting help from a pro if needed. It will really just be a play thing seeing as my motorbike plans fell through so quite happy to be tinkering with it.

20 years ago I used to all my car work, so not too scared of it

I really like the smart roadster and reckon it’s a future classic.  I m sure it was high peak autos on yt who tipped it, Sterling moss had one.  I don’t think I would fit in one, low mileage ones weren’t that much when I briefly looked.

Sound’s like you’re going into it with your eyes wide open. Yeah, go for it and post some pictures.

Cheers folks, now need to see if it’s still available and when I can view it. If this one isn’t available there seem to be a few others about.

As they’re built by Mercedes, I’d not be too concerned about mechanical parts, Smart cars are still in production, although the Roadster isn’t, parts are common. The Roaster’s a lot of fun to drive, but too low to the ground for me to cope with now, but I’d happily buy a fourtwo of that sort of age, just as a cheap runabout, and do motorway miles in one, having done so in the past.

If it’s clean, then why not?

I always thought they would be good fun with a hayabusa motor in the back. If the original motor doesn’t last, it’s got to be worth a try.

ways thought they would be good fun with a hayabusa motor in the back. 

Ooh, now that sounds fun, never even thought of doing anything like that, didn’t realise it was even possible.

If I do get it this could end up being a bit more of an expensive play thing ;o)

I looked at these when they first came out as they were revolutionary at the time. I had my misgivings that the small turbo engine would last. Fast forward a decade or more and I remembered going viewing them and was wondering how they’d faired. A googling showed that they were actually fairly bulletproof although the sluggish gearbox was a bit rubbish.

A good friend of mine has recently done a deal/trade swop for a Roadster and is loving it.

Hub Nut took on an abandoned Smart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LbQMarezJ4

Can you fix cars or are you paying a man.

I keep meaning to get one of these 🙂

If your a spannerist they aren’t that bad but are a bit different but not that exotic.

2 spark plugs  per cylinder but not both at the top sort of weirdness and the gearbox is a clutch with a little actuator on the bottom that pushes it in.

They are all likely to have a bit of mileage on now as they are pretty old.

700cc Roadster 452
Usually fine up to 180,000 miles.
Engine have an oil cooler and possibly better pistons and exhaust valves.
Water ingress and electrical issues will normally kill a Roadster before the engine fails.

I’ve got a 451 cabrio, it’s a cracking little thing tbh

1000cc Fortwo 451
Expect to see mileages exceeding 200,000 miles.
The engines are reliable Mitsubishi units.
Even the MHD engine is reliable if the belt doesn’t snap (unlikely over time).

Get a sub to this site, he’s the smart guy

https://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/smart-engine-longevity.htm

Smart cars are still in production

Nah, the site got sold to Ineos and that’s where the Grenadier is made, i’m really dissapointed as I won’t be able to get a new for2 as they don’t make them anymore.

The new ones are a joint venture with Geely and MB being built in China.

If it’s done 150,000 it must be pretty reliable, and not that horrible to drive I would have thought.

In the 2010 movie Knight and Day, the Smart Roadster appears in the final chase scene. These vehicles were retrofitted with an engine from a Suzuki GSX-R motorcycle to improve power and throttle response, which was accomplished with a kit made by a British company. Three of the cars were bike-powered, and three more had conventionally tuned 698cc 3 cylinder engines featuring ECU remap, cold air intake/filter, performance exhaust, stiffer engine mounts, improved brakes

https://youtu.be/eOSXyizLHv4?feature=shared

I expect the 3 GSX-R ones are doing all the power slides 🙂

I did have a  450 cabrio (600) for years which had the ecu remap air intake,brabus exhaust and suspension treatment 🙂

I did like tinkering with it but grabbed a low mile 451 cabrio(the nice 1L  turbo  engine) which I brought to Spain (I’ve actually got some of the crazy 451 wide brabus fake arches that one day I’ll fit.)

I’d look for a brabus version as they had some nice bits but they may be overpriced,

I love the look of them, the fella who designed the Maclaren F1 road car had one, loved it. Gordon someone?
Perfect fun to drive sports car without being stupid fast.

I like the one with the “proper” boot on it. In Brabus flavour.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401135519355

(although not necessarily that one)

I like the idea of the Brabus but they’re a little too expensive. The cheapness of the standard roadster with the potential go-cart fun is what’s appealing to me at the moment.

Someone I used to work with had one and regularly said how much she loved it and ultimately missed it when she sold it (and replaced it with a new fortwo).

I’m currently looking for something to replace my own fortwo as I need something better suited to my needs. Shame as I doubt I’ll get anything as cheap to run as this has been.

New video just up on late brake show would be worth watching.

dudeofdoomFull Member

I did like tinkering with it but grabbed a low mile 451 cabrio(the nice 1L  turbo  engine)

On a side note: For a short time, I used to cast the cylinder heads for the 1L Smart cars, at the Nissan plant in Sunderland. A right PITA to keep the quality up to where we were used to

A mate of mine had a roaster with the greenhouse on the back. It was an absolute hoot to drive. Not sure how many miles in the end but he had from about 2007 to a year or two ago – scrapped for around £700. It was a 53 plate. He ultimately got rid because it was starting to fall apart.

The engines do have a tendency to go pop (his never did) anywhere from about 60k miles onwards. The actuated clutch is awful and until you get used to it can leave you rolling out onto roundabouts or main roads with zero power for a second or two while it works out what gear to choose. It handles incredibly well and in the right conditions you can get the back end out super easily. The engine bay is tiny and virtually empty – they’re pretty easy to work on.

Not sure what used prices are realistically like but I’d have one in good nick in a heartbeat for 1k if I had that burning a hole in my pocket.

Intrinsically I’d say not a problem as long as you can fix some stuff occasionally.  Our 1.4 petrol Fiesta is now upto 170k and 21 years old. Yes stuff is wearing out, yes theres rust on the inner door skins, but aside form normal service items and things you’d expect to replace anyway it’s hardly cost anything. This year was quite expensive as it needed a cambelt and an new suspension strut (but that was probably die to being enthusiastically kerbed by my OH.

The only trouble is they won’t last forever, so be reasonably prepared that anything you spend on it may disappear. Same with any car but obviously far more likely the older it gets.