Comments on: TTAC Reader Sells First Official U.S. Smart Car After Four Days

By: GS650G

GS650G — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:20:26 +0000

25K selling price, 5K over cost, not a bad profit for a week of ownership. It’s hard to imagine Nick not having that in mind when he bought it.

By: JerZa

JerZa — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:44:59 +0000

I have seen the SMART car here in the Toronto area for quite some time now… and just don’t get it. $20,000 (even $15000) for this car just isn’t all that ’smart’. When I drive by it in my sub-compact Yaris ($5k cheaper – almost the same mileage and seating for 4?!) I feel like I’m driving a boat!
Truly – if this car was $10,000 I would see it in a whole different light – I just can’t see anyone justifying that kind of cash for this car….

By: The Comedian

The Comedian — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:43:39 +0000

I noticed on the picture of the Monroney in the auction that the Smart comes with just a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty.

Not exactly a strong vote of confidence.

And yes, I know, shorter warranties lower the needed accruals for future claim and allow a lower initial sales price. However, in today’s market, a 2/24 warranty is laughably short.

By: jthorner

jthorner — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:10:18 +0000

I don’t understand the attraction of this car when you can walk into a Honda dealer and get a brand new Fit for around $15k. Why pay a premium for a “Smart” micro-car? Sure the Fit is EPA rated at 33/40 MPG instead of the Fit’s 28/34, but you can actually put real people and their things in a Fit and go anywhere with it. A Smart car is pretty useless outside of city runabout duty. Drive 10,000 city miles in the Fit and you will consume about 303 gallons of fuel. That same distance in a Fit will use about 357 gallons of fuel. (357-303) * $3.25/gallon = $175.50. You may well pay more than that as an auto insurance premium for driving the Smart!

By: tcwarnke (of GM)

tcwarnke (of GM) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:13:52 +0000

No offense Nick, but I drove several of these when I lived in Europe and was less than impressed. I’m surprised that it cost $20K! I would not pay more than 10K for one of these…

By: Skooter

Skooter — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:07:36 +0000

What is so “smart” about a small, funny looking, poor riding and handling quirky car d’jour?

By: Steven Lang

Steven Lang — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:30:28 +0000

Well, he may have been a bit too long on the wind-up. It looks like there are five online at the moment.

That number may be up to 20 by the time the final 24 hours ticks in. That little paper is what’s really going to determine the value of the vehicle.

Something tells me it would have been a bit more savvy for him to have offered it via B-J.

By: chronoguy

chronoguy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:22:05 +0000

Considering that Manhattan dealers are not yet open, Nick is hawking (pumping) his car on Jalopnik:

http://jalopnik.com/347464/2008-smart-fortwo-first-us-drive

By: Pch101

Pch101 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:02:15 +0000

I hate to say it, but I think that Mr. Goddard here just used TTAC (and a lot of other media outlets) for his own purposes. He’s using this type of coverage to generate hype for his car, which will increase its sales price.

It’s a nice example of effective viral marketing. But it’s not very nice.

By: nick2ny

nick2ny — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:06:35 +0000

Also, the car isn’t technically “sold” yet, like it says in the headline–it’s “for sale”

By: jkross22

jkross22 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:10:27 +0000

I love capitalism. Nice job, Nick!

By: nick2ny

nick2ny — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:08:01 +0000

I’m going to take all the red ones off and drive to the dealer.

By: DaPope

DaPope — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:47:19 +0000

So, how’d he get the spare panels home?

By: Steven Lang

Steven Lang — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:29:04 +0000

The three rules of selling cars on Ebay…

1) $100 Strating Bid / No Reserve

2) 24 Great Pictures > 100 Adjectives

3) People pay for a great story… and pay even more for exclusivity.

I’ve sold cars on Ebay for over 5 years. If I lived in central Florida instead of Atlanta, it would be my ONLY line of work.

I’ll let the peanut gallery figure out why Central Florida is the optimal place for it…

By: AGR

AGR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:25:42 +0000

Its a great and very inexpensive way to generate buzz for smart, and for the owner to make some money, considering that he had to pay taxes on top of the selling price.

Is it just a coincidence that Dave Schembri is in one of the photos?

By: GS650G

GS650G — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:23:50 +0000

My Ford Escort gets 31/40 and is twice the car. Literally. I think it’s underpowered. Wind resistance is it’s enemy.

By: blautens

blautens — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:23:46 +0000

A very good eBay listing. I almost wanted to bid on it myself.

I believe he’s going to do very well with it. Good luck!

By: chronoguy

chronoguy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:12:29 +0000

Is he really curious or is he out for profit.
This is what he had to say in his auction:

Q: Why are you selling the car. is it that bad or you just dont like it? Jan-21-08
A: Neither–I actually LOVE this car. It is perfect for Manhattan. Just perfect–it is so much easier to find parking spaces in this car that you can consider it a high-performance car for city needs. Anywhere you go, you can park. I’ve gotten used to the transmission (and like it too), the car gets lots of positive attention, and it is inexpensive to run. Plus, its by far the most interesting car you can get in its price range. I also love that the roof goes down at any speed–it makes it so much easier to enjoy a convertible. If you slow down and are in the sun–top down. If you speed up and go into the shade, top up. It’s fantastic. Its just that I’m not a car collector, and I figure the very first smart should go to someone who places significance on things like being “the first.” I’m going to be getting another spot on the waiting list, that’s for sure. Also, I live several miles closer to work at this point than I did when I reserved the car a year ago, and ride my bike to work about 2/3 of the time. If you can get to Manhattan and are considering bidding on the car, we can get together and I’ll show you the car. I think you’ll find it hard not to love.

By: nick2ny

nick2ny — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:10:18 +0000

I’m going to miss the smart, that’s for sure. I wish I’d made two reservations (or had a friend reserve an extra, I guess). But–as I mentioned to Robert last night–though waiting in line is one of the last egalitarian processes, if you’re waiting for a tangible good, the market takes over after that. And Robert said “I applaud your decision” and mentioned free markets etc.

I’m not a car collector, and though I do feel sentimental about this particular car, I could get just as excited for my next one, and will happily get back in line. Its just that if it’s the first, the effective cost of ownership goes way up to beyond my means.

I’m going to put a review of it in the original article soon.

By: redangelleo

redangelleo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:54:30 +0000

just bought a second hand smart fortwo passion 2004 for 5000€ lol

By: jonguy24

jonguy24 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:53:38 +0000

I dont see the draw with this little car. Its ugly, not the greatest mpg, doesnt use its space well, and cost way too much. The last generation scion Xb (has more interior space than a ford explorer) blows this thing out of the water as does the xa. The smart is heavier than early Mazda Miatas and many other fun cars…and when you hit any of them with a Chevy Tahoe, you can bet on the driver eating it.

1978 datsun 280z 2355lbs with inline-6
1997 miata 2070lbs
2008 smart for2 1800lbs

I bet an old geo metro would best it in every way

By: chanman

chanman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:11:37 +0000

Couldn’t they ship Smart cars cross-border from Canada the same way Canadians are importing American cars these days?

By: threeer

threeer — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:53:35 +0000

Sounds like a friend of the family’s back in Germany during the mid-80s that more or less “sold” his position on the Mercedes-Benz waiting list for any new model that came out. I’m sure he’ll make money (as long as the high bidder doesn’t bale…which happens all to often), but he might regret giving up the smart. I guess people are willing to pay a premium for the car, but I think I can wait until the buzz is off…

By: muffinman

muffinman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:52:44 +0000

“Anyway, the answer to the question “what’s a six-day old ‘historic’ smart car worth?” is… not much”

Glad you guys fixed that “error”

$19k with 5 days to go is pretty damn good.

By: Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:52:00 +0000

$20k for a used car w/out a dipstick and gas mileage on par w/a standard tranny Corolla? There must be “smarter” ways to satisfy one’s “look at me” cravings…

BTW: Yes, I’ve driven a “schmart” in Germany and it is absolutely nothing to get excited about…a car for driving if you hate driving (not unlike so many others in this class).