Meet Max

[Alan From NYC]

Max is a blue 2008 smart fortwo Passion cabriolet.

[FineExampl]

Alan ya big lug, how ya gonna fit comfortably in that lil guy?

Good for you man! Glad to see you tossed Bubbles.

[warren]

congrats, Alan!

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by FineExampl

Alan ya big lug, how ya gonna fit comfortably in that lil guy?

Good for you man! Glad to see you tossed Bubbles.

It's very roomy. And the seats are firm and comfortable.

Originally Posted by warren

congrats, Alan!

Thanks, Warren. My brother just told me, "Like that VW you had, that smart is you."

[callisto9]

I demand more pics!

Congrats Alan.

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by callisto9

I demand more pics!

Congrats Alan.

Thank you, Erin. (I'm back home, too.)

I'll head out out tomorrow, though the forecast calls for drizzles. Sunday is supposed to be sunny. I'll take photos with the Lumix.

[my99vdub]

Originally Posted by FineExampl

Alan ya big lug, how ya gonna fit comfortably in that lil guy?

Good for you man! Glad to see you tossed Bubbles.

Originally Posted by Alan From NYC

It's very roomy. And the seats are firm and comfortable.



Thanks, Warren. My brother just told me, "Like that VW you had, that smart is you."

sat in one myself this summer, yes, quite roomy inside but I couldn't drive one myself (not enough *car* around me) - when I was working this summer, one of the guys would see them cruising around (dealer down the road) and say, it's a golf cart with a cover!! (I know, been said a million times all ready, huh?)

Originally Posted by callisto9

I demand more pics!

Congrats Alan.

X2, more pics!!! Great color choice!

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by my99vdub

sat in one myself this summer, yes, quite roomy inside but I couldn't drive one myself (not enough *car* around me) - when I was working this summer, one of the guys would see them cruising around (dealer down the road) and say, it's a golf cart with a cover!! (I know, been said a million times all ready, huh?)



X2, more pics!!! Great color choice!

Thank you, Beth.

Blue was my first choice of color. It's very close to the Blue Lagoon Color Concept NB.

I didn't plunk down $99 a year ago and wait for it, deciding instead to wait for an "orphan," which is a smart that was ordered and then "abandoned" by the prospective buyer. (Usually, a car is "orphaned" when a reservation holder loses patience and he gets himself an orphan.)

I would've like fog lights and the alarm, but Max, short for maxwell smart, came with LoJack, which is way better. And the headlights do a great job of illumination, so fog lights aren't really missed either.

[AmyJane]

Very nice, Alan! Congrats Max is adorable

I really wanna test drive one.

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by CyberGreenBaby

Very nice, Alan! Congrats Max is adorable

I really wanna test drive one.

Thanks, Amy.

And you can forego the trip to the dealer. Any time you want to get together, you can take Max for a spin.

I'm heading out to the island tomorrow. How could I not want to take a spin too?

[yellowherbie]

Very Nice!!!!!!

[scarabY2k]

Congrats Alan. I like the whole Max/Smart play on words- cool. Now you need another one and call it 99

I guess the Smart is a good commuter car, especially in the city where you are, huh?

Give us a full report on Max's performance during the snowy, winter months ahead too.

And yes, more pics please.

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by yellowherbie

Very Nice!!!!!!

Thanks!!!!

Originally Posted by scarabY2k

Congrats Alan. I like the whole Max/Smart play on words- cool. Now you need another one and call it 99

I guess the Smart is a good commuter car, especially in the city where you are, huh?

Give us a full report on Max's performance during the snowy, winter months ahead too.

And yes, more pics please.

If I marry someone, 99 would be a cool wedding gift. (Not that that's gonna happen!)

I wanted a smart for several reasons. One, most of my driving is commuting in usually slow traffic. Two, parking is a real pain where I live.

Also, honestly, I'm not a "sporty" guy, but I wanted a two seater convertible.

With all the safety features the smart has, Winter should only be a "small" problem. I'll let you know.

Mpre pics will be posted over the weekend.

[beej]

OOOH Neat! If I ever get back to New York, I'm bugging you for a ride.

[dnyed]

How adorable! Have fun, Alan!

[PhoenixRising]

Alan, now I really want one.

How much (ball park) is your car? I mean, is it cheap, or really expensive?

I bet the MPG will be great. And you are right about the parking.

I see myself getting one some day, just to tool around in. Just as a third car, you know, so the miles don't add up too fast for my Mustang.

Congrats!

Oh, more pics!

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by beej

OOOH Neat! If I ever get back to New York, I'm bugging you for a ride.

No problem!

Originally Posted by dnyed

How adorable! Have fun, Alan!

"Adorable" seems to be the word for Max. And the only other car I can describe with the same word is the New Beetle. Okay, the old Beetle, too. Is it coincidental I was interested?

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Alan, now I really want one.

How much (ball park) is your car? I mean, is it cheap, or really expensive?

I bet the MPG will be great. And you are right about the parking.

I see myself getting one some day, just to tool around in. Just as a third car, you know, so the miles don't add up too fast for my Mustang.

Congrats!

Oh, more pics!

Is it cheap? No. Real World pricing puts the smart between 15 and 20 thousand bucks. Max is the top of the line cabrio and went out the door close to the top price. The dealer, who has promised smart not to sell over sticker price, pads the price by adding possibly unwanted stuff. In Max's case, it was Scotchguard, which was a whopping $450, and LoJack, which was $1500. I was going to get LoJack anyway, so I'm only pissed about the Scotchguard. I mean, hey, the seats are mostly leather. Who needs it? "Really expensive" will have to be a personal decision. I coulda got a Yaris or a Fit and spent thousands less. But the smart has a very high level of SPM. That's Smiles Per Mile.

The MPG is good. So far, I've driven about 75 miles and about 2 gallons are gone. I think people in general expect better than that, but 37 MPG is okay with me. And lest we forget, Max likes Premium.

Parking is a snap. Not only do I find space in moments, I merely pull in to the spot. Very neat!

One automotive pundit says the smart is the first sign of everyone's future car. In my case, the future is now.

IMHO, the smart is clearly not for everyone. Many will not like the poor acceleration, the indecisive gearbox, or the sub-40 MPG. Obviously, these things don't bother me. In the coming years, smart will bring hybrids and electrics to the US, so 80 MPG smarts should make the econominded happy. For the sporty bunch, smart will bring a Brabus version, which is their equivalent of an AMG Mercedes. It will be VERY expensive.

I'll have more "smart" thoughts in the weeks to come as Max and I acclimate with each other.

[Neko-Bug]

V V cool!

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by Neko-Bug

V V cool!

Thanks, Amy.

So far, only fat, middle-aged men stop to comment on Max. And one old guy asked me not to mug him.

[PhoenixRising]

I saw in the picture, that it has a third brake light. And a rag top. How does the the light stay up while the top goes down? Is it more obvious then I saw?