2003 Smart

SOFT TOP Convertible

-

Unspecified

1FTFS24H2PHB17347

Gasoline

VIN# WME01MC012H052557 CALL 951-990-1075 2003 Smart Fortwo Specifications Smart 2dr 0.7L 2003 03 Reg SMART 6 SPEED TIPTRONIC AUTO SOFT TOUCH 2003 03,PRESENTED IN SOLID JET BLACK WITH GREY INTERIOR,POWER STEERING,ABS,TRACTION CONTROL,TWIN AIRBAGS,RADIO,ELECTRIC SOFT TOP,CUPHOLERS,STOW AWAY STORAGE FOR ROOF BARS, ,FRONT FOGLAMPS,REMOTE CENTRAL LOCKING The German-built Smart Car is manufactured by Daimler, which also produces Mercedes-Benz automobiles. The Smart was originally conceived in 1993 as a joint venture between Daimler, which was to engineer the Smart, and the Swiss watchmaker, Swatch, which would design the car. Eventually, the partnership dissolved and Daimler took over the entire operation. The micro cars, which are called Smart Fortwo, can now be found in North American, Europe and other parts of the world. Safety All Smart Fortwo models are equipped with front airbags as well as side head-and-neck airbags. Occupants are shielded from blunt force trauma by Daimler's "tridiron safety shell," which disperses the impact in case of a collision. The Smart Car's rear-engine is also designed to absorb energy from a rear impact. European Car The Smart City-Coupe, a tiny car for only two passengers, was designed for use in the narrow streets of Europe's big cities. While Americans have historically favored larger cars American Debut With skyrocketing fuel costs, the Smart Car was introduced in the United States in 2006. Looking for ways to cut costs, Americans began buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and hybrids. While the Smart Car is still considered a novelty in this country, sales are growing. The Smart Car was designed with fuel efficiency and ease of parking in mind. In theory, the Smart Car can be parked perpendicular to the curb in an urban parallel parking spot. The Smart Fortwo is like driving a smiley face down the road. When you're in it, everyone is your best friend and you're always the center of attention — whether you like it or not. More to the point, the Smart car, built by Mercedes-Benz and imported to the U.S. by ZAP, is a barometer of the public's interest in alternative solutions to the trio of problems facing our country: oil addiction, air pollution and clogged inner-city arteries. This becomes obvious from the host of questions machine-gunned at anyone driving this car. "Is it electric?" people ask. "A hybrid?" they inquire. "Fuel cell?" They have to believe a car this different in looks is also different under the skin. A thrifty combination No, we explain to onlookers, the Smart's thriftiness is not due to Star Wars technology. The designers at Smart (owned by Mercedes) just reworked the power-to-weight ratio for economy. The car is little more than a passenger compartment 8 feet long and weighing 1,588 pounds. Then they powered it with a turbocharged 61-horsepower rear-mounted three-cylinder gas engine that makes 70 pound-feet of torque and delivers more than 40 miles per gallon. The result is a "city car" that is perfect for tucking into small parking spaces and threading through clogged urban roadways. While the little Smart car is mind-blowing in the U.S., it's old news in Europe, where it's been scooting about since 1998. In fact, the Smart is already available both north and south of our borders, in Canada and Mexico. But with the recent growth of the small-car market, DaimlerChrysler has decided that Americans are ready for the next step — a "microcar." Sales have reportedly been strong overseas and in Canada, but the brand has failed to break even. DaimlerChrysler hopes to reverse that trend and has tapped racing legend Roger Penske to sell a redesigned Smart Fortwo through 30-50 United Auto Group dealerships in densely populated areas of the U.S. We contacted Mercedes to find out what the redesigned Fortwo will be like, but few details were available. The new Fortwo will debut in Europe in 2007, and will be sold Stateside in 2008, making it the first factory-backed Smart sold in the U.S. If the look of the Smart car has caught your fancy and you feel you must have one now, you can go to ZAP in Santa Rosa, California, which is currently the only authorized dealer in the U.S. ZAP, which also sells electric cars and scooters, "Americanizes" the Smart to meet EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation standards, and has put more than 200 Fortwos on our roads so far. (Note: DaimlerChrysler has said it will sell the Smart car in the U.S. for $15,000; the Smart Passion we tested, sells in the U.K. for $15,595; ZAP sells the Smart car through dealers who get over $28,000 for the cars after importing and "Americanizing" them.) A Smart journey The folks at ZAP were kind enough to loan us a 2003 Smart Fortwo Passion (the top trim level) so we could get a taste of what it will be like to live life on a smaller scale. Is the Smart practical? Safe? Economical? These were all questions we were invited to discover for ourselves over a seven-day, 1,500-mile test-drive from Northern California to Los Angeles and back. We quickly learned that to evaluate the Smart Fortwo properly you have to view it in its native habitat, the congested inner city. On a busy street in Santa Monica, we were boxed in by larger vehicles. We put the Fortwo into stunt mode and it performed such acrobatics — U-turns, swerves and zigzags — that someone cued the circus music. You get the picture. Some people think it's a clown car. But underneath the carnival exterior lurks a capable little coupe. Yes, it is choppy on rough roads, and a bit noisy, but it eats up the asphalt with a surprisingly large appetite for a bantam two-seater. It cruises at 75 mph (with a governor capping the speed at 84 mph), holds two tall people comfortably, and carries two suitcases, while cutting emissions and saving gas. The Smart proved controversial among our staff. It scored high on looks and novelty, but its practicality and performance were questioned. While one editor said, "It's less of a toy than I expected," another termed it the worst car he has recently driven. Real-world specs At the test track, the Fortwo buzzed its way to a very slow (by American standards) 15 seconds from zero to 60 mph on a hot and humid day. It took 130 feet to haul it down from 60 mph to a full stop using front-disc/rear-drum brakes with ABS. There was, however, some good news in the handling department: Despite the Smart's top-heavy feeling, it slalomed with alacrity, threading the cones at almost 58 mph thanks to nonintrusive, but judicious, electronic stability control. The biggest complaint from drivers was the six-speed automatic/manual transmission, what Smart calls the "Softip" transmission. In manual mode, the car shuddered briefly during startup from a dead stop. In the full automatic mode, the transmission shifts prematurely and floats between gears; it actually feels like you're riding in a manual-shift car driven by an inexperienced driver. We found it easiest to upshift through the gears manually and then let the car automatically downshift when we came to a stop. An indicator on the speedometer shows what gear you're in and recommends a shift point. Interior comfort Perhaps the most startling thing about the Smart is the amount of space that's been created inside a very small-looking box. A 6-foot, 5-inch driver reported that he still had headroom, and said the legroom was just fine. There is more space in front of the driver in the Smart than in most normal-sized cars. This is because the seats are pushed nearly to the back of this car instead of positioning the driver in the middle of the vehicle. Another factor holding claustrophobia at bay is that the seating position is higher than in many cars. Although this gives the Smart a top-heavy feeling, it also provides additional visibility and a feeling of confidence. The only time confidence is compromised is after you park the Fortwo, look back and say, "I was going 75 in that?" The Fortwo's interior is as different as the outside would make you expect. The high, cloth-covered dash sweeps around the interior like a Vegas lounge. Billiard-ball-sized vents pop up at the corners and allow for easy airflow adjustment. Yes, it has an air conditioner and it worked adequately in the middle of California's record heat wave. But is it safe? In the mind of most American drivers, size equals safety. But this car was built for very different countries, places with lots of traffic, limited parking and expensive gas. We have none of those conditions here, right? Oh, wait a second, that might just fit the bill in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. So maybe there is a market, albeit very narrow, for a new breed of car. Still, our blog photo of the Smart car drew this response from a reader: "You'd have to be suicidal to get into that roller skate." Obviously, Smart knew safety was a major hurdle to clear. Enter the "tridion safety cell." This is an aluminum safety cage with steel reinforcements that takes a chapter from the design of racecars. The egg-shaped cage, and the wheels at the corner, are designed to keep the passenger compartment safe and earned it a three-star crash test, out of a possible five, from NCAP, the European New Car Assessment Programme. (ZAP had the Fortwo crash tested to meet DOT standards and, although a star rating was not issued, it passed all U.S. tests.) The Smart also has an assortment of airbags, hard-backed safety seats (also very comfortable), skid control and electronic stability control. If you'd like to see how these features work in a crash test with an S-Class Mercedes, check this German video clip. Fuel economy revisited A big reason people might consider this car is the fuel economy it offers. The EPA has rated it at 40/40 mpg city/highway, although a ZAP spokesman said he had documented 58 mpg on the highway. One problem with accurate testing is that the 8.7-gallon tank is difficult to fill to the top without the nozzle shutting off early. Once we got the knack of filling it up, we averaged the mileage over multiple tanks of gas and a variety of driving. On the trip south to Los Angeles we sometimes averaged better than 50 mpg. But when we averaged the readings for all our driving (including track testing), our real-world average was 40 mpg. While the Smart's mileage is nothing to sneeze at (diesel and electric Fortwos are available in the U.K.), other options may be more enticing. The Edmunds.com long-term Toyota Prius (selling for about $25,000) has a lifetime average of 43 mpg. The 2007 Honda Fit Sport, which stickers for $15,720 with a manual transmission, has an EPA estimated mileage of 33/38 mpg and will provide a backseat and much more storage capacity. Wrapping up Is there a place in the U.S. market — or your lifestyle — for the Smart Fortwo? In the cute category it certainly pegs the needle. At a proposed price of $15,000, however, we have to wonder about its value for consumers. What will lure buyers? Probably a combination of factors topped by novelty, the cute-as-a-bug's-ear design, and the assumption that it gets great fuel economy. For a city dweller it could be just the ticket. In the suburbs, it might be a nice second car, playing backup to a larger vehicle, for trips to the store and around-town errands. One thing's for sure: If DaimlerChrysler has read the market correctly and the Smart Fortwo is a success, it will signal an openness to change and the dawn of a new era in American transportation. Vehicle Model year 2003 Make Smart Model Fortwo Style Passion Base MSRP $15,000 As-tested MSRP $28,000 est. · Drivetrain Drive type RWD Engine type gasoline Displacement (cc/cu-in) 0.7 (698cc) Horsepower (hp @ rpm) 61 @ 5250 Torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 70 @ 2000 Transmission type 6-speed automanual · Chassis Suspension, front McPherson front axle with antiroll bar, wishbone Suspension, rear DeDion rear axle with wishbone, antiroll bar, coil springs and dampers Steering type Rack and pinion steering with damper Tire brand Continental Tire model Conti Tire size, front 145/65R15 Tire size, rear 175/55R15 Brakes, front Front disc, rear drum · Track Test Results 0-45 mph (sec.) 8.9 0-60 mph (sec.) 15.5 0-75 mph (sec.) N/A 1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 19.6 @ 69.3 Braking, 30-0 mph (ft.) 32 60-0 mph (ft.) 130 Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 57.9 Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) .71 Sound level @ idle (dB) 51 @ Full throttle (dB) 73.2 @ 70 mph cruise (dB) 71 · Test Driver Ratings & Comments Acceleration comments Car accelerated faster in manual-shift mode. It will automatically shift even in the manual mode, rather than bang off the rev limiter, and the shifts are crisper. It was a hot day and the car might have done better in cooler temperatures. Braking rating Average Braking comments The car pitches during hard braking. Because it is so light we expected shorter braking distances. Probably, smaller rotors were used because it was lighter and stopping distances suffered as a result. Handling rating Good Handling comments Expected it to be kind of "spooky" given the short wheelbase and high center of gravity. It was better than expected because of nonintrusive and sophisticated stability control system. It intervenes early and with smaller corrections. Just as the tires are starting to squawk the stability control kicks in. It was very narrow, which made the slalom easier. · Testing Conditions Elevation (ft.) 1121 Temperature (°F) 91 Wind (mph, direction) 3.5 mph · Fuel Consumption EPA fuel economy (mpg) 40 City 40 Highway Edmunds observed (mpg) 40 City 58 Highway Fuel tank capacity (U.S. gal.) 8.7 · · Dimensions & Capacities Curb weight, mfr. claim (lbs.) 1,588 Length (in.) 98.4 inches Width (in.) 59.6 inches Height (in.) 60.9 inches Wheelbase (in.) 71.3 inches Legroom, front (in.) N/A Legroom, rear (in.) N/A Headroom, front (in.) 39 inches Headroom, rear (in.) N/A Seating capacity 2 Cargo volume (cu-ft) 5.2 cubic feet Max. cargo volume, seats folded (cu-ft) 12.9 cubic feet · · Safety Front airbags Standard Antilock brakes With EBD Electronic brake enhancements Acceleration Skid Control Traction control Standard Stability control Standard NHTSA crash test, driver Independently tested, passed DOT safety standards -- 45-state legal NHTSA crash test, passenger Independently tested, passed DOT safety standards -- 45-state legal NHTSA crash test, side front Independently tested, passed DOT safety standards -- 45-state legal NHTSA crash test, side rear Independently tested, passed DOT safety standards -- 45-state legal NHTSA rollover resistance Independently tested, passed DOT safety standards -- 45-state legal Default Disclaimer IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ABOUT SOMETHING, PLEASE ASK! Vehicles listed are pre owned and may not come with extra keys, or other accessories. Please ask, we are happy to verify anything you ask. However, with all pre-owned items, the condition is subjective, so we recommend that the potential buyer inspect, we try and discribe all major damage noticeable, but may miss a minor dent or scratch once in a while. All vehicles are sold in "AS IS" condition unless otherwise specified. In regards to picking up the vehicle in person: IF THE VEHICLE IS NOT AS REPRESENTED (fails a professional inspection or is materially misrepresented), WE WILL PROMPTLY REFUND YOUR DEPOSIT and we try and represent them to the best of our ablities, but again these are all USED items, and are not our personal items. They come into us the way they are sold, and they are sold as-is. Our goal is to provide you with the best service and the most comfortable buying experience