Smart Roadster

I have had my 2004 Smart Roadster for 14 days. Loving every minute of it. I don't have any leaks but the old owner may have as the carpet is web behinfd the driver side only.

You will learn how to pack things properly when you drive this car.

Starting to get in and out of the car a bit easier now, but you will look like an idiot at first.

I have taken 2 of my bosses to work in it. One of them is very tall and she fitted in perfectly, the other is a big guy like me, it was a tad cramped but it was so much fun driving it and he had the biggest grin on his face!!!

It can be a bit noisy but all convertables are.

But I would recommend you have a second car for more practical things like when you need to do a big shop, as you can only put a few loose potatoes in the back boot, and a 3 to 4 shopping bags in the back!!!

I get 55mpg, to fill it up its £35.00, tax is £90 for 12 months. and the short service time well it is a mid engined, rear wheel drive, turbo charged, convertible, Mercedes Benz after all!!

Smart Roadster's fine really. Good fun, with good handling. The grip is surprising, its got great turn in and is well balanced. It can be snappy at the limit, and could do with a touch more power to really make use of the chassis. Had water ingress problems through windows, roof, and seals so had to have a re-placement seal kit which was a pain. The car develops rattles with age especially the Targa sides to the roof which can be removed. This is largely down to the seals vibrating. The service interval is an annoying 7000mile which can be expensive to run especially with Mercedes costs. They charged me £194 to replace the brake fluid and spark plugs. It normally costs aout £170 for a service. The gear change is not delightful, and can be very harsh if you don't drive it using the manual side to the box, but even when you do it's not the smoothest of changes even with a small throttle lift on the upchange. The traction control is really annoyingm you have an option to turn it off, but if you ever get any drifting going once you get to any advanced angles or full throttle power then it can cut back in a ruin the end of your slide and also doesn't help you brake pad/show wear. Overall though I am pleased with it, it justs cost too much to run and has annoying habits which just spoil it slightly. It is a good toy though and does put a smile on your face, (and makes Elise drivers think twice about taking you on on a B-road blast!!!)