I bought one when they first came out, the same colour new, for £250 you could swap all the plastic panels for a different colour, loved the car , 700cc engine, quite nippy, used to piss people off on the motorway, if you overtook them they would be after you like a pack of dogs lol. Even went to the middle of France in it, great fun to drive.
I got one of these cars at 87k miles and now it’s 20 years old and 170k miles and running absolutely amazingly well. It’s fun to drive. That car would clean up amazing if you put the effort in. If you want to sell it I’d also buy it from you ❤
@@front2427you should Google motor oil change intervals, your oil has to look brand new changing it that often. I wait till it gets dark or 5,000 to 7,000 miles. I run Shell Rotella T6 in everything I own Diesel ⛽️ and Gas .... take care
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus
That's wasteful and unessasry with any car. Use a quality motor oil such as my favorite, Shell RotellaT6 Full Synthetic@front2427 @back2427 please do some research. "The Motor Oil Geek" YT
I got paid $100 to test drive a Smart ForTwo back in 1998 as a part of a market research study to see how it would be received in the US market. My thoughts at that time were it took too long to shift, had weak steering, and nearly zero rear visibility. Also, while it was spacious inside they annoyingly designed the door panel with a ridge that dug into my thigh. The biggest plus was great brakes compared to the American cars I was used to. The price was always ridiculously too high for the American market, you could get a much bigger car in the US back then for the same price. Hilariously, they didn't tell us the speedometer was in KM/H, I had a quick panic thinking I was driving 45MPH in a residential zone but looked around and realized I was going far too slow to possibly be going that fast and checked the speedometer again.
Its a fun car to drive, except in windy weather if the Smart hasnt got the low suspension kit installed. You can almost get seasick. You are right, no drainplug in the oilpan, you have to vacum the oil up from the sump. One of the issues are the the front suspension springs, the break, and sometimes they hit the tire. But it looks nice in the blue version.
Yes. NCAP video shows 4 out of 5 for occupant protection due to the Tridon cell. 5th Gear smashed one into a concrete block and it fared much better than some other cars of its age.@@DjNikGnashers
@@thomasfrancis5747 The 5th gear test would have killed the occupants - but it would have killed the occupants of every other car too - the difference was that in the Smart the bodies could be extracted intact whilst the other cars would have been full of strawberry jam In slightly lower crash energiesa smart is survivable when a lot of cars won't be (including most 4WDs/SUVs)
Thanks Alan. It reminds me a bit of the Tesla Cybertruck - apparently built so solid that in certain crash situations the G forces on the occupants will be abnormally high due to poor crush zones not absorbing/ slowing the impact.@@alanbrown397
Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Holy Spirit Can give you peace guidance and purpose and the Lord will John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus
.. Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus
I bought an 04 ForTwo for £100 some years back. At 60k it had the usual burnt exhaust valve, but rather than fix that I rebuilt a Smart Roadster engine I already had (same spec as Brabus ForTwo engine), fitted Brabus ECU, Dash pod and body computer (SAM) and it's a little rocket, surprises a lot of people with it's acceleration at lower speeds. Fitted the Roady wheels as well which give it a much nice stance. The Roadster engines don't suffer from the same issues and can rack up some really decent mileage given regular oil changes. Full auto mode is pretty useless IMO, using the semi-auto mode and changing gears with the shifter (or paddles) results in a much smoother ride and avoids the panic inducing pause when the auto decides to shift at a really inappropriate moment like pulling onto a roundabout. I would definitely check the one way PCV valve, they very commonly stick open on older cars and results in boost pressure entering the crankcase causing high oil consumption and hastening the burnt exhaust valves. Not very expensive and fairly easy to change.
That's one car I always liked the look of but never saw myself owning up until just over a year ago when I picked up a 2004 Smart Fortwo as a second car to comply with the expansion of the London Ultra Low Emission Scam. I now absolutely love driving my Smart and I use it more than what was my main car my 1995 Honda CRX. my Smart is the same as the one in this video, It's a second generation not a first generation as you kept saying, the 1st gen was made by Mercedes and Swatch and had a different front end and wacky coloured interiors, the 2nd gen (this one) was made by a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz called Mercedes Compact Cars (MCC) and has these updated "peanut" shape headlights, a different shape grill, and a very much toned down interior. the storage compartment you referred to inside the lower boot panel was only on the convertible model and was there, like you said, for storage of the roof bars, none of the hard tops have it because the lower boot is actually a completely different shape panel. A glass panoramic roof was an optional extra as was air-con, under seat storage draw, heated seats, leather seats, front fog lights, and a BOSE sound system upgrade, mine has the glass roof, air-con, and the BOSE package. My boss also has a 2004 which has every option but the BOSE package and front fogs. The top of the range model which came with all the options as standard was of course the Brabus.
Great car Love it,I have a Honda Jazz 125 bhp here in Thailand at least 50 to the gallon, and as an ex-Porche and Bmw owner the Jazz beats both hands down for service and reliability,Its an Auto brilliant for zipping through Bangkok.
My mum used to have a Brabus Smart Car, and that thing could shift! The suspension was like the car was sat on four house bricks, and getting up to any kind of high speed in it was absolutely frightening, but it was great fun to drive. I wish I could justify buying one now as a side runabout, really fun little cars.
This video got me stuck to your channel. I really like your style of story telling. Also love the lack of shouting. The English way. Great humor, real info, friends at work. I'm sure 100k subs is just around the corner. Thanks man. Greetings from the Netherlands.
They are great on the motorway, no backs aches, nothing - very cosy and easy to drive! Feel larger inside than they look? I brought one brand new in 2003; paid 8k for it!
I've done several 300 mile round trips in mine with lots of motorway. The only issue is they are very flighty if it gets windy which makes driving much less relaxing.
My experience driving Smart fortwo 451 on the motorway is the very opposite of cosy. The car doesn't really get up to the speed limit of 130 km/h or 81 mph, it shakes a lot and gets very loud and overtaking a lorry is not fun. It's clearly a city car. Maybe if you have the brabus version I could see that being much better.
@@tomn.9987 Nope, I had a version with very comfortable heated leather seats and a zero backache as a result? Drove to Cornwall, Scotland, Paris; did many wonderful journeys in that little car?! :-))
I first saw these in Paris in 1999 when I needed a small runabout. I was given the choice of a new Renault Twingo and a new Smart Car. The Twingo had so many faults that I gave up after one week and drove the Smart every day for more than a year. The only problem I had (and it only happened once) was that I left the car unlocked for an hour and it wouldn't start. It was only then that I discovered it was an anti-theft measure. Strangely it is not mentioned in the owners manuals.
Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus
Ι got a same colour cabrio, model 2004 and has today... 470K Km on the clock (thats ~292K miles). Still goes perfectly. at 7:22, the back door should open with the key, the fact that the key doesnt turn, means that the lock has been changed.. Greedings from Greece!
@@Tacosmix still the same engine. Petrol, and remapped since the beginning of it's life. However, all maintenance is done correctly, with oil changing every 5K km. I am looking forward to reach the 500K km on the clock!
I had an early one a few years back - so early it was actually a Daimler-Benz MC01 (with transverse leaf suspension on the front) before they rebranded to Smart. Number 647 off the production line made on 22 June 1998. 599cc engine and LHD with a pan roof. Full of little foibles and quirks and used oil like a 2 stroke. Low mileage but was due a rebuild and some other work but just didn’t have the desire to do it. I’d have another one but it just doesn’t fit in with family circumstances.
Although I was never a fan of these cars when they were new, they do have a certain cute factor. That is certainly a bargain Joe, it should make the ideal MOT run vehicle for you❤.
I saw one in Germany years ago , owned by the local Fire Brigade , in Kronach ..They had a very short 3 rung ladder on the roof together with a 4ft long hose reel , it looked great to be honest . Painted Red with FIRE written backwards on the bonnet 😂
What’s crazy is the original Smart ForTwo is safer, more practical and innovative than the Renault Twizy and Citroen Ami. And the Smart is near enough 25 years old. They also sold an ever so slightly narrower version in Japan to meet Kei car rules.
Always liked the idea of these....the reality not so much. But if it matches your need looks like a great economical car that oddly still gets looks despite being around forever
The diesel one might be economical but the gas one does around 6.5l/100 km (36 mpg) or worse combined city/high speed. That's in line with a family hatchback with a much stronger engine. On top of that you get a very stiff suspension, making you afraid of even the tiniest of potholes and a very unresponsive automatic gearbox. It's the size that makes it very practical, my mum loves her Smart for that. Beyond that I don't
Drive a Civic MK8 now but still miss the simplicity and fun element of the Smart. Always been a classic Beetle fan but I must admit, the Smart beats it. These things almost run on fresh air. I rarely had to put petrol in it. Joy to drive.
I had an 02, it was my daily for over 15 years. Only ever gave it 2 oil changes and one filter, Loads of short journeys, but I did some long Mway trips now and then. I'm 6 foot2 and there is no shortage of room inside I can tell you. It surprised a lot of conventional car drivers who tried it on and all. It never once let me down, never failed to start, and all it cost me was consumables, biggest being an alternator, and more involved but much cheaper, a turbo rebuild. I put over 60k on it, until I had an incident on black ice 2 years ago, and it was off the road until I found a new wing in the right colour to fix it (which I never did). The very hardest working, most reliable car I have had- ever. I sold it (and another similar one) with over 90k om it to a bloke round the corner from me 2 months ago. I'd give you half a large for it!
I have endless love for these small functional cars, especially those Japanese kei cars small vans are amazing how much space you get with smart designs. This car is inspired by those types. But yeah love them. Sadly not sure if we can easily import them and drive them for much longer due to regulations. Where I live even the smallest change on the car gets a rejection on inspection. Sure you can drive them in villages or remote locations but soon as you enter a town or camera catch you are risking a fine and fines are HUGE ... is it worth it?! you decide ... I am living outside of town but every corner have cameras now so I can't risk driving around even on alternative dirt roads anymore because to get to those I need to pass 20 cameras ...
I admired it when it came out as I was out with my dad while he worked and one of his customers bought one when they were just out. Being car obsessed from a young age I wandered around it but what I want to know is say the battery in the key fob dies… how do you get into the thing if the lock in the boot doesn’t work, there were no locks on the door handles. I think the second gen had a hidden key hole in the passenger door.
@@ferrumignis good job as there would be no way in id imagine being the roadster or coupe versions. To not fit a door lock on a handle is a crazy thing to do. And by the sounds of it these first gens won’t disable the immobiliser unless the remote is used within a reasonable time. So you need to carry a spare battery with you then as well in your wallet 😂
I have a similar smart 450 from 2001, cabrio version. Great fun to drive. 198K km right now, hope to drive it a long time and am not pushing the engine to hard. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Joe the Sam unit is basically the fuse board and main control unit for all the electrics and are known to fail. Another great video and win win all round
I once bought a pink Ford Aspire for $100. They said it wouldn't start and wanted it gone. I towed it home, and all it needed was the battery charged. Not even replaced, just charged. Sometimes people just want them gone and don't want the hassle of selling them, which is how dealers get trade-ins really cheap. I much prefer my gen1 Prius, 50mpg and much quieter and smooth and trouble free.
Owned an original left hooker one of these - the gearchange took a bit getting used to but it was a right old laugh - even drove it from South Wales to Hamburg and back. I know they have their issues but this was a proper bargain.
My friend had a smart roadster with a failing Sam unit I took it apart and replaced all the solder joints as some where visibly cracked It would stop it going into gear or cutting out intermittently
We had a 2012 Smart Car (MHD). We used to tow it on a trailer behind our motor home. It also served as my wife’s car. It was great fun to drive, reliable, economic, …. I bought a space saver spare wheel and jack, it fitted ( vertically) behind the passenger seat in the gap between the seat back and engine ‘hump’. In the 5 years we owned the car, we never needed the spare.
My 1.6 diesel bought for £100 eight years ago, non runner..... £60 on egr valve and it's still going strong 225k on clock.. Just an old mechanic that knows the real value of cars.
I had a 2004 Smart 4/2 Passion. Spec the same as yours. Mine had the full CD rack and a boot cover. It was a great runner. Then it started selecting gear 0 at random. The only way of getting it to select gears again was to turn it off and back on. Turns out the clutch was very worn and that was upsetting the ECU/SAM The cheapest quote I had was £1200. The car at the time was worth £800 Mercedes wanted £2500. So I sent it to the scrap yard as an uneconomic repair. Shame really. I still have the oil sucker, the sump corroded so I got a replacement with a drain plug.
Unless the car had high mileage you may well have been given some bad advice. There are multiple potential issues of the "gear 0" that are either cheap or zero cost fix for a DIYer e.g. clutch actuator needing adjustment and bad brake light switches are common. There are several problems that will cause the dreaded "three lines" to show on the dash as well, that tend to be a bit more involved but still cheap to fix.
@@ferrumignis it had around 80,000 miles. It wasnt 3 lines. It said gear 0 instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 It would do it as I was driving and changing gear. It was Mercedes themselves who said it was the clutch that was worn beyond the limits.
Well done! I am a Smart man. Run a 67 Smart. The GPS went & couldn' get the sat-nav to work (long story), had problems with the battery resulting in a call out. RAC disconected the battery while solving the problem. This fixed the GPS & the sat-nav is now working. Why I am telling you this is because no one suggested disconecting the battery to see if that would fix the sat-nav. Mercedes wanted £192 an hour to just look at the problem.
My grandad who has a 2015 Peugeot 208 and had some issues with his head unit, too it to the garage who it bought it from quoted some obcene price to replace it, my cousin found one on ebay and got it replaced. A year later it dies again so I decide to take a look and being a more tech head than a mechanic I pull the fuse leave it 10 mins and lo and behold it starts working again. Seems that those units have issues with over heating and need to be hard reset! The old classic Have you tried turning it off and on again.
Saw Smart cars really for the first time when in Europe 2001. Saw a stack of 12 one on top of another somewhere as an advertisement in Holland, which astounded me, and I recall another ad. instance in Las Ramblas, Barcelona, where they had most of the road blocked off and Smart cars zipping everywhere. I'd love one, but I live in a small country town, I think they're best for city living.
I've had 3 they are a hoot, I love the commute in the morning weaving through traffic with quite a gutsy little engine given the weight ratio, mines a manual and third and fourth gear are wonderful sweet spots. I have a mark 2 at the moment with the Mitsubishi engine, some say Mk1 engines are more or less toast at 60k bout at least have a timing chain rather than a belt. Mine will do London to Manchester and back without a hiccup. My 2013 has 70k on it.
The Mk1 very commonly burn exhaust valves at around 60k due to the piston rings sticking and oil getting past. This is much more common on cars that haven't had regular oil changes. The Brabus ForTwo and Roadster don't seem to suffer from this.
American here, we see these Smart cars on the road over the pond and I am amazed they are not squished by a semi. I loved my Hyundai Accent 2006, another dinky car with great gas consumption. Trying to find one over here (Automatic). Loved the video and subscribed.
nice litlle score that for a runaround ye the pumping oil out is a pain in the ass u can buy a new sump and there cheap which have a drain plug in we used to do this in the garage as an upgrade for customers we used to see a few for servicing lol
Can't speak for other faults but the engines are rock-solid. I got my '04 0.7L with 80k on the odometer. Redlined it daily for over a year until finally, cylinder 2 failed, 600Km from home. It still started perfectly, was just shaky, a bit smokey and a lost some power but still got to 120Km/h on the highway and got me home. I thought they were toys but they're really good cars and I've been impressed by how much abuse they can take and still get you home.
I love how the price of the car came down significantly as you cleaned the change out of it. Also, I test drove one of these myself several years ago. I'm also larger framed and I don't fit in smaller cars. It was not a problem in the Smart car.
I’ve owned three smarts, one of them was a Roadster, and none of them ever had any problems at all. But keep in mind that those very first gen models had engine problems, the later (roughly a year from introduction) first gens were almost trouble free. Since the engine is only 700cc it doesn’t like to be pushed too hard on the motorway and I advice to change the engine oil twice as much as adviced in the owners manual. Over here in Holland sales dropped dramatically after the introduction of the Toyota Aygo (and the sister cars Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107). The much improved second generation smart 4-2 couldn‘t change that, it was too late.
I bought a CDI in Belgium in 2001 and moved back to UK and brought it. Did many trips BE to UK, 84mpg. First CDI in UK. Great car loved when they had separate dealer network and oodles of quirks. The factory in France is now INEOS.
In summer of 2019 I went from Nis Serbia to Nordkapp (northernmost point of Europe) and back with Smart Fortwo CDI 2001. Trip of 8500km in 16 days. Best mileage I had was 3.1 l/100km (~640 km between refills on ~20 liters). It is even less than factory specs. Still drive it every day. CDI engine are indestructible.
A shame I won't be seeing many out here in the US... Sort of wouldn't mind having one to putt about to work, the shop and home. Can't say we have an easy time finding a car or truck over here for under 500 USD that runs for very long. Was nice to see what the smart cars were about. Thanks for enlightening me on them.
Mister you must recalibrate that gerabox or mechanic/robotic transmision on that Smart. After that it will be fine. With Mercedes diagnostic. It is 10 minutes of labor.
I have a friend here in the US whose parents have a SmartCar. I've seen them around when I lived in Salt Lake City, UT, years ago. It's shame these small ones aren't going to be sold in the US anymore. I liked GeoMetros. But, they were gutless wonders, but were good in metropolitan areas. I don't know if they were in England or not. But, for a tall person like me, the Geo Metro had a good amount of room.
What a festive super hero 🎅🦸♂️ deal for £100 Super Joe!!!...Win win all around whether u use it as MOT runner, courtesy car or u sell it...Good work buddy and Merry Christmas to u and Sophie 🎅🎁🎄😍😍👍🏻👍🏻
I own 3 Smart For Fours (model W454) with 1500cc 3 cylinder turbo-diesel (Mercedes Benz engines). They are around 20 years old and none of them have a speck of rust. Incredibly solid, reliable and very economical cars. Unfortunately, they were only built from 2004 to 2006. I can't separate from.
Still fancy getting one for my 12 mile round trip to work. Wife had the four door version and that was a superb car, in some ways better than the Mercedes E class I had at the time!
First time I’ve seen someone review a smart and change gear smoothly. Usually people just being an arse and banging through the gears on full throttle. Excellent as always. 👍
I bagged a smart 450 0.6 cabrio for £200 scratched black edition. blown head gasket. Unfortunately i found allot of hidden rot. despite that, I rebuilt the engine, new rings, valves, head skim ETC, and did the welding. Currently i am closing on 3000 miles, and it only passed it's MOT mid august 2 months ago. I found a smart car in a scrap yard, a week ago, and took the wider coreline alloy wheels off. They are now fitted to my car, and it's really improved the handling. These are great little cars, and cheap to run. The gear shifting improves the longer you drive them, once you get used to them, you subconsciously adjust the throttle when shifting. I find even in auto mode you can somewhat dictate when the car changed gear. Initially i planned on doing what was required to get the car on the road, but i like it so much, I am now restoring mine, to the best it can be.
Imagine being a smart car salesperson, the amount of "looks pretty smart, doesn't it" jokes you have to withstand. But to be fair, that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw this car in this video.
"Signal Aquisition Module" or SAM module is a central information hub that links information from various systems in the Mercedes cars and checks if all is good for driving. If not, the car will display a lot of fault codes and lots of things will not work anymore. They are sensitive to water or moist ingress and can stop working. The unit is normally located in the main fusebox itself and can sometimes be fixed by taking it out and opening it, washing and scrubbing it out with alcohol and re-installing it. Remember to take photo of the cabling as there are a lot of them that needs to come off before you can take out the fusebox.
I have always been a large car person like you being not a small person I always thought that a large car suited me better having said that I have always liked the look of the smart cars and if I was not retired I quite like the idea of having one just for going to the shops or going to work assuming its not that fare to go and keep the proper car for when I needed the comfort and space.
Joe, people will moan over every little thing. Having watched you from pretty near the start I've seen how generous you are. Ignore the miserable brigade.
They leak, and the water gets in the SAM unit. It corrodes termanals and causes intermittent faults. I've owned 2 of these and loved them. My last one had a cylinder issue. I let it go too cheaply and regret it. These cars will be classic collection pieces and worth a fortune in the future. When battery technology catches up, they will make great econversion cars.
I know that was the idea with the interior, instrument bezels etc but not sure about exterior, either way wrapping the panels would be much cheaper than replacing them I’d reckon.
@@Graham-rc1cp yeah yeah scrappies full of em, I thought we were talking about the manufacturers original intentions here lol and why on earth would you be railking around in scrappies for colour and condition you want when for way less hassle you can give it to someone else and have a completely new and scratch free surface in the exact colour you wanted by the next day at probably still about the same cost of all the scrap items?Or did I miss the memo that scrappies are full of cosmetically mint examples of old cars these days and charge less than ever for stuff ? and that if the panels are so easy to do that someone with zero mechanical ability ( let’s remember the owner had basically gave it away at the word of her garage) Will just do that In an afternoon? Yeah Ok Lol The real intention was cheaper and easy repair in little dings in cities, and when I say easy I mean really easy for the trade not your average housewife at the side of the road sorting it out before hubby comes home :D
@@gimble447 Yes, we were talking about the manufacturer’s original intentions and yes, someone with pretty much zero mechanical ability could change the panels in an afternoon
@@gimble447 Here’s a video on removing and refitting the entire front panel, it is in real time and takes the guy 6 minutes to remove and 6 to refit, using nothing more than a torx screw driver for the bolts and a flathead to pry down the clips. As for the scrappies being full of cosmetically perfect ones, there probably are quite a lot…you know the panels are plastic, right? ua-cam.com/video/b_wjvN_Kxpc/v-deo.htmlsi=ExgqZzckIkx3KYdV
I’ve got two😹 I have got a smart ForFour sport for my every day, driving as it fits my wheelchair in the back without having to fold it down. As Mercedes sold me a car with full automatic gearbox (they said it was semi automatic as thought it was semi automatic because it had flappy paddle gearbox!) I couldn’t use it to tow behind my motorhome. As already put expensive, specialised hand controls on before even seen the car, it wasn’t worth changing the it dealer wouldn’t refund their error….grrr So, I found a very low mileage with flappy, paddle gearbox, 2010 two seater with a semi automatic box which has an A frame to tow behind my motorhome. Only got to take one wheel off my wheelchair too fit it in the back of the two seater. You can pack a huge amount of stuff from in them. They are incredibly fun to drive, and my 4 seater’s driven from to Norfolk up to Scottish Borders and back again in a day to collect some new tires for my motorhome. Considering I changed from a VW Tourareg V6, as I wasn’t doing the miles anymore, the 4 seater, sport manages very well indeed. But I do miss the comfort of my old Volkswagen.
You should have taken the dealership to court! Although, I own a 450 semi-auto and it still doesn't allow you to go into any gear at any sort and will change down automatically in 'manual' mode so not sure how people tow them, suppose it may stay in neutral.
VW for the win though! And dealers suck.. I forgot these cars were made by Mercedes, no wonder they were a laughing stock.. And also it was usually assumed if you had one and were male you were gay lol!
I have a smart for four also I always use automatic transmission but today it's failing to change gears it's just showing on N neutral only, I don't know what to do, & here in Malawi we don't have experts on this cars, am stressed
I've had 3 .... 1 carbrio 2 passions LOVED them. Fit anywhere. Quick. zoom zoom. IT is a Mercedes Benz product so it's great. For transparency I was in two MAJOR car accidents in two of them, not my fault, and I just bounced off whereas if I had been in a larger car I woukd have been hit into other cars.
That Smart is not blue or pink! The V5c will say SILVER, based on the Tridion safety cell, You wanna good smart ? look for an original ForFour - I have the 1.3 pulse. Misubishi 1332cc VVT four pot engine with 95bhp - and only 970kg kerb weight.
I test drove a 2013 smart car, and while I was on a test drive the would slow down like 2 mph to switch gears. Is this normal in the smart car, and because of the small engine?
I know this car, I remember when it was new, it was a Breast Cancer Research special edition car, thus bright pink. If and when the time comes and you want to get rid, let me know
That's a second generation Fortwo, not first. SAM unit (if faulty like the 452 Roadsters suffer from) can be refurbed for less than £200. My Roadster is now up to 200k miles and still used daily. I would have bought it for £100 any day.
At the end of 2021 I bought a 1999 SAAB 93 Auto Cabriolet with just 72,000 on the clock - for £1,000. The serpentine belt pulley bearing went after a month, destroying the belt of course and making a big mess in the engine bay. But I found the parts online and fixed it easily. During the preceding 12 months the previous owners had spent over £2,500 on the garage bills, including a new sump! Plus they had a full service every year at MoT time - despite only doing 2,000 miles each year. Oh, and the last time I bought a car for £100 was an orange SAAB 99 in perfect condition. But that was 1985 when £100 was still worth £100.
I’ve got a twenty year old Smart 450. It’s great for driving around town and is very cheap to run. I was surprised to find that it’s ULEZ compliant given its age.
I live in Bristol. My 24-year-old Smart 450 is not CAZ (Clean Air Zone) compliant, so I have to avoid the city centre. Unfortunately, I can't avoid the £200 road tax! Ouch.
sorry to hear that. Mine is ULEZ compliant for London. Bristol probably has different standards, although they must be excessively severe for a London Compliant car to fail. The last time I taxed mine it was £35. Has road tax gone up that much?
@@1506pinkers My car is pre-2001, when they started basing the tax on emissions. All pre-2001 cars below 1600cc pay £200. Perhaps I should scrap it and buy a newer car, but that seems such a waste. My ancient Smartie has been totally reliable in the 24 years I've had it!
I see. This is the crazy thing about ‘greenness’. You are being encouraged (by financial penalties) to scrap a perfectly good car. What happened to recycling? Your, and my, cars recycle themselves every time we use them.
@@trottophone just thinking about it, your Smart probably has a 600cc engine. Mine has a 700. It is likely that the emissions from your car are less than from mine. Yet your tax is about six times more than mine. Absolute madness.
I had a Smart Car here in New Zealand and joked every minute of my ownership it would display the three lines of death the way I got round was to disconnect the battery then reconnect it. I live in a rural area and no dealers close by. I had the 1 litre Passion Smartcar I sold it to a dealer and walked away with less than I hoped for. I sold it to take advantage a government offer on electric and Hybrid vehicles. I miss having the car it was a huge amount of fun to drive.
I have a first generation Honda jazz and it runs and drives like a Swiss watch. I live in Thailand so cars don't get eaten alive with salt, unlike the UK. Driving here is an experience to say the least, the standard of the driving is abysmal, but the road are better in our days.
I love Smarts, especially the earlier cars (450 generation). Unfortunately, as they got newer, they also get further away from the original, unique design which was for me the appeal. They are also now 20+ years old and full of very fragile plastic parts. The more you live with it though you love all the small thoughtful touches, like the split folding tailgate or the space in the centre console so you can park against a wall on the drivers side and still get out the car easily from the passenger door. I did fancy a Brabus Roadster but the prices have got away from me and probably won't ever come back down now.
They are bang on on the motorway 95 no trouble handling like a go cart . Thing you need to learn bit more about them . They have a big following n club .
I had a 2005 Cabrio diesel. In Canada, we were only allowed the diesel engine. The automatic was hopeless, but shifting by simply moving the shifter back and forth allows complete control of the shifts. My cabrio also had the paddle shifters on the steering column which was even more fun - in fact, a first gen smart should have had the paddles standard. The automated shifter scared many away from ownership as it was horrible, easily the worst automatic ever installed. The air conditioning was hopeless - it failed completely 5 times in the four years we owned the car. I don't thing M-B had a clue how to size and design a system that worked. It was a fun car (did a couple of 5K km trips to Florida from Toronto) and even completed a lap of the Indianapolis 500 track. Sold it when the warranty ended as M-B service seemed to hate the car. Service costs were horrendous. By land, by air, by sea, Mercedes will never get another dime from me.
Not so strange, getting the MOT work done elsewhere. My mate has a Garage that does MOTs, the Customer is booked in for an MOT, if it fails he has other Customers booked in for repairs. He may not be able to do the MOT failure work straight away, hence they get it done elsewhere. Enjoyed this vid, so I have subscribed.
We call these Toy Cars ,Shopping trolleys in AUS ,and some people call these small cars Death traps when you hit a big Roo or a big Samba deer ,might be a viable option in the cities thou ,
I have similar but with half that mileage, remapped, lowered springs, heated seats and gear paddles. Just like a go cart, hates speed bumps. Could I get £3k for it?
I bought one when they first came out, the same colour new, for £250 you could swap all the plastic panels for a different colour, loved the car , 700cc engine, quite nippy, used to piss people off on the motorway, if you overtook them they would be after you like a pack of dogs lol. Even went to the middle of France in it, great fun to drive.
I got one of these cars at 87k miles and now it’s 20 years old and 170k miles and running absolutely amazingly well. It’s fun to drive. That car would clean up amazing if you put the effort in. If you want to sell it I’d also buy it from you ❤
wow that's even better than my wee metro it done 180 k on its first engine and on its second is now approaching 100k,i change the oil every month.
@@front2427you should Google motor oil change intervals, your oil has to look brand new changing it that often. I wait till it gets dark or 5,000 to 7,000 miles. I run Shell Rotella T6 in everything I own Diesel ⛽️ and Gas .... take care
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Come to Jesus Christ today
Jesus Christ is only way to heaven
Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void
Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today
Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Mark 1.15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus
That's wasteful and unessasry with any car. Use a quality motor oil such as my favorite, Shell RotellaT6 Full Synthetic@front2427 @back2427 please do some research. "The Motor Oil Geek" YT
I got paid $100 to test drive a Smart ForTwo back in 1998 as a part of a market research study to see how it would be received in the US market. My thoughts at that time were it took too long to shift, had weak steering, and nearly zero rear visibility. Also, while it was spacious inside they annoyingly designed the door panel with a ridge that dug into my thigh. The biggest plus was great brakes compared to the American cars I was used to. The price was always ridiculously too high for the American market, you could get a much bigger car in the US back then for the same price. Hilariously, they didn't tell us the speedometer was in KM/H, I had a quick panic thinking I was driving 45MPH in a residential zone but looked around and realized I was going far too slow to possibly be going that fast and checked the speedometer again.
You're a Legend in your own Mind, Bless Your Heart
Its a fun car to drive, except in windy weather if the Smart hasnt got the low suspension kit installed. You can almost get seasick.
You are right, no drainplug in the oilpan, you have to vacum the oil up from the sump.
One of the issues are the the front suspension springs, the break, and sometimes they hit the tire.
But it looks nice in the blue version.
Interesting observations. Sportier than I imagined. Some people worry about the safety but actually the body frame is very strong.
Have you seen the crash test videos of these ??????
Yes. NCAP video shows 4 out of 5 for occupant protection due to the Tridon cell. 5th Gear smashed one into a concrete block and it fared much better than some other cars of its age.@@DjNikGnashers
@@thomasfrancis5747 The 5th gear test would have killed the occupants - but it would have killed the occupants of every other car too - the difference was that in the Smart the bodies could be extracted intact whilst the other cars would have been full of strawberry jam
In slightly lower crash energiesa smart is survivable when a lot of cars won't be (including most 4WDs/SUVs)
Thanks Alan. It reminds me a bit of the Tesla Cybertruck - apparently built so solid that in certain crash situations the G forces on the occupants will be abnormally high due to poor crush zones not absorbing/ slowing the impact.@@alanbrown397
Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven
There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today
Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell
Come to Jesus Christ today
Jesus Christ is only way to heaven
Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void
Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today
Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today
Holy Spirit Can give you peace guidance and purpose and the Lord will
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Mark 1.15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus
Dry solders in the SAM unit cause them to fail, easy fix yourself or send it to Smart-Tech in Birmingham
..
Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today
Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven
There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today
Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell
Come to Jesus Christ today
Jesus Christ is only way to heaven
Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void
Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today
Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today
Romans 6.23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Mark 1.15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus
I bought an 04 ForTwo for £100 some years back. At 60k it had the usual burnt exhaust valve, but rather than fix that I rebuilt a Smart Roadster engine I already had (same spec as Brabus ForTwo engine), fitted Brabus ECU, Dash pod and body computer (SAM) and it's a little rocket, surprises a lot of people with it's acceleration at lower speeds. Fitted the Roady wheels as well which give it a much nice stance. The Roadster engines don't suffer from the same issues and can rack up some really decent mileage given regular oil changes.
Full auto mode is pretty useless IMO, using the semi-auto mode and changing gears with the shifter (or paddles) results in a much smoother ride and avoids the panic inducing pause when the auto decides to shift at a really inappropriate moment like pulling onto a roundabout.
I would definitely check the one way PCV valve, they very commonly stick open on older cars and results in boost pressure entering the crankcase causing high oil consumption and hastening the burnt exhaust valves. Not very expensive and fairly easy to change.
That's one car I always liked the look of but never saw myself owning up until just over a year ago when I picked up a 2004 Smart Fortwo as a second car to comply with the expansion of the London Ultra Low Emission Scam. I now absolutely love driving my Smart and I use it more than what was my main car my 1995 Honda CRX. my Smart is the same as the one in this video, It's a second generation not a first generation as you kept saying, the 1st gen was made by Mercedes and Swatch and had a different front end and wacky coloured interiors, the 2nd gen (this one) was made by a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz called Mercedes Compact Cars (MCC) and has these updated "peanut" shape headlights, a different shape grill, and a very much toned down interior. the storage compartment you referred to inside the lower boot panel was only on the convertible model and was there, like you said, for storage of the roof bars, none of the hard tops have it because the lower boot is actually a completely different shape panel. A glass panoramic roof was an optional extra as was air-con, under seat storage draw, heated seats, leather seats, front fog lights, and a BOSE sound system upgrade, mine has the glass roof, air-con, and the BOSE package. My boss also has a 2004 which has every option but the BOSE package and front fogs. The top of the range model which came with all the options as standard was of course the Brabus.
Great car Love it,I have a Honda Jazz 125 bhp here in Thailand at least 50 to the gallon, and as an ex-Porche and Bmw owner the Jazz beats both hands down for service and reliability,Its an Auto brilliant for zipping through Bangkok.
My mum used to have a Brabus Smart Car, and that thing could shift! The suspension was like the car was sat on four house bricks, and getting up to any kind of high speed in it was absolutely frightening, but it was great fun to drive.
I wish I could justify buying one now as a side runabout, really fun little cars.
This video got me stuck to your channel. I really like your style of story telling. Also love the lack of shouting. The English way. Great humor, real info, friends at work. I'm sure 100k subs is just around the corner. Thanks man. Greetings from the Netherlands.
Awesome, thank you!
They are great on the motorway, no backs aches, nothing - very cosy and easy to drive! Feel larger inside than they look? I brought one brand new in 2003; paid 8k for it!
Very true. I was so surprised on my first drive. I have a discovery 4 and they basically have similar space inside. Comfi
I've done several 300 mile round trips in mine with lots of motorway. The only issue is they are very flighty if it gets windy which makes driving much less relaxing.
My experience driving Smart fortwo 451 on the motorway is the very opposite of cosy. The car doesn't really get up to the speed limit of 130 km/h or 81 mph, it shakes a lot and gets very loud and overtaking a lorry is not fun. It's clearly a city car. Maybe if you have the brabus version I could see that being much better.
@@tomn.9987 Nope, I had a version with very comfortable heated leather seats and a zero backache as a result? Drove to Cornwall, Scotland, Paris; did many wonderful journeys in that little car?! :-))
I first saw these in Paris in 1999 when I needed a small runabout. I was given the choice of a new Renault Twingo and a new Smart Car. The Twingo had so many faults that I gave up after one week and drove the Smart every day for more than a year. The only problem I had (and it only happened once) was that I left the car unlocked for an hour and it wouldn't start. It was only then that I discovered it was an anti-theft measure. Strangely it is not mentioned in the owners manuals.
Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today
Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven
There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today
Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell
Come to Jesus Christ today
Jesus Christ is only way to heaven
Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void
Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today
Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today
Romans 6.23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Mark 1.15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus
Ι got a same colour cabrio, model 2004 and has today... 470K Km on the clock (thats ~292K miles). Still goes perfectly. at 7:22, the back door should open with the key, the fact that the key doesnt turn, means that the lock has been changed.. Greedings from Greece!
Awesome! Thats double distance from my smart car. Just curious, still the same engine? Greetings from Holland!
@@Tacosmix still the same engine. Petrol, and remapped since the beginning of it's life. However, all maintenance is done correctly, with oil changing every 5K km. I am looking forward to reach the 500K km on the clock!
I had an early one a few years back - so early it was actually a Daimler-Benz MC01 (with transverse leaf suspension on the front) before they rebranded to Smart. Number 647 off the production line made on 22 June 1998. 599cc engine and LHD with a pan roof. Full of little foibles and quirks and used oil like a 2 stroke. Low mileage but was due a rebuild and some other work but just didn’t have the desire to do it. I’d have another one but it just doesn’t fit in with family circumstances.
Although I was never a fan of these cars when they were new, they do have a certain cute factor.
That is certainly a bargain Joe, it should make the ideal MOT run vehicle for you❤.
Yes they arnt so bad realy
They're nice in a sort of cheapo racecar-ish kinda way. I just wish they had made a proper four seat version of the first gen.
@@Oldsmobile69 they have for fore
Yes but it's a badge engineered Mitsubishi Colt or Renault Twingo (depending on the model year) @@Mattlawton-ft6ew
I saw one in Germany years ago , owned by the local Fire Brigade , in Kronach ..They had a very short 3 rung ladder on the roof together with a 4ft long hose reel , it looked great to be honest . Painted Red with FIRE written backwards on the bonnet 😂
😂
Any chance the smart is for sale 🤔😁
WHo says Germans don't have a sense of humour?
😂
Written in English because 'FEUER' wouldn't fit across the bonnet?
What’s crazy is the original Smart ForTwo is safer, more practical and innovative than the Renault Twizy and Citroen Ami. And the Smart is near enough 25 years old. They also sold an ever so slightly narrower version in Japan to meet Kei car rules.
I didn't know that, thankyou.
Not sure it's fair to compare this real car here with 2 quadricycles that go 45 km/h max & don't need a driving license.
Always liked the idea of these....the reality not so much. But if it matches your need looks like a great economical car that oddly still gets looks despite being around forever
The diesel one might be economical but the gas one does around 6.5l/100 km (36 mpg) or worse combined city/high speed. That's in line with a family hatchback with a much stronger engine. On top of that you get a very stiff suspension, making you afraid of even the tiniest of potholes and a very unresponsive automatic gearbox. It's the size that makes it very practical, my mum loves her Smart for that. Beyond that I don't
@@tomn.9987I have 2009 diesel, very economical.
You are right of course. It may or may not go wrong, which is probably why the original owner lost faith in it.
Drive a Civic MK8 now but still miss the simplicity and fun element of the Smart. Always been a classic Beetle fan but I must admit, the Smart beats it. These things almost run on fresh air. I rarely had to put petrol in it. Joy to drive.
I had an 02, it was my daily for over 15 years. Only ever gave it 2 oil changes and one filter, Loads of short journeys, but I did some long Mway trips now and then. I'm 6 foot2 and there is no shortage of room inside I can tell you. It surprised a lot of conventional car drivers who tried it on and all. It never once let me down, never failed to start, and all it cost me was consumables, biggest being an alternator, and more involved but much cheaper, a turbo rebuild. I put over 60k on it, until I had an incident on black ice 2 years ago, and it was off the road until I found a new wing in the right colour to fix it (which I never did). The very hardest working, most reliable car I have had- ever. I sold it (and another similar one) with over 90k om it to a bloke round the corner from me 2 months ago. I'd give you half a large for it!
Have my 450 17years now still going strong... i love it ....all i need for 9 out of 10 of my journeys 👌
I have endless love for these small functional cars, especially those Japanese kei cars small vans are amazing how much space you get with smart designs. This car is inspired by those types. But yeah love them. Sadly not sure if we can easily import them and drive them for much longer due to regulations.
Where I live even the smallest change on the car gets a rejection on inspection. Sure you can drive them in villages or remote locations but soon as you enter a town or camera catch you are risking a fine and fines are HUGE ... is it worth it?! you decide ...
I am living outside of town but every corner have cameras now so I can't risk driving around even on alternative dirt roads anymore because to get to those I need to pass 20 cameras ...
I admired it when it came out as I was out with my dad while he worked and one of his customers bought one when they were just out. Being car obsessed from a young age I wandered around it but what I want to know is say the battery in the key fob dies… how do you get into the thing if the lock in the boot doesn’t work, there were no locks on the door handles. I think the second gen had a hidden key hole in the passenger door.
The boot has a door lock for emergency opening
On the first gen ForTwo you have to go in via the hatch as others have said. Smart did provide an emergency door lock on the Roadster.
@@ferrumignis good job as there would be no way in id imagine being the roadster or coupe versions. To not fit a door lock on a handle is a crazy thing to do. And by the sounds of it these first gens won’t disable the immobiliser unless the remote is used within a reasonable time. So you need to carry a spare battery with you then as well in your wallet 😂
I have a similar smart 450 from 2001, cabrio version. Great fun to drive. 198K km right now, hope to drive it a long time and am not pushing the engine to hard. Thanks for sharing!
Loving the channel great content and I really enjoy the weekly update video 👍🏻
Hi Joe the Sam unit is basically the fuse board and main control unit for all the electrics and are known to fail. Another great video and win win all round
I once bought a pink Ford Aspire for $100. They said it wouldn't start and wanted it gone.
I towed it home, and all it needed was the battery charged. Not even replaced, just charged.
Sometimes people just want them gone and don't want the hassle of selling them, which is how dealers get trade-ins really cheap. I much prefer my gen1 Prius, 50mpg and much quieter and smooth and trouble free.
No price difference mm ?
Glad to see Barbie didn't let the dog do the driving, imagine the seat covers were on opposite seats!
Owned an original left hooker one of these - the gearchange took a bit getting used to but it was a right old laugh - even drove it from South Wales to Hamburg and back. I know they have their issues but this was a proper bargain.
That's a second generation and it's five years newer than the ForTwo we use every day. 8-). Can't beat £35 road tax and probably ULEZ compliant.
My friend had a smart roadster with a failing Sam unit I took it apart and replaced all the solder joints as some where visibly cracked
It would stop it going into gear or cutting out intermittently
We had a 2012 Smart Car (MHD). We used to tow it on a trailer behind our motor home. It also served as my wife’s car. It was great fun to drive, reliable, economic, …. I bought a space saver spare wheel and jack, it fitted ( vertically) behind the passenger seat in the gap between the seat back and engine ‘hump’. In the 5 years we owned the car, we never needed the spare.
My 1.6 diesel bought for £100 eight years ago, non runner..... £60 on egr valve and it's still going strong 225k on clock.. Just an old mechanic that knows the real value of cars.
I had a 2004 Smart 4/2 Passion. Spec the same as yours. Mine had the full CD rack and a boot cover.
It was a great runner. Then it started selecting gear 0 at random.
The only way of getting it to select gears again was to turn it off and back on.
Turns out the clutch was very worn and that was upsetting the ECU/SAM
The cheapest quote I had was £1200. The car at the time was worth £800
Mercedes wanted £2500.
So I sent it to the scrap yard as an uneconomic repair.
Shame really.
I still have the oil sucker, the sump corroded so I got a replacement with a drain plug.
Unless the car had high mileage you may well have been given some bad advice. There are multiple potential issues of the "gear 0" that are either cheap or zero cost fix for a DIYer e.g. clutch actuator needing adjustment and bad brake light switches are common. There are several problems that will cause the dreaded "three lines" to show on the dash as well, that tend to be a bit more involved but still cheap to fix.
@@ferrumignis it had around 80,000 miles.
It wasnt 3 lines.
It said gear 0 instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
It would do it as I was driving and changing gear.
It was Mercedes themselves who said it was the clutch that was worn beyond the limits.
Got to be a great customer courtesy car; even if someone breaks it when on loan it ain't going to hurt.
Well done!
I am a Smart man. Run a 67 Smart. The GPS went & couldn' get the sat-nav to work (long story), had problems with the battery resulting in a call out. RAC disconected the battery while solving the problem. This fixed the GPS & the sat-nav is now working. Why I am telling you this is because no one suggested disconecting the battery to see if that would fix the sat-nav. Mercedes wanted £192 an hour to just look at the problem.
My grandad who has a 2015 Peugeot 208 and had some issues with his head unit, too it to the garage who it bought it from quoted some obcene price to replace it, my cousin found one on ebay and got it replaced. A year later it dies again so I decide to take a look and being a more tech head than a mechanic I pull the fuse leave it 10 mins and lo and behold it starts working again. Seems that those units have issues with over heating and need to be hard reset! The old classic Have you tried turning it off and on again.
Saw Smart cars really for the first time when in Europe 2001. Saw a stack of 12 one on top of another somewhere as an advertisement in Holland, which astounded me, and I recall another ad. instance in Las Ramblas, Barcelona, where they had most of the road blocked off and Smart cars zipping everywhere. I'd love one, but I live in a small country town, I think they're best for city living.
SAM. System Aquisision module. (Cabin fuse box basically)
I've had 3 they are a hoot, I love the commute in the morning weaving through traffic with quite a gutsy little engine given the weight ratio, mines a manual and third and fourth gear are wonderful sweet spots. I have a mark 2 at the moment with the Mitsubishi engine, some say Mk1 engines are more or less toast at 60k bout at least have a timing chain rather than a belt. Mine will do London to Manchester and back without a hiccup. My 2013 has 70k on it.
The Mk1 very commonly burn exhaust valves at around 60k due to the piston rings sticking and oil getting past. This is much more common on cars that haven't had regular oil changes. The Brabus ForTwo and Roadster don't seem to suffer from this.
Thorough run through of the features. Good informative vid ta.
American here, we see these Smart cars on the road over the pond and I am amazed they are not squished by a semi. I loved my Hyundai Accent 2006, another dinky car with great gas consumption. Trying to find one over here (Automatic). Loved the video and subscribed.
nice litlle score that for a runaround ye the pumping oil out is a pain in the ass u can buy a new sump and there cheap which have a drain plug in we used to do this in the garage as an upgrade for customers we used to see a few for servicing lol
Can't speak for other faults but the engines are rock-solid. I got my '04 0.7L with 80k on the odometer. Redlined it daily for over a year until finally, cylinder 2 failed, 600Km from home. It still started perfectly, was just shaky, a bit smokey and a lost some power but still got to 120Km/h on the highway and got me home. I thought they were toys but they're really good cars and I've been impressed by how much abuse they can take and still get you home.
I love how the price of the car came down significantly as you cleaned the change out of it. Also, I test drove one of these myself several years ago. I'm also larger framed and I don't fit in smaller cars. It was not a problem in the Smart car.
I’ve owned three smarts, one of them was a Roadster, and none of them ever had any problems at all. But keep in mind that those very first gen models had engine problems, the later (roughly a year from introduction) first gens were almost trouble free. Since the engine is only 700cc it doesn’t like to be pushed too hard on the motorway and I advice to change the engine oil twice as much as adviced in the owners manual. Over here in Holland sales dropped dramatically after the introduction of the Toyota Aygo (and the sister cars Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107). The much improved second generation smart 4-2 couldn‘t change that, it was too late.
I was thinking of getting one of these to potter around in, but now I’m not so sure.
I bought a CDI in Belgium in 2001 and moved back to UK and brought it. Did many trips BE to UK, 84mpg. First CDI in UK. Great car loved when they had separate dealer network and oodles of quirks. The factory in France is now INEOS.
In summer of 2019 I went from Nis Serbia to Nordkapp (northernmost point of Europe) and back with Smart Fortwo CDI 2001. Trip of 8500km in 16 days. Best mileage I had was 3.1 l/100km (~640 km between refills on ~20 liters). It is even less than factory specs. Still drive it every day. CDI engine are indestructible.
What’s a Sam unit? And where’s it located? They expensive?
A shame I won't be seeing many out here in the US... Sort of wouldn't mind having one to putt about to work, the shop and home. Can't say we have an easy time finding a car or truck over here for under 500 USD that runs for very long. Was nice to see what the smart cars were about. Thanks for enlightening me on them.
Mister you must recalibrate that gerabox or mechanic/robotic transmision on that Smart.
After that it will be fine.
With Mercedes diagnostic. It is 10 minutes of labor.
Thought I recognised those lanes then you mentioned Brean. Seen many a car in a ditch on Accommodation lane.
I have a friend here in the US whose parents have a SmartCar. I've seen them around when I lived in Salt Lake City, UT, years ago. It's shame these small ones aren't going to be sold in the US anymore. I liked GeoMetros. But, they were gutless wonders, but were good in metropolitan areas. I don't know if they were in England or not. But, for a tall person like me, the Geo Metro had a good amount of room.
What a festive super hero 🎅🦸♂️ deal for £100 Super Joe!!!...Win win all around whether u use it as MOT runner, courtesy car or u sell it...Good work buddy and Merry Christmas to u and Sophie 🎅🎁🎄😍😍👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks Neil 👍 Merry Christmas to you too
I own 3 Smart For Fours (model W454) with 1500cc 3 cylinder turbo-diesel (Mercedes Benz engines).
They are around 20 years old and none of them have a speck of rust.
Incredibly solid, reliable and very economical cars.
Unfortunately, they were only built from 2004 to 2006.
I can't separate from.
Still fancy getting one for my 12 mile round trip to work. Wife had the four door version and that was a superb car, in some ways better than the Mercedes E class I had at the time!
First time I’ve seen someone review a smart and change gear smoothly. Usually people just being an arse and banging through the gears on full throttle. Excellent as always. 👍
Blasting down that road, imagine it with a Hayabusa/Fireblade engine in the back! (But not relying on the steering)
I bagged a smart 450 0.6 cabrio for £200 scratched black edition. blown head gasket. Unfortunately i found allot of hidden rot. despite that, I rebuilt the engine, new rings, valves, head skim ETC, and did the welding. Currently i am closing on 3000 miles, and it only passed it's MOT mid august 2 months ago. I found a smart car in a scrap yard, a week ago, and took the wider coreline alloy wheels off. They are now fitted to my car, and it's really improved the handling. These are great little cars, and cheap to run. The gear shifting improves the longer you drive them, once you get used to them, you subconsciously adjust the throttle when shifting. I find even in auto mode you can somewhat dictate when the car changed gear. Initially i planned on doing what was required to get the car on the road, but i like it so much, I am now restoring mine, to the best it can be.
Sam unit is the fusebox and almost the entire electical system. New are expensive, but used surplus ones are reasonable.
Imagine being a smart car salesperson, the amount of "looks pretty smart, doesn't it" jokes you have to withstand. But to be fair, that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw this car in this video.
First time I ever saw one was in Paris as a kid and I said ‘that’s a Smart little car’ 😂
"Signal Aquisition Module" or SAM module is a central information hub that links information from various systems in the Mercedes cars and checks if all is good for driving. If not, the car will display a lot of fault codes and lots of things will not work anymore. They are sensitive to water or moist ingress and can stop working. The unit is normally located in the main fusebox itself and can sometimes be fixed by taking it out and opening it, washing and scrubbing it out with alcohol and re-installing it. Remember to take photo of the cabling as there are a lot of them that needs to come off before you can take out the fusebox.
They are also notorious for getting cracked solder joints on two of the PCB mounted connectors which can cause gear change issues. Very easy fix.
Nice detailed could you get rid of unwanted cars at farm please right mess . thanks
I have always been a large car person like you being not a small person I always thought that a large car suited me better having said that I have always liked the look of the smart cars and if I was not retired I quite like the idea of having one just for going to the shops or going to work assuming its not that fare to go and keep the proper car for when I needed the comfort and space.
There is a really surprising amount of room in them. I'm a big guy and fit easily.
Are these older smart cars lez ulez friendly? Because they are small and do 50-60 mpg?
Thanks peeps for your help.
PS good video 😊👍🏻🇬🇧
Joe, people will moan over every little thing. Having watched you from pretty near the start I've seen how generous you are. Ignore the miserable brigade.
Thanks 🙏🏼
They leak, and the water gets in the SAM unit. It corrodes termanals and causes intermittent faults. I've owned 2 of these and loved them. My last one had a cylinder issue. I let it go too cheaply and regret it. These cars will be classic collection pieces and worth a fortune in the future. When battery technology catches up, they will make great econversion cars.
Who wraps a Smart? The whole point of them was that if you wanted a different colour you simply changed the panels…
I know that was the idea with the interior, instrument bezels etc but not sure about exterior, either way wrapping the panels would be much cheaper than replacing them I’d reckon.
@@gimble447 The panels just lift off, as for cost, the scrappies are full of them…
@@Graham-rc1cp yeah yeah scrappies full of em, I thought we were talking about the manufacturers original intentions here lol and why on earth would you be railking around in scrappies for colour and condition you want when for way less hassle you can give it to someone else and have a completely new and scratch free surface in the exact colour you wanted by the next day at probably still about the same cost of all the scrap items?Or did I miss the memo that scrappies are full of cosmetically mint examples of old cars these days and charge less than ever for stuff ? and that if the panels are so easy to do that someone with zero mechanical ability ( let’s remember the owner had basically gave it away at the word of her garage) Will just do that In an afternoon? Yeah Ok Lol The real intention was cheaper and easy repair in little dings in cities, and when I say easy I mean really easy for the trade not your average housewife at the side of the road sorting it out before hubby comes home :D
@@gimble447 Yes, we were talking about the manufacturer’s original intentions and yes, someone with pretty much zero mechanical ability could change the panels in an afternoon
@@gimble447 Here’s a video on removing and refitting the entire front panel, it is in real time and takes the guy 6 minutes to remove and 6 to refit, using nothing more than a torx screw driver for the bolts and a flathead to pry down the clips. As for the scrappies being full of cosmetically perfect ones, there probably are quite a lot…you know the panels are plastic, right? ua-cam.com/video/b_wjvN_Kxpc/v-deo.htmlsi=ExgqZzckIkx3KYdV
Also take the top off the air box mega wastegate chatter just put it back after but good for a giggle
I’ve got two😹
I have got a smart ForFour sport for my every day, driving as it fits my wheelchair in the back without having to fold it down. As Mercedes sold me a car with full automatic gearbox (they said it was semi automatic as thought it was semi automatic because it had flappy paddle gearbox!) I couldn’t use it to tow behind my motorhome. As already put expensive, specialised hand controls on before even seen the car, it wasn’t worth changing the it dealer wouldn’t refund their error….grrr
So, I found a very low mileage with flappy, paddle gearbox, 2010 two seater with a semi automatic box which has an A frame to tow behind my motorhome. Only got to take one wheel off my wheelchair too fit it in the back of the two seater. You can pack a huge amount of stuff from in them.
They are incredibly fun to drive, and my 4 seater’s driven from to Norfolk up to Scottish Borders and back again in a day to collect some new tires for my motorhome.
Considering I changed from a VW Tourareg V6, as I wasn’t doing the miles anymore, the 4 seater, sport manages very well indeed. But I do miss the comfort of my old Volkswagen.
You should have taken the dealership to court! Although, I own a 450 semi-auto and it still doesn't allow you to go into any gear at any sort and will change down automatically in 'manual' mode so not sure how people tow them, suppose it may stay in neutral.
VW for the win though! And dealers suck.. I forgot these cars were made by Mercedes, no wonder they were a laughing stock.. And also it was usually assumed if you had one and were male you were gay lol!
I have a smart for four also I always use automatic transmission but today it's failing to change gears it's just showing on N neutral only, I don't know what to do, & here in Malawi we don't have experts on this cars, am stressed
I could listen to you all day love the way you explain things❤
Billy Bargin, Toyota IQ would be my choice but where are you going find one for £99.40
I've had 3 .... 1 carbrio 2 passions LOVED them. Fit anywhere. Quick. zoom zoom. IT is a Mercedes Benz product so it's great.
For transparency I was in two MAJOR car accidents in two of them, not my fault, and I just bounced off whereas if I had been in a larger car I woukd have been hit into other cars.
That Smart is not blue or pink!
The V5c will say SILVER, based on the Tridion safety cell,
You wanna good smart ? look for an original ForFour - I have the 1.3 pulse. Misubishi 1332cc VVT four pot engine with 95bhp - and only 970kg kerb weight.
I test drove a 2013 smart car, and while I was on a test drive the would slow down like 2 mph to switch gears. Is this normal in the smart car, and because of the small engine?
I've had two smartfortwo, you really do feel every bump in the road. My last was a Brabus, these things are so overrated. never again for me!
I know this car, I remember when it was new, it was a Breast Cancer Research special edition car, thus bright pink. If and when the time comes and you want to get rid, let me know
That's a second generation Fortwo, not first. SAM unit (if faulty like the 452 Roadsters suffer from) can be refurbed for less than £200. My Roadster is now up to 200k miles and still used daily. I would have bought it for £100 any day.
At the end of 2021 I bought a 1999 SAAB 93 Auto Cabriolet with just 72,000 on the clock - for £1,000. The serpentine belt pulley bearing went after a month, destroying the belt of course and making a big mess in the engine bay. But I found the parts online and fixed it easily.
During the preceding 12 months the previous owners had spent over £2,500 on the garage bills, including a new sump! Plus they had a full service every year at MoT time - despite only doing 2,000 miles each year.
Oh, and the last time I bought a car for £100 was an orange SAAB 99 in perfect condition. But that was 1985 when £100 was still worth £100.
I’ve got a twenty year old Smart 450. It’s great for driving around town and is very cheap to run. I was surprised to find that it’s ULEZ compliant given its age.
I live in Bristol. My 24-year-old Smart 450 is not CAZ (Clean Air Zone) compliant, so I have to avoid the city centre.
Unfortunately, I can't avoid the £200 road tax! Ouch.
sorry to hear that. Mine is ULEZ compliant for London. Bristol probably has different standards, although they must be excessively severe for a London Compliant car to fail. The last time I taxed mine it was £35.
Has road tax gone up that much?
@@1506pinkers My car is pre-2001, when they started basing the tax on emissions. All pre-2001 cars below 1600cc pay £200.
Perhaps I should scrap it and buy a newer car, but that seems such a waste. My ancient Smartie has been totally reliable in the 24 years I've had it!
I see. This is the crazy thing about ‘greenness’. You are being encouraged (by financial penalties) to scrap a perfectly good car. What happened to recycling? Your, and my, cars recycle themselves every time we use them.
@@trottophone just thinking about it, your Smart probably has a 600cc engine. Mine has a 700. It is likely that the emissions from your car are less than from mine. Yet your tax is about six times more than mine. Absolute madness.
i like the diesel ones. seem to run good on biodiesel. other than that keeping up with the maintenance is a good idea.
Have it wrapped with your MOT details etc...free advertising for you new venture?
That’s the plan! 👍
Nice find. Dos it still alive?
I drove myne 320000km (2003 Diesel)
I had a Smart Car here in New Zealand and joked every minute of my ownership it would display the three lines of death the way I got round was to disconnect the battery then reconnect it. I live in a rural area and no dealers close by. I had the 1 litre Passion Smartcar I sold it to a dealer and walked away with less than I hoped for. I sold it to take advantage a government offer on electric and Hybrid vehicles. I miss having the car it was a huge amount of fun to drive.
I have a first generation Honda jazz and it runs and drives like a Swiss watch.
I live in Thailand so cars don't get eaten alive with salt, unlike the UK. Driving here is an experience to say the least, the standard of the driving is abysmal, but the road are better in our days.
Got to whip the wrap off and make it pink again 👍👍👍👍
I love Smarts, especially the earlier cars (450 generation). Unfortunately, as they got newer, they also get further away from the original, unique design which was for me the appeal. They are also now 20+ years old and full of very fragile plastic parts. The more you live with it though you love all the small thoughtful touches, like the split folding tailgate or the space in the centre console so you can park against a wall on the drivers side and still get out the car easily from the passenger door. I did fancy a Brabus Roadster but the prices have got away from me and probably won't ever come back down now.
Probably 6500 US at least here in states.More than that, about $11,000-$16,000 and they all have less than 25,000 miles for 2018's on up.
Very good smal cars! Have one from 2006 and one from 2016 ❤
They are bang on on the motorway 95 no trouble handling like a go cart . Thing you need to learn bit more about them . They have a big following n club .
I had a 2005 Cabrio diesel. In Canada, we were only allowed the diesel engine. The automatic was hopeless, but shifting by simply moving the shifter back and forth allows complete control of the shifts. My cabrio also had the paddle shifters on the steering column which was even more fun - in fact, a first gen smart should have had the paddles standard. The automated shifter scared many away from ownership as it was horrible, easily the worst automatic ever installed. The air conditioning was hopeless - it failed completely 5 times in the four years we owned the car. I don't thing M-B had a clue how to size and design a system that worked. It was a fun car (did a couple of 5K km trips to Florida from Toronto) and even completed a lap of the Indianapolis 500 track.
Sold it when the warranty ended as M-B service seemed to hate the car. Service costs were horrendous. By land, by air, by sea, Mercedes will never get another dime from me.
Good deal Joe , that will do fine as a parts collection car and a garage/mot runabout , Merry Christmas to all at Berrow Motors and down at the farm
Googled smart sam unit repair, lot's of repairer's, around £80- £90 repair.
Not so strange, getting the MOT work done elsewhere. My mate has a Garage that does MOTs, the Customer is booked in for an MOT, if it fails he has other Customers booked in for repairs. He may not be able to do the MOT failure work straight away, hence they get it done elsewhere.
Enjoyed this vid, so I have subscribed.
I remember my driving school had one of these for the automatic license peeps.
We call these Toy Cars ,Shopping trolleys in AUS ,and some people call these small cars Death traps when you hit a big Roo or a big Samba deer ,might be a viable option in the cities thou ,
That's a limited edition pink passion I think there is about 100 or something
Got a 1litre engine for sale, plus gearbox etc?
May let you know!
I have similar but with half that mileage, remapped, lowered springs, heated seats and gear paddles. Just like a go cart, hates speed bumps. Could I get £3k for it?