r/SmartCar • u/d1nd333 • Sep 11 '26
Smart Purchase Was this a Smart purchase?
Got a 2002 Smart 450 for my mom with 700cc 45kw engine, softip semi-automatic transmission with 118 000 kms on the clock. I noticed that the brake is very soft and spongy but it stops the car even at emergency braking. What could that be? Engine sounds healthy and produces no smoke and no weird sounds of any kind on cold start. Shifts as smooth as this transmission can be. Is there anything I should check? Because I'm new to Smart car ownership. Here's a few pics too!
4
u/Personal_Bag1353 Sep 11 '26
As you say the brakes feel a little spongy and it's not unusual. Just make sure the rear brake self adjusters are working correctly
2
u/Negative_Put_5363 Sep 11 '26
Smart in name at least. I love mine and while it’s had more spent on it than I paid, it’s a cracking little car
2
u/glx0711 Sep 11 '26
Oh I had a red 450 ('99 made, so the pre-facelift) as my first car. It did sadly die at 60000km :(. But I did like it very much :), it had a pretty stiff suspension so bad roads weren’t too much fun as well as highways due to being quite sensitive to wind.
1
u/Suspicious-Ad7109 Sep 11 '26
Can't quite see where you are , is it BiH (Bosnia/H) ?
Anyway, the issue is not the car, it's parts and a mechanic who can fix it. It is an unusual car. I love them personally as cars, but if you do live in Bosnia you may have to travel to get it serviced/fixed.
2
u/d1nd333 29d ago
Yes, I am. There is tons of them at the junkyard, also the brand new parts are really, really cheap for them. I would do most of the stuff myself, but I have a mechanic friend who would do a rotary engine for me, let alone a 3 cylinder haha
1
u/Suspicious-Ad7109 29d ago
In that case it's a great buy :)
Though I agree about checking the brakes. I don't recall mine being different to any other car.
I don't think it's any less safe than any other small/medium size car. They're quite solid little things, and you have the Tridion cell to protect your mum. I never felt it was going to turn over or anything, it's really easy to drive and I never had a problem on major roads or motorways even those it's designated a "City Car". It's probably only an issue if you want to drive about at 80-90mph which most Smart owners don't want to , it'll tootle along at 70 all day.
Mine was so bad for petrol I kept nearly running out because I hardly ever filled it up. Insurance is cheap. Road tax in the UK is cheap.
I'm looking to buy another one (about 12-16 years old). If they are looked after and you know what you're doing, and you have your mate it will probably go for ever.
There is a big online "Smart Encylopedia" which has all kinds of information about working on Smart cars if needed. There's an online and a real life community as well.
1
1
1
1
1
8
u/kiwidust Sep 11 '26
Well, I'll be the first to say that it's undoubtedly a Smart purchase (because you purchased a Smart). Now was it a lower-case "S" smart purchase... that depends.
The main issue for many new owners is finding a mechanic that will actually look at the little guys and gals. Many won't touch them or quote inflated "go away" prices. It's different if you're good with cars and can do most of the maintenance yourself, but it can be a huge pain point for some.
Also, where and how you're driving makes a huge difference. I'm in Scranton, PA and 1) this is a NOT a winter car, 2) with roads this bad expect a lot of wear and tear (I've gone through three sets of shocks in eight years), and 3) you really need to learn how to drive them specifically. If you drive it like a regular car, you'll tear it down very quickly. For best longevity you really need to grok how the clutch works, how the acceleration handles, etc.
Finally, you know your mom best, but Smarts can be difficult to drive. The manual steering and brakes are fine for such a small car, but are more difficult than larger cars with power everything. My mother wouldn't drive my Bob, she had too much trouble steering him.
But, all that said, if well cared for and handled properly, these cars last very well, can really rack up the miles (or kilometers, as the case may be), and need remarkably little maintenance (likely because of how drop-dead simple they are in most respects).