The smart ForTwo - A 25 Year Love Story

[@brianfreeman8290]

After decades of powerful two seaters, I reached an age when I struggled to get in and out, so bought a 451. I wondered if I was doing the right thing. The 130bhp remap helped but I absolutely LOVE it.

[@theelectrictransition]

That's great. Enjoy it! It's a very special car, in my opinion

[@TheLeylander]

Polite question , 130 bhp remap is that not too much of a increase for the engine to handle ? I'm looking at having my 451 done from 84 to 114 and even at that increase I'm wary having it done , incase it's too much of a increase .

[@johnwysowski8578]

I bought a 2009 Smart for my wife. We still own the car. It is great for driving in urban Washington D.C. Our Smart Car still looks like new and I often get questions about how many miles per gallon We get. Gas mileage isn't great, but the car is fun to drive.

[@theelectrictransition]

Oh, nice. Yes, sadly, the car got less efficient through its various iterations. That 2009 car uses a Mitsubishi engine, which I thought was nowhere near as good as the Suprex engine in my car. I wish you many more miles of enjoyment! Smiles to the gallon are high, even though the miles to the gallon are not ideal.

[@MarkDenovich]

“You can get an Elise if I get a Smart car…” my wife was remarkably prophetic. A few month later we had the impractical combo of a French 98 Smart ForTwo, and a 98 Lotus Elise, both in metallic blue. I loved both.

[@theelectrictransition]

Yes, that's certainly an interesting combination, hehehe. Did you have the smart from new? That would make you a VERY early adopter.

[@MarkDenovich]

@@theelectrictransition no, I owned them around 2005-2010. We were US expats, had to sell when we moved back. The Smart started to run a bit rough towards the end. Had to use the Elise to get my pregnant wife to hospital (had to remove roof to get her in/out). My wife and new daughter got a taxi home, since I couldn’t put all 3 of us in one car. The Smart was surprisingly fun to drive. It felt like driving a super fast golf cart. Not quite as fun as the Elise, but not too far off. I wish I could have kept them both.

[@theelectrictransition]

@@MarkDenovich Ah, nice story. Yes, fun was to be had :-)

[@T8RTU]

Always liked the Smart car couldn’t justify buying one with the needs of a large family to drive around. I’m sure it would have been fun 👌

[@theelectrictransition]

Ah, yes. It wasn't entirely intended for the family run! It's horses for courses I think. A LOT of people need to cater for a family, and all power to their elbow. But not everyone, and that's why I called it bold and daring at the end. Making a market from a minority is tough, but they gave it a go, and I'm very grateful 😊

[@Jaxs2]

My story is similar. I had my 450 19 years now also from new , but I just can't part with it, tho it still does what I need it to do 🙏 Electric maybe one day but the prices will have to come down 😅

[@thecakemeister5766]

I'm very glad your 450 has done you proud. It sounds like your car would have warranted a name? Naming cars - which I considered a utility in my early life - made sense after a few years of owning smarts, bless 'em

[@Jaxs2]

@thecakemeister5766 Unfortunately, she never aquired a name 😕 but she's still going strong in her old age, So i may have to think of something 🤔 🙂

[@theelectrictransition]

At this point, I feel that naming a car is a double-edged sword. It makes it familiar and shows your emotional attachment to it. However, it might strengthen that attachment, and that might be a problem as cars don't last forever. My attachment to my smart is complex, and the final step of moving beyond it will be hard, no matter how it happens

[@theelectrictransition]

Secondhand prices are looking a bit more attainable at the moment, certainly in the UK, so there is still hope for affordability

[@jonathanthorpe1653]

I have owned mine since 2004. Cannot bring myself to sell it.

[@tommyolsen8224]

I have a mint 2006 Fortwo CDi Grandstyle and a 2016 Fortwo gasoline 😃 Love Smart ❤

[@theelectrictransition]

They do rather seem to get under one's skin, don't they? Bless 'em

[@theelectrictransition]

@tommyolsen8224 Ooh, a CDI. That's probably a fairly rare beast. And your lexicography suggests you might be in the USA? I didn't think the 450 ever got imported into the USA. I am intruiged. It was a bit of a cracker, I have to admit

[@jonathanthorpe1653]

If looked after they definitely seem to last a long time. I’ve only ever had one major problem with mine and it was the gearbox selection motor. It was easy to change but to find somebody to calibrate. It was quite difficult. I ended up getting a guy who does re maps on cars to sort it. Other than that ownership has been very pleasurable to own.

[@theelectrictransition]

@jonathanthorpe1653 I've not heard of that particular issue. I've been surprised just how reliable the gearbox seems to have been, on average. Smart certainly felt like an early adopter of semi-automatic technology, but other than one-off three-bar incidents (a warning on the dash sorted by a power cycle), failures seem to me to have been reasonably rare. The gearbox was a significant part of why I liked to drive the ForTwo - a great compromise between ease of use and efficiency

[@tommyolsen8224]

They will make a new Fortwo (#2) in 2026

[@theelectrictransition]

That would be lovely, I really hope that happens. However, the last update I saw said they needed a partner to share costs with, so it doesn't feel like a certainty to me. Smart has struggled to find like-minded companies prepared to break the mould in the past - at least, ones that stick for the long haul