Smart Car -How many people in Ireland actually drive one??

jayjay2010

Hey guys,

Im just wondering how many people in Ireland (here, at least) drive any type of Smart Cars.

I live in Tallaght and I own a black Smart Fortwo Brabus. Its the only genuine Brabus Ive ever seen in Ireland, and also I think I could be the only Smart owner in Tallaght! Ah no I know where 2 are regularly parked: 1 is owned by Papa Johns Pizza and the other I wont give the location as it could be privately owned so I dont want to say.

My Smart Brabus cost me €12,000. They are not cheap cars. However my one would be one of the highest spec versions.

Anybody here drive a Smart Car then?

I have seen a good few of them around Dublin, mostly basic yellow ones.

Cookie_Monster

lots of basic ones around alright.

IMO €12k for a car is pretty cheap though.

I got a forfour in Sardinia, was an awful pile of ****e, the gearbox was horrid. one of those semi automatic click forward and back to change things, bleaugh.

corktina

how many? too many....:D

RedorDead

Upto the end of 2008 - there were 287 taxed and on the road.

cantdecide

Anyone who has one, shouldn't have one. This is Ireland, not London. Dublin is barely big enough to justify them.

MagicMarker

To have 12k for a car and then to buy a smart car is pretty crazy if you ask me!

Berty

I have some oul fella out by me(rurally) with a LHD Smart with a big horses emblem on the front grille. The car is nearly listing over because of it.

Henry Ford III

This gentleman drives one apprently

vectra

cantdecide wrote: »

Anyone who has one, shouldn't have one. This is Ireland, not London. Dublin is barely big enough to justify them.

In otherwords.
A "Not too Smart" buyer:D

robtri

a guy who iused to work for had the brabus as well here in ireland.....
Black....

not my cup of tea......

CharlieCroker

traded in a roadster coupe? (the one with the flat boot) acouple of years ago. was driving it for a few weeks. The gearbox was a bit annoying until you got used to it but some craic on a backroad, only beaten by the mx-5 imo for that type of car.

I'd buy one of those but not a fortwo, dont think theres a need for one Ireland.
Plenty of them spinning around south Dublin though

McSpud

Saw a black/red Roadster in Dublin city a few days ago.

bongi69

OP I saw a Brabus Smart on the Belgard road about 3 days ago.

Was that you?

Owen

My dentist in Cork has a fortwo, and honestly, if I didn't have the MINI, I'd have one too. I hired one in Dusseldorf for a week, and it was fantastic fun. Bit hairy on the Autobahn flat out, but otherwise great.

Seweryn

jayjay2010 wrote: »

Hey guys,
Im just wondering how many people in Ireland (here, at least) drive any type of Smart Cars.

Why do people call it "Smart Car" rather than Smart? I never heard anyone calling a Mercedes-Benz "Mercedes Car". Is it just to emphasize that it is not a quad ?

I was looking for one myself (Smart For Two), but I only found a single example at the time after a few months of searching (I was looking for a Diesel engined Smart) and I didn't buy it. It was just to much money and the car had some stupid side lights installed at the back. But I like the smart idea in general. They are great, but the petrol engines are far from being reliable or economical.

Atavan-Halen

Most of the ones I've seen around usually have big advertisements on them.

CianRyan

jayjay2010 wrote: »

Hey guys,

Im just wondering how many people in Ireland (here, at least) drive any type of Smart Cars.

I live in Tallaght and I own a black Smart Fortwo Brabus. Its the only genuine Brabus Ive ever seen in Ireland, and also I think I could be the only Smart owner in Tallaght! Ah no I know where 2 are regularly parked: 1 is owned by Papa Johns Pizza and the other I wont give the location as it could be privately owned so I dont want to say.

My Smart Brabus cost me €12,000. They are not cheap cars. However my one would be one of the highest spec versions.

Anybody here drive a Smart Car then?

I have seen a good few of them around Dublin, mostly basic yellow ones.

Heya Neighbour.

I've tried time and time again to get a picture of your car for the "here's what I saw today" thread, but it's always dark out when I see it and I don't want to look mental.:rolleyes:

It's a lovely looking car, OP.
Very rare, over here at least.

seanybiker

Chap I know has one of them sporty ones lol.


one of these bad boys

CianRyan

seanybiker wrote: »

Chap I know has one of them sporty ones lol.


one of these bad boys

Serious lack of a picture here.;)

Mr Benevolent

PaintDoctor wrote: »

My dentist in Cork has a fortwo, and honestly, if I didn't have the MINI, I'd have one too. I hired one in Dusseldorf for a week, and it was fantastic fun. Bit hairy on the Autobahn flat out, but otherwise great.

Wasn't that where you got sucked in by wake vortex? TBH I'd have one too if it weren't for the semi-auto (I prefer full auto).

What's the difference between the Brabus ForTwo and the standard? The Smart doesn't seem to fit into the Brabus fold very well.

jayjay2010

CianRyan wrote: »

Heya Neighbour.

I've tried time and time again to get a picture of your car for the "here's what I saw today" thread, but it's always dark out when I see it and I don't want to look mental.:rolleyes:

It's a lovely looking car, OP.
Very rare, over here at least.

Oh really? Are you sure its my one you see?

My car can be found almost every day in the SQUARE Shopping Center on the post office level!

I would put a picture up but I dont know how to on boards.ie! Help someone?

jayjay2010

Confab wrote: »

What's the difference between the Brabus ForTwo and the standard? The Smart doesn't seem to fit into the Brabus fold very well.

The Brabus model has a tuned engine, 700cc with 74BHP opposed to the standart 64BHP. Also, it has a nicer trim, black leather, air con, sport seats, heated seats, chrome accents, fog lights, 16' alloys, pad-shifters (like in a F1) and a few extras.

The basic smart car doesnt have a rev counter or a clock, no leather, and awfully basic.

Also the car can be driven in 3 modes:

.Fully Automatic
.Paddle Shifters
.Or using the tiptronic gearbox to go up and down gears

Its great fun to drive!

pete4130

I'm now living in London and drive a Smart forfour with work. They've got the semi-auto's and manuals. The semi autos are rubbish. In full auto they take forever to change up and they need lots of revs to encourage them, then once they do change up, there is about a 1 second lag before power is engaged to the wheels. This makes it somewhat dangerous when taking regular safe gaps in traffic as you literally get marooned for a brief period.

The same goes for 3 point turns/turnabouts. no power...no power...no power...little bit more revs and the whole car jumps forward.

When using the semi auto/manual its slightly better, you can rev the hell out of it before changing but there is still lag between gears. It also automatically downshifts when your braking so your never sure what gear your in when pulling off again as you might downshift even though its already downshifted itself.

The manuals are a bit better.

Visibility out the back is terrible. massive rear pillars. It's easier parking my focus estate into small spaces than the smart forfour.

CianRyan

jayjay2010 wrote: »

Oh really? Are you sure its my one you see?

My car can be found almost every day in the SQUARE Shopping Center on the post office level!

I would put a picture up but I dont know how to on boards.ie! Help someone?

Just beside the polls in the road, car's usually parked with the Silvia, yeah?

jayjay2010

CianRyan wrote: »

Just beside the polls in the road, car's usually parked with the Silvia, yeah?

Thats the one!

merc230ce

Howdy!

JayJay I also own a Brabus, but I live on the Northside so there's no need for a deathmatch - you stay on your side of the Liffey and nobody gets hurt ;-)

I bought mine from Tractamotors Blanchardstown 3 years ago (it's an '04) and paid virtually the same as you. They had taken it in as a trade against a new Panda 100HP, and bizarrely I ended up doing a bit of work for the guy who had traded it in! He nearly dropped when he saw it pull up outside his house :-) He had imported it from the UK.

I go through phases of fancying something else (right now it's an Abarth 500!) but then someone says something nice about it (happens almost every week) and I love it again...

Stevo.