Faults:

Nothing has broken so far, it has been working great!

General Comments:

The engine is really small, but it's a small car too, it has OK performance, works great in town and on the freeway with the six-geared tranny, really awesome fuel economy.

The suspension isn't really the best. That, combined with such short distance between the front and real wheels = bumpy ride on bumpy roads, but it's quite comfortable on good roads and on the freeway.

It can get a bit loud in the car on the freeway, you can hear the wind quite a bit, and the engine sounds a bit loud too, but it has OK speakers, so that's no problem really.

Faults:

Had the turbo replaced twice and turbo assembly.

Leaking fuel pipe.

Ignition coil.

Alternator.

Fan relay.

Brake circuit switch.

The parcel shelf ties keep snapping.

It doesn't always unlock with the remote.

General Comments:

I'm 26, and this the only the second car I have ever owned after driving my Subaru into the Haartebeestport dam.

I've found the smart to be very efficient and relatively problem free.

Although it has a small engine, it doesn't feel like it.

People seem to get really ticked off when you over take them.

My car is alonso red, and is very eye catching. I LOVE IT!

Faults:

Valves burnt out due to engine burning oil.

Turbo/manifold assembly replaced.

Both front springs have broken in half.

General Comments:

Got a year from this car pretty much trouble free, except for the front shocks breaking, THEN

Xmas 2009 the car broke down, ending up at a local "official network dealer". 2 weeks later a bill for £1504. I thought I had a new car, how wrong I was.

Long story cut short, my car had a new turbo fitted as well as the valves being done. My car came back to me, and the first thing I noticed was how slow it was; the garage had re-flashed the ECU unit once the new turbo was fitted, PUTTING THE CAR BACK TO ITS FACTORY SETTINGS. The re-flash took the remap off of my car; a total waste of money (£300) and "since it's an after market conversion, it can't be put back on your car" (quote from Merc dealer) BE WARNED.

3 months later, the thing has started to use oil at a rate of 200 miles per litre, due to the fact it was run with no oil in the engine; this was something I did not contribute to.

For those of you who don't know, it's recommended you check the oil weekly on these cars as they DO BURN oil at a rate of 0.6ltr every 1000km; running them low on oil will get you "turbo death" in the end, so check the oil regularly.

These cars also suffer from the oil scrapper rings, which are located underneath the piston ring; they are supposed to prevent oil entering the combustion chamber, but after a while get "gummed up" and don't work as they should, allowing oil to mix with the fuel, and the car burns the mixture. It should be noted here that oil burns hotter than petrol, so if your car is burning oil/petrol mixture, you can start to kiss goodbye to your valves, as they will start to burn out.

A good recommendation here, is if you wish to purchase a smart, buy one with the least miles on that you can, preferably a 1000 miles and no visits to an official network dealer; that way it's up to you where you get it serviced.

Faults:

The brake light switch has failed twice.

General Comments:

I wanted a sports car to satisfy the cravings of my mid life crisis. I could not find anything in my price range which suited me for my size of 6'2" and 17st. For me, the car looks simply superb. Once inside, there is oceans of room. Honest.

Driving is another thing, it's like a go cart. That is the only way I can describe it.

Running costs are a laugh and there is no better buzz than overtaking someone! Some drivers do not like being overtaken by a Smart! It is THE only way to travel.

It has completely satisfied my cravings for a sports car! What would I change it for? An officially imported diesel version, that is all.