2003 Smart 698cc

[Animal67]

I'm looking at purchasing a 2003 Smart 700 Pulse, the car failed MoT on emissions and it also has a flat spot, it doesn't smoke or have an oily stench, it has just covered 60,093miles, it looks straight, does drive quite nice, any suggestions as to what the problem may be or if it is an expensive job to repair, I ask as I have lost my workshop and now have to pay someone to do the job, if it's going to be expensive, I'll look elsewhere for a vehicle as I need it to be reliable as it's not for me, it's for a close friend of mine who lives in the sticks Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[137699]

Whatever the problem is, if you're looking for a reliable vehicle, you should not be buying a smart fortwo of that age. Even if the issue you have now is something simple, at the mileage it's at, the chances are it's going to need an engine rebuild, either now (causing the problems) or anytime soon - and that will typically cost you anywhere between £700-£1500+ when it happens.

If you want reliability, the ONLY 1999-2007 smart fortwos you should buy are:
- Ones that have already had an engine rebuild from a reputable smart specialist
- The diesel (CDI) models - though these are all Left-Hand-Drive
- The 2003+ Brabus Fortwo which has a much stronger & more resilient engine.

Otherwise buy a 2007-2015 non-MHD model.

[Animal67]

Thank you for the useful advice, I run a 2011 CDi model, it is a superb vehicle, a friend of mine who hasn't got such a generous budget wanted a little Smart too, hence I've been shopping around for Her, having lost a place to check vehicles out in, I'm now solely reliant on others to carry out the essential maintainance, so I had to ask, thanks again

[adrimo]

Or you could buy a cheap fortwo and put a roadster block in it instead of rebuilding the old engine

[Animal67]

If I were buying for myself, I probably would go for something more radical, but as I won be the one driving it, I have to make sure that whatever I get is suitable for her and also low on insurance as she's been off the road for a while so insurance is going to hit her hard.