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Hi all! I'm new here and new to Smarts (well apart from nearly buying a Roadster a few years ago). My fiancée and I are going to look at a second hand Smart car later on today (Brabus ForTwo 2005). It's quite high mileage (over 60k). What kind of things should I look out for when looking at it and test driving it?
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Check any service records for evidence of oil changes, for some as yet undetermined reason engines tend to fail more often in 42's than roadies.
Before the flaming start it's not a problem that is bound to happen to every smart -but it has been more noticeable
They should be changing the filter at the same time and using fully synth.
'Full MB service history' means nothing - Independent dealers are just as likely to give a better job for less money IMO.
Short trips don't do any smart engine any favours unless it has consistently been allowed to warm up / cool down so gaining some idea of the previous owners driving style might be helpful.
People wiser than myself will be able to give more accurate pointers -
Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Cool, thanks for the quick reply. I'll check the service history although we'd be buying it from a second hand car dealership that doesn't usually deal in Smarts - it's a car they took in as a part exchange. I did have a look at engine repair just in case and it looks replacing a knackered engine with a refurbished one costs about £750 which sounds remarkably cheap.
Although it's quite high mileage, we'd be doing far less ourselves. The other half would be commuting in four days a week at only about 7.5 miles each way (London traffic though).Comment
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Keep an aye and an ear out for anything untoward in the driving especially if accompanied by warning lights on the dash.
If you find anything you are uncertain about with any car you testdrive, just defer your decision and come back and ask here.
Good luck!Comment
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Another thought - If you have never driven a Smart before I would put out a request for a volunteer to accompany you on the test drive.Comment
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Cheers for the advice guys. Alas it looks like that car wasn't meant to be. We called the dealership at ten past four to let them know we were coming and would be about an hour. We got caught in traffic and got delayed arriving at 5:35 when the dealership closed at 5:30 to find it all bolted up and no one there. You'd think if they wanted a sale and were expecting a potential buyer then they'd hang around for a tiny bit. What a waste of a few hours! Back to the drawing board now.
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
I'm selling a 2005 Smart ForTwo Brabus with 39K miles, see the classified section for details, I can come and go on price a bit for a member of this forum....
http://www.smartmaniacs.co.uk/forums...ad.php?t=61577
Car has been cherished by my wife and looked after/detailed by me....Comment
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Spanky, they obviously thought getting home on time for their tea was more important than a sale!!! (Did you ring them on route & say you were still coming but could be a few minutes late, due to the traffic???
)
You will probably get a better deal & a better looked after car by buying from someone on the forums (obviously thats not necessarly true in all cases, but it's worth a look!)
60,000 miles isn't too bad if it's been cared for (that's what mine has done, and isn't showing any signs of stopping yet!!)......With an engine re-build £750 is the BASIC price assuming everything else is OK........unless the seller has proof of it being changed recently, you should budget at least an extra £500 for a new turbo, plus a couple of hundred for anything else that might be best to get replaced at the same time!
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
I'd also add that Brabus' seem to be a bit less prone to rebuilds - could be to do with the additional oil cooler fitted. Mine had done 55k when I sold it and was still sweet as a nut.
JasonComment
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Thanks for the advice guys! We ended up buying another Smart later on that evening. On the way back from trying to buy the Brabus we saw a nasty moped accident on the other side of the road and this convinced my fiancée that she didn't want to ride her moped in again (the reason for buying a Smart was because she didn't feel safe on her moped in London). I didn't call the dealer on the way to say I'd be late but he knew we were coming and we were literally five minutes late, no more. I guess he really didn't want to sell the car!
In the end we went for a slightly older car (2002) and not a Brabus but with lower miles (just under 40k) and a cabriolet. It's a good spec too, heated leather seats, air con etc so we're pretty happy (although the air con needs regassing). I know there's still a risk of a future engine rebuild but I've heard that you can do it yourself in a weekend provided you have all the parts and a rebuild kit costs only about £450. My mate's an automotive engineer so I'd rope him in to helping me do it if it ever comes up. For the time being I'll keep an eye on oil usage.
TBH, I'd have preferred a Brabus because... well... I guess they're a little more manly but she preferred a cabrio and doesn't care about the smaller cc engine or the lack of a bodykit and exhaust etc. She's going to be the one driving it most of the time and fuel economy commuting to work is quite important. Our other car does 17 mpg around London so this should be quite an improvement!!Comment
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Re: Anything to look out for when looking at a second hand Smart?
Glad you managed to find a suitable car, don't forget to post a picture up here....so everyone can go "well that looks nice!"
Be nice to have a cabby at the moment, and I think you should do slightly better than the 17mpg of your other car!!! (Probably about 45 ish around town, maybe more depending on right foot control!!!!)
Watch out for the roof making any strange noises......you can find a good guide to fixing them & most other stuff on www.evilution.co.uk
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