Used 451

[Paul Caden]

Good evening,

I have 4K to spend and want to drive 18 miles to work cheaply as possible so I am considering a smart 451 passion cdi. What are the pitfalls and issues I should look for when looking at them?

Thanks
Paul.

[Ocracoke]

CDIs are generally reliable. The 54bhp has a DPF that has been known to be blocked up if the car is only driven on short, low speed trips where the filter does not get hot enough to begin the regenerative cycle. If you regularly use the motorway, this may not be an issue for you. The 45bhp is slower but it is the same basic engine without the DPF. For peace of mind, if I wanted a CDI, I would get a 45bhp.

Beyond that, the 451 is itself is fairly simple. There is a known issue with knocking anti roll bar bushes and a intermittent problem selecting reverse (fixed through a software update) but otherwise OK.

[Paul Caden]

Thank you for the feedback.

Do you know how much these problems would cost the fix?

[Ocracoke]

For the Anti Roll Bar bushes, they aren't wildly expensive to get (http://smartmods.co.uk/index.php?page=details&id=76) and fitting them is not that much of a hassle either (http://www.evilution.co.uk/760).

For the gearbox update, I'd recommend a Smart Car Independent that has access to a STAR diagnostic machine along with Xentry networking (Smart-Stuff in Somerset is one that I am aware of, maybe S2Smarts in Watford... I am not sure) otherwise it is a trip to a main dealer. Not being an owner of a 451, I couldn't tell you how much it would be.