Smart Roadster (2003 - 2007) (80bhp) 2d Auto (RHD) Owner Review

I no longer have the car as it went up in smoke when my garage caught fire. If I needed a second car again I would seriously consider buying one again, they're fun and becoming a modern classic. When I was looking around for a new car to replace my Toyota MR2 (company car that was going back) I laughed when a friend suggested the Smart Roadster, but she said her ex used to have one and it was great fun. She also drove a sports car herself and I'm a man that likes to keep an open mind, so I took one for a test drive and I was sold within 10 minutes. With a 0-60 of around 10 seconds they're not the quickest in the world but that really is quick enough. It feels quicker and handles like it is on rails, this is what made it the most fun I'd ever had behind the wheel. It's 10 years since my poor roadie went up in smoke and I still have fond memories of it. When finances dictated that a second car (which was always a luxury as I commute by train) was no longer financially viable, is was an easier ask to give up the classic MGB that I replaced it with (I loved it but for the fun factor I should have replace like for like) than it would have been to give up the roadie. The coupe would have undeniably been more practical from a luggage space perspective but with the addition of a boot rack my then girlfriend and I went camping with a two man tent and managed to take everything we needed. When I was single I can honestly say I never regretted having my roadie a my only car. Sure it did mean I occasionally had to draft in a mate to help me shift something, or pay for delivery when if I had a more practical car I would have just brought it home myself, but that happened surprisingly infrequently and I reckon that what that cost me was offset by the fuel economy and low tax and insurance. With more modern cars the fuel economy differential has been eroded, but hey frankly you don't buy one of these because it's economical, that's just a surprising bonus. So why did I only give this car 4 stars, it leaked and my dealer never managed to fix it, in truth this car is notorious and frankly Smart did not seem to car. My understanding is that the common leak can be fixed, but I was glad that I was able to garage it overnight. That was honestly the only thing that I disliked about this car.