My car is in for a service today and the guy who picked it up has left a Smart for four on my drive.
Quite a cute wee thing I suppose. Not sure who would buy one though. The interior is quite fun. Outwardly though, it's a bit of a munter.
I'll ask my son what he thinks of it when he gets in from school. It might be that I'm too old to appreciate it.
This one is a sort of metallic red with a black roof and hindquarters. Reminds me of a washbag.
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Agreed it's a munter. And that's a shame, as the original ForFour was really nice looking, still far better than the new one.
Still getting main dealer serviced at 200k miles? Benefit of company cars, eh?
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Actually, I've just been reading up on them. Rear engined, rear wheel drive and with the more powerful of the engine options ( this one is ) apparently they go a bit...
Hmmmm, pity the bloke didn't leave the keys.
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Bloke should be getting phone call to tell him to bring ruddy keys ruddy sharpish. Eejit (him not you).
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They never do, it's not a courtesy car, they just leave whatever they arrive in on the drive and collect it when they return your car.
But I do think they're missing a trick, if they did leave the keys, some customers might decide they rather liked the whateveritwas they left and buy one either for themselves or another family member.
For example, I'm minded to buy something for my son to learn on in the not too distant so a little car like this one...
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Ah, gotcha. Was assuming it was a courtesy car. Even my little back street SAAB indy gives me a courtesy car every time, no fee, no messing, just flings me the keys, usually for a 2.3t 9-5 saloon. Which I like.
Didn't know the new ForFour was RWD and rear engined though. Sounds interesting. You're right, they should let customers have a go. How short sighted and tight.
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Years ago I used to have my vans serviced by a local independent. We always 'talked cars' and when I left the van for servicing on half day closing ( remember those?) instead of the usual courtesy car he lent me his own Alfasud Ti.
I fondly recall the lovely rasping noise it made on acceleration
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Apparently, the For Four shares its underpinnings with the Renault Twingo.
( twitch, shudder, gulp, I'm sure it's fine...where's my special pills again? )
;-)
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>> Apparently, the For Four shares its underpinnings with the Renault Twingo.
>>
>> ( twitch, shudder, gulp, I'm sure it's fine...where's my special pills again? )
>>
>> ;-)
Renault actually make very good little cars. Just been zipping around in my mums trouble free 12 year old clio, still very tight and nimble.
it when they put them in the expander they go mammeries up.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 13 Jan 16 at 14:13
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>>my mums trouble free 12 year old clio, still very tight and nimble.
>>
>>it when they put them in the expander they go mammeries up.
>>
You're not far wrong there. The folk that I have known with Clio's have been well pleased with them, but I can't say the same for the colleague with a Megane and another chap who ran a Laguna.
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Isn't there an element of "Look at wot you could've woon" as well? A Clio driver will see a lot of Corsas and Micras and feel pleased, whereas the bigger car owner sits on the Armco gazing past the Laguna at the Mondeos and Passats and mutters, "If only..."
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>> Isn't there an element of "Look at wot you could've woon" as well?
No.
Small Renaults with not much gizmos dont break, bigger ones do. And only the French manage (sometimes) to make a small car ride and handle properly.
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>> Alfasud Ti.
>> I fondly recall the lovely rasping noise it made on acceleration
Me too. I had an Italian girlfriend when I was 17/18, her Mum used to let me drive her Sud Ti.
She didn't think it anything special, but I fell in love with it and have wanted one of my own ever since. Why I never have, I'll never quite work out, and the remaining ones are getting quite expensive now. Same with Alfasuds. ;-)
When the girlfriend's Dad decided to replace the Sud, he wanted 600 quid for it. I offered everything I had - 400. No, he said. Girlfriend crashed it and wrote it off the next day, TPFT. No insurance payout. The dad replaced it with an Escort 1.6L. I replaced the girlfriend with a blonde, and that didn't go well either. :-( Several lessons learned.
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>> They never do, it's not a courtesy car, they just leave whatever they arrive in
>> on the drive
Presumably you're charging rent for allowing him to use your drive? Else tell him to leave it on the road.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/cheap-parking-rental
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Oh now then Dave, that's a bit mean spirited is it not? It's a very long walk from D'Hills Towers to the road...
Anyway, I had him leave it behind the stable block and swimming pool complex...
;-)
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Wed 13 Jan 16 at 13:03
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Mean spirited of him not to leave you the keys either ;)
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Perhaps they're worried that he might take advantage by nipping north of the border to visit relatives.
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Anyway, they've just sent me a video of the underside of my car with a commentary which takes rather too long to say "there's nothing wrong with your car"
This is good news I think for a vehicle with 150,000 miles on it and no previous problems ( other than a wonky dashboard light at about 60,000 miles )
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Merc back now.
How do they get them soooooo clean?? They must have a man.
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>> How do they get them soooooo clean??
>>
Brillo pads. Just wait until it's sunny to see the full effect.
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>> Brillo pads.
Very good ! :-)
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>> How do they get them soooooo clean??
Snowfoam. Give it a few months and the paint will fade because it's washed off all the protection.
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>> Mean spirited of him not to leave you the keys either ;)
>>
perhaps they are on here and were worried about the door mirrors err blowing off in the wind
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Thank you Skip, but clearly you didn't get the memo about the not mentioning the mirror thing any more?
We'll let it go on this occasion of course but in future, be obliged etc...
;-)
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Met a guy who was (trying) to trial a new Twingo. Apparently they're not selling too well and he was offered one for a price he couldn't refuse. He thought rear engine + RWD = brilliant traction. Complained bitterly about traction control, stability control and ABS. The first two would prevent power being applied when needed and the last prevented him from locking the wheels when wanted!
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>> Met a guy who was (trying) to trial a new Twingo. Apparently they're not selling
>> too well and he was offered one for a price he couldn't refuse. He thought
>> rear engine + RWD = brilliant traction. Complained bitterly about traction control, stability control and
>> ABS. The first two would prevent power being applied when needed and the last prevented
>> him from locking the wheels when wanted!
So the car wouldn't let him spin the wheels or skid?
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>> Met a guy who was (trying) to trial a new Twingo.
>> He thought rear engine + RWD = brilliant traction. Complained bitterly about traction control
Is there an RWD Twingo?
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Runfer, I bought my wife a Smart for four in Nov. 900cc turbo version. Px'd my old TT for it which had been troublesome (see technical thread). She wanted metallic grey wiith orange hindquarters and an orange interior. Need sunglasses whenever you are near it, but great fun to bomb about the North Beds country roads. Very well equipped ( who the hell thought it needed a reversing camera though, you can practically reach out an open window and
Touch the back of the thing).
Plenty of space inside for 4 people I am 6ft and can happily sit behind myself. Very nippy and the rear engine rear drive is a lark. It has a weird self correcting cross-wind system which takes getting used to, but overall a fab and funky little car and I am delighted with it.
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>> I am 6ft and can happily sit behind myself.
I bet that takes a bit of practice!
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That's interesting cosec. I must admit, I wasn't taken with the styling initially and it only promoted itself to just "ok" in my eyes the more I looked at it but I guess the engineering started to fascinate me more.
It was a pity I didn't have the opportunity to drive it as it reads as a bit different to a run of the mill small hatch.
One thing which does appeal to my loadspace nerdiness is the vast ( 900L ) cargo area it has with the back seats folded. Amazing really in such a small car.
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I have not tried to squeeze the Labrador in it yet, but the Westie seems quite taken with it! Very different to anything else I have owned and I actually prefer to drive it than her previous Mini Cooper S which was quick, but banged and crashed over anything but the smoothest roads and did not give me any confidence.
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Is the handling noticeably different ( for the better or worse ) from a regular small fwd car?
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You do feel the rwd when pushing on. I think it is the un-corrupted steering that I notice. The short wheelbase makes things a bit bumpy but you get that on anything. I did look at the Renault Twingo equivalent, but it does not have the same material quality and seemed more tinny somehow.
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Like a lot of people of a certain age and older, I was brought up on RWD cars. It had been a good few years since I'd had one when I got my current car and as you say, it's the pure feel from the steering I'd almost forgotten how much I really appreciate. That and the very handy tight turning circle. Makes it a doddle to park. My car is noticeably longer than my wife's but I find it much easier to squeeze it into a tight parallel parking space than hers.
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Cant say that RWD adds to the driving pleasure in the Viano..........but if does have a very tight turning circle which is handy in something so long
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>> Like a lot of people of a certain age and older, I was brought up
>> on RWD cars. It had been a good few years since I'd had one when
>> I got my current car and as you say, it's the pure feel from the
>> steering I'd almost forgotten how much I really appreciate. That and the very handy tight
>> turning circle. Makes it a doddle to park. My car is noticeably longer than my
>> wife's but I find it much easier to squeeze it into a tight parallel parking
>> space than hers.
>>
>>
Given you've covered 150,000 miles in the last four years that must equate to a lot of motorway miles. Does RWD really give you that much more for that type of driving ?
I've only owned front or 4WD, never owned a RWD. I've hired a few, mainly BMW 3 series which left me wondering what all the fuss was about.
Driving from Germany to Scotland I could have been in any old car, the only difference being the BMW 3er driving position left me feeling like a dog must feel when wind sailing across the living room carpet the front legs pulling and the rear paws in the air with its bum on the ground. It was only when I got to northern roads and went for a bit of rear end out antics that a the 3 series appealed but that's not real world driving is it ? Go-cart with lights is how I describe them.
I did have an E-class on hire (320CDi at the time), which I liked, but my wife could not get the passenger seat in the right position. Electric motors in the seat were not refined enough to adjust to the "just right" position, that's why I'm stuck with Volvo for now.
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My experience (20 years of FWD, and suddenly two RWD cars at once) is that there is no difference at all in motorway driving - which is as it should be, given that it's essentially in a straight line at a steady speed. Anyone who suggests lane changes or whatever are easier or nicer with RWD is trying much too hard.
On real roads, of course, there are tangible differences, but it's not the night-and-day some would have us believe. On a track, I'm sure, but who does that in their drive-to-work car?
Humph's miles must be very much motorway-dominated; my regular 25-mile route is 60 percent motorway, and my long-term average speed is 31mph.
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On Benidorm tonight Kenneth had a 4Four. Not for long though.
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Was that some sort of coded message LL? A bit like "there will be snow in Red Square tonight" said to a fellow occupant of a park bench? Or am I the only one here who hasn't got the faintest idea what you mean?
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Because I'm staying in Benidorm ( Finistrat actually) pretty soon for an extended period, I have begun watching the new series of Benidorm. It's a show on the idiots lantern. One of the characters, Kenneth, anticipating a windfall, bought a Smart 4 Four. However, the windfall did not come to fruition and said car disappeared. Comprende?
Yes, I know that's French
And you probably are the only one
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I thought is was a Smart Roadster (hence why he couldn't get out of it)
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Smart 4 who? - Alanovich
