Chicago Smarties Meet, Greet and Eat
February 27, 2009
Of the current fifty-one smart car owners from the Chicago land area, almost half braved the rather harsh winter weather in order to have their largest get-together at the California Pizza Kitchen in suburban Skokie, Illinois this past February.
Enjoying the Sunday morning brunch were a wonderfully assorted group of smart car owners and I must say, enthusiasts. I personally, was very pleased to see the impressive number who decided to participate. Even those who were unable to attend sent their apologies and voiced their dismay at having to be absent for this affair. My kudos to our group member, “Clicker,” for initiating this event.
It was impressive to observe everyone’s eagerness to get together with other owners and to share their ownership experience. Even though we are really all new to the game, sort to say, I was so glad to see everyone’s exuberance matched my own. There is something fascinating about being a smart car owner.
I have owned many and varied vehicles in my lifetime. Being somewhat long in the tooth, I have experienced everything from the slow and go to the fast and furious. However, nothing has given me more pleasure than being the driver of this particular car.
What is it with this experience? It begins with ordering. Somehow, once you are in the wait seems to be like being on the hunt…the excitement grows. And, for me, and apparently all the other smarties I have met so far, there is no disappointment once you take possession of the keys!
The second thing I have discovered is that there is a wealth of knowledge to be obtained in speaking with my fellow smarties. Questions you may have about performance, strange noises, gas mileage, where can you get this or that, and on and on, are readily shared.
The importance of forming your own group and having these get togethers cannot be overly empathized for their value as well as fun.
Whether you form a group based upon location, type, colors, or all being left-handed makes no matter…just do it.
- Bert Monsen
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2008 Was A Year For Smartsizing
February 27, 2009
Did you ever notice the best solutions or courses of actions are usually the simplest? We make sure we go out of our way to either over-think or over-complicate just about any decision. A simple solution is an elegant one.
I decided last year it was time to start pruning the little things that added no value to life. Many of us carry multiple devices that do so many different things. I was carrying my cell phone, a music player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), along with my laptop and all of its accessories. I had many “man-bags” in which to carry the multiple iterations of junk listed above supposedly needed on a day-to-day basis. It was getting to the point that being “portable” meant you had so much stuff that it was not even worth working remotely. It was a temple-building effort just to move from my home office to the back porch if I wanted to work outside. I could not imagine going off-site to work without buying one of those roll around luggage bags to tote all of my stuff.
Again, life does not have to be this hard.
Did you ever notice that the smart is an elegant solution in getting from one point to another? The car has just enough instrumentation to tell the driver only what is necessary. The dome light gently radiates when entering or exiting the car, the radio light only comes on when the radio is on, and there are only three settings for the windshield wipers. Take a look around the engine compartment and tell me if that is not simplicity as an art form. The oil filter and drainage plug are close together for ease of maintenance. Therefore, why does an oil change cost $160?
All you need is:
- 24mm socket
- 3-1/2 quarts of Mobil-1 5w-30
- Oil filter (Smart 132 180 00 10 –or- Mitsubishi 1230A040 –or- Purolator Plus L14612 –or- Bosch 3300 –or- AC Delco Ultragard Gold UPF44)
Note: Thanks to the smart community for its many posts on this topic. I will most
likely buy one of each and do a comparison in a future article. Also, an oil drainage pan and funnel would probably be helpful in the above task. It is 13 degrees outside now so this may wait until April.
I got tired of carrying a cell phone, music player, and Palm PDA so these three devices were replaced by a BlackBerry Curve. One easy to use device is great and the web browser does a great job accessing the Smartimes Mobile Edition. The built-in browser is alright, but I think Opera Mini does a better job. Opera is also available for other operating systems and I like the simple fact that no matter how I access the internet, using Opera is the common interface. The BlackBerry also has a headphone jack useful for plugging it into the fortwo’s radio. Copy music or books into the smart phone, plug into the smart car, and select the [SRC] button for [AUX]. If it is not loud enough, then increase the volume on the phone first and the radio next. You will get the optimum volume if both are adjusted correctly.
My current laptop is still the workhorse, but I needed something a little more transportable. Netbooks are small laptops that are designed to run a user’s essential applications such as e-mail, web browsing, and composing documents. It must also be able to host presentations and have a long batter life. My current netbook is the ASUS eeepc and it has worked flawlessly for the past several months. There are two reasons that I bring up a computer in a car-related forum. The first is the ASUS will fit in the pouches of the fortwo’s rear cargo cover very well. The second is the netbook runs Linux which is an Open Source operating system along with all the applications that I need. As you may have noticed, I’ve been using Linux for years.
Things to consider:
- Open Your Mind
- Open Source
- Simplify Your Life, but Live smartly?
Owning the fortwo is not like owning a normal car. It allows you and a passenger to get from one destination to another in a different fashion. My wife tells me she has an almost Zen-like experience when doing the most mundane of errands. She has commented that a feeling of happiness comes over her when driving it. I have found this to be true when it is pleasant out and the top is down or even when it is a negative twelve degrees outside. The fortwo constantly delivers a calming or Zen-like experience.
Get out and drive it. It belongs on the road.
-Tony Godfrey
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Smartimes…Time To Blaze…
February 23, 2009
Hello…welcome to Smartimes…time to blaze…
My name is Tony Godfrey and I have been a Smart enthusiast for almost two years now. I am really not sure how it got started, but maybe it was one of those things that found me. Maybe like Karma? Fate? Who knows?
The idea of a something a little more “green” came to mind several months ago and I started looking at alternatives of getting from point A to point B. I have an SUV and it is actually used, gets dirty, and fits in perfectly when originally purchased. The vehicle still has a place and I do not see getting rid of it anytime soon.
Other considerations went from small cars, to hybrids, and to even a scooter. About this time I saw the famous YouTube video of the Smart hitting the concrete barrier at over 75-miles per hour and thought about doing some investigative research. The idea for the car was originally conceived by the Swatch Watch Company. The then-CEO Nicolas Hayek started shopping his idea around for an automaker to build it. General Motors and Volkswagen turned down the idea, but Daimler-Benz eventually saw value in the small car.
Smart is short for Swatch Mercedes ART. The original design was for the car to be eco-friendly and city-friendly. The ForTwo is 85% recyclable, offers great visibility, and is also gas pump friendly only requiring less than eight gallons of fuel. The more I found out really got me excited by the vehicle and after months of deliberation, I finally put down my $99 reservation down at the beginning of August 2007. I was told it would probably be in the States within the next year.
Smart does a very good job of keeping potential owners in the loop via e-mail and their website updates. Several months elapsed and I started thinking maybe this was not going to happen. At the end of July 2008, the local dealer called and said my car was in. What? This could not be true so I asked the salesperson to read my order back to me just to make sure. She said my order for the black with silver tridon and red interior with blah-blah options had come in and she would like to arrange a date for pick-up. I said I would call back in bit having to confer with my wife first.
I called my wife and said the Smart car was in and asked what were we going to do about it? She said we will probably make an appointment to get it and have lunch afterwards. What is it with Ladies and Lunch? Anyway, I called the salesperson back and we setup an appointment for that Saturday. The finance person then called and we started doing the paperwork over the phone (Mercedes efficiency?) to save some time. I could not get over the fact how easy this was going.
When we got to the dealership, the car was inside and next to a table for the final signing and such. My wife and I had a snack with “Angus” as paperwork flew and the salesperson went over all the aspects of the Smart. I could not get over the friendliness of purchasing a car and the staging that went into it. While the finance guy was tying up the last few items, my wife and I requested the floor mats, cargo net kit, rear cargo cover, hats, t-shirt, keychain…..yeah, yeah….just put it all on the tab.
We left the dealership not believing the car was actually here and headed to lunch (…ladies and lunch…). It was a beautiful July weekend and the car had its top down almost the entire time. The little guy gets LOTS of attention and it can almost become too much and we actually didn’t drive it for a couple of weeks that September. I have been stopped at red lights, mall parking lots, gas stations, airports, my driveway, and the list keeps growing. This was especially true when gasoline prices were over four dollars per gallon. It is just something that Smart car owners will have to grin and bear.
It is winter time in northeastern Ohio and I was only scared to take it out the first time. Angus does very well in the snow and negative temperatures and he comes from Europe, so this should not have been a concern. I still cannot get over the fact of how quiet the car is, not only inside, but outside as well. The interior is massive and I am still considering a small putting green for those slow times.
Now to Smartimes….
The Smartimes website was found when researching all-things Smart. I went through the website and started downloading past issues of the magazine. These were gone through in short order and I really enjoyed them. My wife and I have a few small cars including a 1968 MGB, 1970 MG Midget, 1992 GEO Metro, and the 2008 ForTwo. I wonder if the people at Smartimes would like a simple piece comparing the four and how a small car has been defined. Put something together and see what happens.
The first response back was from Jennifer saying she liked what she read and she would be speaking with the editorial staff soon. I thanked her for the input and a few days later received an e-mail from Trevor saying he liked what he read as well. We exchanged a few more e-mails and now you are reading the results. They are really great, down-to-earth people and I look forward to a long relationship with them.
It was decided to see what happens with this section. So, let’s talk about the Smart life-style and go from there. I recently planned the first annual “Honey Smart Wine” tour for my wife which we did this past weekend. This was a big success since it was “for her” and not because a holiday was coming up. The ForTwo is a car and should be on the road regardless of the weather, even if it is negative twelve degrees. I recently purchased a BMW first aid kit box to install under the Smart seat to maximize storage. There are a few things every Smart owner should have for normal maintenance that cost very little. Let’s take the little guy to his first Christmas party that the dealership was putting on. Later on this year, he will have a chance to do a parade lap at the MidOhio race course. A parade lab means no more than 40 miles per hour, but its still MidOhio and I’m quite sure it has not been done before.
Now, let’s start blazing that new trail…
Tony Godfrey
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Smart Car Poker Run
October 17, 2008
What is it?
It will be called the “smart cards” but it is really a poker run for those of you with bikes.
It is an opportunity for smart owners to do something fun together, enjoy each other,
enjoy their cars, and help the Clinton County Boys and Girls Club 1100 West Green
Street Frankfort, Indiana as part of a fundraiser
What do we do?
We will meet at the Clinton County Boys and Girls Club at 11am and then go on (The
first ever that I know of) smart poker run. It will depart at 1pm
The Clinton County Boys and Girls Club will host a chili lunch as part of the fundraiser
from 11 until first car out.
We will drive our cars down a scenic, planned, marked, and mapped route it is about 100
miles total basically as a group.
We will pull our first card at the Clinton County Boys and Girls Club, stop at 3 scenic
places along the route and pull cards, then finally we will stop at The Burlington Scoop
(ice cream / pizza parlor in Burlington) to pull our 5th and final card of the poker run.
Then determine the winner of the best hand. Winner will get some money ($25.00 or so).
This money can be donated back to the Boys and Girls Club if you choose
What will be the highlights?
1. A drive down the smooth and curvy Mulberry – Jefferson blacktop
2. A drive up the very scenic south river road between Georgetown and Logansport.
The trees are so old and so big that they grow over the road
3. Drive across the covered bridge just outside of Cutler
4. See Adams Mill a very cool turn of the century corn mill that is a now a museum
5. Drive down a curvy scenic path between Cutler and Burlington
6. Try ice cream or dinner at Scoops
7. So many smart cars together
8. So many smart owners doing something good for a worthy cause (Boys and Girls
Club)
9. Start a smart trend
10. Maybe some prizes (we are working on it)
11. Photo ops, photo ops
What is the cost?
1. Smart cards drive (poker run) will be $10.00 per person playing (remember ALL
money goes to the Boys and Girls Club
2. Boys and Girls Club lunch (has not been decided yet but maybe around $5.00)
(remember ALL money goes to the Boys and Girls Club)
3. Ice cream or pizza at Scoops your on your own – I am trying to get them to donate
a portion of the profits (like 10%) to the Boys and Girls Club as well, we are still
in negotiations
When is it?
November the 9th
Dean / Missy Hill – BUMBLE FLEA
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Exciting New Smart Car Designs
August 22, 2008
Here at the Smartimes Magazine we encourage all of our readers to contribute what ever smart car related articles and content they feel the smart community would love to hear about.
With that in mind needless to say it’s very rarely that the Smartimes inbox is empty of new emails, but every now and then something stands out from the crowd that needs immediate attention.
This being said we have just received an email from a regular Smartimes reader showing us that the smart car really can appeal to anyones taste in cars with just a little modification.
We are not sure of the original source for these images but we thank the creative individual behind them for this fantastic look at the smart cars that might never be!
Thank you to Nevit for this contribution, we hope you enjoy these photos and please keep the contributions coming.
The Smartimes Team
Smart Car Owners Can Go From This:
To One Of These With A Few “Simple” Modifications…
The Smorvette:
The Smaudi A3 AWD:
The Smamborghini:
The Smorsche:
The Smorsche Targa:
And last, but not lease…
The Smerrari:
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Smart Car London to Le Man 24 Hour Race
July 8, 2008
Some call us mad or insane for driving around in those “things” (ha ha), Well here’s the maddest of them all, London to Le Man for the 24hrs car race.
Starting off on a Monday afternoon and heading out from home in East London with a suitcase of clothes for the week sleeping bag and a Marshalling bag was fun in its self, just room for me. Setting the trip to 0 it was off I go through the Blackwall tunnel to meet up with the others at Maidstone service area on the M20 to avoid the nightmare that is the M2.
Pulling into the service area to a round of laughter and you are mad I tell them that I maybe mad but cheap. After a Fill up it’s off to get the 20:15 Sea France crossing (They are still doing the deal if you have crossed in your smart before). Oh well no duty free this trip theirs no room. We arrived in Calais at 22:30 Pete the one with the sleeping area on the back of his car has planed the route so its now a convey with me having the advantage of a Left hand drive car (not so mad now) was told your at the front oh well so I get told the top secret route it Haute Picarde for the night so off down the Peage at a cost of 10 euros but at least it got us a place to stop and food. ...
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Smart London to Brighton Run 2003
July 8, 2008
Full of anticipation the couple in the numeric blue Smart City Coupe pass under the finish banner at Brighton and into the car park, smiling and waving to all.
I don’t know who they were but they looked like nice people. Jenny and I arrived some time before and never did get to the “finish”.
The Smartclub London to Brighton run has been eagerly awaited in the Broome household since the 02 event. Our [sorry Jenny’s] numeric blue City Coupe, known as M&M, “cos it looks like a blue one”, has been seen every where, Hambach, Billing, Bruntingthorpe, loads of meets and many more places besides. ...
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London to Brighton Run Poem
July 8, 2008
The L2B 2003
It’s dark outside, time to get up
And get our outfits on
For it’s a very special day Today’s the BRIGHTON RUN!
The polish and the cloths are packed
The car inside is tidy
For hours we have worked on her
Our Smart is VERY shiny!
5.45 ~ its time to go
Speed off into the night
We meet a Smartie on the way
It’s starting to get light.
At Clacket Lane we meet more Smarties
Heading for the meet
We race along the motorway
Our Smartie ‘Tube’ complete.
We arrive at Kempton Park at last
The atmosphere’s electric
With smarts all colours, mods and tweeks
And some drivers, quite eccentric! ...
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Smart Car Leeds 2 Bridlington Run
July 8, 2008
The Alternative L2B sponsored by Smart Of North Yorkshire 7/09/03
Sunday the 7th of September saw the annual Leeds 2 Bridlington Run. Organised this year by funkysmart.co.uk and sponsored by smart of north Yorkshire.
The weather forecast was dreadful and so I purposely put my raincoat in the back of my Smart. Needless to say the sun shone all day.
The Days agenda:
Set off from Leeds, Birstall, 10.30am, in convoy to Smart of York for refreshments and to collect another 22 smarts then on to Bridlington South shore for a free for all leisurely afternoon. ...
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Gulf GT40 Smart Car
July 8, 2008
Mathew R Hall BA Hons (Sand)……… Honest…
Research Engineer for a medical device manufacturer based in Reading.
Bought Smart as a cheap and funky run-around after my 2.3 Audi 90… (How wrong was I????)
Other cars in my collection:
1965 Series 11a 88" Land Rover.
Previous cars owned, Audi 90 2.3, Vauxhall Astra 1.8SXi, VW Polo…
Background to the Gulf Smart.
I bought my Smart in the May of 2001; it was one of the limited edition Mk5 Pulse SEs in Bay gray. It wasn’t long before modifications were being made, first off, it was the GB air scoop, soon after came a Smart tune dump-valve and a Turbo boost gauge. At that point, I was happy with my shiny modified smart, little did I know what was about to happen? ...
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