Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Smart represents an audacious move by Daimler-Benz to not only sell a city car in a country full of SUV lovers but to make it upscale as well. Let’s see if this iconic, but sadly never successful, small car comes with a price that will make us finally appreciate it.
BMW’s current hot two-seat convertible, the Z4 M40i, offers 382 horsepower and costs over $75K out the door. Most people don’t know this since the current Z4 has been pretty much ignored and overshadowed by its platform-mate, the Toyota Supra. The 1999 BMW M Roadster we looked at yesterday only has its M siblings with which to compete. That smaller field didn’t play in its favor, though. Not, at least, when the seller’s selected $21,500 price was considered. Fully 92 percent of you sent it packing with a No Dice loss at that amount.
Let’s Get Small is the title of Steve Martin’s 1977 Grammy-winning, platinum-selling comedy album. Running over thirteen minutes, the titular track is ironically also the longest of the album’s 10 bits. It’s hard to call the beloved banjo-playing performer’s routine prescient, but considering the diminutive size of today’s 2013 Smart ForTwo Brabus, we can, at least, consider the connection.
The Smart ForTwo was and remains wackadoodle small. Offering two seats with a small cargo area behind, the car was intended as an urban runabout, with its pixie-like dimensions allowing for two Smarts to be parked in the space of one non-clown car.
Being small, though, doesn’t mean giving up on ostentation. As such, this ForTwo has been fancified by the legendary Mercedes tuner Brabus to make it stand out and give its owner a modestly better driving experience. I say modestly as the Brabus ForTwo maintains the standard model’s 70 horsepower turbo triple engine. It does have remapped shift points for the five-speed auto manual, some revised suspension bits resulting in a 10-millimeter drop in ride height, a central dual exhaust, and a set of handsome Brabus Monoblock VII alloy wheels. Those latter are 15 inches in the front and 17 in the rear.
The car’s pretty posh, too, featuring power windows and locks even though both doors are within reach of either seat. There’s also A/C, a nav screen, and a panoramic (if such a word can be used on something this small) glass roof. It should also be noted that the Smart ForTwo is mid-engine and has rear-wheel drive, just like many Ferraris.
Described by its seller as “really nice,” this ForTwo has just 61,829 miles on the odometer and looks to be in great condition for its age and those miles. These were only available in black or silver; this car is the latter. It does have black accents and an aftermarket carbon-fiber rear wing to make it even Brabustier. The interior has velour mats and aluminum pedals, but it is otherwise just a loaded Smart.
Other incentives on this particular car include some recent repairs and replacements—starter, smog pump, brakes, and tires—and the cutest car cover you’ve ever seen. A clean title and the original manuals will come with the car, as well. The asking price is $9,800.
That’s less than half what this car cost new, and, in case you haven’t noticed (and why would you?) Smart isn’t selling cars in the U.S. anymore, making this a rare opportunity. But is that incentive enough to drop $9,800 on a city car in the land of giant SUVs and pickup trucks?
What do you say? Is this Smart wacky enough to command that kind of cash? Or would that not be a Smart move?
You decide!
Hartford, Connecticut, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Brian for the hookup!
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