Smart roadster... Any experience here?

I bought one from auction about 4 years ago now for a bit of a laugh. When I came to sell it, I've never known such demand for a car. It sold within an hour of being advertised and I could have sold it 30 times over on the same day.

Gearbox was rubbish and semi-ruined what was otherwise a fun little thing.

Yes. Well, I'm pretty sure they are, that's all I've ever seen. 

What a shame! They have almost everything going for them - wonder if there are any relatively simple manual swaps possible... Mr2?

You sir, are a bad, baaad man.



I was going to say, an MR2 roadster is better in every single way, but that pic is inspirational

Available as a roadster and roadster coupe. Your picture is of the coupe. A bit more space for luggage.
Like you I really like them. I had a test drive in one and as already said gearchanges are not the best. I used it in manual mode, with flappy paddles, rather than auto. Found that releasing the throttle slightly when making a change helped. Gear changes in general seems to be a topic of some discussion with all two-seater Smarts cars of early generation. Around 2015 the two-seater Smarts had manual gearboxes.

I enjoyed my test drive a lot.

A Brabus version would be ideal. A bit pricier.

There are a few engine swaps on YouTube.

There was a V6 version concept one made. Once again videos of it on the net. Must have been a real hoot to drive.

I started researching a few years ago as I was serious about getting one. The main thing that I found that put me off was water leaks. Seems that the roadsters are common for leaks in and around doors and mirrors. Also the SAM unit (ECU box) can get flooded with water and as expected causes all sorts of issues. However suggestions on water proofing the unit and surrounding area are suggested on the net. Worth checking these items out on the internet and YouTube, particularly the water leaks.

Really sorry to sound so negative but just thought I would let you know what I found out when I looked in to a possible purchase. Bye the way I’d still like one.

All the best.

Coming from an XJ the gearbox might not feel so bad, when I drove one I'd just stepped out of my VX220!

I test drove a couple last Summer and would have taken one of them, but the roof was broken on one and the other clearly leaked like a sieve.

I quite like the idea of the semi-auto gearbox and because it was so low slung it felt faster than it was.

I was a smart fanatic in my younger days.

City coupe for 2.5 years then a roadster for 5.5 years.

The gear change could be hesitant particularly at roundabouts but you get to learn it’s foibles.

I loved them and tempted to go back one day.

Leakage is most likely issue biggest potential issue this can cause is ECUs rusting causing electrical gremlins.

Mechanical wise the turbo / exhaust manifolds were susceptible to hairline fractures.

Agree with this, a mate had a Smart Roadster and leaked like mad, loads of electrical problems too due to water ingress. My brother has a MG TF and he loves it, cheap fun cars.