Why do so many people hate Smart cars?
Is it because they’re incredibly small, underpowered, two-seaters that have a pretentious name and an undeniably odd design?
Or does it have more to do with the old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” A lot of folks hate cars simply because they read something or read something and then… presto! Instant hate!
Then again, some cars are able to overcome that media driven hate. The Mitsubishi Mirage is a pretty good example of that. The Mirage received more kidney punches and haymakers than Rocky Balboa when it was first released in 2014. But after all the bad publicity came a surprising wave of good sales. The price was right at the $12,000 to $15,000 out the door levels, and the Mirage could surprisingly bring about 80% of the fuel economy of a Prius for 50% of the cost.
What the Mirage has been to the new car market, the Smart is to the used car market. Nothing depreciates faster than a Smart and these days it isn’t hard to find a 2014 Smart with less than 15,000 miles on it for around $5500.
The Electric Drive you see here is actually starting to perk up in resale value thanks to a lot of buyers realizing that if you want a liquid cooled electric car, this is one of the few that isn’t carrying a stiff price premium.
What do you think? Is this Smart a rolling turd? Or is it an under-appreciated car that has been pooped by a bunch of flocking birds?