In article , says...

On 3/18/2012 3:52 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:41:02 -0400, wrote:

On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:48:08 -0400, wrote:

On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:03:20 -0700 (PDT), North Star
wrote:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...r-not-so-smart

Other than the Gremlin ugliness appeal, I can't imagine why anybody
would buy one.

A sealed "engine unit" is idiocy and $14,000 to swap "units" is
nothing short of highway robbery.

This sounds more like a car that was being sold without any
established dealer network or any training for mechanics.

I am sure that if you could track down where that engine came from you
could find a qualified mechanic who knows how to fix them.
We had a friend with a Smart Car and she figured out it was an orphan
the first time she had a warranty issue. She was able to sell it while
it was new enough to take a reasonable loss.

Not sure, but what I'm reading seems to suggest that the bottom end is
not repairable by the dealer. It appears these cars are maintained by
the MB network in Canada.


This seems like the same thing as the Yugo... Actually I had one, lasted
about a month and a half and the engine blew up, I mean yard sale parts
down the highway. Turns out the "company" making them was just
interested in staying in business long enough to fund a war...

Friend bought a Yugo. I'd never seen such a crappily made car! He had it
a few months, then the battery in my car died, he came over with his
Yugo, jumped me off, and the next day had to take it to the dealer to do
massive work on the electrical system!