NEW ARRIVAL - Smart Roadster Brabus

HEY EVERYONE!

This week I took delivery of the Smart Roadster Brabus. A blast from the past for me, I was a reluctant seller of a Smart Roadster nearly a decade ago and decided to get back into one when the opportunity came up!

Purchased during lockdown - without physically viewing the vehicle here we have my initial thoughts having looked over the car along with a brief overview of the features and niggles that come as standard on these limited edition cars.

A few bits of work planned - but what would you do?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below - future classic or lost my mind???

Thank you for the support as aways

CMD X

[S-Ltd]

I had a very nice black xclusive for a couple of years which I ran alongside a Eunos mk1. They are good fun and very rare to see on the road but maintenance was a ball ache. I ended up needing to sell one of the cars and I still own the Eunos as it's quite simply a better drive and far easier to live with. I'm glad I owned one but no regrets about letting it go.

[stepheno]

Good enough for Gordon Murray.. etc
I had one way back when new, never had a thing go wrong with it. Only traded in because I had a hankering for an NSX.

[SecretOfMonkeyIsland]

I had a 2005 (54 plate - prior to plate change) jack black coloured Smart Roadster Brabus Coupe back when they were 2-3 years old, got it from the Merc Dealership in Mayfair London where it sat a room away from a McLaren SLR. It was the best car i have ever owned, BUT also the worst car i have ever owned. I had the car a total of 10mths and during that time it spent more time at the Merc dealership then on the road getting repaired due to faults. It had 2x sets of new improved seals added to the roof bars and mirrors (It still leaked), if it rained heavily the water would flood into the car. The interior door handle snapped off after 2 weeks of ownership. The heater motor busted, the doors would open when driving along at 30mph and the electric roof was becoming temperamental and i expected it to fail. On the plus side it had great fuel economy, drove like a go kart, paddle shift gears, looked great and attracted a LOT of attention. Every time i got fuel people used to say "What is that mate .... is it a Lotus of some sort". Servicing the car was difficult, you need to remove the entire rear of the car and need a special tool to remove the spark plugs. The engines arent built for high miles due to the 700cc 3 cylinder, so don't expect it to last ages without a engine rebuild. Also ... that gearbox ... slowest gear change ever !!!

[SparkyRih]

Get the Brabus V6 steering wheel, it's petty hard to find, but if you get hold of it, it's probably the best modification/change :)

[alex]

I find I'm a bit spoiled with paddle shift boxes these days and when I got a Roadie maybe tried to compare its single clutch box the size of a toaster (that was designed in the late nineties) to my expectations of a modern multi clutch auto. We should look at its clunkiness and the reward of that sought after perfectly timed change with nostalgic affection like we do the flaws of other classic cars. As a 2nd or 3rd car for occasional open top blasts down the coast I find its cost effective, fun and stands out more than an mx5 or boxster...as an everyday car, not a chance. Really looking forward to following you having a ball in your Roadie :)

[johnwhite]

My 2007 roadster is really good, absolutely no problem with gear shift, as fast if not faster than most autos I have had, really goes, supposedly 112 hp, its on 17 inch 5 stud wheels with discs all round, tube boost 1.5.

[bradador]

Just got the same car. Mines is high spec brabus. My boot is the smaller version. I love it, but expect leaking, it’s a killer lol. I have a hard top roof, not sure if I wanna change it to soft top yet

[smarty]

Congrats! Hope to meet you at Roadster Times 2022 in Zeeland NL 😁. The last five or six numbers on yr chassis number is the production serial. Which one is yours? In Zeeland you will be able to put yr firmware to the latest version! Nowhere available any more. Join us, the Smart Roadster Community!

[SupercarSpeeders]

Can't wait to see what adventures you get upto in the new car. Hope to see it at a future WOW event. 👍

[Vatierville]

Amazing looking car still, all this time later! Will be checking back 😎

[wheelsandwatches]

Enjoy. Love mine. Join the FB group ‘smart roadster owners club’ and also have a look and subscribe to ‘evilution’. With those two things you will be able to address any questions you have .... and you will have a fair few! Also fudge smart for a remap 👍

[tmoyckt]

Always torn about whether to view a Roadsters video. All it does is intensify my desire for one notwithstanding the ability to port one to the US is many years off. 😵 Still... I can't help myself. Enjoy your acquisition! Looking forward to your future adventures. 👍👏

[michaelloach]

If I was going for a small quirky car I would rather have a Suzuki coffee car or another 'k' car. Apart from the fact the gearbox is the styling on the Capuccino is better its also a proper manual. All the

[Scala]

Awesome little car 👌🏻 Need to put this up against the swift!

When you get new door seals treat them to an application of gummi pflege every 6 months and they should stay nice and supple 👍🏻

[dpfghela]

That car looks great and had potential to be a real Mazda beater. But the auto box and teeny engine were a horrible jerky affair!! Good luck though. Hope you get more out if it than I did.

[akosferenc]

Dear Mad Dad,
may I ask you the artist and title of the used song? I really like it! :)
Thx!

[sod]

Oh man, let us know how you fix all the leaks... Please!