2012 VW Beetle

[bremics]

I had to double check this because so often when people say this it's not the case, and inflation-adjusted pricing usually has the modern car coming out much cheaper.

But the Beetle really was cheap back then. A new Beetle currently starts at $20,695. In a reference book I have, the cost of a VW Beetle 1500 in 1968 was $1777, which is $12,144 today. By 1977 a Beetle 1600 was $3959, which is $15,537 today.

I suppose those prices stand better comparison with the Mirages and Versas of this world today. The new Beetle is obviously a lot more sophisticated, but it's a shame you can't get that much character in a modern budget car. Apart from the Smart Fortwo/Forfour, which I've often considered a kind of spiritual successor to the Beetle (rear-engined, rear-drive helps).

Since when is the Smart a budget car? Cheapest one in the city is $23.5k.

And you have to take it to a Benz dealer which costs more money the typical mechanic.

And after talking with insurance companies it costs the same to insure as a used 911.

Hard to call it budget when I could buy 2 Micras for the same price or a fully loaded Elantra Limited.

 

[VXR]

I wish the new model had the cleaner bumper style of the last gen. The current corporate air dam fits so poorly with the car's styling. This would've looked cleaner.

 

[homeforsummer]

Since when is the Smart a budget car? Cheapest one in the city is $23.5k.

And you have to take it to a Benz dealer which costs more money the typical mechanic.

And after talking with insurance companies it costs the same to insure as a used 911.

Hard to call it budget when I could buy 2 Micras for the same price or a fully loaded Elantra Limited.

Where on earth do you live for a Smart to cost almost $24k?

Smart's website lists the base price as under $15k - equivalent to a VW 1600 in 1977, according to the figures I listed before. The most expensive one listed is under $18.5k.

I've no idea where you're getting insurance quotes either - whenever I've taken a quote (in the UK, where prices can be utterly ludicrous), it costs no more than any other city car. Nor are servicing costs Mercedes-priced - the latest one has more in common with a Renault, for a start.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

Where on earth do you live for a Smart to cost almost $24k?

I think Bremics lives in Canada, a dollar in Canada exchanges to 75 cents in the US; which I guess could be why he said that.

 

[bremics]

I think Bremics lives in Canada, a dollar in Canada exchanges to 75 cents in the US; which I guess could be why he said that.

The smart car has always been over $22k.

None of the dealers have ever carried the $15k version to my knowledge.

You want a smart car for that much you gotta buy used.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

The smart car has always been over $22k.

None of the dealers have ever carried the $15k version to my knowledge.

You want a smart car for that much you gotta buy used.

Would you like to prove your claim? Because Smart's website seems quite clear to me...

 

[homeforsummer]

The smart car has always been over $22k.

None of the dealers have ever carried the $15k version to my knowledge.

You want a smart car for that much you gotta buy used.

So it is a $15k (or thereabouts) car then, but your local dealers apply a suspiciously ridiculous markup of around 50% on list. It's particularly suspicious given that $22k+ for a Fortwo is about what you can get the old Smart Electric Drive model for in Canada, once local incentives are taken into account. Why dealers would be daft enough to mark up a petrol car above an electric one is beyond me.

Whether your local dealer applies a ridiculous markup or not though, the Smart is a $15k USD car. It should be about $17k Canadian, according to Smart's own website.

Or an £11k GBP one if you're in the UK, or a 2mill JPY one if you're in Japan, or an 11k Euro one if you're somewhere like Germany, all of which are in the ballpark of $15k USD.

And so my original point stands. I'm using a bit of artistic license saying the Fortwo is a modern Beetle - I did base it largely on the rear engine/rear drive thing - but it's also sold around the same kind of price, inflation-adjusted.

Though I suppose you could probably have bought a Beetle for the equivalent of $22k back in the late 70s if you'd ticked all the option boxes, gone down to Empi and bought every off-the-shelf bit they sold, and got Bruce Meyers to turn it into a beach buggy. Or bought it from a dealership in Canada, apparently.

 

[bremics]

Would you like to prove your claim? Because Smart's website seems quite clear to me...

Other than sending you links to all my local Benz/smart dealers pretty hard for me to do that.

Unlike most car companies they don't put their new cars on autotrader really.
http://m.autotrader.ca/results?ms=pv&make=smart&loc=Edmonton, AB&prx=-1&sts=New&hprc=True&wcp=True&inMarket=homeSearch&u=1

Only three currently in stock in Edmonton and the cheapest model is $23k.

I've only ever seen the "pure" (cheapest?) used.

Lol, no the electric model is listed at $28k and we (Alberta) have never had incentives for electric cars. Only BC, Quebec and Ontario have those. This is oil/gas country biatch.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

The smart car has always been over $22k.

None of the dealers have ever carried the $15k version to my knowledge.

You want a smart car for that much you gotta buy used.

Yeah, no it hasn't. Yes, a dealership could markup the price of a car, but that doesn't mean they every Smart dealership out there is selling a BASE model for 10-12k more than it's priced on the website. That kind of mark up is more likely for something like a performance model of a car or something (I.E. Dodge Challenger SRT HC, Ford Focus RS, BMW M2, & etc).

and like what homeforsummer said; it doesn't matter what the markup is; the Smart is still a 15k car.

 

[bremics]

Yeah, no it hasn't. Yes, a dealership could markup the price of a car, but that doesn't mean they every Smart dealership out there is selling a BASE model for 10-12k more than it's priced on the website. That kind of mark up is more likely for something like a performance model of a car or something (I.E. Dodge Challenger SRT HC, Ford Focus RS, BMW M2, & etc).

and like what homeforsummer said; it doesn't matter what the markup is; the Smart is still a 15k car.

I don't think it's a markup thing, I think it's a they don't sell the base model thing.

Like I can't find a new smart car "pure" for sale. Only the next level.

http://www.thesmart.ca/ca/en/index/smart-fortwo-453.html

I can only find the "passion" for sale so far in the province... Nationally the cheapest smart I can find so far is $19k in BC.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

I don't think it's a markup thing, I think it's a they don't sell the base model thing.

Like I can't find a new smart car "pure" for sale. Only the next level.

http://www.thesmart.ca/ca/en/index/smart-fortwo-453.html

I can only find the "passion" for sale so far in the province... Nationally the cheapest smart I can find so far is $19k in BC.

Oh, I think I get it now. Bremics, I was referring to 14k in USD, not Canadian dollars. $19k in Canada is a bit over $14k in the US. Also, you probably would have to order the pure as I guess not many people want the base model; so dealers don't bother supplying it.