Which Cheerful Runabout Would You Road-Trip In? 2003 Mini Cooper vs 2009 Smart Fortwo

Sometimes it takes me ages to choose cars for this feature. Often, I’ll find one car I really want to write about, and then struggle to find a worthy competitor to it. But when it was time to choose cars for today, I stumbled on two cheerful little cars with similar origin stories, for sale in the same place. Easy choice.

Yesterday’s cars were similar too, but had led very different lives. The vote was split pretty evenly, but the super-original AMC Rebel came out on top. The Chevy Chevelle had plenty of fans, especially with its manual transmission, but its piecemeal nature, and some questions about some of the upgrades, turned enough of you off to give the Rebel the win.

The Chevelle would absolutely have been my choice 25 or 30 years ago, but I’m not a kid anymore. I’m embracing my inner (and increasingly, outer) old man today and taking the nice clean Rebel to the early-bird special. Or maybe to Culver’s, to give them back their sign.

Taking a car on a long road trip is a great way to bond with it, for better or worse. Cross enough state lines, and you’re bound to gain an appreciation for a machine, even one ill-suited to long-distance travel. Both of today’s cars claim to have been “all over the US,” but neither one seems like the sort of car you’d choose for such travels. Let’s take a look at them, and see which one makes more sense for long trips.

2003 Mini Cooper – $3,000

Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter OHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD

Location: Seattle, WA

Odometer reading: 146,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

The new Mini made a huge splash when it arrived in the US in 2002. Enthusiastic buyers snapped them up like hotcakes. But it didn’t take long for the honeymoon to end; it turned out that BMW’s stewardship of the brand didn’t produce a car any more consistently reliable than British Leyland’s. Things have gotten better now, but these early Minis are at best hit-or-miss. One that has made it this far, and has traversed the entire continent, is either one of the good ones, or has been very well cared-for.

The Mini was available in two flavors in the US: the Cooper, and the Cooper S. A lower-trim Mini One was offered elsewhere, but we never got that one. This Mini Cooper is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that drives the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission made by ZF. This transmission doesn’t have a great reputation, but then, neither does the five-speed manual in early Minis. The fact that this one is still going strong is more evidence that it’s been well maintained.

The interior looks a little worn, and the headliner is falling down, but I’ve certainly seen worse. It wouldn’t be a British car without some electrical gremlins: the sunroof and power locks are both dead, and apparently using the turn signal sometimes turns on the high beam headlights. Hey, it could be worse.

It’s positively festooned with stickers, which you may or may not like. It has a few dings and scrapes, and a cracked taillight, but it’s basically straight. The tow hitch, I feel, is a bit optimistic; I can’t imagine towing anything with this thing, especially with the transmission’s reputation.

2009 Smart Fortwo Passion Cabrio – $3,000

Engine/drivetrain: 1.0_liter DOHC inline 3, five-speed automated manual, RWD

Location: Olympia, WA

Odometer reading: 188,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

At the risk of incurring Mercedes’s ire, I have to confess that I don’t “get” the Smart. It seems like such a weird way of going about making a city car. I can appreciate the engineering, but honestly, I can’t think of anything it could do that a Geo Metro couldn’t do just as well, with a lot less trouble. Admittedly I’ve never driven a Smart; maybe it makes more sense if you drive one. I have driven a Metro longish distances, and it was unpleasant, to put it mildly. I can’t imagine a Smart is any better. Nevertheless, the seller of this one claims to have driven it “all over America.”

The Smart’s engine is a 999 cc three-cylinder, mounted under the rear floor and driving the rear wheels through an automated manual gearbox. The gearbox has an occasional problem where it won’t shift into reverse unless you put it in drive first. I’ve had full manual transmissions that were like that before; I wonder if it’s the same sort of problem? It otherwise runs and drives fine. The seller says it has an aftermarket exhaust that’s a bit loud, which can be fun if you like it, and wearying if you don’t.

We don’t get any interior photos, and the seller says it’s “pretty ripped up.” Okay, fine, but show us. They do say that the convertible top has been replaced. Apparently it goes down fine, but needs help going back up. It’s got an aftermarket Pioneer stereo with Bluetooth, to provide a better soundtrack than the loud exhaust.

These things are cute, I have to give them that, and the convertible version looks especially good. This one has been lowered slightly, which probably makes the ride even worse, but gives it a good stance. I don’t think the gas flap is supposed to be flat black; it has likely been replaced at some point. The rest of it looks clean and well-kept.

[Mercedes Note: Truth be told, this Smart is actually pretty rough. The transmission not always reaching reverse could be anything from a worn shifter module to an old clutch actuator. This problem could persist for many years without ever getting worse, or one day the car could just choose to forget about reverse entirely.

The roof not being able to close without help is a real issue. Either this new roof was not installed correctly or a part of it, like the slider mechanism, is broken. The dice roll here is that one day, the roof can get jammed and stuck in the open position. The Smart Cabrio roof wizard, Richard, can fix it.

The aftermarket exhaust is from Boeschbuilt/Genius Parts. It’s a product by the same man who built the coolest Smart Hayabusa in America. His exhaust had quite a nice soundtrack!

The red panels are known for peeling with a near 100 percent failure rate. This car was likely repainted, wrapped, or spent most of its life in a garage.

While there are no photos of the interior, I can already tell you that “rough” doesn’t go far enough to explain it. This car came with the optional tachometer and clock pods, but one of the pods is snapped off and missing.

The fuel door actually is supposed to be black on a 2009. However, the roof rails on this example are supposed to be silver, not black. – MS]

I’ve taken a lot of long road trips in my time, in a lot of different cars, and one thing I can say is that for Interstate work, bigger is better. Tiny cars like these get shoved around by crosswinds and passing trucks, and the choppy ride and road noise are tiresome after a while. But kudos to the sellers of these two for braving the open road in them. You don’t have to retrace their steps, of course. You can enjoy one or the other of them in any way you see fit. But you must choose between them, for that is our purpose here.