Columbia Falls couple 'Gets Smart' with car purchase

By HEIDI DESCH / Hungry Horse News

You might have seen it driving around town. Taken a second look. Possibly wondered what it is. Even maybe waved at the people in the unusual vehicle.

Owners Mitch and Stacy Burgard of Columbia Falls have seen you, too. Even waved back from their Smart Car.

"It's really fun how everybody waves — even the teenagers," says Stacy. "How many people wave and smile?"

The Burgards got their Smart Car a little over a month ago. The couple, who both work in Glacier National Park, have definitely noticed the attention. They're good sports about it though — always ready to answer a question, sometimes taking folks for a ride.

Compact might be an exaggeration of size to describe the car, which is just 8.8 feet in length and just over 5 feet tall. Theoretically, it's small enough to be legally parked head first along a curb.

The Smart Car has been sold in Europe for some time and more recently in Canada. But it is just starting to make in-roads into the U.S. market. Those who want to purchase the car still have to special order it and pay a $99 reservation fee.

Mitch said he waited about a year and a half to get his car after ordering it.

He had never sat in one, much less test driven one when he went to Seattle to pick up his own Smart Car.

"I had seen it on the Internet and knew it was fuel efficient. I fell in love with the looks of it — I thought they were cute," he said.

Mitch had followed behind one once, seen the cars in movies. Stacy had seen them while visiting Greece.

But Mitch's first ride didn't come until he got off the train in Seattle. Folks from the car dealership there picked him up in one.

"It was smaller than I thought," Mitch says with a laugh. "I loved it as soon as I was able to test drive it."

However, he didn't realize exactly how small the car was or how much attention he would receive until he left Seattle and was headed toward Montana.

"I couldn't figure out why people were staring at me," he said. "It feels a lot bigger when you're in it."

Then when Mitch got out of the car at a gas station, he realized just how much smaller he was than everyone else.

"At the dealership it didn't seem that small because all the other cars were Smart Cars," he added.

Now, he and Stacy have gotten a little more used to the stares. They've come to expect the neighbors to notice them.

The stylish look of the car drew the Burgards to the car, but it was also the environmental benefits of the car which was appealing. They say they average about 45 mpg with the car.

"It was a car with environmental applications that we could afford," said Stacy.

They looked at buying a hybrid, but were dissuaded by the extra $5,000 to $10,000 that it would cost. The Smart Car ranges in price from about $12,000 for the very basic model up to around $17,000 for the convertible version.

Mitch said he went with the mid-priced version.

Although, Mitch admits he does wish the gas mileage was even better. The European version of the car gets upwards of 65 mpg.

"The American version is not as efficient," he said. "I believe they had to modify the car (from the European version) to meet safety requirements."

They've still quickly seen the financial benefits. Mitch previously drove a Chevy Suburban back and forth to work, averaging around 10 miles to the gallon.

The Burgards also have a Chevy Malibu which they use when a little more space is needed, which really isn't too often with just the two of them.

"It's the perfect second car," said Mitch. "If it was you're only car you'd have to make a few concessions. If you're alone, which most people are 99 percent of the time, it's fine. You can fit a ton of luggage in there or groceries. We've never maxed it out (on space)."

The car has a small trunk behind the two bucket seats that can easily hold a small rolling suitcase or even a few sacks of groceries and a gallon of milk. The passenger's seat folds flat, easily tripling the hauling space.

In the front seat two adults can sit comfortably without touching. Stacy even sits on a pillow when driving to be a little higher up, but then again she said she did that with the Suburban, too.

The Burgards use it for commuting the 18 miles to work and all their errands around town.

Overall they've been satisfied with their Smart Car. Although they still don't know for sure how it will handle snow and ice, even though they've heard it does just fine.

Maintenance might become an issue later on down the road too. The car is under warranty currently, but the nearest dealership to take it to is in Seattle. The Smart Car is produced by Mercedes-Benz. The name comes from a combination of Swatch, Mercedes and the word "art."

Mitch said he'll be able to take it to the local Mercedes dealer, but will have to pay for the repairs.

The Burgards know they stand out in the crowd and the Smart Car isn't ideal for everyone.

"People think of it as a big city commuter car. That here you have to have a pickup to haul wood, but you're not hauling wood every day," he said. "This has been a neat way to introduce Montana to a small car."

The Burgards have gotten used to answering questions about their black and white Smart Car and waving back at on-lookers.

They got the most attention, however, a few weeks ago when riding in the car after getting married.

"We were all decked out in black and white with Stacy's red bouquet. We matched the car," said Mitch. "It felt a bit like being in a commercial."