I got a call from Koen from Smart Center Antwerpen about 30 minutes ago. After some negotiating with his boss, he can sell me a Jack Black Smart fortwo Pulse CDi - model year 2005 - for 8.500 euro. Still a hefty price tag and truth be said, I could have gotten a cheaper second hand car elsewhere - but I really liked my forfour and love the fact that it is so cheap in consumation.
The fortwo has an even better ratio (3.4 - 3.6L/100km according to the manufacturer) so a 4.4 - 4.6L/100km is more realistic, but that still beats the 5.3 to 5.5 I got with the forfour. Tomorrow I go pick up Tai at 08h15, then sleep for a couple of hours (3 or so) before I take the train/tram/bus to Aartselaar to go make a first payment on the car. It should then be ready for pickup on monday if all goes well.
Let's take a look at the features : ABS - ESP - Airbag - central locks - electric windows - softip - Alloy Wheels - Foglights - Clock and RPM counter - radio/CD
No airconditioning - which I had on the forfour - but that's the least of my concerns. It comes with a warranty till january 2008, and I'll be insuring it all the way, let me tell you that! Alleviating all risks is a costly thing, but for the amount of money I have to shell out now, I could have insured my car for 5 years straight I think.