Used Smart Roadster review and buying guide (2002 to 2007): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Smart Roadster should you buy?

Buy the driest Roadster you can find with paperwork for its leak repairs, because no version escapes the water problem. Both the Roadster and the Roadster Coupe built between 2003 and 2006 suffer it, and it's the fault that decides a purchase: rain gets past the seals and shorts the electrics. Body style matters far less than whether the cabin's dry.

Smart ran a dealer campaign in 2005 to cure door seal leaks, so ask for evidence a car had that work done. That work was aimed at the doors, and water also gets in through the roof, the mirror housings and the bulkhead, so a receipt isn't the whole answer. A car that's dry inside after heavy rain, with no warning lights and every electric item working, is the one to buy.

Don't hunt for a late car in the hope it was built better. Production stopped at the end of 2005, so every Roadster comes from the same short run and the leak can affect any of them. Check each one just as hard, whatever its year or body style.

Which Smart Roadster engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

There isn't an engine to choose between here: no engine fault is tied to the Roadster, and the problem that matters on this car is electrical, not mechanical. That doesn't make the engine a safe bet, it just means the car's condition and dryness should decide it, not the engine spec.

Every Roadster uses an automated clutch gearbox, and it's not quick. Changes are slow to arrive, and the floor lever works the opposite way round to what most drivers expect. Paddle shifting was an extra cost option, sold together with wider tyres. Drive one before you commit, because if the shift annoys you on a test drive it won't get better.

What should you check when viewing a used Smart Roadster?

Lift the carpets in both footwells and feel underneath for damp, since wet footwells are the plainest sign of the leak. Look around the door seals, the fabric roof and both door mirror housings for any sign of water getting past them. Water also comes in through the bulkhead seal, where the Tridion safety cell meets the chassis, and from there it finds the central electrical unit and fuse box.

Watch the dash on the drive for an ABS or other warning light flickering on and off, which points to water in the electrics. Work the windows, the roof and the instruments several times. One owner's car had a trip computer clock that lost half an hour over two months, alongside leaks through both mirror housings.

That same owner found the driver's seat slid back under acceleration, putting the pedals out of reach, and the handbrake wouldn't hold on a steep hill. Check the seat stays locked when you pull away hard, and test the handbrake on a slope.

Ask for the bills for the 2005 door seal work and any later leak or electrical repairs. Don't shrug off a fuse box that's playing up: one owner said a failed one can finish the car, after a main dealer quoted £4,500 to fix it.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.