smart car

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by Hawktel

I can't understand the Smarts.

I think a big opportunity was missed.

I don't know how workable it would be, but I think something like this would work:

You buy a Smart for 10 grand.

You agree that it will only be serviced at the Smart car dealership for a cheap fee. In fact you buy into it when you buy the car. say another 2 grand. At every 5K miles you show up they do a oil and service change. At 75000 miles you come in, sign up for another 75000 miles, they take the old one, they charge you 5 grand, you get a completely new one from the lot.

Take the one you just got bust it down, refurb it, rebuild it, update it with anything you have to, put it back on the lot.

It seems to me you could set it up, and basically keep people for life with this kind of program. I would be interested in it for a cheap assed commuter car.

Ditto. Good idea.

Then again, I'm trying to figure out a way to justify a Tesla as a "commuter" car that's "environmentally responsible". Wouldn't be "cheap-assed" by a longshot though.

[72doug2,2S]

Believe it or not, I'm seeing lots of golf carts on the road during the warmer months. They are driving around town out on country roads, they are in high demand here. They can get a street kit with signal lights, head lights and a flasher, but no one seems to care as long as they're not on Highways.

Used for $2,000 is not a bad deal, go to town, do the gardening, get the mail, etc. In Indiana No title, and no registration required.

People of all ages are driving them around. My neighbor recently bought a $500 kit to raise the cart up.

http://www.jakescarts.com/Products/CustomerCarts.shtml

[kach22i]

Smart receives top crash scores
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_hi_te/crash_tests_smart

WASHINGTON - The 2008 Smart fortwo micro car, the smallest car for sale in the U.S. market, has earned top scores in crash tests conducted by the insurance industry.

[Z-man]

Interesting CBS video regarding smart car crash tests.

Food for thought.
-Z

[Porsche_monkey]

Hammer or nail? Your choice.

Use your fuel savings to pay for rehab. Or a casket I guess.

[NICKG]

i have one ordered for almost a year...should be here soon. all black coupe

[Dottore]

They're cute as hell, but not very much fun to drive. I would imagine they would be even less fun to drive in the US where the roads are much worse than in Europe, and the short wheelbase will have you hopping around the roads like some demented flea.

They're underpowered, have an extremely vague steering that makes driving the car feel a bit like sailing a boat, and the suspension and wheelbase make for a very choppy ride.

Still, if you drive only in the city, they are so damn practical that they are worth a look. Personally I think a Toyota Yaris is the much better buy for similar money.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Dottore

They're underpowered, have an extremely vague steering that makes driving the car feel a bit like sailing a boat, and the suspension and wheelbase make for a very choppy ride.

I took one for a short spin in the city during the Ann Arbor Art fair. I like it, but I did not really get the hang of the paddle shifters, at least for down shifting.

[Porsche_monkey]

My thoughts exactly.

[island911]

The Smart is a perfectly safe car . . . when driven on a golf course.


Seriously, "Bouncing" is not an high energy absorbing event.

[Porsche_monkey]

The crumple zone is your friend. The hood on your 911 does more than look good.

Side impact? Okay, they may be the same. Front/rear ain't the same.

[Porsche_monkey]

The crumple zone is your friend. The hood on your 911 does more than look good.

Side impact? Okay, they may be the same. Front/rear ain't the same.

[Hetmann]

The only ones I see buzzing around here seem to be advertising something. Looks like the "scooter" of cars. I really like to see them, but would not consider one at this time. My mini is small enough.

[HardDrive]

Not suprising, you are starting to see them on the streets here in Seattle. They DO make sense for many folks here because parking is a pain here. Lots of high rise condos with little street parking. Lots of short trips in a dense urban environment.

Certainly man of these folks are buying them for the 'look at me!' factor, but I would much rather have them driving smart cars for attention as opposed to Hummers.

Started to see electric cars as well. Cars from Zenn Motors seem to be a popular choice: http://www.zenncars.com/

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Z-man

Would I buy a smart? Since most of my commute is on highways, and I feel that the smart car isn't well suited for highway driving, the car doesn't make much sense for me. If I were living in Hoboken and working in Jersey City (the next town over), it would DEFINATELY make sense to me.

-Z-man.

I don't see how operating a smart car on the same roads as big ass SUV's can ever make sense.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Smart receives top crash scores
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_hi_te/crash_tests_smart

Doesn't matter how well the shell survives. The fact is the car has no appreciable mass.

It is the nail. The Soccer Mom in the SUV that slams you while she is gabbing on the phone is the hammer.

"Fore!"

[URY914]

Yes but it a smaller target.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by URY914

Yes but it a smaller target.

LOL...yeah, a smaller, underpowered, ill-handling target. :-p

[legion]

More protection than a motorcycle.

[Racerbvd]

I like em, and saw one today, tiny little buggers and next to the XJR, hell, I could put it in the trunk.
Still can't believe they don't get the mileage my old VW truck got