Well, the SMART car is [finally] coming to the States. Anyone really going to buy one?
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/08/smart.car/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
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Well, the SMART car is [finally] coming to the States. Anyone really going to buy one?
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/08/smart.car/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
No. Americans like to talk about conservation and environmental responsibility, but they like driving their gas guzzlers even more.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
Yeah!!!!!!
With the wife's 18 mile round trip in town commute, it may be worth giving it a look. Can't see it being much of a highway cruiser.
Plus they make it yellow. :rolleyes:
http://www.smartusa.com/
I went to look at them when they were in town a few weeks ago. They make a convertible that will sell for about $17K. Considering that you can get a new base model Miata for around $20-21K, they are not that great of a deal. They currently sell a Mercedes version of the Smart car for about $26K and you can get a turbo. The ones selling for $13-17K will be made in France. Personally, I think they should sell the Smart car for under $10K, but all of the tree huggers out there will pay the higher price.
Question is... "Do I fit in one?"
Or better yet, "When do they start a racing series with these?"
They are very roomy inside. A lot more headroom than the Miata. If you can fit in a Miata, you can fit in a Smart car.
No.
If I were to buy a car for economical reasons as far as fuel mileage is concerned, I would buy a volkswagon diesel. Talk of 60mpg from the smart seems to be nothing but myth, and I will go out on the limb and say that they will not get any better than 45-50mpg. For that I would rather have a real economical car, not one that simply pretends to be because of the general publics ignorance and manufacturer hype. Sure a diesel volks gets 45mpg, but its a practical application! It has more interior room and space for additional passengers. Having an eco-friendly car, or simply the passive assumption of eco-friendliness, with a car that carries such a limited amount of passengers and cargo is not only pretentious, but down right ironic.
Better question is... "What's your life worth?"Quote:
Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
Driving for 10K at 40mpg at the current price of $3.00 a gallon would cost $750.
Driving a Miata or OTM with 30mpg would give you an annual cost of $999.
Driving my F250 which weighs 6700 pounds, can carry 6 passengers and offers lots of metal between me and my fellow drivers (including those in the "smart golf cart") comes in at $1665 annually.
No way would I let anybody in my family drive one of those things, excepting maybe the local go cart track.
Gotta love an analytical analysis!Quote:
Originally Posted by cam76034
Personally, I would rather drive my 1988 trans am that has NO bumper supports, horn, emergency brake, radio, heater/ac, power steering, windshield wipers, sound deadening or any semblance of rational transportation, than drive a "Smart car". (Of course 1000hp will help you forget about minor amenities, besides, its like getting back to nature...but with a machine.) Just the name of the thing eats away at my soul. "Smart"? As if to say that this car is actually an intellectuals choice over, say, perhaps, a Chevy truck?
Sure, it is "smart" when compared to...
...the infamous East German Travant!
But then so is a mule driven cart doubling as a hearse.
Yeah... nice lack of crumple zone to help you slow down. That parts scares me the most.
Go dig up a 1988-93 Honda CRX HF. 50+ MPG easy. I miss mine occasionally.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cam76034
So you get 18mpg in your 6,700 pound behemoth? Good for you -- I barely get that in my Miata. ;) But that $917.00 annually that you don't care about saving ($1,665 - $750) at $3.00 per gallon becomes $1,528 at $5.00 a gallon. So is it worth it then? Or at $6.00 a gallon? If your answer is "it's never worth it" – as I suspect your answer is -- then your argument isn't about the savings at all, so you can drop the “analytics”. Just say "Nope, I wouldn't drive a car that small / unsafe / ugly” or whatever and be done with it. Don't try to convince us all with some stellar "analytics".Quote:
Originally Posted by cam76034
Anyway, I'm not defending the car, but I’ve always admired the Europeans and their usual [not universal] distain for the US “bigger is better” mentality when it comes to cars. And the Smart Car is just one quirky example of this.
IMNSHO the views expressed about other fuel efficient cars – VW Diesel, Honda CRX HF, etc. are very true, and better reasons for not choosing a Smart Car if you were looking to be more economical in the first place. In other words, you don’t have to shoehorn yourself into a Smart in order to get 40-50 mpg. Still, the Smart does have certain… flair ::Daisy::
BTW, I doubt I'd buy a Smart Car -- I want to drive something fun, fast/quick, and cool, and I don't care terribly much about the cost of gas (OK, when it hits $7.00 a gallon, I may have to do something different). No use of voo-doo analytics to say I wouldn't buy one! :D
To me my life is more worthy than saving the planet from the global warming. The Smart is no match for the H2s in a crash. There are too many soccer moms on the phone and fixing the hair behind the wheels of the H2s!
Nope, I wouldn't drive a car that small. Not sure about "stellar analytics" but I am sure about what I learned in Physics 101. And I know that $1528 won't go very far down at the ER either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestrel
I had an 87' CRX HF, it's best tank was 54mph. I miss that car,
My last tank out of the 97' Civic CX hatch was 37.5. and it's already paid for itself and I never had a car payment with it.
I like the Smart car, but you'd have to give it to me. You take a risk everytime you drive a car, truck, or anything else. When your time is up, your time is up. Drive defensively and pay attention behind the wheel and always expect cars around you to do the wrong thing.
I drove one at the Houston test-drive.
They're quick. Deceptively quick. It's a factor of gearing. They don't have much power and because of the short gears are limited to about 70mph.
And they handle well. They're stiff and have a short wheelbase. In heavy traffic it was ridiculously easy to maneuver. Driving on an open road it handled fairly well, but a little choppy based on the seating positon close to the rear axle and the ultra short wheelbase.
And they ARE safe. At least safer than any Miata. And big enough to handle large people. Brianne and I comfortably fit in one with plenty of headroom and shoulder room and we didn't have the seats all the way back. FWIW, we're both 6'3".
And cheap to buy. The optioned out coupe was less than $14k.
Is it the MOST economical car? No. Some of the VW diesels and older flyweight Hondas and other junky economy cars beat it out when it comes to milage. But it is almost as nice as a Mini Cooper, has some decent options (GPS Mapping, Stereo, panoramic roof) and is available new with a warranty - should you treat your car like an appliance.
Would I have one as an only car? No. I tow a racecar and haul parts around too much. That requires a truck. I wouldn't take one on a cross country trip because you'd be driving near top speed much of the time. But I'd drive it from Houston to Dallas every month to see my pals. I'd drive it around Houston. Not counting towing to races, or cross country trips, I drive an average of 120 miles a day.
Other planets are getting warmer too, maybe the sun is just getting warmer?
maybe martians have trouble with their big cars destroying the atmosphere too.
at any rate, they sell a lot of these cars out here in weatherford, I would drive one just for the go cart feel.....doubt I would buy one though
Yep, Seen that ad on the web.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billy Blaze
http://www.whatasmartcar.com
I think it's kinda cool... and it's rear wheel drive. It would be kinda like a RWD CRX. I saw a pic of one in England with a Hiyabusa motor in it. With a little more power, suspension work and some nice tires... these things would be lots of fun to drive.
I think I'll wait & snap up one of these: http://www.motortrend.com/features/a...onda_concepts/
Personal experience is that Honda still hasn't figured out how to make a CVT work right. My 2004 Civic went through it's first tranny at 19000 and started slipping again at 36000. Thus I have a 2005 miata.Quote:
Originally Posted by pliablemoose
Actually, I think you are refering to the one in Portrigal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff_nc
Linkie:
Dude, that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.I'd rather have one of those than just about any Miata I've ever seen. I think I might have to make one of these in a few years... once these cars are cheap and on the used market. Have you seen these ---> http://www.zcars.org.uk/mini/clips.htmQuote:
Originally Posted by Radio-Active
Neat package. Looks well constructed too. I would love to fit one of those engines into a smart or mini.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff_nc
Gimme one of these hayabusa v8's and I would kill myself happy.
(of course it would go into my miata)
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/20...usa-v8-engine/
I wouldn't have a problem in one of those at all. Don't ask me why, but I love small cars. I simply cannot stand large vehicles (I have owned 4 cars and my NC is the 2nd heaviest). However, the Smart ForTwo is fundamentally an economy car and my wife and I are young and a family is in our future, so a back seat is an absolute must. I can excuse the lack of a backseat in a sports car, but not in an economy car. Further, as has been pointed out before, a VW diesel is a much better choice as an economy vehicle even though I don't trust VW quality right now (why won't BMW sell the Mini Cooper D in the US? diesel efficiency with a backseat, I want one!).
I suppose if I were at a different stage in life where a family isn't in the future a ForTwo might be attractive, but not now.
I should also note that any non-toy (a toy vehicle being my Miata) vehicle I purchase in the future must be EPA rated minimum 30mpg in city with a backseat, or I am not interested. Henceforth my wife's Honda Fit, though it is no longer 30+ mpg in city for 2008 with an automatic transmission.
Also, another video of a ForTwo Diablo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi_CgGGDglY
I have noticed those powertec V8's (the Hyabusa V8 ) I have always wondered if they would fit in a Locost/Lotus 7 frame :)
well if you can put an ls2 in a sevens frame, i am sure that tiny lil hayabusa v8 will fit. :)
This massive planet has been around for how long, and we're going to destroy it with 122 years of automobile usage? :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by gabkwong
And no, I don't want a Smart Car. Fugly. You'd have to be a fumduck to buy one ;)
Aw c'mon and go green! It's the in thing. Don't you want to be like Ed Begley Jr.?
well i read this and i am pretty sure it is a NO WAY for me
7. What's the fuel economy? How big is the gas tank? How fast does it go?
Top speed is 84 miles per hour and is limited by a governor at that speed. Don't let the 0 to 60 in 16.2 seconds fool you. It's peppy in the city and easily maintains speed on the highway
and i thought that old geo tracker we used to have was bad .....
no chance of getting out of that hummers way at that pace
Definitely not a highway vehicle, but I could see it being handy in town off the freeways. It may very well become popular in New York, Boston, and other crowded cities.
I saw one on the tollway this afternoon. While still very small, it did not look as tiny as I expected next to the rest of the cars.
The thing is, you could not have this car as your only car in an area as big as this metroplex, so it would be a second (albeit, primary) car. And that is just too much money for a second car -- it would never pay for itself in the gas savings, which is the whole point of the car. There are other cars out there that can get good mileage and still provide the needs to act as a single car.
(Not sure if this was already said, but I do not feel like re-reading this whole thread.)
Yep, but not for economics. Would be cool to have one since my last is Smart. I will buy one used. I will use it like some people use a golf cart around their property :D
I want to cut the top off, weld in a roll cage, install proper restraints, deflate the tires to 8psi, and go have fun in the twisties. It will be like being on the inside of a big ball. Then for fun, I would let the neighbors kids smack it with as many colors of paint as possible, followed by cutting the exhaust off, removing the air box, and using it to commute to work, at WOT. I get off work at 3 am...fun for the whole neighborhood...
Did you forget to take your meds again??? http://www.ben-newman.de/smilie/characters/0005.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by vejatabul