Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In the US we have a nasty tendency to equate price with size, and that size=value=price of the car. We buy cars like we buy laundry detergent in that if it's smaller it MUST be a lesser value and should be priced less, even if it costs the same to make and costs the same or more to engineer.
Equate to me the "value" in a Smart car compared to any other similarly priced car on the market. The most basic smart starts at $12,000. Looking at every other car in that price range, I find more traditional sedans with more power, 4 doors, a real trunk and similar MPG. I fail to see the "value" in a Smart unless we are talking about looking different or jamming yourself into a random urban parking space where the spaces aren't measured out.
Quote:
It's why we went to SUVs for commuting in, as the big SUV was a better "value" (more space, more doors, etc).
That's a whole different conversation, but I think it had more to do with CAFE then Americans seeing value in SUV's. SUV's were/are a marketing gimmick prefaced on giving people a family hauler that didn't need to meet car CAFE standards.
Quote:
As for getting killed in an accident in them, in the real world, there have been many accidents in Smarts. IIRC, no one has been killed or injured worse than they would in any smaller car, and in many cases have actually survived better than they woudl in most smaller or older cars (we have a number of people here on this forum that drive older cars that they got cheap and are driving until they won't run anymore. Those people are LESS safe than a driver of a Smart car, but NO ONE ******* about that in any thread on cheap used cars.)
We've been around the block on this one a few times. You don't care what the IIHS, who is the only group to do an actual study on their crashworthiness against larger vehicles, has to say about it. My opinion based on the information I've seen, they are less safe than larger vehicles and "larger" includes vehicles like the Fit. The laws of physics don't magically disappear just because you have a "Tridion Safety Cage".
Nobody here is in any position to judge people by what car they drive- and I will tell you why:
1. When men judge the manhood of others by what they drive- but yet I see these poofsters walk into my workplace- with a latte. THAT is the worst case example of faggotry.
2. In a world full of Joshua's exists their parents. And they need to be smacked down. Hard.
3. The fact that IKEA has a customer support line for men who just can't grasp the idea of how to put something together- even without tools.
However you must consider:
1. An American policeman wears a blue uniform most of the time and may have on striped boxer shorts underneath.
2. The primary example of existentialism is a wandering librarian lost in the jungle.
3. Men who act like jerks are often referred to as "Tools" even if they have no idea how to operate a tool.
and do not forget-
4. You should never stare directly into the sun while tripping on acid.
As to Smart cars, I leased one for a time in Europe. It was an amusing vehicle to drive. People always laughed when they saw me get out of it because i am a large man, but it was not uncomfortable.
So as to why I drove one? Why not? Everyone should be a little silly sometimes. Sure there are more practical vehicles for the same cost or less, but practical all the time will bore one to tears.
It was.
But I guess an extra-large pizza would fit if it was folded up.
Ahh would that not make it a Pizzone
I do know 5-6 years ago the original Diesel version was quite popular here in Vancouver but they seem to been more of a fad like the Hummer H2/H3 and are not cool or popular anymore and most are used by small medium businesses to advertise not many private owners seem to drive them around anymore.
I've never been in one, but I can add one reason why some people drive them: The earliest ones (not built for the U.S.) are short enough to fit sideways on a truck without it becoming a "wide load". A number of RVers with big 5th wheels tow with class 7 trucks and will load the Smart sideways behind the cab, between it and the 5er. They'll have ramps for loading/unloading it. It gives them a little car to drive around when they get to their destination and doesn't make their total length much longer, and on a class 7 truck, the extra weight is nothing. Unfortunately, the Smarts built for the U.S. are a couple inches longer and can't be loaded that way, so I'm told.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
