SMART

[regfootball]

I spotted a Smart on the interstate highway here today. I was taken aback. MY GOSH ITS TINY! It must have came down here to MN from Canada, I'm guessing. It looked pretty cool, but I sure it never tangoes with an Excusrion or Suburban! Edited August 29, 2005 by regfootball

[MyerShift]

I hope that smart comes to the U.S. It's a cool little brand with big economy, and one of my peers from Quincy is ga-ga for the fortwo model.

[balthazar]

I wonder if the likely insurance costs will end up drumming it right back out the door...

[haypops]

If there is fuel rationing, it's small size will seem like a luxury feature. :( Edited September 1, 2005 by haypops

[99camaroSS]

If there is fuel rationing, it's small size will seem like a luxury feature. :(

[post="7845"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

fuel rationing? i will die please dont even say it

[regfootball]

I suppose all the hollywood stars will latch on to it then..... a hybrid smart would make great pub right now. They could (if they wanted to) sell the Smart as a motorcycle in the US right now. That would be how I would do it.

[balthazar]

I had thought a legal "motorcycle" required less than 4 wheels?

[the_yellow_dart]

I see at least one a day on my commute to Pickering. They have some very interesting interior colour options, I almost always notice the interior. It definately stands out when your car is black and grey, and the interior is grey and neon lime green!! On a side note, I'm really surprised how many of the new Outbacks I'm seeing.

[SoCalCTS]

I see at least one SMART car everyday on my to work in Carlsbad, CA. The guys at the Chryser Pacifica Design Centre have been driving them around town for years.

[kiljoy]

I absolutely loved the cars when I saw them at the 2005 NAIAS. If they were imported, I'd buy one without a second thought. Tony Edited September 2, 2005 by kiljoy

[sciguy_0504]

No thanks.

[Flybrian]

If I wanted a golf cart, I'd totally just buy a golf cart.

[The O.C.]

....yeah.....SMARTs here are no news....I've seen a TON of them in L.A. and O.C.....all with "mfgr/dist" plates..... I think it could do well here....not just in cities like Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, but also very spread out places like southern California. We have 8-12 lane freeways and massive semi trucks.....and the SMART would be great to zip in and out of L.A. traffic.... Plus, if you did live near one of the congested beach cities like Laguna, Newport, Huntington, Manhattan, Santa Monica, Venice, and Malibu, the SMART would be great to zip around town in....!

[Summer Cruiser]

Smart's are definately polarizing here. Maybe they will be more likely to come to the US now that gas is over $3/gallon. Either people are all for them or just say they'd be SUV food. Personally I'd love to see them here.

[MatizNiels]

The guy from 60 minutes tried out the Smart in the big city. He found it quite practical because he could park it sideways and most places only demanded ½price. And the fuel economy is great!

[regfootball]

The guy from 60 minutes tried out the Smart in the big city. He found it quite practical because he could park it sideways and most places only demanded ½price.

And the fuel economy is great!

[post="10772"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

so long as he didn't get a side impact hit from a suburban at 40 mph.......

[Satty]

so long as he didn't get a side impact hit from a suburban at 40 mph.......

[post="11100"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

You know that accidents are the exception rather than the rule right? Besides, at 40 a Suburban would rip through many cars, including anything in your beloved Mitsubishi line.

The SMART makes sense in crowded cities, offer them out here in the middle of nowhere, I dont think sales will rise. How much money do people in NY/Chicago/LA pay for cabs/buses/trains? I'm sure that the SMART would, in the long run, save them some money. I'd pick one up to deliver in because they're small, economical, and seriously, is there a bigger chick magnet? Well, there probably is, but a woman who likes a man who is into space and fuel efficiency wouldn't be a bad thing. And if she like 'em small, I've definately got it there. :( :P :blink: :unsure:

[HarleyEarl]

In my area, Smart cars are as numerous as flies. Heck they kind of look like flies. Many opt for the cabriolet. You can't help but gawk at them as they drive by. They seem to me, to be a boutique car, a fashion statement. I would think twice about driving a car like this on the freeway and never on the open highway.

[regfootball]

its hard to commit your one car payment to something that's not a good freeway car, even if you don't venture out of the gridlock that much.

[Satty]

So everyone should go buy a Park Avenue or DTS?

[Dragon]

I'll take one with a GSXR-1000 swap, motorcycle-ish fuel ecconomy with Mitsu Evo FQ speed.

[HarleyEarl]

Now you're talking. That's very 'smart'.

[pow]

I'll take one with a GSXR-1000 swap, motorcycle-ish fuel ecconomy with Mitsu Evo FQ speed.

[post="11383"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

And you'll look like a Power Ranger in the process, too. I have to admit, though, you need a $200K+ supercar just to get the hi-rev excitement of a $10,000 motorcycle.

[Dragon]

And you'll look like a Power Ranger in the process, too. I have to admit, though, you need a $200K+ supercar just to get the hi-rev excitement of a $10,000 motorcycle.

[post="11446"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I want one just so I can see the look on people's faces after I take them to the cleaners in SMART car. They also make a Mini with an R1 engine

[Cory Wolfe]

I like Smarts... Something about them intrigue me. They're just so... small, but that's why they're cool. I like small... They're kind of like a mix between an ATV and a car.

I'll take one with a GSXR-1000 swap, motorcycle-ish fuel ecconomy with Mitsu Evo FQ speed.

They also make a Mini with an R1 engine

That would be awesome... :D

[regfootball]

So everyone should go buy a Park Avenue or DTS?

[post="11316"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

a cobalt or ion or focus can more than hold its own on the interstates at customary cruising speeds. and, if there's a crosswind, they won't blow off the road, either.

that's ok, if anyone in the US is driving a smart, hopefully their insurance rates are adjusted appropriately (i.e. MUCH HIGHER), so when the carnage does occur, we're not all stuck paying for the miscalculation. Edited September 9, 2005 by regfootball

[Robert Hall]

a cobalt or ion or focus can more than hold its own on the interstates at customary cruising speeds.  and, if there's a crosswind, they won't blow off the road, either.

that's ok, if anyone in the US is driving a smart, hopefully their insurance rates are adjusted appropriately (i.e. MUCH HIGHER), so when the carnage does occur, we're not all stuck paying for the miscalculation.

[post="11682"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I'm sure they would be safer on the road than past small cars (remember shitboxes like the Geo Metro and Chevette?).... Smarts are engineered for safety..

[MyerShift]

In DCX's own crash test results, the smart fortwo, when involved in an off-set frontal impact with a Mercedes-Benz E-Class at 45 mph, the little sucker just bounced off. I was surprised.

[pow]

The fortwo is a rather old design, and it only got 3-stars from EURONCAP.