Smartcar or Dumbcar?

On Oct 7, 5:04 pm, "Tim B" > wrote:

> They've done surprisingly well in crash tests, but you can get a real car
> the same money

That may be due to their lack of inertia. The lightweight smart car
goes flying away at impact, relatively unharmed. Adding 200 lbs of
human would throw off that "advantage" somewhat. I'd hate to see the
accordian-ed carnage after a Mallachi crunch type accident.

Likewise, people also tend to bounce off of cars and go flying with
minimal external damage, but it can wreak havoc on standard features
like the spine, brain, etc.

Toyota MDT in MO

On Oct 7, 5:34 pm, (J J) wrote:
> At a local mall they had 4 Smartcars for people to test drive on the
> mall parking lot. The rep said that Mercedes has invested in it but it
> has NO mercedes engineering or parts. The thing is made in France by
> some unknown start up company with zero experience in making cars.
> France has a history of making bad cars. So bad they haven't been
> imported to the US for decades.
>
> Engine is in the rear below the very small trunk space. They couldn't
> get the rear hatch to open. After much pounding it opened and appears to
> be flimsy plastic.
>
> Consumer reports tested it and said it may be one of the worst cars
> ever. A much smarter buy would be one of the mini cars made by
> experienced car builders like: Honda, Mazda, Toyota Sirus, Mazda.
>
> But it is good for laughs.

Color the Smart Car as being a horribly overpriced cutesy car in the
USA. One can buy a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla for less and get a
lot more car. I suspect the Smart will sell well to blonde 20-
somethings in Southern California.

The car has had an unfortunate history in the USA with grey-market and
authorized importers competing directly, virtually no service support,
conflicts over which cars were warranted by whom, etc. The last I
heard some large car dealer in or near Illinois was going to be the
latest official importer. There were several lawsuits flying around
at the time.

The Smart Car would make a lot of sense in a highly congested urban
city in europe that allows parking sideways and on sidewalks. Those
parking conditions do not exist (legally) in the USA.

Comboverfish > wrote in
ups.com:

> On Oct 7, 5:04 pm, "Tim B" > wrote:
>
>> They've done surprisingly well in crash tests, but you can get a real
>> car the same money
>
> That may be due to their lack of inertia. The lightweight smart car
> goes flying away at impact, relatively unharmed. Adding 200 lbs of
> human would throw off that "advantage" somewhat. I'd hate to see the
> accordian-ed carnage after a Mallachi crunch type accident.
>
> Likewise, people also tend to bounce off of cars and go flying with
> minimal external damage, but it can wreak havoc on standard features
> like the spine, brain, etc.
>


You can't make those delete options?

--
Tegger

"John S." > wrote in
ups.com:


>
> Color the Smart Car as being a horribly overpriced cutesy car in the
> USA. One can buy a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla for less and get a
> lot more car. I suspect the Smart will sell well to blonde 20-
> somethings in Southern California.



If our experience in Canada is any guide, the actual buyers will be
50-somethings with gray hair and a strong desire to project an
"environmentally correct" image. The Smart is sort of a non-Prius
with Prius correctness.

Our Smart owners often (always?) have a much larger vehicle occupying space
in their driveways. The Smart is driven for image when cargo and passenger
capability is not needed.



> The Smart Car would make a lot of sense in a highly congested urban
> city in europe that allows parking sideways and on sidewalks. Those
> parking conditions do not exist (legally) in the USA.
>


Nor anywhere in Canada as far as I know.


--
Tegger

Tegger wrote:
> Comboverfish > wrote in
> ups.com:
>
>> On Oct 7, 5:04 pm, "Tim B" > wrote:
>>
>>> They've done surprisingly well in crash tests, but you can get a real
>>> car the same money
>> That may be due to their lack of inertia. The lightweight smart car
>> goes flying away at impact, relatively unharmed. Adding 200 lbs of
>> human would throw off that "advantage" somewhat. I'd hate to see the
>> accordian-ed carnage after a Mallachi crunch type accident.
>>
>> Likewise, people also tend to bounce off of cars and go flying with
>> minimal external damage, but it can wreak havoc on standard features
>> like the spine, brain, etc.
>>
>
>
> You can't make those delete options?
>
Only if your a Liberal. Or a member of the Nobel Panel!

--
Steve W.
Near Cooperstown, New York
NRA Member
Pacifism - The theory that if they'd fed
Jeffrey Dahmer enough human flesh,
he'd have become a vegan.

On Oct 12, 7:06 pm, Tegger > wrote:
> "John S." > wrote roups.com:
>
>
>
> > Color the Smart Car as being a horribly overpriced cutesy car in the
> > USA. One can buy a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla for less and get a
> > lot more car. I suspect the Smart will sell well to blonde 20-
> > somethings in Southern California.
>
> If our experience in Canada is any guide, the actual buyers will be
> 50-somethings with gray hair and a strong desire to project an
> "environmentally correct" image. The Smart is sort of a non-Prius
> with Prius correctness.

I haven't looked at the numbers recently, but one could get better mpg
per passenger in a Corolla, Civic or Prius than with a Smart because
the first three cars hold 4 people. And the first three cars could
actually hold luggage.


>
> Our Smart owners often (always?) have a much larger vehicle occupying space
> in their driveways.

> The Smart is driven for image when cargo and passenger
> capability is not needed.


I would modify your list of reasons as follows: The Smart is driven
for image when cargo, passenger capability and passenger safety is not
needed.


>
> > The Smart Car would make a lot of sense in a highly congested urban
> > city in europe that allows parking sideways and on sidewalks. Those
> > parking conditions do not exist (legally) in the USA.
>
> Nor anywhere in Canada as far as I know.

Sideways and curb parking was part of the advertising Smart
advertising here in the USA. It may have been design to give the car
a quirky european image, but that message was not communicated very
well.


>
> --
> Tegger