SMART car - (what I want to get for College)

This is the car that I have been dreaming about..
8 feet long, 5 feet wide, 60 mpg, 1588 pounds, ~ $15,000

They are very popular in Europe, especially germany, and they are safe..

-tom

That would have fit inside the Chevy Van I had in college. I had over 20 people in it once, most of them standing.

http://www.smart.com/
The steering wheel would mess you up I think

Isn't the top speed somewhere around 60 MPH?

Thats not a car...I had tonka toys bigger than that growing up.....

I once drove a smart from a friends friend out of curiousity...

It's not a car, its a joke.

i think the smart car is rather cute, even though it looks like a toy car

Ugh - flash website...

Don't think there's any danger of the Smart overwhelming the streets of America.

They're well designed machines. A bit small, but not uncomfortable. If you're driving to college you won't be able to take a whole lot with you though . They're a little overpriced, a tad under powered and the sequential shift gear box is horrible.

In short, if most my driving was in or around town with the occasional longer jaunt, I'd be all over one -- whereas my college experience is going to include several cross country road trips, the smart just isn't quire right for me.

I saw two of these in Canada a few weeks ago. One moving, the other parked. They're marketed in Canada as the "ForTwo". The moving one passed me doing about 75MPH. They apparently have replaceable body panels so you can change the color if you want. The body is designed so a side impact will hit one of the axels, keeping the force of the impact away from the passengers. In crash tests, these little guys did better than some far larger cars.

The interior of the parked one was surprisingly open, with seats for two. It had a 6 speed automatic/manual (selectable) transmission and air conditioning.

They're supposed to start selling them in the US this month between $18,000 and $27,000. There is talk of a four seat model coming out later this year.

If I had the money, I'd be on the waiting list for one....

I don't understand why they could command such a premium. $18,000 or more is pretty high for a small car.

The small foot print is neat. I learned the value of skinnier cars when I moved from a Ford F150 PU to a Toyota Prius. I can park the Prius places where the F150 could only dream. The Smart would be even easier to park.

It seems like one of these would be ideal for a plug-in hybrid.

I found the SMART flash based web site to be unusually devoid of facts. It did have Pretty Pictures.

Have fun fitting your luggage into that when going to college.

But, they do have good crash test ratings.

-David

I prefer a MINI Cooper. Small, customisable (with stripes and roof design), fun, 6-speeder and the girls will love it! )

I personally find the Mini Cooper a nice and stylish automobile.. but the Smart is just.. different. I like the one with a dark blue color and a silver stripe.
-tom

I have seen more than one style of them, too. One looks sort of like a ford festiva, and the other something like a miniature original Toyota MR-2 (orignal meaning the first ones made back in the 80's). I understand that the smart car is made by Mercedez Benz (or a subsidiary). Perhaps that has something to do with the high price. Last year, a friend of mine who had moved to Germany sent me a picture of a smart car that was parked perpindicular to the curb in between two parallel parked cars.

If it was less than 15K I would consider one as a beach cruiser type. More than 15K then I will have to agree that the Mini is a better value for the money. Only slightly bigger and can hold more.

These bad boys are sweet though.