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  • #16
    Re: Smart Cars

    Originally posted by Miulang View Post
    You'd only feel it if you were sandwiched in between an SUV and an 18-wheel semi, driving in rain that was coming down horizontally with your windshield wipers malfunctioning. True story. Happened to me one time when I was driving in a rental Neon on a freeway in Pennsylvania.
    I already feel it when I'm in between a Suburban and an Excursion. Fortunately my car has the zip to overtake them.

    (oh, and thanks for reviving another pet peeve. BRB)
    How'd I get so white and nerdy?

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Smart Cars

      The cars go, like, 80 or 90 mph, no problem. Incredible torque.

      They're so expensive right now because of such limited demand, and the cost of getting them US standards, thus the high price now. After a year or two the price is expected to drop. Plus, the dealer here in Honolulu only offers the higher-end models.

      Personally, I thought the car was pretty cool, albeit small. But not much smaller than a Mini Cooper. It drove very well, and had incredible handling. Something I'd look into if all I needed was a mode of transport. But that's it -- it doesn't transport much else than the two occupants of the vehicle.

      I used to drive a Mini, but it was simply too small for what I need to carry. Plus, it was very expensive to maintain. It is, after all, a BMW. And that's something to think about with this Smart Car. It's made by Mercedes.

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      • #18
        Re: Smart Cars

        Originally posted by dick View Post
        but it was simply too small for what I need to carry.

        I think that's one issue with the very small cars. Perhaps you only do drive just yourself every work day. But the car still has to be able to deal with what you do on the weekend and after work - unless you have two cars. So pushing people to very small cars could actually lead to more cars as people would have to have a second car for their other stuff.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Smart Cars

          Originally posted by SusieMisajon View Post
          First...get a job.
          holy mother of god, susie. are you so enamoured of adrian's tailpipe that you constantly have to be up it? your constant naghagging of late forces me to wonder what the hell is so lacking in your life that you think it's justified to be such a harpy to a kid who's humbly coming to those older, supposedly wiser of us for advice.

          i've bolded that part of his initial post that you apparently ignored just so you could take a shrewish shot at him:

          Originally posted by adrian View Post
          I think I'm interested in getting one of them once I get a steady job. Manolo just demo'd one on this morning's news (probably the only segment of his I paid attention to).
          superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

          "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

          nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Smart Cars

            Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
            I think that's one issue with the very small cars. Perhaps you only do drive just yourself every work day. But the car still has to be able to deal with what you do on the weekend and after work - unless you have two cars. So pushing people to very small cars could actually lead to more cars as people would have to have a second car for their other stuff.
            Rather than buy a "commuter" car and a "weekend" car, it might make more sense if something like Flexcar existed in Honolulu, where you share the expenses for the operation of a second car without the hassles. I've talked with the management of Flexcar (HQ'd in Seattle) a couple of times already about starting a franchise in Honolulu and they said they would consider it.

            One scenario would be to use public transportation to get into town (rail or bus), use a company-subsidized Flexcar for errands during the day while in town, and then on the weekends, use your own bigger car to go holoholo or shopping. The advantage would be a faster commute (no more hassles with gridlock on the freeway), no parking hassles at work (you wouldn't be driving your car to work), but ready access to a car at work if you needed it to run errands during the day without having to pay for parking, insurance or gas for a car.

            For people who live in areas in the city with scarce onstreet parking, Flexcar would be advantageous because you wouldn't have the hassle and expense of owning a car and all the driving around looking for an open parking space (a Flexcar always is parked in a reserved space), but when you need a car, you would have one close by that you could use for a cheap hourly rate that included the gas and insurance coverage. Flexcar has hybrids, sedans, minivans, trucks and even sports car to share. The only downside is you do have to call ahead and reserve the car so you couldn't be spontaneous about your trips, but it does save a whole lot of money if you only use your car periodically. And the car is always a newer car that you don't have to maintain and if it breaks down, you get a replacement car at no extra cost to you.

            Miulang
            "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Smart Cars

              Originally posted by ericncyn View Post
              i've bolded that part of his initial post that you apparently ignored just so you could take a shrewish shot at him:
              Plus, our carport is so full of cars right now, I don't know where to park a car that small. With a lot of pacific islanders living in my neighborhood, I think it'll get carried away if it isn't bolted down or something.
              How'd I get so white and nerdy?

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Smart Cars

                Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
                I think that's one issue with the very small cars. Perhaps you only do drive just yourself every work day. But the car still has to be able to deal with what you do on the weekend and after work - unless you have two cars. So pushing people to very small cars could actually lead to more cars as people would have to have a second car for their other stuff.
                I see it being useful with companies who do house calls (like our computer repair shop).

                Maybe as this gets more mainstream and other manufacturers get into the game, the prices will go down, and probably it can be included with homes.
                How'd I get so white and nerdy?

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Smart Cars

                  Originally posted by Miulang View Post
                  Rather than buy a "commuter" car and a "weekend" car, it might make more sense if something like Flexcar existed in Honolulu...
                  I calculated the monthly cost to run our beloved ECHO and it came out to $69.40, which is just slightly above the monthly cost of the flexcar at $68.00, so in our case it wouldn't be something we'd be interested in. We already get the great gas mileage, she's economical to run, and parking is no problem.
                  Last edited by ploal5333; August 16, 2007, 10:39 AM.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Smart Cars

                    Originally posted by ploal5333 View Post
                    I calculated the monthly cost to run our beloved ECHO and it came out to $69.40, which is just slightly above the monthly cost of the flexcar at $68.00...
                    Oops! Should've read $135.42. Quite a difference it seems.
                    She's still beloved.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Smart Cars

                      Hilarious youtube review of the Smartcar (hopefully you can understand the blokes' accents). The reviewer spent 12 continuous hours locked (and driving) in the car around London and its environs in a Smartcar Fortwo.

                      Miulang
                      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Smart Cars

                        Okay, so they're legal on our expressways? but, are they safe on them??
                        Stop being lost in thought where our problems thrive.~

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Smart Cars

                          Originally posted by Karen View Post
                          Okay, so they're legal on our expressways? but, are they safe on them??
                          Well how safe to the individual is based on his/her own perception. But these cars have to at least meet federal crash standards in order to be legally sold.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Smart Cars

                            contemplative piece on whether smart cars will go over well in the US, from salon.com.

                            On a bright Saturday morning, a fleet of the tiny cars is on display at Mockingbird Station, one of Dallas' prefab entertainment and lifestyle complexes, thick with restaurants, movie theaters, stores and lofts. More than 100 Texans are waiting to test-drive the Smart model called Fortwo, whose price starts at $11,600. Many wannabe drivers are armed with cameras, as if they're here hoping to catch a glimpse of an exotic animal at the zoo.

                            Charlie Barnhardt, a big, bald man in snakeskin cowboy boots and a hunting cameo shirt with birds on it, drove an hour and a half from Greenville in his Jeep Grand Cherokee to see the Smart. Barnhardt, who runs a welding shop and hopes soon to retire, gives this verdict. "They're cute," he chuckles with a sweet smile. "I think it would go over good" in Texas.
                            superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

                            "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

                            nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Smart Cars

                              I just saw an ad during the evening news (KHON or KITV) for a "smart car," dubbed the "green machine." Is it this same Mercedes initiative? Or someone else that's hooked up with Smart USA?

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Smart Cars

                                Originally posted by pzarquon View Post
                                I just saw an ad during the evening news (KHON or KITV) for a "smart car," dubbed the "green machine." Is it this same Mercedes initiative? Or someone else that's hooked up with Smart USA?
                                same car, but...

                                Originally posted by ericncyn View Post
                                i think the difference is bcs green machine, at the moment, is bringing in smartcars & converting them. when smart opens their own dealerships next year, they'll be doing the conversions themselves.

                                or at least that's what it sounds like:

                                "They aren't scheduled to officially hit the U.S. until early next year, but importers are already shipping the cars from Europe to conversion shops, which tailor them to U.S. safety and environmental standards."

                                i pulled the quote from the following post:


                                Originally posted by dick View Post
                                If this is what you're talking about:

                                http://starbulletin.com/2007/06/13/b...s/story01.html

                                Yeah, they're freeway-legal.
                                superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

                                "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

                                nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

                                Comment

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