On 29 Jun 2006 18:18:45 -0700, zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:

>
>Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> If I lived in a city, I'd get one. They take up little space and are easy to
>
>I'd like one, but the price will not be right. It will be more
>expensive than a regular compact car like a Focus or Chevy Cavalier.
>The regular car does so much more.

And are so much bigger.
If you think a focus is a small car, you've got a bad case of "the
texas grande's"

in europe, ford has cars smaller than the focus - the fiesta - which
is a 4 seater, 3 or 5 door hatchback, not bad small cars. Then they
have the Ka, smaller still, 3 door only, and you can't really get an
adult int he back at all. Focus is a 'family size' car in Europe. Of
course, Ford aint the only ones - VW has the polo and lupo, or fox
now, under its golf, Peugeot have the 107, 206, and 1007 small than
the 307 which is its civic equivilent.

someone else replied its the difference between 4 blocks and 12, its
often worse. The cars are also very nimble, and surprisingly competant
on the highway.

 

On 29 Jun 2006 18:18:45 -0700, zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:

>
>Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> If I lived in a city, I'd get one. They take up little space and are easy to
>
>I'd like one, but the price will not be right. It will be more
>expensive than a regular compact car like a Focus or Chevy Cavalier.
>The regular car does so much more.

And are so much bigger.
If you think a focus is a small car, you've got a bad case of "the
texas grande's"

in europe, ford has cars smaller than the focus - the fiesta - which
is a 4 seater, 3 or 5 door hatchback, not bad small cars. Then they
have the Ka, smaller still, 3 door only, and you can't really get an
adult int he back at all. Focus is a 'family size' car in Europe. Of
course, Ford aint the only ones - VW has the polo and lupo, or fox
now, under its golf, Peugeot have the 107, 206, and 1007 small than
the 307 which is its civic equivilent.

someone else replied its the difference between 4 blocks and 12, its
often worse. The cars are also very nimble, and surprisingly competant
on the highway.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:28:00 +0000 (UTC), "TeGGeR®"
<tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote:

>"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in
>news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06:
>
>> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
>> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
>> sale here in early 2008.
>> By John O'Dell
>> Times Staff Writer
>>
>> June 29, 2006
>>
>> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
>> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
>
><snip>
>
>
>Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah.
>
>Canada has these rolling telephone booths since...what? 2003?
>
>Daimler Chrysler loses money on each and every one, in spite of their high
>purchase price.
>
>There are forty inches (I checked) between the front bumper and the top of
>the steering wheel. You wanna bash into something while driving a "Smart"?
>Go check how many inches separate *your* steering wheel top from *your*
>front bumper.
>
>You know why "Smarts" are officially "safe"? Because there are too many
>dollars between you and the other vehicles.

Not true. Take a F1 car - head on crash at 140mph will only crush the
first what, 8-10". Its all about structure and method. There was a
video on google a few months back, showing a clip fromt he UK show
"5th gear" - in it they crashed a smart from either 40 or 50mph into
concrete blocks, in an offset impact. vehicle came out pretty damned
good - better than a lot of vehicles I've seen in the US in slower
impacts.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:28:00 +0000 (UTC), "TeGGeR®"
<tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote:

>"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in
>news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06:
>
>> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
>> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
>> sale here in early 2008.
>> By John O'Dell
>> Times Staff Writer
>>
>> June 29, 2006
>>
>> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
>> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
>
><snip>
>
>
>Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah.
>
>Canada has these rolling telephone booths since...what? 2003?
>
>Daimler Chrysler loses money on each and every one, in spite of their high
>purchase price.
>
>There are forty inches (I checked) between the front bumper and the top of
>the steering wheel. You wanna bash into something while driving a "Smart"?
>Go check how many inches separate *your* steering wheel top from *your*
>front bumper.
>
>You know why "Smarts" are officially "safe"? Because there are too many
>dollars between you and the other vehicles.

Not true. Take a F1 car - head on crash at 140mph will only crush the
first what, 8-10". Its all about structure and method. There was a
video on google a few months back, showing a clip fromt he UK show
"5th gear" - in it they crashed a smart from either 40 or 50mph into
concrete blocks, in an offset impact. vehicle came out pretty damned
good - better than a lot of vehicles I've seen in the US in slower
impacts.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:28:00 +0000 (UTC), "TeGGeR®"
<tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote:

>"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in
>news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06:
>
>> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
>> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
>> sale here in early 2008.
>> By John O'Dell
>> Times Staff Writer
>>
>> June 29, 2006
>>
>> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
>> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
>
><snip>
>
>
>Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah.
>
>Canada has these rolling telephone booths since...what? 2003?
>
>Daimler Chrysler loses money on each and every one, in spite of their high
>purchase price.
>
>There are forty inches (I checked) between the front bumper and the top of
>the steering wheel. You wanna bash into something while driving a "Smart"?
>Go check how many inches separate *your* steering wheel top from *your*
>front bumper.
>
>You know why "Smarts" are officially "safe"? Because there are too many
>dollars between you and the other vehicles.

Not true. Take a F1 car - head on crash at 140mph will only crush the
first what, 8-10". Its all about structure and method. There was a
video on google a few months back, showing a clip fromt he UK show
"5th gear" - in it they crashed a smart from either 40 or 50mph into
concrete blocks, in an offset impact. vehicle came out pretty damned
good - better than a lot of vehicles I've seen in the US in slower
impacts.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:28:00 +0000 (UTC), "TeGGeR®"
<tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote:

>"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in
>news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06:
>
>> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
>> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on
>> sale here in early 2008.
>> By John O'Dell
>> Times Staff Writer
>>
>> June 29, 2006
>>
>> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
>> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
>
><snip>
>
>
>Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah.
>
>Canada has these rolling telephone booths since...what? 2003?
>
>Daimler Chrysler loses money on each and every one, in spite of their high
>purchase price.
>
>There are forty inches (I checked) between the front bumper and the top of
>the steering wheel. You wanna bash into something while driving a "Smart"?
>Go check how many inches separate *your* steering wheel top from *your*
>front bumper.
>
>You know why "Smarts" are officially "safe"? Because there are too many
>dollars between you and the other vehicles.

Not true. Take a F1 car - head on crash at 140mph will only crush the
first what, 8-10". Its all about structure and method. There was a
video on google a few months back, showing a clip fromt he UK show
"5th gear" - in it they crashed a smart from either 40 or 50mph into
concrete blocks, in an offset impact. vehicle came out pretty damned
good - better than a lot of vehicles I've seen in the US in slower
impacts.

 

That little two passenger death trap ought to sell well against all of the
four passenger, $10,000 to $12,000, cars available in the US. LOL


mike hunt


"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06...
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on sale
> here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But first
> Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can hold its
> own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could carry the
> 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant in
> France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche said. The
> passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is designed to work
> like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating passengers from the
> shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural integrity"
> of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign and
> stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and that
> U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the brand's
> U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of new-car
> dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several small
> cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that have room
> for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed the
> company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only because of
> its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing a
> version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars are
> converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private firm
> with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price, said
> Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the only
> Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

That little two passenger death trap ought to sell well against all of the
four passenger, $10,000 to $12,000, cars available in the US. LOL


mike hunt


"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06...
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on sale
> here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But first
> Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can hold its
> own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could carry the
> 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant in
> France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche said. The
> passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is designed to work
> like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating passengers from the
> shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural integrity"
> of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign and
> stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and that
> U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the brand's
> U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of new-car
> dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several small
> cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that have room
> for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed the
> company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only because of
> its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing a
> version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars are
> converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private firm
> with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price, said
> Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the only
> Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

That little two passenger death trap ought to sell well against all of the
four passenger, $10,000 to $12,000, cars available in the US. LOL


mike hunt


"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06...
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on sale
> here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But first
> Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can hold its
> own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could carry the
> 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant in
> France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche said. The
> passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is designed to work
> like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating passengers from the
> shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural integrity"
> of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign and
> stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and that
> U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the brand's
> U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of new-car
> dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several small
> cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that have room
> for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed the
> company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only because of
> its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing a
> version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars are
> converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private firm
> with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price, said
> Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the only
> Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

That little two passenger death trap ought to sell well against all of the
four passenger, $10,000 to $12,000, cars available in the US. LOL


mike hunt


"F. H." <connectu2@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:cJZog.20153$Yk.14009@trnddc06...
> DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.
> The company's Smart car, available in Europe since 1998, is to go on sale
> here in early 2008.
> By John O'Dell
> Times Staff Writer
>
> June 29, 2006
>
> The tiny Smart car is only two-thirds the size of a Mini Cooper, but
> DaimlerChrysler has big plans for it.
>
> The German automaker, which has been selling the two-seater in Europe
> since 1998, said Wednesday it planned to introduce the Smart in the U.S.
> early in 2008.
>
> With a fuel-sipping three-cylinder engine that gets about 60 miles per
> gallon on European highways, the Smart could be a big hit here. But first
> Americans will have to be convinced that something so small can hold its
> own against pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that could carry the
> 1,600-pound Smart in back.
>
> Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler's chief executive and former head of its
> U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit, is betting that $3-a-gallon gasoline and
> crowded streets and highways will help overcome concerns about size.
>
> At just 8-feet, 2-inches in length, the Smart ForTwo, as the model is
> called, can be parked in half the space occupied by a full-size pickup.
>
> DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz unit, which builds the Smart at a plant in
> France, designed it to stand up to much larger vehicles, Zetsche said. The
> passenger cabin is framed in high-strength steel that is designed to work
> like the safety cage of a modern race car, isolating passengers from the
> shock of a collision.
>
> "We are very confident about the safety features and structural integrity"
> of the Smart, Zetsche said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
>
> The Smart has never made a profit. Zetsche is betting that a redesign and
> stepped up marketing in Europe next year will turn things around and that
> U.S. sales in 2008 will provide even bigger profits.
>
> The next-generation Smart ForTwo will be sold in the U.S. through a
> dealership chain to be established by United Auto Group Inc., the brand's
> U.S. distributor and marketer and the second-largest operator of new-car
> dealerships in the U.S.
>
> Zetsche said United Auto, led by former auto racer Roger Penske, expects
> to have 30 to 50 dealerships ready when the Smart is launched and will
> continue expanding until the U.S. market is covered. He said the Smart
> would be promoted as a commuter car in urban areas and as convenient
> transportation in leisure communities.
>
> One of the risks the Smart brand faces is pricing. There are several small
> cars in the U.S. market, such as the Honda Fit and Kia Rio, that have room
> for four or five passengers and are priced in the same range as the Smart.
>
> Zetsche said the car would be priced under $15,000.
>
> DaimlerChrysler hopes to sell 20,000 Smarts in the U.S. in 2008. Philip
> Reed, a senior auto industry analyst at Edmunds.com, said he believed the
> company would easily achieve that goal. "It will sell not only because of
> its fuel economy and equipment but because of its looks and appeal."
>
> The Smart isn't totally new to North America. DaimlerChrysler began
> marketing the car in Canada in 2004 and last year sold 4,000 Smarts there.
>
> And a Northern California company, Zap, began importing and distributing a
> version of the European Smart to the U.S. about a year ago. The cars are
> converted to meet U.S. safety standards and exported by a private firm
> with no connection to DaimlerChrysler.
>
> So far, Santa Rosa-based Zap has sent about 200 of the cars to various
> dealers, who sell them for prices starting at about $20,000.
>
> "We knew from the start that it was only a matter of time" before
> DaimlerChrysler began selling the cars in the U.S. at a lower price, said
> Zap spokesman A.J. Gilbertson. But until 2008, he said, Zap has the only
> Smarts around.
>
> *
>
> (INFOBOX BELOW)
>
> Big and small
>
> A comparison of the Smart and the Hummer H2
>
> Hummer H2 Smart
> Curb weight 6,400 lbs 1,600 lbs.
> Length 15' 9" 8' 2"
> Width 6' 9" 4' 11"
> Height 6' 7" 5'
> Seating 6 2
> Cylinders 8 3
> Fuel tank 32 gal. 10 gal.
> Horsepower 325 60
> Miles per gallon* 8 to 13 40 city/60 hwy.
> Price (in thousands) $50+ under $15
>
>
> *Estimated by industry sources.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:00:26 -0700, "mack" <mackerel@dslextreme.com>
wrote:

>
>If I were thinking of a Smart car (which I'm not) I'd just as soon have an
>ancient BMW Isetta and have NO front protection. There is one benefit to a
>Smart car, though, since you wouldn't have to buy a casket to put your body
>into after a crash.
>If all cars were Smart size, it might make sense, but not with so many
>Excursions, Denalis, Hummers etc on the road, not to mention big rigs.

yeah, we europeans never have had a big vehicle in our lives.

Heck, I went and looked up the same vehicles on the europNCAP rating,
and on safercar.gov - Every vehicle that was on both scored much
higher in the US ratings than the EU ones - maybe EU cars are safer,
or at least rated more stringently.So, just as a supposition, if a
vehicle was that dangerous, it wouldn't be allowed in the EU, and oh,
thats where the SMARTs been for many years now.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:00:26 -0700, "mack" <mackerel@dslextreme.com>
wrote:

>
>If I were thinking of a Smart car (which I'm not) I'd just as soon have an
>ancient BMW Isetta and have NO front protection. There is one benefit to a
>Smart car, though, since you wouldn't have to buy a casket to put your body
>into after a crash.
>If all cars were Smart size, it might make sense, but not with so many
>Excursions, Denalis, Hummers etc on the road, not to mention big rigs.

yeah, we europeans never have had a big vehicle in our lives.

Heck, I went and looked up the same vehicles on the europNCAP rating,
and on safercar.gov - Every vehicle that was on both scored much
higher in the US ratings than the EU ones - maybe EU cars are safer,
or at least rated more stringently.So, just as a supposition, if a
vehicle was that dangerous, it wouldn't be allowed in the EU, and oh,
thats where the SMARTs been for many years now.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:00:26 -0700, "mack" <mackerel@dslextreme.com>
wrote:

>
>If I were thinking of a Smart car (which I'm not) I'd just as soon have an
>ancient BMW Isetta and have NO front protection. There is one benefit to a
>Smart car, though, since you wouldn't have to buy a casket to put your body
>into after a crash.
>If all cars were Smart size, it might make sense, but not with so many
>Excursions, Denalis, Hummers etc on the road, not to mention big rigs.

yeah, we europeans never have had a big vehicle in our lives.

Heck, I went and looked up the same vehicles on the europNCAP rating,
and on safercar.gov - Every vehicle that was on both scored much
higher in the US ratings than the EU ones - maybe EU cars are safer,
or at least rated more stringently.So, just as a supposition, if a
vehicle was that dangerous, it wouldn't be allowed in the EU, and oh,
thats where the SMARTs been for many years now.

 

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:00:26 -0700, "mack" <mackerel@dslextreme.com>
wrote:

>
>If I were thinking of a Smart car (which I'm not) I'd just as soon have an
>ancient BMW Isetta and have NO front protection. There is one benefit to a
>Smart car, though, since you wouldn't have to buy a casket to put your body
>into after a crash.
>If all cars were Smart size, it might make sense, but not with so many
>Excursions, Denalis, Hummers etc on the road, not to mention big rigs.

yeah, we europeans never have had a big vehicle in our lives.

Heck, I went and looked up the same vehicles on the europNCAP rating,
and on safercar.gov - Every vehicle that was on both scored much
higher in the US ratings than the EU ones - maybe EU cars are safer,
or at least rated more stringently.So, just as a supposition, if a
vehicle was that dangerous, it wouldn't be allowed in the EU, and oh,
thats where the SMARTs been for many years now.

 

flobert wrote:
> On 29 Jun 2006 18:18:45 -0700, zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:

> And are so much bigger.
> If you think a focus is a small car, you've got a bad case of "the
> texas grande's"

The Focus is described as a semicompact car. This size of vehicle is at
the price sweet spot in the United States.

> in europe, ford has cars smaller than the focus - the fiesta - which
> is a 4 seater, 3 or 5 door hatchback, not bad small cars. Then they
> have the Ka, smaller still, 3 door only, and you can't really get an

I'm aware of both of these vehicles, but we're talking about the Smart
here. It is going to be expensive and what are you going to get for
this money? A compact car will be a much better buy.

It will also probably be gasoline here, as US diesel fuel standards
preclude the use of domestic European-market diesel engines.