I want a smart car, godammit!

But I don't want to die, so I guess I don't get one. :frown:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123993371229527975.html
Although that article is from 2009. I wonder if they've worked on the safety issue since then. I just read a news story about an accident between a pick-up truck and a smart car and they both walked away with minor injuries...

 

people walk away from bad crashes every day....but why increase your risk by buying a go cart?.......you do realize most of us dont like smart car drivers and want to pound them?

 

Why? They're cute and good on gas. I refuse to be shamed because of my choice of car! I understand the majority of the prius-owner type are up their own ass, but I'm not. I just think they're cool the same way I think Vespas, El Caminos and Dodge Challengers are cool (all for different reasons, obviously, haha).
Anyway, I was just whining. It's sad how impractical they are. It seems like they'd be fun to drive.

 

At least a smart car could double as a casket

 

Smart cars can park anywhere.

Based on size they should be getting 60-70 mpg though. Not 36.

 

Smart cars allow for people of lesser intellect to drive. I admire that.

 

If you want something thats good on gas buy a little diesel vw or something that at least has 4 seats and a trunk. They get much better gas mileage and they're not completely impractical.

 

They might be ok in an urban area where no one really got up much speed but I saw one on the interstate this week that was being rocked by the wake of a semi passing it. Too scary, too little

It would be cool if there were a little El Camino style vehicle sized like a Toyota Corrola or Honda Civic. Cool looks and utility too

 

If you got t-boned by someone on a bicycle you would probably be the one in the hospital and car in the junk yard.

 

I actually seen some guy driving one on a very snowy day, its nothing I would try to attempt. Not a practical winter car to say the least.

 

Fixed

 

If I only did city driving I would drive one in a heartbeat, but I have to drive on a major interstate every day to get to work. I drive a mazda miata and I'm already scared for my life in that car.

 

I refuse to drive any car that I can haul in the back of my pick-up. If I was to hit you head on I'd roll over the top of you.

 

Every time I see one of those things I have the sudden urge to bum rush it and put it on its side. I'm pretty sure I can tip one over by myself.

 

That would actually be quite hilarious.

I hear you. The bottom's rotting out of my '96 chevy cavalier or I wouldn't be shopping around now. It's one of the only ones I've ever driven where I didn't feel like I was in a tank, but it's not a go-cart, either. I used to feel so much safer in a big old minivan or a gigantor dodge ram, but damned if I could maneuver one these days. It just seems like a ridiculous amount of vehicle for someone as small as me.
If only I could get my silver beetle back in NY working...

 

you get in a car accident with a smart car your a dead man

 

I have a corolla with a 5spd, it gets 48mpg highway, better than the fartcar, and safer....;-D

 

If you read up on the author of the article, you discover that he is the general counsel for CEI, which receives heavy corporate funding, including funding from Ford and Texaco.

The article accuses Ralph Nader of backing CAFE standards because he wants "more power". More likely, he and others back the CAFE standards because they mean less gas consumption and CO2 emissions.

It seems to me that the WSJ will print what are essentially corporate PR statements. I'd take anything in there with a grain of salt.

The criticism that light cars are less safe is essentially valid though. I'm not sure how much of a trade off there is in terms of safety vs. fuel efficiency.

Bigger vehicles will not necessarily make the public safer though. SUV's increase the risk of fatalities in the smaller, lower riding vehicles that they collide with, while also reducing their own safety through their roll-over hazard.

You can probably find a car that balances safety and fuel economy well. I don't think that the smart car is a good choice though.

 

Get a smart car if you like. They do well as far as safety is concerned, the crash tests show they sort of bounce away rather than crumple. Have a look at the performance and reliability. Basically do the research. I think they are fine and sensible in a city.

 

i want local intercity trains that stop at rural small towns.