SMART cars coming to the US
Nov 6th 2005, 6:46 am
#31
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
Carole Allen wrote:
> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 22:37:41 -0800, Citizen Ted
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>From what I've read, the only Smart the US will allow is some kind of
>
>>Smart SUV that Daimler Benz designed specifically for the NA market.
>>You won't see any four-fours or two-fours in the US. Such cars make
>>way too much sense for any American to be interested.
>
> Well, damn? A Smart SUV? Sort of defeats the purpose doesn't it? An
> SUV (even a small one) is the last thing I want to drive.
Ditto! With my Saturn, the rear seat backs fold forward,
providing all the "cargo space" I'm ever likely to need, but
I'd be happy to sacrifice even that for a car the size of a
SMART two-seater.
> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 22:37:41 -0800, Citizen Ted
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>From what I've read, the only Smart the US will allow is some kind of
>
>>Smart SUV that Daimler Benz designed specifically for the NA market.
>>You won't see any four-fours or two-fours in the US. Such cars make
>>way too much sense for any American to be interested.
>
> Well, damn? A Smart SUV? Sort of defeats the purpose doesn't it? An
> SUV (even a small one) is the last thing I want to drive.
Ditto! With my Saturn, the rear seat backs fold forward,
providing all the "cargo space" I'm ever likely to need, but
I'd be happy to sacrifice even that for a car the size of a
SMART two-seater.
Nov 6th 2005, 6:49 am
#32
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Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
"Stephen Dailey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]. ..
> On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 10:30:37 +0100, tim (moved to sweden)
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> "Carole Allen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 17:29:22 -0800, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>> Perhaps it's the Hummers and the cell-phones that should be
>>>> outlawed?
>>> Anyone who wants to drive a Hummer should be driving it in Iraq. It
>>> makes absolutely no sense that people get a huge tax break on a
>>> Hummer.
>> Do Americans get tax breaks on buying any car?
>> (I really don't know)
> The tax break under discussion is for commercial trucks. The Hummer, as
> well as many pickups, are considered commercial trucks for this purpose,
> and so there is a tax break on their purchase. The classification of
> "commercial truck" is based on vehicle weight, not usage.
thanks, seems really odd.
tim
> So, a business that buys a fleet of econoboxes doesn't get a commercial
> truck tax break, while an individual who buys a Hummer to drive to the
> mall does. Go figure.
> ===
> Steve
> Shoreline, Washington USA
> [email protected]
> 6 Nov 2005, 1035 PST
news:[email protected]. ..
> On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 10:30:37 +0100, tim (moved to sweden)
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> "Carole Allen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 17:29:22 -0800, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>> Perhaps it's the Hummers and the cell-phones that should be
>>>> outlawed?
>>> Anyone who wants to drive a Hummer should be driving it in Iraq. It
>>> makes absolutely no sense that people get a huge tax break on a
>>> Hummer.
>> Do Americans get tax breaks on buying any car?
>> (I really don't know)
> The tax break under discussion is for commercial trucks. The Hummer, as
> well as many pickups, are considered commercial trucks for this purpose,
> and so there is a tax break on their purchase. The classification of
> "commercial truck" is based on vehicle weight, not usage.
thanks, seems really odd.
tim
> So, a business that buys a fleet of econoboxes doesn't get a commercial
> truck tax break, while an individual who buys a Hummer to drive to the
> mall does. Go figure.
> ===
> Steve
> Shoreline, Washington USA
> [email protected]
> 6 Nov 2005, 1035 PST
Nov 6th 2005, 6:59 am
#33
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Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
Mxsmanic wrote:
>
> I noticed that later Civics got a lot bigger, until they looked like
> any other car.
As I found to my sorrow, when I replaced my 1978 with a
1991! Because the wheel-base was the same as any standard
sedan, it required as much space to park. Although I
certainly do not "ride" my brakes, the front discs required
replacement at about 18,000 miles. The final straw was when
I came out to a dead battery, one Friday after work, and
discovered that the battery was a special size and shape
only available from the dealer, not my corner
service-station. (And of course, the dealer's service
department was closed on weekends.) I then discovered the
Saturn - which was no wider and only a foot longer than the
'91 Honda - so the Honda went away. (Of course, the Saturn
is not as good a car as it was when they first came out,
either.)
>
> I understood that mileage among cars is higher than ever before. Even
> SUVs are supposedly getting 50 mpg.
In a "publicist's" dreams! (How often is there REALLY
"truth in advertising"?)
>
>
> I noticed that later Civics got a lot bigger, until they looked like
> any other car.
As I found to my sorrow, when I replaced my 1978 with a
1991! Because the wheel-base was the same as any standard
sedan, it required as much space to park. Although I
certainly do not "ride" my brakes, the front discs required
replacement at about 18,000 miles. The final straw was when
I came out to a dead battery, one Friday after work, and
discovered that the battery was a special size and shape
only available from the dealer, not my corner
service-station. (And of course, the dealer's service
department was closed on weekends.) I then discovered the
Saturn - which was no wider and only a foot longer than the
'91 Honda - so the Honda went away. (Of course, the Saturn
is not as good a car as it was when they first came out,
either.)
>
> I understood that mileage among cars is higher than ever before. Even
> SUVs are supposedly getting 50 mpg.
In a "publicist's" dreams! (How often is there REALLY
"truth in advertising"?)
>
Nov 6th 2005, 7:14 am
#34
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Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
Martin wrote:
> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 17:28:14 -0800, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Anyway, given the poor mileage even the smaller among
>>"standard" cars get now,
>
>
> Now? Small cars have never been so economical.
Depends upon how you define "never" - my '78 Honda got about
45 mpg city, I'm lucky if my "economical" Saturn gets 30.
I've not looked into "hybrids" - I'd want to know a lot more
about them before I leaped to purchase another car when the
one I have is adequate to my needs. But where in the U.S.
does one find them a car that gives better than 30 mpg in
the city? (And that's stretching it a bit.)
>
>
>>the Smart car would soon save
>>enough in gas purchases to justify its cost.
>
>
> Highly unlikely. Petrol isn't the main factor in car running costs.
Perhaps not, but it's a major one in Southern California!
(And at $3 a gallon, 75 mpg certainly costs a lot less than
30 - you're traveling two and a half times as far for the
same money!)
>
> For a tacky plastic two seater a Smart is way over priced.
>
Define "tacky". Most cars have plastic seats, don't they?
(The "economy" models, in any case.) They certainly make it
a lot easier to slide into the car. Anyway, many people in
the U.S. install seat-covers to "preserve" the original
upholstery - it helps with the resale value.
> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 17:28:14 -0800, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Anyway, given the poor mileage even the smaller among
>>"standard" cars get now,
>
>
> Now? Small cars have never been so economical.
Depends upon how you define "never" - my '78 Honda got about
45 mpg city, I'm lucky if my "economical" Saturn gets 30.
I've not looked into "hybrids" - I'd want to know a lot more
about them before I leaped to purchase another car when the
one I have is adequate to my needs. But where in the U.S.
does one find them a car that gives better than 30 mpg in
the city? (And that's stretching it a bit.)
>
>
>>the Smart car would soon save
>>enough in gas purchases to justify its cost.
>
>
> Highly unlikely. Petrol isn't the main factor in car running costs.
Perhaps not, but it's a major one in Southern California!
(And at $3 a gallon, 75 mpg certainly costs a lot less than
30 - you're traveling two and a half times as far for the
same money!)
>
> For a tacky plastic two seater a Smart is way over priced.
>
Define "tacky". Most cars have plastic seats, don't they?
(The "economy" models, in any case.) They certainly make it
a lot easier to slide into the car. Anyway, many people in
the U.S. install seat-covers to "preserve" the original
upholstery - it helps with the resale value.
Nov 6th 2005, 7:22 am
#35
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
Ronald wrote:
>
> That said, I'll stick to my Toyota Corolla: excellent gas mileage and
> reasonable size.
Define "reasonable size" - IMO, the smaller the better, in
terms of maneuverability. (One thing you guys don't seem to
be taking into consideration is how fast a small car like
the SMART can get out of the way of a monster SUV, if you
see one coming - less potential area of impact.)
>
> That said, I'll stick to my Toyota Corolla: excellent gas mileage and
> reasonable size.
Define "reasonable size" - IMO, the smaller the better, in
terms of maneuverability. (One thing you guys don't seem to
be taking into consideration is how fast a small car like
the SMART can get out of the way of a monster SUV, if you
see one coming - less potential area of impact.)
Nov 6th 2005, 8:31 am
#36
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 11:43:13 -0800, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>As could I, in Los Angeles! I have NEVER much cared for
>freeways! Often the "surface" streets are less congested,
>so my actual "drive time" is less. Also, getting to a
>freeway entrance and then from an exit to my destination can
>involve more miles than simply traveling all the way on
>normal streets.
Yep, when we lived in the LA area I used to commute in from Ocean Park
to Century City area, along Pico...no need for a monster car for that
little toot...
<[email protected]> wrote:
>As could I, in Los Angeles! I have NEVER much cared for
>freeways! Often the "surface" streets are less congested,
>so my actual "drive time" is less. Also, getting to a
>freeway entrance and then from an exit to my destination can
>involve more miles than simply traveling all the way on
>normal streets.
Yep, when we lived in the LA area I used to commute in from Ocean Park
to Century City area, along Pico...no need for a monster car for that
little toot...
Nov 6th 2005, 8:50 am
#37
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
Carole Allen writes:
> In whose universe?
In the universe where one of my US relatives bought his SUV, because
that is what he has been getting, according to him.
--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.
> In whose universe?
In the universe where one of my US relatives bought his SUV, because
that is what he has been getting, according to him.
--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.
Nov 6th 2005, 9:31 am
#38
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 22:50:42 +0100, Mxsmanic <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Carole Allen writes:
>> In whose universe?
>In the universe where one of my US relatives bought his SUV, because
>that is what he has been getting, according to him.
and you believe him?
--
Martin
wrote:
>Carole Allen writes:
>> In whose universe?
>In the universe where one of my US relatives bought his SUV, because
>that is what he has been getting, according to him.
and you believe him?
--
Martin
Nov 6th 2005, 9:32 am
#39
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
Martin writes:
> and you believe him?
With advances in engine design and computer-controlled engines, I find
the figure a bit surprising, but not completely outside the realm of
believability.
--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.
> and you believe him?
With advances in engine design and computer-controlled engines, I find
the figure a bit surprising, but not completely outside the realm of
believability.
--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.
Nov 6th 2005, 9:34 am
#40
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 12:22:12 -0800, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> (One thing you guys don't seem to
>be taking into consideration is how fast a small car like
>the SMART can get out of the way of a monster SUV, if you
>see one coming - less potential area of impact.)
That sounds like rubbish to me.
--
Martin
<[email protected]> wrote:
> (One thing you guys don't seem to
>be taking into consideration is how fast a small car like
>the SMART can get out of the way of a monster SUV, if you
>see one coming - less potential area of impact.)
That sounds like rubbish to me.
--
Martin
Nov 6th 2005, 9:36 am
#41
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 17:02:31 -0000, "Ian F." <[email protected]>
wrote:
>"Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected].. .
>> So are Norwegian Blues.
>Beautiful plumage!
but not too good at getting out of the way of SUVs quickly, something
to do with having their feet nailed to the perch.
--
Martin
wrote:
>"Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected].. .
>> So are Norwegian Blues.
>Beautiful plumage!
but not too good at getting out of the way of SUVs quickly, something
to do with having their feet nailed to the perch.
--
Martin
Nov 6th 2005, 9:42 am
#42
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Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 08:55:11 -0600, [email protected] wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
>[email protected] (Martin) wrote:
>> *From:* Martin <[email protected]>
>> *Date:* Sun, 06 Nov 2005 11:15:55 +0100
>>
>> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:40:20 -0600, [email protected] wrote:
>>
>> >One sees Smart Cars fairly often on the highways in the UK (in fact my
>> >next-door neighbour drives one here home from London many nights). I
>> >haven't heard that they have any more accidents or fatalities than
>> other >kinds of cars.
>>
>> Maybe because it's hard to find that sort of statistic? AFAIK in
>> Europe only Sweden publishes accident figures broken down by car type.
>> I may be wrong. If you know a source please post it.
>I don't - though since the model is relatively new, I would have thought
>that if there had been large numbers of Smart accidents it would have
>become a talking point.
There's a disproportionately high number of serious motorcycle
accidents. Is that a talking point in UK?
--
Martin
>In article <[email protected]>,
>[email protected] (Martin) wrote:
>> *From:* Martin <[email protected]>
>> *Date:* Sun, 06 Nov 2005 11:15:55 +0100
>>
>> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:40:20 -0600, [email protected] wrote:
>>
>> >One sees Smart Cars fairly often on the highways in the UK (in fact my
>> >next-door neighbour drives one here home from London many nights). I
>> >haven't heard that they have any more accidents or fatalities than
>> other >kinds of cars.
>>
>> Maybe because it's hard to find that sort of statistic? AFAIK in
>> Europe only Sweden publishes accident figures broken down by car type.
>> I may be wrong. If you know a source please post it.
>I don't - though since the model is relatively new, I would have thought
>that if there had been large numbers of Smart accidents it would have
>become a talking point.
There's a disproportionately high number of serious motorcycle
accidents. Is that a talking point in UK?
--
Martin
Nov 6th 2005, 9:45 am
#43
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 19:01:22 GMT, [email protected] (Carole Allen)
wrote:
>On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 10:21:18 +0100, Mxsmanic <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>>I understood that mileage among cars is higher than ever before. Even
>>SUVs are supposedly getting 50 mpg.
>>--
>In whose universe?
Miixionia.
--
Martin
wrote:
>On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 10:21:18 +0100, Mxsmanic <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>>I understood that mileage among cars is higher than ever before. Even
>>SUVs are supposedly getting 50 mpg.
>>--
>In whose universe?
Miixionia.
--
Martin
Nov 6th 2005, 9:54 am
#44
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 20:24:54 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
<gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net> wrote in
news:[email protected] ink.net:
> From what I've read they cannot be sold here for use on the public by
> - ways because they cannot meet US crash tests...
What you have read may have ignored that fact that the smart
car gives better protection than many cars being sold
in the U.S. already.
> Didn't Daimler - Chrysler (one of the makers of this vehicle) take a
> real financial "bath" already on these cars in Europe?
Mercedes / Daimler-Chrysler almost pulled the plug because they did not
market the car successfully. They have decided to continue
building the smart and I believe to start 'smart'ening
up the marketting. The climate in North America is such
that they could not ignore the smart car's relevance in
a changed and changing market.
<gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net> wrote in
news:[email protected] ink.net:
> From what I've read they cannot be sold here for use on the public by
> - ways because they cannot meet US crash tests...
What you have read may have ignored that fact that the smart
car gives better protection than many cars being sold
in the U.S. already.
> Didn't Daimler - Chrysler (one of the makers of this vehicle) take a
> real financial "bath" already on these cars in Europe?
Mercedes / Daimler-Chrysler almost pulled the plug because they did not
market the car successfully. They have decided to continue
building the smart and I believe to start 'smart'ening
up the marketting. The climate in North America is such
that they could not ignore the smart car's relevance in
a changed and changing market.
Nov 6th 2005, 9:58 am
#45
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: SMART cars coming to the US
On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 23:32:59 +0100, Mxsmanic <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Martin writes:
>> and you believe him?
>With advances in engine design and computer-controlled engines, I find
>the figure a bit surprising, but not completely outside the realm of
>believability.
I don't believe him.
--
Martin
wrote:
>Martin writes:
>> and you believe him?
>With advances in engine design and computer-controlled engines, I find
>the figure a bit surprising, but not completely outside the realm of
>believability.
I don't believe him.
--
Martin
