Goes to the SmartforTwo car.
It is overpriced; it is underpowered; it is virtually useless due to its two-seater layout, zero storage and inability to keep up with highway traffic. It does everything a Moped does only for about five times the price.
If there's a bigger POS out there, I'd like to hear about it!
A casket on wheels!Originally Posted by Eric
But - on a more positive note, it makes sense in our crowded cities where a small urban runabout can be quite an asset as the (somewhat childish) clip, below, sets out to prove.
http://www.truthaboutsmart.co.uk/?atlassource=paid
Ken.
Die dulci fruimini!
Ken.
Wolds Bikers, Lincolnshire, England.
Big K;
I see these things around town. My cousin who is 6'4" and a moose drove one for a delivery and actually liked it. He is a major Chrysler guy to boot. You know if I was living in New York City or deeper in Chicago maybe just maybe well nah but for a dense metropolitan area these vehicles are better for parking.
I would rather ride a bicycle than be in that piece of crap.
I can't take watching that video.
Last edited by swamprat; 10-03-2009 at 10:44 PM.
A small motorcycle or moped costs a fourth as much (or less) and does virtually everything better except protect you from the weather.
Today I saw a PT Cruiser with 'Woody' trim, a continental back, and a spoiler. What an ugly, pathetic, waste of money!
I see one of these loathsome road toads almost every day as it drives down the road on its way to wherever.... blechhhhh!
They are pathetic performers, too. I had the misfortune of renting one on my trip to Arizona 5 years ago. It topped out at 102 mph and you needed a calendar to measure your 0-60 time. It was almost as slow as a 1981 Ford Escort wagon.
The faux "hot rod" attitude annoys me; the poor performance disgusts me; the dreadful build quality shocks me... .
Another alternative is a good used car. For instance a few weeks ago I ran into a 1990 Chevrolet Caprice 4-door sedan for sale with only 81,000 miles. It was an original owner car and equpped with a 5.0 liter TBI V8. The body and interior were in nice shape and owner had all maintanence records. Owner only wanted $2,000 for the car.
This is an easy car to maintain and would make a good commuter car. It's safe and yet gas mileage is not bad at around 24 mpg on the highway (since it has overdrive). And a car like this would provide years of good service if properly maintained. Parts are cheap and readily available for this car.
This type of car would give someone on a tight budget a lot of return for the money.
The downside is its not flashy, but who cares its cheap and reliable.
A big, sturdy RWD car with a V-8 and room for six big adults? For $2k? That is so much more appealing than some wretched FWD econo-shitbox....
2k is a steal for a car in good shape.
It was a great price but checking NADA price guide, $2,000 is only a few hundred dollars under full retail, so it's around the norm.
I was very tempted to buy it, it was a nice car. Forgot how comfortable those series Caprices were.
It's still a steal; the fact that the price is low is (I think) mostly a reflection of the car not being popular. That doesn't mean it's not a great choice, though.
I'd much rather have that big, safe, powerful - and useful (it can pull a trailer; it can carry six people) car than a "popular" little shitbox Corolla or some such!
Having had my Carina for nine years and 117 thousand miles or so I have been thinking about a replacement car. For a couple of years I have rather fancied the new Toyota Avensis. Last week I had the Carina in for some preventative maintenance and saw a very nice, really immaculate, low mileage 2005 Avensis 2.0L T3-X Auto. I discussed the car with the sales manager and worked out a reasonable deal, including having the money I'd just spent on the Carina refunded. Today I had the car delivered for an extended test drive. I was very disappointed, it felt as though all the controls were being worked behind an elastic mask. I got virtually no feedback from the steering wheel, the brake pedal had a long soft action (not sharp and crisp like the Carina). I felt as though I was steering a boat down a river rather than driving a car. For a two liter car the engine response was no better than my 1.8, although the 130 mph top speed is better than the Carina, and I would have expected better than the 28.6 mpg(UK) that I was getting. The one thing I really did like, however, was the sequential gear shift - driving heaven. The Avensis was the sucessor to the Carina and I was sad that a nice responsive car had become so anodyne. I suppose that, if I'd wanted a soft, cushy, long distance insulated barge I would havebeen a happy bunny but, sadly, I returned the car with a definite 'Sorry, but no.'.
Ken.
Die dulci fruimini!
Ken.
Wolds Bikers, Lincolnshire, England.
Very well said!
Personally the car is worth 5 times the $2,000 value in my opinion.
Thank God, the Federal Clunker Program is dead, or cars like this that are in great running condition and have very well preserved exteriors won't face the crusher. There were a lot bozos who traded in great conditioned cars like this to get the Federal Clunker cash (and now those cars are Coke cans).
As a side note, I happened to drive by the area were the seller lived a week later and the car was gone. Owner had bought a new 2009 Impala so the Caprice was moved from the garage to the street with a For Sale sign - so I am pretty sure with it being gone from the front of the house it was sold. The new owner certainly got a great buy.
I liked the car it still had the factory light blue paint it left the assembly line with 19 years ago. No external rust on the car, it was garage kept. The car was plain Jane but it had character. It had the full chrome/black hub wheel covers. The car had power windows/door locks, A/C, factory AM/FM Stereo Cassette, rear defroster, dual power mirrors, and a few other options. It's standard cloth interior was in nice shape (the Brougham was the Caprice with the luxury interior for 1990, this was just a standard Caprice).
This is what the car looked like (this picture is of a blue 1989 Caprice with same chrome/black hub wheel covers and no vinyl roof which is exactly the same as the 1990 that I looked at):
..
That car is a looker. I forgot how good they looked. Sorry, Pete, you shoulda bought it. A 6.2 L engine would fit in the engine compartment, too! And yes, thank God the program is over (for now). I would check to see if it is still for sale.
Once I get a little more garage space, this is exactly the kind of cruisemobile I want to buy.
Another good point about these cars I forgot to mention is they are simple and sturdy compared with the typical FWD car. The live axle coil/leaf rear suspension, for example, is virtually indestructible. So is the stamped steed double a-arm front end. If you run over a curb with one of these, it's probably not going to hurt it. Do that in a FWD car and you will likely break an axle or CV joint, etc. (This is just one reason why police departments much prefer RWD big sedans such as this.)
And, of course, the ride quality is vastly better than the experience you get in a compact FWD car...
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
