Have you seen these?

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Great little runabouts, very successful in Europe, but don’t suit the way most Americans use their cars, and surprisingly less fuel efficient than the best hybrids.
 
Two have been seen in our northern climes. We are an isolated town almost 600 km over a dirt road away from the next town. Max. speed limit around here is 50 mph so the Smart Car makes sense if you don’t need to carry stuff. I’d rather have a Mini – mileage is as good, there’s more space and the longer wheel base would make driving that dirt road OK. FWIW, my '96 Sunfire got almost as good mileage as the Smart Car.
 
I live in a college town and they are everywhere. Perhaps I’m cynical but they seem like rolling affectations to me. That’s probably unfair though.
 
I’ve been seeing them fairly often. I am in a mid-Atlantic state. They’re becoming more and more common. I recently bought a new car and looked into this and it would absolutely not work for me, needing room to lug around a kid, musical instrument, bookbag, coats, etc.

Glad
 
I don’t remember the commercial but I do remember the car! They were super ugly back then, but a couple months ago I saw one and it was in really good shape and I thought, you know–it’s kinda cute.

I’ve seen one Smart car and they are kinda cute but how safe? I wouldn’t want to drive one on our freeways here in the Tampa Bay area.
 
Marquette said:
I don’t remember the commercial but I do remember the car! They were super ugly back then, but a couple months ago I saw one and it was in really good shape and I thought, you know–it’s kinda cute.

I’ve seen one Smart car and they are kinda cute but how safe? I wouldn’t want to drive one on our freeways here in the Tampa Bay area.
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from Wikipedia:
The smart fortwo was rated the most fuel efficient car in the U.S. Federal Government’s 2008 Fuel Economy Guide apart from hybrids, with mileage estimated at 33 MPG city, 41 MPG highway.[20] The 2008 Smart Fortwo coupe makes 36 MPG combined.[21]
On May 14, 2008, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released crash test results for the fortwo. The IIHS gave the fortwo top ratings in protecting passengers in front and side crashes. [22] However, the NHTSA cited a Safety Concern on their tests of a 2008 fortwo, stating “during the side impact test, the driver door unlatched and opened. A door opening during a side impact crash increases the likelihood of occupant ejection.” [23]
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One assumes that ‘occupant ejection’ is a bad thing.
 
Marquette said:
I don’t remember the commercial but I do remember the car! They were super ugly back then, but a couple months ago I saw one and it was in really good shape and I thought, you know–it’s kinda cute.

All through high school I said how ugly I thought Gremlins were. Who in their right mind would want one? Fast forward 6 years and we are driving a copper colored Gremlin after our Mini ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic when the ferry on which it was travelling sank.

I’ve seen one Smart car and they are kinda cute but how safe? I wouldn’t want to drive one on our freeways here in the Tampa Bay area.

I’ve sat in my friend’s and it is surprisingly not comfortable for short people. There is loads of leg space and reaching the gas pedal meant I was sitting against the steering wheel.
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Marquette said:
I don’t remember the commercial but I do remember the car! They were super ugly back then, but a couple months ago I saw one and it was in really good shape and I thought, you know–it’s kinda cute.
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Another AMC car from the same era, rather more stylish than the
Gremlin – the Pacer. I remember my aunt had one.
 
MoBeck said:
Another AMC car from the same era, rather more stylish than the
Gremlin – the Pacer. I remember my aunt had one.
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i am what could be termed as a gear head,i would rather drive the smart car any day before i would be caught even sitting in a pacer,i never ever did like the pacer,…my wife would be playing with a divorce if she went got herself a pacer,…still even after that she said she would still get one…each to their own taste…
 
I’ve actually seen a handful of Smart Cars in Dallas (small cars do actually exist in Texas!). I haven’t been up-close-and-personal with one, but I think they’re adorable. I’d probably feel like I was riding a motorcycle, though; they’re so small that you don’t notice them the way you do a six-ton Hummer in the lane next to you.
 
I wonder how good these smart cars are at plowing through snowbanks…or do they just go over them instead…
 
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