Comments on: MINI Cooper and smart fortwo – good things come in small packages

By: mchinsky

mchinsky — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:18:27 +0000

I know what the safety rating is, but I drive a fairly compact car, (Lexus IS250) which gets about 30mpg on the highway.

For an extra 11mpg on the highway, I don’t see how that can offset the medical bills, assuming you survive, of a serious collision. It honestly looked about as safe as a motorcycle. Mere inches between the rear end of the car and the rear end of the driver…

Let’s not even talk about a Smart on large SUV crash or smart on comercial vehicle crash.

You honestly can’t believe how small this “car” is until you see it driving down the road.

I say….Drill Here, Drill Now…Pay Less and Live…
http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/?Guid=54ec6e43-75a8-445b-aa7b-346a1e096659

By: Aura Mae

Aura Mae — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:29:19 +0000

I had a client in the salon yesterday who is a smart owner and she loves it. She did mention that when approaching some of our steeper hills in town, she keeps it in second gear (make those hamsters earn their keep!) to climb them. That made me ponder how the folks in SF are doing with their famous hills.
When I was in LA, I looked out of the window from the 17th floor and saw a single smart parked in an entire lot full of SUVs and vans. It was quite the sight. (A smart person would have taken a picture.)
Judie, how much shorter is the smart than your convertible (a Fiat, I think?)
I heard MG is reviving their brand (since BMW had such good luck doing it with MINI.) Maybe they will bring back the Midget and my childhood dream can be realized. Man, I wanted one of those!

By: Judie Lipsett

Judie Lipsett — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:08:28 +0000

There is something so appealing about the fortwo, my only issue is that I might be run over by an SUV in this cowtown.

By: Chris Davies

Chris Davies — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:52:07 +0000

I had a last-gen smart (which wasn’t sold in the US) a few years back. Not perfect, but great fun and I’d have one of the new ones in a shot now I’m in SF. Surprisingly roomy inside, plus the UK tuners have made a great business from upgrading the engine management software to delimit the speed (normally capped at ~86mph) and give the turbo extra room to breath

Plus a smart just came first in the Euro Cannonball: http://cannonballruneurope.co.uk/blog/?p=38

By: Aura Mae

Aura Mae — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:32:42 +0000

My 2003 MINI Cooper S “required” premium, but when it was having trouble starting in the winter, the MINI mechanics told me to alternate tanks of mid-range with the premium.

My lease is up on my MB SLK280 next summer and I will most likely get one of these two cars. My husband and I were both mentioning how we missed the MINI, but the smart has the bonus that the MINI had when I first got it: not so many of them on the road, so I stand out!

By: Judie Lipsett

Judie Lipsett — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:24:23 +0000

I had the 2002 Mini Cooper S, and as I recall – it did require premium.

By: markntravis

markntravis — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:48:27 +0000

I don’t know about the Smart but doesn’t the Mini require premium gas?

By: Joel McLaughlin

Joel McLaughlin — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:41:34 +0000

I want a fortwo. I would be a perfect commuter car, for me, as all I ever have in my car going to work is myself and my crap.