I think I might be crazy, but I really like the smart car.
We are currently a three vehicle family. My partner owns a 1995 Ford Explorer with only 60K miles on it. He took early retirement last year, and when he did work he was able to walk to his office. I drive about 50 miles every day and own two cars - my regular commuter is a 2006 Ford Focus, and I also own a 96 Mazda Miata as a "fun" car.
Here's the deal... my partner is 12 years older than I am and has trouble with his knees. It has become painful for him to ride in the Miata for more than an hour or so. This puts a serious damper on any weekend road trips with the fun car. We're members of the local Miata club, but don't find that we have all that much in common with the other members and really don't care for most of the runs they do. They tend to really push the limits (my partner says they drive like maniacs) and I don't feel like I'm really in their league as a driver.
I'm seriously thinking of selling the Miata. That leaves me with just the Focus as my primary vehicle. It's a great little car for what it is, but it just doesn't hit my "fun" meter like the Miata does. That's where the smart comes in...
I've liked these little cars ever since I first saw them in Europe several years back. I know they're not in the same league as a Miata, but they are so small and cute that they just scream "fun" at me. I'm pretty sure, too, that once they become available here there will be smart clubs. I'm betting that given the smart's nature they won't be tearing up the countryside in quite the way the Miata club does, either.
The thing is, I can't help but thinking that I must be nuts to even be thinking of selling a car that I really enjoy (even though I'm probably going to be enjoying it alone more and more) and trading a perfectly adequate two year old car for a tiny smart?What do you think? Getting another car and keeping one of the others isn't really an option. We live in the city and have already exceeded what we can park on our property. It would really make sense to get back down to a two car family once again.
Thanks,
Wil
P.S. I just made my reservation on Nov 20, so it probably would become a real issue until about this time next year at the earliest anyway, but I'm still thinking about it.
Absolutely you are crazy--just like the rest of us! The smart thing to do is to get back to being a two car family and enjoy your new smart when it arrives. Welcome to the forum
If your partner does have trouble getting in and out of the Miata the smart will be a real improvement. The seats are set up so there's a minimum of bending involved.
No you're not crazy, Willy. I have my fun car (S-2000) that I have to store away every Winter. That leaves me with my 96 Taurus with 165K miles to use for the Winter. Although it is a great Winter car, it IS tired and not the best on gas so it will be replaced by the Smart in a few months, hopefully. Then I can have fun driving ALL YEAR LONG! I am going to look at the Smart as a car I can travel anywhere in despite its size. It is not a cruiser by any means (not like our Acura TL anyway) but if need be it can be taken several hundred miles away once in awhile. That would be good for the Smart, too, to just let it loose once in awhile..keep it blown out as they used to say back when carbs and engines needed to have the carbon blown out of them. The Smart certainly won't need to blown out for that reason, but I firmly believe exercise is good for any vehicle...just like people....to keep everything limber and moving properly.
Yes you're crazy and so are 30 some thousand others like us. This forum is our treatment. The cure is our new Smart car coming soon to a dealer in your neighborhood. Welcome, hang in, read and enjoy.
Maybe we are all crazy, but this is the first time in my driving life I will have the chance to buy a new micro car. As a kid I loved the BMW Isetta, original Mini Cooper, Metropolitan, King Midget, Messerschmitt etc. etc. I have owned Porsches, Ferraris, XKE, Corvettes, Triumphs and my first car was a fiberglass dune buggy that I built. I currently have a Honda S2000, but for some reason the Smart car has really touched a nerve. I can't wait for it to come.
A lot of us had similar experiences. I've been in several Fiats in the 60s includng a Bianchini, an Isetta, a Metropolitan, Renault Dauphines, a Honda 600 in the 70s. They were a kick to drive and size was never an issue. Just Fun!!
Getting back down to a two vehicle family really makes a lot of sense for us. We have a two car garage that houses the Explorer and the Miata. My Focus, the newest car of the bunch, has to park on the street out front. Because we live near the university and parking is restricted, I have to obtain permits for both day and night parking every year from the police department. Plus I have to deal with all the worries and hassles of street parking.
Getting rid of the Miata makes some sense, but keeping the Focus for several more years would be the most logical thing to do. Like I said, it is a perfectly adequate car, just not what I'd call a fun car. The smart seems like the perfect balance between a frugal commuter and a fun car. My partner believes in running a car forever, so he's going to be my biggest obstacle...
Don't feel like you are crazy alone. We are all nuts...Car nuts.
Worse, many of us are MICRO-Car nuts (with micro minds).
Up until last month we had 3 cars and a Van, just for the two of us. Each had a dull car and a toy. Wife's toy was a Miata. Mine a Festiva. Van and Miata are now sold. (I was having a problem getting in and out of the Miata too).
Yellow and Black, Passion comes Jan 08. And, although we all know, nothing
shifts gears like a Miata, We can hardly wait.
A2jack.
Last edited by a2jack; 11-22-2007 at 04:20 PM.
Reason: Writ bad!
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I am going to look at the Smart as a car I can travel anywhere in despite its size. It is not a cruiser by any means (not like our Acura TL anyway) but if need be it can be taken several hundred miles away once in awhile. That would be good for the Smart, too, to just let it loose once in awhile..keep it blown out as they used to say back when carbs and engines needed to have the carbon blown out of them. The Smart certainly won't need to blown out for that reason, but I firmly believe exercise is good for any vehicle...just like people....to keep everything limber and moving properly. 
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