Is it a secret ???

[SmartBob]

Awright, my turn. I drove a 58 Rambler as my first car. What a tub that was. Then my brother bullied me into buying his Renault Dauphine. This beauty boasts a 36 hp 850cc engine....and ugly as homemade soap.

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by smartie yank

The biggest difference is in a smart you will be doing the above mentioned driving with a big smile on your face.

Yes, with all the cars we all have had, the last sentence hit home the most.

[sisyphus]

Originally Posted by SmartBob

Awright, my turn. I drove a 58 Rambler as my first car. What a tub that was. Then my brother bullied me into buying his Renault Dauphine. This beauty boasts a 36 hp 850cc engine....and ugly as homemade soap.

SmartBob, that's my first car! My Dauphine was a '64, and beige. And I couldn't afford a new battery (the old one was shot) so I had to start it with a crank just like a Model T. Since the car is rear engined I called the crank the "Iron Enema", 'cuz that's the only thing that would get it going!
I got it for free from my Dad' cuz the trade in value on it was zero!

[24-42]

Originally Posted by sisyphus

SmartBob, that's my first car! My Dauphine was a '64, and beige. And I couldn't afford a new battery (the old one was shot) so I had to start it with a crank just like a Model T. Since the car is rear engined I called the crank the "Iron Enema", 'cuz that's the only thing that would get it going!
I got it for free from my Dad' cuz the trade in value on it was zero!

Sisyphus;

I went to Renault Factory school in 1959 (just after they went from 6-12 volt)
I worked for "Hodges Dodges" ( Renault and Peugeot) in Ferndale on Woodward Ave just North of 8 Mile road.

Left the above in 1959 and opened "C.A.R.S." on James Cousins & Puritan. I intended to name the business "S.E.C.S" (Sports. Economy. Compact. Service). My wife objected of course, so I gave her 1 day to come up with a better name. She did ! "C.A.R.S." (Continental Auto Repair Service).

Within a year, we were the largest independent imported car repair in Detroit.
BTW: Got quite a bit of business from Windsor,ON.

This was probably largely due to our advertising "If it's foreign, We fix it". I had borrowed $500.00 from the Ferndale CO-OP (their first business loan), my first month's rent was 300.00 and I was afraid I wasn't going to make it. We (myself and my first employee (unpaid but enthusiastic)) (he was 20yrs old))) put a 'Pass out sheet' on the windshield of every imported car we could find in the parking lots of shopping centers and the streets. I solicited Used Car lots for their 50-50 warranty business.
I wonder if you realize what all we got to repair (The 'Orphans' of the world) You name a car of that era and I bet we have worked on one. That in of itself is another story/stories, I think the most unique car was a 1939 RHD FORD Charcoal burner from Japan. Some of the best, and humorous, memories of my life .

You see, at that time, there were no inspections of any kind, GIs could ship back ANY automobile from overseas for $25.00 total. The money was for the cosmoline to protect thr car from salt damage. The Navy got the necessary ballast for the otherwise empty ship for the return to the US.

All of the preceeding because you put a picture of a Reanult Dauphine and come from Waterford,MI.

People who don't own a Smart (or have one on order) aren't Smart at all

Donald LaFavor

[SmartBob]

Originally Posted by sisyphus

SmartBob, that's my first car! My Dauphine was a '64, and beige. And I couldn't afford a new battery (the old one was shot) so I had to start it with a crank just like a Model T. Since the car is rear engined I called the crank the "Iron Enema", 'cuz that's the only thing that would get it going!
I got it for free from my Dad' cuz the trade in value on it was zero!

LMAO, I remember the crank...not a bad idea in it's time, actually. Mine was black. My family actually owned one (lit.blue) a few years before that...along with a Fiat or two including a Bianchini.

[lhoboy]

Originally Posted by SmartBob

Awright, my turn. I drove a 58 Rambler as my first car. What a tub that was. Then my brother bullied me into buying his Renault Dauphine. This beauty boasts a 36 hp 850cc engine....and ugly as homemade soap.

I had one of those. The starter was bad when I bought the car (for $200) and I could never find a replacement, so I always had to park it on a slight down hill incline. Easy to start though.

[lhoboy]

I had one of these too (Ford Anglia, cost me $85). It didn't have an ignition key, so I had to hotwire it to get it started. Atleast the starter worked on this one.

[Sedalia]

I think most people will quickly adapt to driving in windy conditions... if all of us on two wheels can handle extreme weather conditions then I'm sure the average driver could handle it in a Smart car!