Newsweek Interview with SmartUSA's Schembri

[jonnysan]

A fellow Smart enthusiast at work forwarded me this link of an interview by Newsweek with some great answers to some key questions asked by naysayers we all run into now and then. Some of the answers may come in handy when people bombard those of us who purchase a Smart for real with the very same questions. Here's the link....good reading.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20842020/site/newsweek/

Smartfortwo is Smartforus!

John

[lhoboy]

Based on the article, Consumer Reports has again panned another niche car. It is all but certain now than CR just panders to soccer moms that drive around packs of kids while talking on their cell phone(all 5 times more likely to die in an accident due to distractions, whether or not they are driving around in tanks).

I'm in one of those moods again. Where's my medication?

[smartie]

The review that Consumer Reports did of the smart was for the old 40 HP diesel model with a 0-60 MPH time of 23 seconds. To say that they did not like that car it is an understatement. The review is available on the consumerreports.org site.
I agree with Lhoboy - many of the cars CR rates highly are reliable, safe and boring. Last year, my wife and I test drove some of their highly rated cars and found that they had no soul.
We bought a Mini and have been very happy with it even though CR was not that bullish on it.

Regards,
Smartie

[ALephart]

Excellent article in my eyes!

Aaron Lephart

[MicroNut]

I tend to base my purchasing decisions on what Consumer Reports says.

If they hate it, I buy it.

I look forward to parking my new smart next to my Isuzu Trooper. Anyone know where I can get a decent used Suzuki Samurai?

[SMART]

Originally Posted by MicroNut

I tend to base my purchasing decisions on what Consumer Reports says.

If they hate it, I buy it.

I look forward to parking my new smart next to my Isuzu Trooper. Anyone know where I can get a decent used Suzuki Samurai?

You are looking for a Suzuki Samurai?

[Wizco]

As a former Samurai owner, despite the CR pan, it was the second most fun car I've owned. Rust was a real problem, but it was a hoot.

I'm pretty much with Micronut on this one. CR hates it, it must be good.

[lhoboy]

Originally Posted by Wizco

As a former Samurai owner, despite the CR pan, it was the second most fun car I've owned. Rust was a real problem, but it was a hoot.

I'm pretty much with Micronut on this one. CR hates it, it must be good.

CR might know about diaper pans but they don't have a clue on cars.

My tastes tend to match those of Motor Trend. Road & Track and Car & Driver are usually off the mark.

[shack01]

Originally Posted by MicroNut

I tend to base my purchasing decisions on what Consumer Reports says.

If they hate it, I buy it.

I look forward to parking my new smart next to my Isuzu Trooper. Anyone know where I can get a decent used Suzuki Samurai?

Amen to that! We drove a Samurai for many years. Bought it new in Texas and drove it home to Las Vegas. (Way cheaper). No rust problems here, but did replace the soft-top a couple of times. Great vehicle. Wish we still had it.

tm