I'll have to admit that I too was getting a little tired of reading the excited posts by the 1173 bunch because I am a, and I'm more than a little embarrased to admit it, 1200. There I've gotten that off my chest. Well, I was just reading the AUTOMOBILE magazine article on the 451 and I'm more than a little disappointed to read that the mileage the author was getting started out at 30mpg and went up to 38mpg. I knew that when they announced the US version of the Smart the MPG estimates dropped from 40-50 to 30-40 but I was figuring that the EPA was lowballing the numbers. I guess not. At this point I'm glad I'm in the second teir of reservationists so that I can read some other driving impressions from the annointed 1173's and if the numbers are really in that range I may just rethink the entire purchase. I can get the same, or better, by purchasing a Honda Fit for even a Chevy POS. I had planned on this thing being a daily driver to and from work. I wasn't planning on making a fashion statement, nor was I hoping to be the subect of the local TV news as some other forum member is anxiously awaiting (grow up!).
So, as it turns out, my past lack of initiative and foresight may actually turn out to be a positive boon. I'll keep reading your comments and weighing my options.