SMART car???

[tulsacarman]

I passed a car hauler on HWY 169 here in Tulsa and it had, get this, 14 SMART cars on it. I drove beside the hauler for some time just to get the count right. I had to count them 3 times. He had them crammed to within an inch of one another but he got them all on.

I talked to a SMART car owner a couple weeks ago and asked him what he was getting out of his and he was proud to say he gets 37 in town. 37?? I didn't say anything to him but the only thing I could think of was all the people on a list waiting for their chance to pay for a Mercedes SMART CAR. Yeah, they're cute and you can haul more on a transporter for the same money but shouldn't those tiny things get more like 45 or 50.

We can haul 4 folks in ours, 2 in theirs. I didn't really do well in economics in school but seems to me that means our car hauls a person for less than half what that SMART car can.
I think the Festiva is the SMARTer car.

[Ogrestiva]

Just look at my profile picture...I can't even fit in one.

[Damkid]

My parents Smart car got 70-80 MPG :lol: but it was the diesel version

[stevewl1164]

I drove one at the Smart dealer...in the parking lot. Strange manual/automatic transmission that shifts with a jerk. Great visibility and seemed very roomy to me...but no back seat and the engine is a three cylinder mounted under the cargo floor in back of car. Lots of hard materials inside but seemed well built. Hard to believe people are paying 20 Grand for the loaded ones. I wonder what a 1988 Festiva LX would be in today's dollars? Maybe it would seem just as overpriced as the Smart? At least mine still smells like new 16 years later..a 93 L.

[tulsacarman]

I don't know... everything I've found online says that they're rated at 33 city and 41 highway with around 35-37 being the actual realized number. And you have to pump premium. I've not run less than 40 on any of the tanks I've pumped yet, and they're all town driving. WHY CAN'T/WON'T THE MANUFACTURERS REPRODUCE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FESTIVA TODAY?? I've said many times that I'll never buy a new car again and until they can produce something that's efficient, inexpensive and easy to work on (no hybrids for this shadetree guy) that'll remain my motto.

Regardless, Mercedes of Festiva, it's AWESOME to fill up my car here in Tulsa for around $14.50 from bone dry and drive it 430-450 miles. I can again smile at the pump.

[Damkid]

I don't know... everything I've found online says that they're rated at 33 city and 41 highway with around 35-37 being the actual realized number. And you have to pump premium. I've not run less than 40 on any of the tanks I've pumped yet, and they're all town driving. WHY CAN'T/WON'T THE MANUFACTURERS REPRODUCE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FESTIVA TODAY?? I've said many times that I'll never buy a new car again and until they can produce something that's efficient, inexpensive and easy to work on (no hybrids for this shadetree guy) that'll remain my motto.

Regardless, Mercedes of Festiva, it's AWESOME to fill up my car here in Tulsa for around $14.50 from bone dry and drive it 430-450 miles. I can again smile at the pump.

the NEW smart cars would be the ones that get 33 city 41 highway MPG, my parents was an 06' and did get average of over 70 MPG here's a pic of the one i'm talking about (which wasn't available in the US):

[lasvegascop]

it was diesel tho huh? US Gov't doesnt want us to have diesel smart cars cause the oil companys would go broke! hahahahahahahah

I heard the diesel guys in Europe pushing hi 80's per gallon! That would be worth 20G's thats for sure.....

[Pu241]

Damkid's parents were kind enough to bring theirs Ohiostvia and let many of us drive it!
I liked it!
But sad to say, the diesel version is not available in the U.S. market!
And as far as I know, there are no plans to bring it in!
With a little luck the big three will go under and some company with more vision will take over the U.S. market!

[Smedley]

Last summer when gas jumped after the hurricane, a co-worker of mine was researching these things. He does construction administration and travels all over NC. $4 gas was killing him. When we found out that they had to have premium, he dropped that idea. Car payments and $4.50 gas just didn't make sense.

I heard the new European Fiestas are diesel and get like 65 mpg. Ford doesn't have plans to import them though. I read that the US is "not diesel friendly." huh? What about the diesel VWs? What about all the diesel trucks out there?

Guess that's why US auto makers are in such great financial shape! They know what the American public want. ha ha

I'll stick with my Festiva.

[ejp2fast]

I don't know... everything I've found online says that they're rated at 33 city and 41 highway with around 35-37 being the actual realized number. And you have to pump premium. I've not run less than 40 on any of the tanks I've pumped yet, and they're all town driving. WHY CAN'T/WON'T THE MANUFACTURERS REPRODUCE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FESTIVA TODAY?? I've said many times that I'll never buy a new car again and until they can produce something that's efficient, inexpensive and easy to work on (no hybrids for this shadetree guy) that'll remain my motto.

Regardless, Mercedes of Festiva, it's AWESOME to fill up my car here in Tulsa for around $14.50 from bone dry and drive it 430-450 miles. I can again smile at the pump.

Yep! $1.43 and droppin'

[CHills]

This is what I'm looking forward to!

[lasvegascop]

Yep! $1.43 and droppin'

That wont last forever...just wait till economy pics up...gas prices will go sky high again! They just cant help themselves but to screw us...no one to control the monopoly. Yes, I think gasoline is monopolized. They dont call it Monopoly because to have it, it has to be controled by one company,,,,well, I bet ya anything, Shell, Chevron, BP, etc they got each other phone numbers on speed dial and they jack up the prices at the same time...somehow...strange huh? Ever thought of that? hahahahah I think people learned their lesson and will be more gas price aware....thats only my personal opinion

[FB71]

I'm actually contemplating this;

http://www.kiasoul.com/

I think it might be the closest thing to a new Festy since Festies were new...?

[neanderpaul]

This is what I'm looking forward to!

What is this?

[elcamino1]

Some kind of Toyota?,looks to be smaller than a Smart car!