Big news about tiny car

[Chacal Profile Website]

The smart car is all over the place here but making its debut in the USA. It SUV owners might feel a little cramped, since the car probably would fit inside their gas tank.

http://www.mcdowellnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=MMN/MGArticle/MMN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354945774

[SavageParrot Profile]

I wouldn't drive one in the states. Would be a death trap when weighed against all the other absurdly large and ugly cars that they favour...

[[ecgn] btt Profile]

I wouldn't drive one in the states. Would be a death trap when weighed against all the other absurdly large and ugly cars that they favour...

Good point. Not to mention you would never be able to find it in a parking lot.

[cavalierlwt Profile]

I wouldn't drive one in the states. Would be a death trap when weighed against all the other absurdly large and ugly cars that they favour...

The interesting thing is going to be how long Americans continue to be receptive to the bullshit marketing campaigns behind those behemoths in light of the rising price of gasoline. These rises are not temporary oddities, very soon it will be $4 per gallon, then $5-6.... Seriously, I love these rising prices, my hope is that we'll get off our asses and take care of business.

[Chacal Profile Website]

I now walk to and from the office. 30 minutes each way. Or 10 minutes by bus, which is paid for by my employer. No parking fees. Problem solved.

I wouldn't drive one in the states. Would be a death trap when weighed against all the other absurdly large and ugly cars that they favour...

I think it actually has the same security rating as bigger cars.

[Lord ZOG Profile]

Americans are barbarians. Everyday I drive around my state behind mammoth Suburbans's filled with cell-phone wielding soccer-moms, double-axle Super Duty pick-up trucks with beds full of nothing more than empty beer-cans and shiny new Hummers on 22" wheels with yet another brainless super-punk sitting behind the wheel.

These people live in debt, and piss away more money every day of their lives on worthless wheeled ego-trips.

I have a tiny little VW GTi...gets decent mileage, can be parked almost anywhere, has decent cargo storage and can seat 4 human beings comfortably. Everyday I sit in traffic next to one of those aforementioned neanderthal's driving one of those block-long gas-guzzlers I want to hold a sign up saying "Regular Unleaded = $5.50".

[Hat Rack Profile]

I saw this car today on the freeway. It is a coffin on wheels. The lady driving it was probably doing 70 mph. If she got into a wreak, she would die instantly. If I had one, I would never get on the freeway.

[nymh Profile]

Buli and I are close to DC and for people living in and commuting to the city they are in deed a smart idea. Parking is ridiculous as is gas. A few weeks ago they had a ton of them in a shopping center parking lot and people where able to test drive them.

I prefer my SUV over something that small and will suck it up and deal with the $3.25 USD for regular at the pump. Even if they do get the same safety ratings I would like more than an inch between me and the windshield, passenger, etc

[Rand0m Profile]

cell-phone wielding soccer-moms, double-axle Super Duty pick-up trucks with beds full of nothing more than empty beer-cans and shiny new Hummers on 22" wheels with yet another brainless super-punk sitting behind the wheel.

These people live in debt, and piss away more money every day of their lives on worthless wheeled ego-trips.

I couldn't agree with you more. I don't know if it's just Mass or all of America but it seems like people in Mass are more concerned with their image than anything else. My closest friends and even my brother make purchases without much reasoning. My brother drives an F150 but he's not a contractor or someone that would fully utilize a truck in every day life. I see it as a pointless object of possesion all about image and want. My other friend bought a dodge durango which is a V8. He doesn't have a family and the 3/4 of all the miles he puts on the thing are with just himself in the car. Another friend of mine has a ford explorer and the same situation is common with him. There is usually never anyone in the suv but themselves when the bulk of the miles are put on the vehicle. Society or maybe just the people I know really don't know the difference between want and need. Call me frugal or what have you but I only usually make purchases when it's a need. I do treat myself to a want occasionaly but these practices aren't the norm in America. To clarify, a want is new shoes after already purchasing some a month before for image or because they are cool. A need would be purchasing shoes because my big toe is pocking out of the ones I currently own.

I guaruntee if you looked at any one American families financial statements they would have more liabilities than assets. The banks and creditors own more of their stuff than you think. It really is a facade that people create to make others jelous or to get a sense that they are successful.

I can tell you from experience from working at home depot that there are a ton of guys out there who buy homes and use this as a reason to finally buy their beloved F150 all the way up to their super duty F450 dually pick up. It's such a joke. Take a drive through marblehead and you will only see women driving expensive suv's that their husbands paid for all while talking on their cell phone drinking their starbuck's coffee.

I think I should note that I'm not jelous of these people's wealth or lack there of. I am very capable of creating my own wealth as soon as I am done with college but people are too concerned with image these days. Even if I were to make a ton of money I'd still shop at places like wal-mart and target. I wouldn't buy things I don't need so I can spend it on other things that matter to me. I'd much rather go on vacations regularly than to buy a BMW or an suv I can't afford. Buy cheaper clothes so I can go out to eat or snowboarding or to the movies on the weekends and so on. I much rather prefer buying things that add value and personal meaning to my life that are experiences, things I can't physcially hold on to, rather than material possesions.


Don't know how many of you have already watched this but it's a great video on 60 minutes about a happiness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shepBx2ogJo

The whole video is good but at 8:40 when talking with the Harvard professor it really ties into my post and explains American happiness.

20/20 on the danes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSPzYe6Ny-U&feature=related

I want to study happiness at Harvard now haha.

[SavageParrot Profile]

think it actually has the same security rating as bigger cars.

Which means it has all the requiste features required to achieve that like seat-belts and impact bars. It doesn't change the physics that a 5 tonne car hitting a miniature car like this is going to make a mess though; ot's just gives you a sporting chance of being crippled rather than killed outright...

[YOOPER]

I'm not sure if I should chime in on this thread or not; I'd likely be flamed beyond recongnition if I got in to it too much.



I better stop now.

[Rand0m Profile]

I do own several vehicles, but each one does have a specific purpose. Yes...I really do need that dually with four wheel drive. I need to know I can tow 10,000 pounds without any problems...

I'll have to respectfully disagree. I'm an American and my family and I am* not in debt.

I have absolutely no problem with people who own suv's, f450 super duty pickups, dump drucks, and whatever other gas guzzling vehicles are out there...as long as they actually use them for their intended purposes more times than not.

I'm glad you're not in debt but you can't disagree that for the most part the average American family has some sort of debt for something.

Our MPC is around 1.04, the range of a normal MPC is 0-1. We spend more more than we actually earn. (mpc- marginal propensity to consume) If I remember correctly from my economics class lectures we have one of the highest MPC's in the world.

[SavageParrot Profile]

I think we have you beat though.

[Rand0m Profile]

I don't think we are the highest but we are deffinitely not in good shape as far as spending goes. I don't think the government is a good role model either. After Bush leaves office it's estimated that our national debt will be double what it was before he stepped into office due to the Iraqi war. It will be right around 10 trillion. If I ever have kids I'm going to make sure I teach them the difference between want and need.

[Wesley Profile YIM]

you guys need to stop being a bunch of cheap bastards!