small compact car's and other drivers

When I can hook a SMART car up to my gooseneck trailer and haul 16,000 lbs of cargo over the Rocky Mountains ... I'll give it some consideration. After about ten seconds of consideration, I'll think about those crash test pictures above and then replace the larger car with a vehicle the size of my current 3/4 ton Dodge Diesel and then I'll forget about it.

 

My wife was rear-ended by a small station wagon today. She was driving our 3/4 ton Dodge. Originally, much larger than a SMART car, the small station wagon is now approximately the same size as a SMART car. Nearly four feet of hood and engine were pushed back, up and down. Hardly a scratch on my Dodge.

Where will that 3-4 feet of impact absorbtion come from in a SMART car?

 

"Liquid-filled Organic Impact Absorbing Bags"...... Bright red fluid filling to indicate proper impact absorption has occurred.

I was once driving my old '71 Dodge Polara on a bright sunny day, and was stopped at an intersection. A little FIAT rear ended me, hard enough to rock my 'boat'. Smashed his entire front end. I think he may have knocked some rust off my trailer hitch.......

 

Well...We are waiting...The picture of the back of the Dodge...Only half a story here...

 

Sadly my 'tank' is long gone. At 12MPG highway and 9MPG city, it wouldn't get driven much nowadays. It was a good ol car though. Big enough I could (and DID!) sleep laying on the back seat when travelling. HUGE trunk.
Traded it in on my first (and so far only) NEW car - the gawdaweful '79 Mercury Monarch (same as Ford Grenada) - a total POS.
When I later drove my mom's hand-me-down Toyota Tercel, it was a real come-down! I really don't like small cars.
I would NEVER care for a SMART ('FART') car. I want some 'mass' around me.
A buddy at work has restored and drives a 1987 MG Midget. I had forgotten how TINY they were! It uses a third of a parking space. I told him I could stash it in my van as a 'spare' in case of breakdown..... hehehe!

 

Man..All this Hate'n on Hank's ride...This could very well be Hank...Monster Smart - YouTube

 

I dont understand why people who drive micro cars question the needs of others and what they drive. I drive a FULL SIZED SUV to work everyday and everyday I know my chances of survival are MUCH MUCH better if I was involved in an impact (traffic collision)than someone driving a small car. Do I tow a trailer or haul heavy loads? Nope. My sole reasoning for driving a LARGE SUV is having a vehicle with MASS and you cannot change basic physics, my vehicle in motion having a significantly larger MASS than a small car or in this case a Smart car and I will most likely, walk away.

No offense, so please dont take it that way, my point is, I have a wife and 18 month old and if paying more for gas is a price I need to pay for survival so I can see them get home safely or get home safe to them, then so be it.

IIHS Crash Test Of Mercedes C300 Versus Smart ForTwo - YouTube


This was a 40mph collision, now increase the speed to 70 and increase the weight of the non-smart car to between 6,000-7,000 lbs like my SUV and you have a recipe for a disaster and I'm not going to be the star in that movie. There ya go, THIS is why I pay more for gasoline, it's an insurance policy that I willingly pay for at the pump.

 

let me answer some question for the people here .

N1-If i had a wife and kid in the vehicle i would be driving my F250 diesel daully pickup i had for year when i had kids in the house .But it just me now and i figure it safe as i can be in today mad world of driving style's

N2-I willing to bet you that the lady who hit the one person vehicle was talking on cell phone or answering or sending a text to someone or playing around with her mp3 player searching for a song and not doing the one thing she or he needed to be doing which was driving the vehicle .

my phone is turned off when i drive and it turned back on when i get there and short drive's around town i do not listen to the radio or play around with the mp3 player on the radio .it left alone to do what i needed to do for intown driving watch out for the other driver's out there .

Now on the highway out of the socalled town areas i do keep a radio on it mainly for the weather and road conditions or playing some music to break up the drive to keep me from going crazy on the long haul drives i used to do when i was working for the man

 

It's all about personal choice, while I wouldnt buy nor drive a car like yours, I whole heartedly support your right to own one.

On a side note
I also have a midsized sedan, Honda Accord EX. Last year on the way to work, I was approaching an intersection and 50' before I enter the intersection, a Toyota 4runner makes an illegal you turn in front of me. At 60 mph I evaded right and literally came within 18 inches of center punching a light pole. Unfortunate I clipped the front bumper of her car. HOLY COW. Just a nudge at that speed sent me into a 120' sweeping sideways spin and the rear of my car was 10' from oncoming traffic.

I had paint transfer from the front left headlight all the way to the fuel filler door near the rear taillight.

It amazing how the force of a slight side impact can redirect the forward motion of my car into total chaos, I swear, I thought I was going to die that day.

I used to own a Geo Metro/Chevy Sprint back in 1990. Little 3 cylinder car that would get high 40s in MPG, LOL. So, I totally get your car man. Your ride is cool, that thing is packed full of safety and tech.

Keep on keepin on man.

 

Straddling the fence...

Straddling the fence..
I have a foot in both worlds. I own a 1993 Geo Metro (3 cyl and 5 speed) that gets close to 45 mile a gallon on average. I have learned a considerable amount on the art of hyper-milling over the last few years thanks to this little car. The old metro, which was purchased for the grand total of $800.00 including four new tires, is my daily runabout and my basic to-and-from work sled. I shudder at the thought of being in ANY kind of accident in this rolling beer can.
My other car is a 1995 f-250 4x4 that sucks gas at 12 mpg but has adequate clearance and power to handle most problems I am likely to come up against here on the farm or on most rural dirt roads. It also has reinforced dual 4"x4" thick wall bumpers front and back to ensure that my family does not receive the short end of the stick in a fender bender.
In short, every thing has its place. No ONE vehicle can do all things for everybody. Just my two cents on that.

Gafarmboy
If you can not protect what you own, you won't own it long.

 

That "MB vs. SMARTcar" video points out another problem inherrent in any smaller vehicle in a collision - it can get flung BACK into traffic coming up behind it- imagine his being followed by a semi rig or a bus!
I have no illusions about what would happen to my van in a collision - the 'bumpers' are a joke, and it's built with 'programmed crumple' action like any recent-made car. But I do sit above the major impact zone compared to cars, and do have more mass around me.
Also, I needed a vehicle with more versatility than my wee Toyota has. Being able to haul a load and tow a trailer is more valuable to me than super-great gas mileage.
Folks that choose small cars know the danger, and accept it, as with any choice in life.
Me, if I feel the need for better mileage, I ride my bike. Even less 'crash-worthiness' than the SMARTcar, but more maneuverable (within certain limits) and more fun to me to ride.
We all make our choices based on needs and wants.

 

My '86 Toyota Corrolla gets better mileage than most new fancy-schmancy hybrids stuffed with automatic everything. Absolutely reliable and built solid. If I had children, that would be the last resort but for now a great daily driver. Nice way to save money for survival essentials. The other end of the spectrum is covered by a 92 Ford E350 nonIDI diesel SWAT van that weighs 8600 lbs but gets 16 mpg if driven with mileage in mind. It is equipped as an instant Bug Out vehicle and is nice to use for extended trips. The lights, sirens, and PA may come in handy someday actually. Now just a potentially troublesome temptation, though. I'm fairly confident both of these will operate after an EMP with minimal work. Any thoughts?

Anyway, now for some ranting. From what I know, if so-called environmentalists cared less about their image and more about conservation of resources they would do the research, which demonstrates that it is best to keep fixing their old cars instead of trashing them for the new cars marketed as "ecofriendly" which often involve more use of resources to produce than the insignificant difference in mpg between old and new. What a shameful waste when we have all this good stuff sitting around, much of which gets better mpg. The rush toward micro and hybrid is just another product of corporate strategy to convince people to throw away perfectly useful products, not for the practically superior, but for less durable symbols of status that can be turned over again even more quickly for the newest fashion that is hopefully purchased on credit.

 

Sorry I missed this. A picture would have shown ... wait for it ... nothing. You would not have been able to tell that my truck had been rear-ended from a photograph.

 

Not even hardly a scratch...Nothing to show ?
Funny...Ever Dodge that i owned ended up with 1k plus damage no matter where i was tapped...You must have a 12'' I-Beam for a bumper..Whatever man..Whatever...

 

or be driving an old old dodge. older the car/truck, the tougher the metal. though by that theory Model T oughta be able to go thru a modern 18-wheeler longways LoL YMMV

 

..I need an older model that's 10 feet tall,bullet proof and able too leap tall building's with a single bound....

 

well Gator, its at least part the reason I drive an 18 year old truck. Newer ones may have more powerful motors, better gas mileage, & the ones with same model name may be bigger than mine. But they are Plastic & Aluminum!!! I happy with my ole truck's steel bumpers. Plastic Bumpercovers on a Truck mean no REAL Bumper!!!

Catch is, I'd like to also have/get an even older truck. about a 1970-1974 Fullsize Ford Truck. EMPproof, tough as hell, & a damn sight easier to work on!! Electronics=the downfall of the home shadetree mechanic!!

 

I just got a ninja zx9r for commuting to work, doesnt get much better for mileage than a motorcycle. I been driving a 1993 ford escort 4 cyl. that gets decent mileage to but its falling apart bad. I would be suprised if it lasts the end of the month. My truck is a 1968 chevy stepside. Its built like a tank. god i love that truck.