tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post2188608440137192537..comments2023-11-10T04:17:00.492-05:00Comments on View From The Porch: All things to all people...Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-76345805525652390592011-05-27T15:43:00.045-04:002011-05-27T15:43:00.045-04:00I think you'd like a dually. You'd even l...I think you'd like a dually. You'd even look good in a dually.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03268590504637323097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-2525417097732503002011-05-27T00:56:52.535-04:002011-05-27T00:56:52.535-04:00Anon 1:34,
My dignity is just fine no matter what...Anon 1:34,<br /><br />My dignity is just fine no matter what I ride in. :)Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-72362588203070098852011-05-26T15:30:39.807-04:002011-05-26T15:30:39.807-04:00I'll take arriving dry and being able to drive...I'll take arriving dry and being able to drive in the winter.Ian Argenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03704336044732061128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-26235440288754107722011-05-26T13:34:01.138-04:002011-05-26T13:34:01.138-04:00Hey... know what's fast, handles well on the h...Hey... know what's fast, handles well on the highway, holds maybe 2 people with very limited cargo space, gets about 35/54 mpg or better and about the same price as a Smart?<br /><br />A brand new Harley. I think I'd rather just retain my dignity and get a damn bike over a golf cart with doors.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-40306587178280087052011-05-26T13:05:47.207-04:002011-05-26T13:05:47.207-04:00First I've heard of the Zero S; what distance ...First I've heard of the Zero S; what distance you get between charges?Firehandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04562365951182027709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-68887185036463267192011-05-26T00:06:28.393-04:002011-05-26T00:06:28.393-04:00Tam said:
" . . . If I had a second car, I&#...Tam said:<br /><br />" . . . If I had a second car, I'd love something like . . ."<br /><br /> and:<br /><br />" . . . The selling point of the Smart isn't its economy, it's all about the small size."<br /><br />Tam, I have the perfect car for you. I went to the season-opening antique fly-in round these parts, and there were prett-near a whole fleet of (wait for it)<br /><br />. . . Ford Model Ts.<br /><br />Small, carries two people, passable milage, groceries in the "trunk", it's got a top, it's easy to maintain, and you can get ANY part you need for it over the intarwebz. They'll also fit in the smallest "small-cars-only" parking spot with room to spare.<br /><br />And the "cool" factor is near unbeatable. :-)<br /><br />Just don't plan on trying to be unobtrusive.<br /><br /> <b>BoxStockRacer</b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-73912529381480045582011-05-25T23:07:44.380-04:002011-05-25T23:07:44.380-04:00I own a Smart, have for pushing 3 years now and 45...I own a Smart, have for pushing 3 years now and 45k miles. Its my daily driver and the primary automobile for my wife and I. So let me address some of the misconceptions...<br /><br />First, don't compare your mileage to EPA numbers - as noted, the EPA numbers are pessimistic. Compare apples to apples. I get 38 mpg mixed on oxygenated gas and 40 mpg mixed on non-oxygenated gas (93 octane). Worst I ever got (per tank) was 35, and best was 46(both on oxygenated gas). Without hypermiling (in fact, I am a bit of a leadfoot), and in a car that generally exceeds modern safety requirements (unlike, say, a Geo Metro.)<br /><br />Cargo space is adequate for the weekly shopping trips for two healthy adult americans (about a shopping cart worth), or a long weekend's worth of luggage for same. With both of us in the car, too. And my Marlin will fit laid across the back compartment.<br /><br />The only thing I don't like about highway driving in it is lack of cruise control, or being within about 50 feet of and in the same lane as a heavy truck at 50+ mph (turbulence), and the second can be avoided by passing... I've driven from NJ to NH, NJ to NoVA, and would have driven to Pittsburgh if I hadn't been able to cadge a ride to avoid having to single-hand it for 6 hours (which wouldn't have been any more fun in a bigger car). Not to mention points between.<br /><br />It isn't a practical car for most one-car households, and prior to a software update the computer was notably inferior to me in picking shift points. There is a somewhat limited market for the things, but they're hardly totally useless.Ian Argenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03704336044732061128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-31992151488986626732011-05-25T21:19:26.186-04:002011-05-25T21:19:26.186-04:00I don't remember where I saw it first, but the...I don't remember where I saw it first, but the saying is that Americans think 100 years is a long time and Europeans think 100 miles is a long way.<br />There has to be a reason the Gold Wing is primarily produced for one market...Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11308171394825291900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-44877166298588974812011-05-25T17:48:50.202-04:002011-05-25T17:48:50.202-04:00There are at least two driving around this state.
...There are at least two driving around this state.<br /><br />They don't seem like very good cars for Alaska.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07799421256296958940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-45098194964335895792011-05-25T15:21:09.773-04:002011-05-25T15:21:09.773-04:00@ Tam & Drang:
I'm willing to accept that...@ Tam & Drang:<br /><br />I'm willing to accept that there's a strong possibility my perception in this case in influenced by optical illusion - I've only ever seen this guy driving down the road in the opposite direction to me, and he just looks like he had to squeeze into the car. I could also be underestimating his size. As Tam noted, "there's just less rest-of-the-car there", which could easily throw my perception off - and I've never really looked at one because I've never been interested, so my references are really estimates.<br /><br />I do stand by calling it a glorified go-cart, though. But I say this with the knowledge that there are perfectly good uses for a go-cart, glorified or not, which also happen to be the same things the Smart is really designed for. Even if it is useful and popular in the EU, I'd say it only fits for a very small percentage of the US populace, except possibly as a secondary or tertiary vehicle for those who can afford such things.<br /><br />@ Anonymous at 1236pm: +1. Just as a comparison, my 16 year old Corolla with 200k+ miles on it averages 29mpg with mostly stop-and-go "city" driving. And I am not an "economical" driver at all, so 33/41 in such a small, modern car is not really good at all.Jake (formerly Riposte3)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-44847953870320489602011-05-25T13:54:36.379-04:002011-05-25T13:54:36.379-04:00there's no need to ever parallel-park a Smart
...<i>there's no need to ever parallel-park a Smart</i><br /><br />Ha ha! You've forgotten about the power of Government!<br /><br />No really, if you park a Smart the way it's designed to be parked, in Seattle, you'll get a ticket. Nevermind that it's sticking out into the street less than the dually doublecab F-650 its parked behind, "That's not how you're supposed to park".perlhaqrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-14370838057028457352011-05-25T12:36:46.777-04:002011-05-25T12:36:46.777-04:00The European diesel smarts are rated for 70mpg, wh...The European diesel smarts are rated for 70mpg, which is finally approaching "that's more like it!" territory. <br /><br />Unfortunately, attempting to Google for answers as to why the US Smart is so terribly inefficient yields page after page about how EPA 33/41 is somehow ...good???<br /><br />No. It is not. 33/41 is me driving a Corolla. And no, I do not do any of the more esoteric "hypermiling" stunts (seriously? An ice vest because you don't want to turn on the AC? Have you thought about how much gas you're burning carrying all that ice around?). I just generally drive in an efficient manner, allowing the engine to coast down hills, keeping cruise control in the low 70s on the freeway, and avoiding stoplight Hell districts of town not to save gas but to save sanity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-62102251211192482872011-05-25T11:16:23.948-04:002011-05-25T11:16:23.948-04:00No one has mentioned that Euro Smart cars very oft...No one has mentioned that Euro Smart cars very often are equipped with super-efficient tiny Daimler TurboDiesel engines. All US-spec cars are users of the dangerous waste product known as "gasoline" and can never be as efficient as a high-compression Diesel engine. <br /><br />Electric cars are fine as a 3rd or 4th vehicle. Drive every other day and charge on off-days. ZAP truck is like this, perfect for an 18 mile round trip to do multiple pick-up and delivery missions while sitting in horrible (intentional) gridlock traffic. Don't ever get on a road marked for more than 35mph, EVER. It's a little bit safer than bicycling with a Burley trailer in traffic but overall not as safe as riding a 250cc motorcycle, which is to say "most of the time, it's dangerous."<br /><br />My base-line fuel economy reference is a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1-police package (4300 pounds), that gets 12mpg around town (250 miles/$84 in spring 2011) with hypermile driving and the "economy car" 1983 MBZ 240D at 4100 pounds. The 240D gets about 29mpg but it's damned slow, even on city streets (especially on city streets). <br /><br />Previous 1992 Caprice saved my life from a head-on left-turn driver in 2005. Softball mom, kids in car, talking on cellular, rental T&C minivan, eating while driving, SoCal driver: all of the worst case bad-driver features were included in the pilot of the other car. I'm not giving up the heavy-largish vehicles until it's as hard to get a driving license as it is to get registered as a CPA.pdxr13https://www.blogger.com/profile/04663894695994248670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-3990383871128034782011-05-25T08:50:28.266-04:002011-05-25T08:50:28.266-04:00Will: yeah, you mean this EU version? :)
http://w...Will: yeah, you mean this EU version? :)<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPQIizRp9ck<br /><br />ATAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-20711554496941787642011-05-25T03:43:48.246-04:002011-05-25T03:43:48.246-04:00IIRC, The Smart car that is sold here in the US is...IIRC, The Smart car that is sold here in the US is larger than the original EU version. Something about wanting it to handle our highways. I wonder if it still has the original engine? Might explain the lack of power and mileage.<br /><br /><br />WillAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-89844514595908990232011-05-25T03:30:56.866-04:002011-05-25T03:30:56.866-04:00Indeed - why is the Smart's gas mileage so *ap...Indeed - why is the Smart's gas mileage so *appallingly bad* - that remains the question. <br /><br />I don't think it's "conditioning" that makes people believe that a car that is half the size and weight of a compact should get twice the mileage - it's an appreciation for the laws of physics. <br /><br />Now, there is more to it than just the size of the car (the Prius is aerodynamically tuned in a manner impossible to replicate in a half-a-parking-spot car, cars of the 80s didn't have nearly as much emission control, the driver's weight won't miraculously drop in half when the car's does - and various other factors) - but, the fact remains, that to a back-of-the-envelope first approximation, the Fort Woe's gas mileage should be running rings around every other car on the market - not barely struggling to keep the pace with a run-of-the-mill Corolla or Focus. <br /><br />"Small car - more efficient" isn't groupthink; it's common sense. <br /><br />Word verif: "cyclo". Now there's a vehiculo that takes up a very small fraction of a standard parking spot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-8133021908470564432011-05-25T01:32:48.285-04:002011-05-25T01:32:48.285-04:00am really not sure I'd want to go back to the ...<i>am really not sure I'd want to go back to the noise. I've gotten used to hearing my surroundings while riding, with those extra little cues of "incoming!"</i><br /><br />Therein lies my one beef with being around electric vehicles, their practicality and the environmental argument aside: They really are too quiet for their own good. It isn't to the opposite extreme from "loud pipes save lives," but if it hasn't happened already I absolutely expect a rash of people struck by these things, and then saying that they didn't hear them coming.<br /><br />Now, if they were made to warble like the cars in Futurama, I'd be ok with them. Well, sort of. No-one makes a V8 sound like an I4.<br /><br />JimAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-79363892875958576062011-05-24T23:49:33.909-04:002011-05-24T23:49:33.909-04:00@Jake: I'm always amused by one guy in town wi...@Jake: <i>I'm always amused by one guy in town with one of those not-so-Smart cars - he looks like he's probably six feet tall and about 300 pounds, folded up inside his glorified go-cart with his knees around his ears.* He can't be comfortable in that thing,</i><br />I'm a hair under 6'2", 240-ish, and am comfortable enough sitting in one, at least in their display (in the Watermelon pavilion!) at the Western WA Fair. If your neighbor is uncomfortable, he probably has a bad back or arthritis or some other condition that wold, as Tam says, render him uncomfortable in anything. <br />One of the things IU like about the design is that it lets you sit up, and fairly high, nearly as high as in my GaiaRaper, and it has head room.Dranghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08082177597135236652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-81203537241129884022011-05-24T23:34:04.549-04:002011-05-24T23:34:04.549-04:00Aaargh. I can't resist.
I know a wee bit abou...Aaargh. I can't resist.<br /><br />I know a wee bit about EV's, since I sell them. Many many different varieties. Motorcycles, Cars, Trucks, Vans, Bicycles, Scooters, and MORE!!. <br /><br />Ish.<br /><br />The current generation (other than the Nissan Leaf) that I view as most useful is the Wheego LiFe. It has a 90 mi average range between charges, can hop on the highway, compete for the *really dinky* parking spaces with a Mini or Smart, and has a grocery store trip sized amount of cargo space. And it has more power and less weight than the Leaf. Nyah!<br /><br />And at $34k with a $7,500 federal tax credit and various other state-level promotions attached...it can make a bunch of sense while charging at a whopping cost of $1-$3.<br /><br />Now, there's the whole class of home-builts (with all the joys and perils of one-off gear)and NEV's (limited, variously, to top speeds of 25mp and 35mph...and in Montana 45mph), and the vast and mighty pit-fall of lead-acid (yes, it's cheap....the FIRST time...)..that's worth considering, but are far from good fits for everyone - any more than a '57 Chev is a good fit for everyone.<br /><br />I'm driving a Zero S electric motorcycle into work about half the time these days...and frankly, after hopping back on a gas-burning bike last week...am really not sure I'd want to go back to the noise. I've gotten used to hearing my surroundings while riding, with those extra little cues of "incoming!".Gay_Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829842245704692674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-52467590183510051232011-05-24T21:40:31.006-04:002011-05-24T21:40:31.006-04:00I have seen a few of them here and there, but I co...I have seen a few of them here and there, but I couldn't stomach the thought of driving one. If I don't want to worry about parking downtown, I walk. (I live maybe 1.5 miles away so it's a short distance unless it's summer.) No matter how urban a life I may lead, I still lead it in Texas, and there are far too many sledgehammers for the fly that is the ForTwo.Sabrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13746486966764162127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-9159014942123898152011-05-24T21:28:06.533-04:002011-05-24T21:28:06.533-04:00Those things are goofy looking and made for a smal...Those things are goofy looking and made for a smallish, specific niche. <br /><br />That said, you oughta see the average* SmartCar driver. Tenacious, suicidal buggers that make your average 20 something sport biker look sane. They pilot their strange little conveyances with absolutely no regard for what the laws of physics would do to them should someone blink and not see them. <br /><br /><br />*On the highway, where I've seen them.Heath Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16176723284131320506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-86145256138244430042011-05-24T21:24:19.410-04:002011-05-24T21:24:19.410-04:00The mystery remains why the Smart Fortwo had such ...The mystery remains why the Smart Fortwo had such mediocre MPG rating.<br /><br />I call "EV's" Emissions Elsewhere Vehicles and only use "Coal powered car" when I really want to get the owner's goat. As far as I'm concerned, however, the real issue with electrics and hybrids is that those battery arrays scare the beejeebus out of me.Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05699652902909032781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-23878731169479259172011-05-24T20:34:28.334-04:002011-05-24T20:34:28.334-04:00Jake,
I doubt he'd be very comfortable in any...Jake,<br /><br />I doubt he'd be very comfortable in anything, then. Head-and-legroom in the Smart is about the same as in any other compact car, there's just less <i>rest-of-the-car</i> there, due to the lack of a back seat, trunk, and the position of the engine.<br /><br />Sometimes I think that people On My Team let ideology cloud their judgment as badly as the hippies do. I, personally, have no use for a Smart as an Only Car because I need to make fairly frequent interstate roadtrips and I sometimes like to drive for pleasure, and I realize that some hippies buy the thing to expunge their white guilt, but I don't feel compelled to make stuff up about it.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-19888694746664888132011-05-24T20:18:11.695-04:002011-05-24T20:18:11.695-04:00I'm always amused by one guy in town with one ...I'm always amused by one guy in town with one of those not-so-Smart cars - he looks like he's probably six feet tall and about 300 pounds, folded up inside his glorified go-cart with his knees around his ears.* He <i>can't</i> be comfortable in that thing, and I always wonder why he would have bought something like that when he could get something that gets the same or better mileage for about the same cost, and that he would at least <i>fit</i> into without having to dislocate something.<br /><br />I'm pretty sure he's faculty of some type at the university, which might explain it, but still...<br /><br />-----<br />* I exaggerate, but not by much.Jake (formerly Riposte3)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-30103883089567205612011-05-24T20:13:27.987-04:002011-05-24T20:13:27.987-04:00Brad K.,
"The SmartForTwo didn't have ro...Brad K.,<br /><br />"<i>The SmartForTwo didn't have room for a driver, and two to three people conducting business.</i>"<br /><br />Condemning a two-seat urban runabout because it won't fit four people and haul a 4x8 sheet of plywood is like condemning an Olympic Free Pistol because it's lousy at busting clays.<br /><br />That'd be like me saying that the Ford F150 is dumb because it's hard to park in Broad Ripple.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.com