For anyone who doesn't understand the point of a Smart

"davedave1111" (davedave1111)
06/11/2015 at 12:14 • Filed to: None

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DISCUSSION (24)

Steve in Manhattan > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 12:39

Great little cars for running around in the city. I’ll never forget the first time I saw one. We were living in Soho in 2006, guy came puttering around the corner looking for a space on Sullivan; 3-cylinder diesel, Swiss tags, even smaller than the contemporary cars.

pauljones > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 12:47

I made fun of them, and then I started living in a metro area and seeing them around all the time. It’s amazing how dead practical they are in a crowded city. I still think that the execution of the concept needs a little improvement, but overall, I’ve come to have quite a bit of respect for them.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 12:49

I was stationed for a while down at NOB, the main Naval base in Norfolk, VA. Parking was awful, so a lot of people would buy these things and team up, because you could fit 2 in a regular parking spot. Since traffic sucks down there anyways, you never get going fast enough to get in any real danger in it.

Tripper > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 12:52

Still don’t understand

davedave1111 > Tripper
06/11/2015 at 12:54

Did you click on the link? There is literally no other car which would fit in that parking space.

Tripper > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 12:58

I did, I’m just the type of person who would ride a bike/walk/motorcycle/jump off a cliff before I bought a smart.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 13:35

No cause Miata will do same thing

wiffleballtony > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 14:16

The only place I’ve been where I thought a Smart made sense was the city of Avalon, on Catalina island.

CaptDale - is secretly British > davedave1111
06/11/2015 at 17:43

No, these are still stupid. Lets take the Smart for 2 dimensions (106.1 X 61.4 inches) then lets take a nice, FUN, small, sports car like an Austin Healey Sprite mkIV (I own one) with dimensions (137.5 X 55 inches). So the car would easily fit between the bollards, but with an extra 30 inches, would take up the rest of that space, which would suck for pedestrians, but would technically fit. So save your self the pain of a Stupid Car™ by Mercedes and buy a plucky fun little British sports car.

CaptDale - is secretly British > wiffleballtony
06/11/2015 at 17:43

Even then, a golf cart is better

wiffleballtony > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/11/2015 at 19:28

They’re kind of the same, to me anyway.

NoneOfYourBiz > davedave1111
06/12/2015 at 12:08

I get the appeal of a city car that only stays in the city.

What I don’t get is why Smart Fortwo is still popular when the Toyota/Scion iQ is available, the latter being a significantly better, more flexible car.

I also don’t get why people buy Smarts when they live in a typical North American city where we have massive parking spots and driveways; in the UK I get it - you have ridiculously small parking spaces and narrow roads.

davedave1111 > Tripper
06/12/2015 at 18:35

I’m pretty much with you - but others aren’t like us :)

davedave1111 > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/12/2015 at 18:36

No, technically it would be obstructing the pavement. The Smart is the only fully-fledged car in the world that would fit there, as far as I know.

davedave1111 > NoneOfYourBiz
06/12/2015 at 18:38

The iQ is considerably longer. It wouldn’t fit in the space pictured.

“I also don’t get why people buy Smarts when they live in a typical North American city “

Generally, I agree. To be fair, it’s a tiny niche in the US, but out of 250 million cars (ATG) even a tiny niche is quite big.

davedave1111 > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
06/12/2015 at 18:38

Eh?

NoneOfYourBiz > davedave1111
06/12/2015 at 19:03

A fellow who switched from a Smart to an iQ did a neat video summary:

Seems like the iQ is exactly 14-inches longer.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/car-compare-re…

davedave1111 > NoneOfYourBiz
06/12/2015 at 19:14

Sounds about right, 14”. I consider that quite a big difference on a car that’s only 100” long to start with.

CaptDale - is secretly British > davedave1111
06/12/2015 at 19:24

Really, that looks like 3 + feet behind it, but ok.

davedave1111 > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/12/2015 at 20:07

Ah, no, that’s the bit for pedestrians to walk on. The parking space is the length of the wall, and if you look closely that’s almost exactly the same length as the Smart.

CaptDale - is secretly British > davedave1111
06/12/2015 at 20:11

Ah I see what you mean, but honestly, why not just “fuck you pedestrians?” But that was the smallest fun car I could think of.

davedave1111 > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/13/2015 at 07:46

Fuck it, just get a Hummer and drive over people :)

“ the smallest fun car”

Think of the Smart less as an alternative to a car, more as an alternative to (*spit*) public transport...

CaptDale - is secretly British > davedave1111
06/13/2015 at 11:48

That’s why Doug bought one....

So really its just two overpriced segways taped together?

davedave1111 > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/13/2015 at 12:25

No, that would be bigger :)