Smart Car

I'm kinda car shopping. My dad and mom have agreed we're going to get a car soon because my sister MAY get her license soon (if she can pass the test, which I have serious doubts about). So I'm looking at cars... typical commuter cars... a Civic, Sentra, Accord, and a Toyota Prius just because I drive so much (not for looks or to appear as an environmentalist, or any of that). A commuter car would be fine for me because it has everything I need.

Anyways, saw a story on the news that the Smart cars are coming to America and you can reserve one right now for $99.00. They'll retail for anywhere between $12,000 for a base model and $17,000 for a convertible. So would anyone buy one of these? I'm just curious...


























I would look at the Smart, but I was thinking no. Sure I'd get plenty of looks, but it just doesn't seem practical or even luxourious in the least. Showed it to my mom when she arrived home tonight and her response was NO. It is small. Size is going to be a battle. My dad says I can choose whatever I want as long as it is in the price range, is safe, and gets reasonably good gas mileage. My mom however is BIG ON SAFETY AND SIZE. My mom thinks my car is just the perfect size (it's big, trust me). My mom thinks her midsize car is too small. She thinks a Civic is too small, a Sentra, and so on. My mom's philosophy is if it is not big, it is not safe; plus you need room to carry 4-5 friends.

Everything I've pointed out I like she shoots down. She says I wouldn't want a truck because it's not practical. I disagreed and pointed out with all the house stuff it would be, plus I can haul stuff. She talked about needing a camper shell for it to be practical, but then why not just buy an SUV. I said no camper shell. I also pointed out I like the higher seating position in a truck- you can see better and it is more comfortable. Then she went on how most small pickups have a stick shift and how unsafe that is, plus how I would hate to drive one.

The Civic and Sentra are small and dangerous. They're not American cars for one. Second, they're small, so they're unsafe. My mom has always had HUGE cars. Her current midsize car is the smallest car she has ever owned and is too small. Then my mom goes back to a story where her friend from work had a 1980s Civic and she used to have to sit in the back when they commuted to LA and how cramped it was. I reminded her the new Civic's are much bigger. I also point out that the accident situation has as much to do as anything with whether or not you survive an accident. It doesn't matter the Civic can have side airbags. I acknowledge size is a factor in surviving an accident, but it is not everything. I am a good driver, don't need a huge car, stuff like that.

A Honda Accord or anything comparable is not a good car (including my mom's current midsized car). My mom had a friend who had an Accord and after an accident it was totalled and became an Accordion. So midsize cars like that are unsafe. My mom complains on a regular basis how her car is so small. People give her looks for that because most people think a midsize car is a good size.

A Prius is not an option because it is too small. It is considered a midsize car I pointed out. Nope, too small. Plus hybrid technology shouldn't be sooo expensive.

A full size car would be ok because it is big, safe, roomy, and you can take 4-5 friends with you. Your full size car is less likely to be totalled in an accident. My mom was hit coming home from work in her Oldsmobile Omega 2 weeks before I was born and the car was totalled and that was midsize, so that's too small. In 1996 we had a full size car and all of us were in an accident on our way to Knotts Berry Farm. The Ford Escort that hit us was totalled. The Toyota pickup that hit the Escort was totalled. Our car was still driveable, there was almost no damage, and we were still able to go to Knotts Berry Farm that day. My mom can't seem to get it through her head that cars are meant to crush in an accident nowadays.

An SUV would be ok because they're big, they're safe, but they don't get great gas mileage and I drive 250+ miles a week. I'd love to go more than a week without filling up.

Oh, and government crash tests don't matter because big cars are automatically safer and "I'll just be so much happier in a big car."

This was originally going to be a short post about the Smart car, but turned into my mom's opinion of cars I like... haha