General Chat

With an overall cringe factor of 7.6 it is, of course, the Smart!

Wouldn't you just know it?

I will be so embarrassed when I am renewing my free RFL and buying my £50 tyre. On the odd occasion I do have to visit a forecourt I will do it after dark.

Sharron I never understand people who turn there noses up at any car, as long as it has wheels, goes and is safe, is great as far as I am concerned.

The cheaper it is to run the better, those who have a car they can't afford, just to say they have it, are dopey :-D

I love the look of Smart cars by the way :-D

Rather reminiscent of the Isetta, in days gone by........methinks.......

small but effective!

I think you could drive an Isetta on a motorcycle licence. Wasn't that made by BMW?

I think the Smart cars look good!

The worst car we ever used (it was a rental in eastern Europe) was a Yugo Zastava. It was like driving a tin can. :-(

We are BIG. He is 6'8" tall and I am of a similar width and we fit easily into mine.

Had to try it on before buying because we thought it would be far too small to accommodate us but it is not so much a small car as a large car with no back.

In my life I have owned a purple Hillman Imp and driven Simca vans.I know mobile scrapyards!

Sounds more like a "Tuc Tuc" :-D

My first car was a Hillman Imp, I passed my test in it as well...only car I have had that I cried when it went

I now have a Jeep Grand Cherokee which after it's MOT on Tuesday have been told it needs 4 new tyres at some stage....hate to guess what that is going to cost

I'm downsizing ...getting a Hyundai 120 on Monday....have a xsara Picasso 2000 till then...big change for me,but will be easier to get in my garage and to park.
Nothing wrong with a Smart Car.They look quite nice
I need a 4 door car for my trips to the jazz with my friends...they'll just have to understand it may not be quite as roomy,just hope it's as comfortable!

Jax, have a word with your Bank Manager, and Smile a lot. :-D :-D :-D

I had a SMART car in Paris. Perfect !!!!!!!!!!!!
Cannot see anything cringeworthy at all - for instance the SMART coupe has all the fun of the old frog eye sprite and much of the idosyncratic looks as well.

I would say that the Mercedes A series is cringeworthy. AFAICS it is for moderately well of idiots who cannot drive, possibly challenged in the vision dept. Give these plenty of room it will help your NCB.

I am not biased against large cars - my usual wheels are a V6 and I once owned a New Yorker. Even so here is the king of the cringeworthy, coming soon to a Harrod's near you

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-2110869/Bentley-unveils-4x4--set-140-000.html

The coolest car ever is a Lotus 7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiNDmcSTxDk
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mir45UIvPL0
Top Gear will never feature it 'cos the plonker who runs the show cannot get into it.
Rollo cannot run to a Lotus7 ( sob ) but makes do with an Elan SE which is a fair bit cheaper and I can even hear the ICE up to about 60 mph.

Don't really care what they look like, they are mighty fine value.

I have done all my arm out the window driving in company vehicles. High mpg on little wheels with no RFL is what I have always wanted. Considering it runs on a lawnmower engine, the kick down is adequate.

What would make me mildly embarrassed would make other people emigrate anyway!

My first ex-wife had an Imp.
I used to cry when I got the repair bills.
So I bought her a new mini.
Cheaper.

I was working in a Rootes Group garage at the time but I still sobbed a bit. They were so frequent.

That was an engine not designed for road use anyway.

Porsche is not a man's car. My OH tried one on and there was no leg room, he couldn't drive it. We do tend to shout "Shortarse!" when we see one now!

Don't need to borrow the money, just don't want to pay for new tyres on a car that has done less than 10k in the 4 years I have had it. I don't drive anymore and HID has his own car, but should I want to go out his is no good...which is strange really as my last two cars before this one was the same as his Hyandai coupe

Porsche cars have the engine in the back.
It is designed that way 'cos the owners are often seen driving them engine first into trees and the like and it gives more protection.
The small luggage space in the front is for a hair dryer and a copy of the owner's will.

;-)

I came home with two half cwt sacks in the back of the Smart yesterday and there was still room.

As for backing into trees, people think I horizontally between two cars outside our house just for the convenience of slotting it in there. Really, I started doing that because I can't, although I am better at it now, parallel park it because it is too short.

I once drove a 15cwt Bedford all week which I could slide in anywhere but when I came to drive the mini I owned at the time, I needed a field to park it.

Must say I like the look of the Smart car (especially the sporty model they put out a few years ago)

But they do not look roomy enough to take 2 hefty people like myself and OH. They look a bit to me like they would topple over!!

But as said before a car is a car and for most women is it a tool designed to get us from A-B.

I have recently changed my car via the Mobility Scheme. Now I did have a Ford Fusion (a slightly larger version of the Fiesta, which they now no longer make). But due to dodgy knees and shin can no longer get in and out of low cars.

So last week I picked my brand new Ford Kuga. it is HUGE. But for me it is suitable as I can get in and out with comparative ease. Still getting used to the length, but love the higher driving position.

But without the mobility scheme, I would still be struggling with my old and much loved Fusion.

:-D :-D

As I explained, I am a big 'un and so is he 6'8" with a 54" waist( I nick some of his clothes too) and we have room. We were both surprised at the high driving position when we tried it on in the showroom.

You just have to accept that you are getting past it when you forgo the back seat! The seat is at bum height too, which makes getting in and out easier.

I believe it is almost impossible to turn a Smart over, they cling like limpets. It was the next Mercedes up that had the problem with the steering geometry and fell over on corners.

As wel as the most embarrassing car, they are also the safest I believe.

My OH has a Smart Car and loves it.