Shoe by Gary Brookins and Susie MacNelly for September 06, 2009

Then why is it carrying YOU around?!

We all have our burdens to bear, evidently she is the burden for the car

Neither are cars.

Hey. now that I’m a proud co-owner of GMC. I expect people to buy slow small cars. It’s your patriotic duty.

Lewreader I’ve driven Chevy Cavaliers for the last 10 years and I’m happy with my existing model. But I wouldn’t want to replace it with an Aveo or Cobalt. They really haven’t got it where it counts.

Nah, under the “clowns for cars” program. LOL.

Love it. Interesting that the number one vehicle purchased during the “cash for clunkers” was Toyota Corolla. Had one years ago and looking at them again, since our major manufacturers, except Ford and they aren’t that much better, are pretty much junque.

By going to hybrids and electric cars we are trading one environmental disaster for another. Electrics and hybrids suck up tons of rare metals like lithium and cadmium which are already in short supply (requiring many new mines which are very hard on the environment), and the recycling industry is not yet prepared for to handle the onslaught as they wear out…and like mercury there may be many new problems as these rare metals get into the environment…also, transmission of electricity from coal fired power plants to charge electric cars is not as efficient when viewed in an overall cycle as oil powered transportation.

I have always driven small fuel efficient cars, and the issue with me used to be that what was sold as an ‘economy’ car didn’t have all the niceties like AC, power windows, cruise control, etc. But they do now. I’ve also used motorcycles. In states where lane splitting is legal motorcycles excel at commuting in traffic challenged areas…..

Head-on crash at a bad intersection - SmartCar vs Ford Fusion - who wins?

Think of the money you can save up for an early funeral.

Just call me Benedict, but I will stick with my nice, comfortable, gas guzzling, Cadillac DTS.

Can you imagine the credit LOAD af-ford-ed that PG roller-skate ? Fueling up once a semester . I’ll ah take a Green one and hope it’s ripe .

any vehicle that can’t carry both me and my golf clubs isn’t worth buying, IMHO. i looked at the smart car before i bought my 2005 Malibu and wasn’t impressed (and it never would have given me the comfortable trips i’ve had on various vacations).

Well, a smart car stands crashes just as good as any good compact car. Look for “smart car crash” on youtube - 70mph into a concrete barrier. And besides - what’s cool about squandering off our resources? Anyone hiring a contractor saying “Hey, I spend much more money for the same job done” wouldn’t be thought of as cool but as…I guess you know what. Don’t have to be a tree hugger for figuring that one out.

What happens when you get T-boned in one those cute little death traps, kudzuman?

my smart car consideration was not safety, but comfort! all modern cars are built to withstand crashes to some degree, but if a car is small and lightweight enough to be buffetted by passing semis (don’t even mention the “truck-trains” legal in some jurisdictions) how much more likely is it that it would be involved in a crash?

yyyguy - Just so you know, a set of golf clubs do fit in the car. Please go to www.safeandsmart.com to get some answers to your concerns on safety. I think you will be surprised.

Next - to OldHipster - the email is making the rounds, but unfortunately for the original sender and most of the people getting it, the car smashed between the dump trucks is not a smart. smarts have 3 lug rims, the smashed car has 5. Here is a link to snopes for actual accident info http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/smallcar.asp Yes, the laws of physics do apply so size is a legitimate concern in vehicles. But the smart is built with that in mind, 4 star front and 5 star side crash rating.

Let’s be careful out there, Pops

Can a Hummer get a Stanford football scholarship? That would beef up the defensive line.

Earl–the Smart cars do as well in crash tests as any small to medium size cars, and better than many cars that are bigger. True, if you’re stuck between a concrete wall and a semi, a Smart won’t save you… but neither will an Escalade.

Where Smart cars disappoint is in gas mileage. Given how tiny and light they are, they use a lot more fuel than you’d expect (and, may I add, they cost a lot more to buy in the first place). The problem is that while they’re small, they have the same frontal area as a longer compact car, and so have the same drag. In fact, they may have more drag, because the blunt stern section creates a vacuum. For economy, you want a car with a blunt nose and a long, tapered tail.

And as for the “cash for clunkers,” note that most Toyota Corollas are made in California, by the GM/Toyota joint venture. Alas, GM’s pulling out, Toyota says they can’t support the joint venture by themselves, so by this time next year Corollas will be made in Japan again. Oops…

For real economy and aerodynamics try Aptera! www.aptera.com