Fun with Smart cars

Discussion in 'Classic Buicks' started by Dragdoc, Aug 15, 2019.

  1. Dragdoc

    Dragdoc Well-Known Member

    Came across a Smart car sitting solo in a parking lot, and had to do a comparison!

    C7BFC3AD-5EEC-4FA5-A2E4-5715F0C8FB8D.jpeg


    Also did a tail to tail comparison - the ‘60 is twice the length!

    6F041494-B5BD-415F-9C6F-88475972FD98.jpeg
     
  2. pbr400

    pbr400 68GS400

    I agree that calling a Smart a car is wrong but for a different reason.
    Patrick
     
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  3. Electra Bob

    Electra Bob Well-Known Member

    Smart car dwarfs a '72 Electra...
    [​IMG]
    ... but it's all a matter of perspective :)
     
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  4. magic marouke

    magic marouke Well-Known Member

    did you park next to it on purpose ?
     
  5. Electra Bob

    Electra Bob Well-Known Member

    I did - but next time I spot one I'll do a nose to nose shot :)
     
  6. gsgnnut

    gsgnnut Well-Known Member

    You couldn't pay me to get in one of those things and i wouldn't take a brand new one if it was offered to me free. NFW. Not cool on any level, could say the same about a Miata, Sister had one of those. Nope. Ill keep my man card, thank you.
     
  7. JayZee88

    JayZee88 Well-Known Member

    About four years ago I worked at a warehouse, and I drove a stock 1956 Chevrolet 210 sedan as a daily driver. One day I saw a smart car parked in the parking lot which was a coworker’s car. As a joke for comparison I parked right next to the smart car front bumper lined up,And the rear bumper of the Smart car was parallel to about the dash may be a little bit in front and closer to the windshield. To think that most of that space on my 56 was taken up by that 265 ci small block, I could not come up with a justification for somebody driving something that small. A small car isn’t a guarantee for fuel-efficient car, and a large car is not a guarantee for a gas hog. Think about this my 2005 GMC crew cab with a flash reprogramer gets 20 to 25 miles a gallon on the interstate with that 5.3 CI small block in fuel-efficient mode. A 1970 Electra with a 455 on the highway gets 15-18 mpg, but A smart car with a little moped engine is lucky to get 40 mpg on the highway. Is that really a “smart” choice?
     
  8. magic marouke

    magic marouke Well-Known Member

    Plus you can’t drive them on the highway . Well if you can you shouldn’t
     
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  9. Brandon Cocola

    Brandon Cocola Well-Known Member

    Alright that's cool, now you can put it back in the trunk.
     
  10. pbr400

    pbr400 68GS400

    Apparently the top speed on a Smart is about 89. I was driving I-20 to Atlanta a few years ago, going 85 or so in the fast lane, and a woman driving a Smart was Hell bent on passing me. It took her twenty miles but she finally found a gap long enough to get around me. (She’d jump right like she was going to slingshot around me from drafting me, so I couldn’t move right to let her have the fast lane, then she’d hit traffic).
    Patrick
     
  11. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

    Does one have to wear a helmet when they ride one of those things?
     
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  12. Donuts & Peelouts

    Donuts & Peelouts Life's 2 Short. Live like it.

    They should lol.
     
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  13. Smokey15

    Smokey15 So old that I use AARP bolts.

    ..........................especially if the drive them 85mph in traffic.
     
  14. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    Forget about going to Home Depot, or even Wal Mart shopping
     
  15. pbr400

    pbr400 68GS400

    I read one reviewer’s comment that ‘it’s half a car at 90% of the price’. I’m not surprised it was a sales failure in the US; the target customer is almost nonexistent. People in big cities with limited parking either don’t have room for any car and don’t bother, or have enough room for a small real car and want room for more than one passenger (and at least a suitcase or two) and will buy little four passenger car or CUV, often used and cheap. There’s just so few buyers for whom it’s truly practical. (No room, not cheap, not fuel efficient, not safe in a world full of big vehicles). I see more in the suburbs where they’re ‘drive to town’ toys for people who are buying a lifestyle statement.
    Patrick
     
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  16. 322bnh

    322bnh Well-Known Member

    My only experience with on of those things was on one the cross country trips in my 55 Century:
    All went well until we were returning from dinner when in the hotel parking lot this little smart car (dumb car?) shot out and CRASH! T-boned that sucker. Right away this very small man jumped out and shouted "I am not Happy!" I looked at him and said "Then which one are you: Dopey or Grumpy?"
     
  17. PGSS

    PGSS Gold Level Contributor

    Aren't they at the total bottom as far as crash test safety regardless of all the air bags?
     
  18. PGSS

    PGSS Gold Level Contributor

    I actually did see a crash test with the typical set up:( It was really really bad as expected. Enough to make me think how is this car even legal to sell??
    There at least is a chance of flying off a motorcycle on to something soft, compared to the crash dummy that was crunched like it was in a soda can..
    So these are legal to drive on a high way?
     
  19. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru


    That is totally untrue, while of course a micro car is not as safe as any larger car, the SMART actually had good crash tests and score good in all but rear end crash. The SMART has a steel cage built around the passenger compartment that is exceptionally robust.

    So while the SMART is a joke, let's keep it factual when talking about it

    Smart Cars Earn Highest Safety Rating
    As for safety, the ForTwo did well enough in crash tests by the independent Insurance Institute for HighwaySafety (IIHS) to earn the group's highest rating—five stars—thanks to the car's steel racecar-style frame and liberal use of high-tech front and side airbags.May 23, 2019
    (Despite such good safety performance for such a tiny car, IIHS testers caution that larger, heavier cars are inherently safer than smaller ones.)

    https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/smart/fortwo-2-door-hatchback/2017

    https://www.autoblog.com/buy/2017-smart-fortwo/safety-ratings/

    Interesting matchup

     
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  20. PGSS

    PGSS Gold Level Contributor

    I know I saw a test a few years back that every time I see Smart that's all I could think of??? Might be it was a back crash test that i'm dwelling on?? or some news show trying to make waves??
    This video and links do make think twice now..
     

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