Lakewood's Smart Future and East Cleveland.

Ivor Karabatkovic · Post by **Ivor Karabatkovic** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:11 pm

I did see them on the autobahn.

and I was only on the autobahn twice in the past decade.

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:20 pm

I saw them all over Italy when I was there. Of course there are a much, much smaller number of SUVs in Europe...

Joe Ott · Post by **Joe Ott** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:25 pm

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote: those cars are sooooo 5 years ago.

Penske has probably been trying that long to get them here.

Stephen Eisel · Post by **Stephen Eisel** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:27 pm

Same with cell phones and other devices, it seems that Asia is a couple of years ahead of us..

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:48 pm

Stephen Eisel wrote:Same with cell phones and other devices, it seems that Asia is a couple of years ahead of us..

Everyone is a few years ahead of us with cell phones. It's because here they tie the phone to the service. In Europe and Asia you buy the phone separately. There's more competition.

Stephen Eisel · Post by **Stephen Eisel** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:12 pm

Bryan Schwegler wrote:
Stephen Eisel wrote:Same with cell phones and other devices, it seems that Asia is a couple of years ahead of us..
Everyone is a few years ahead of us with cell phones. It's because here they tie the phone to the service. In Europe and Asia you buy the phone separately. There's more competition.

tru dat

Stephen Eisel · Post by **Stephen Eisel** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:33 pm

The industry that I work in, is able to offer more services because of the iDEN (real GPS) network and advances in bluetooth technology. (also the Sprint CDMA). There are some cool devices state side but the Europeans and Asians have some really cool devices that we could use here.

David Lay · Post by **David Lay** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 7:49 pm

AT&T has WCDMA service in some markets here (which is true 3G wireless, not the fake-3G stuff some carriers try to market).

c. dawson · Post by **c. dawson** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:21 pm

And the Templar, wasn't really a "compact car." It wasn't any smaller than a Model T, and even Cleveland-based Chandler Motor Cars put out their own "small" car, the Cleveland, which was about the same size. If anything, the unique thing about the Templar was that they marketed it as a small car, which was rather new back then, when most cars were being marketed for luxury (especially the Cleveland-based Jordan Motor Car Company, with its' "Somewhere West of Laramie" ads) or utter practicality (again, the Model T).

Nice cars, just another one of many built in Cleveland, when it was THE automotive capital of America back in the early 20th century.

Brad Babcock · Post by **Brad Babcock** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:51 pm

As far as the alphabet soup stuff goes, most of it helps, but none of it can substitute for BRAIN.
If the concern is being walloped by an SUV, think of the Smart car as a smaller target.
As far as snow and ice are concerned, a lot depends on the tires. I don't know what size tires it has, but if GOOD snow tires are available in those sizes, the Smart should be perfectly suitable for winter use. When you really think about it, there are only maybe a dozen days a year that the snow presents a serious obstacle. I drive a MINI from Lakewood to Medina County every day for work, and have never had any doubt about getting there or back.
Is the Smart worthwhile? For some people it is, for some it is not. If an urban commuter fits the bill, it makes sense. The Smart may also be suitable for longer trips, just not with a bunch of luggage. It would probably suit me for 90% of my driving. The MINI is about 98% effective, except when I need a pick-up truck. That is when my fiance is most glad that the MINI is only 98% effective.

David Lay · Post by **David Lay** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:05 pm

Personally, I'd pick up a scooter from POC if I could afford it. You can't beat 75mpg!

Stephen Eisel · Post by **Stephen Eisel** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:14 pm

Top speed is 90 mph...

Jim O'Bryan · Post by **Jim O'Bryan** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:27 pm

David

Pride of cleveland can deliver a scooter with the top speed of 160mph I do believe. However riding a scooter in the middle of winter is not always as much fun as Steve Hoffert makes it out to be!

This seems to be the weak point the door safety.

The massive Lakewood Observer Austin Mini drives past a Smart ForTwo.

Pretty damn cool, very quiet, peppy, and and alternative.

.

Mark Crnolatas · Post by **Mark Crnolatas** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:45 pm

I read the articles in the Plain Dealer on them. Considering the mentality of our own citizens of the USA., while it's a great idea, I tend to think it's sales will lean more like the amount of sales the Mini is doing, unless someone slaps the U.S. in the head and says wake up, your Ford Dual Cabs, Chevy huge pickups and Daimler's Dodge Crew Cab- Pickups, not counting the Hummers and the luxury SUVs have to go.

The europeans have been paying far more for gas than we have for years, so they are used to the small cars, ie: France. When I was there I saw more mini-sized cars than I could believe, and that was decades ago.

We tend to wait until the horse gets out of the barn before we close the door.

I do hope it does well tho' but I'd really wonder how it would take to holding the road when an 18-wheeler would pass it.

Safety would be my concern in a car that small and light too. I had a Gremlin back when they were first introduced, and I loved it for all 98k on it before I sold it and didn't lose any money on it. (first and only time that ever happened). Even that would look large compared to the this one.

Mark Allan Crnolatas

Gary Rice · Post by **Gary Rice** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:47 am

OK, those cars are cute...

Probably good mileage....

Probably fun too...

But just as a general observation,

I just can't get around the thought that we are almost expecting and even welcoming less and less in our society, while certainly paying more and more and more.

Sandals seem to cost more than a quality pair of oxfords these days. T shirts can cost more than button-down dress shirts, and a flat-screen TV can cost more than an old all-in-one entertainment center did years ago.

Are we better off with our $100 sandals?

Some would think so, apparently.

As for me? Well, as I walk through the Western Reserve Historical Society's Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, I look at all those old cars and wonder exactly how far we've come? The Winton Town Car is quite nice, for example...

Disclaimer- Regarding new things-I just bought (and PAID quite a bit) for a pair of those new rubbery-plastic shoes with the holes in them. They do work quite well.

Who knows? Maybe one of those cool cars will be in my future?

(If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!)