I’ve been seeing a lot of those new smart car vehicles on the road lately. I’ve heard a lot of hype about how economical they are; they cost about half as much to buy as a “regular” size car, cost less to run (better fuel mileage) and that some parking garages only charge 1/2 price for them because they can park two cars to a spot. And I’ve seen interviews on television from people who own them that say that they love the cars, but I really don’t think that I would feel safe in one of them. And I’ve heard that the gas mileage on them is about 30mpg. Our Chevy Lumina gets 24 mpg, which is really good for a mid-sized car!
I’ve seen enough car accidents involving compact cars that I really feel vulnerable when I’m out on the road in a small car! And I really don’t want my wife to be out driving in a sub-compact car either! I want her to be driving something a little bit more substantial. Not that I’m trying to force her into a muscle car like a chevy camaro, but I think it will take some serious proof to me that a sub-compact car is a safe one to drive.
Besides, I think that cars like the ford fusion and the honda element are better looking, safer, and economical as well. And I suspect that the insurance rate on them might be lower than on a sub-compact car too. So I think that for now, I’d prefer to adopt a “wait and see” attitude on the new smart car.