Smart Car advice please

[daugen]

Troutsqueezer, just for you, as old as an early McIntosh tube amp...
though I could never afford one.
No, I'm not going to crawl through a window.
And those Isettas are pricey now, real collector's item, and they sure don't have airbags.
But then neither did the sidecar my wife suggested...

Frankly I admit to wanting something "interesting" and fun to drive. Which means a conventional tow setup.
Maybe it's time to get a two year old Mustang GT convertible with a stick. I haven't had my midlife crisis yet and I'm overdue...:thumbsup:

 

[jinman]

I know what an Isetta is, but t occurs to me while looking at the photo that it looks just like a red porta-potty. . .with a view.:laughing:

 

[stuckmotor]

If you're worried about Officer Bob, it might be best that you check the current laws on transporting a car in an enclosed trailer. Back in '87, when I took truck driver training, the instructor said it was illegal because an enclosed van was a good way to transport a stolen automobile. I know, it's done every day, even in trailers with a logo advertising the race car inside and wonder if the law is still in effect or enforced. I only brought this up because you mentioned Officer Bob. Maybe one of or truckers can clarify.

 

[Bird]

I know what an Isetta is, but t occurs to me while looking at the photo that it looks just like a red porta-potty. . .with a view.:laughing:

Jim, in the Fall of '58, Bill Utter Ford had taken that year old Isetta in trade. I was looking at it out of curiosity one Friday evening there in Denton and the salesman told me to just take it home for the weekend. Now they didn't have a gas gauge, but had a huge gas cap and you could see the inside of the tank. There was no gas in it, but it was supposed to get 50 mpg. I told the salesman we owned a service station and it was 40 miles to our station, so he put one gallon of gas in it. I ran out about 2 miles this side of Plano.:laughing: An older couple in a Ford sedan stopped and gave me a ride into town. He asked if I thought we ought to just put the Isetta in his Ford's trunk.:laughing:

 

[Scooby074]

Nothing wrong with a Smart car. They are very safe. Very strong safety cell. If it fits your needs, go for it!

Another option would be the JDM "kei" cars that are being imported of late. They are compact and quite inexpensive. Although many are slightly too long, there hopefully is at least one that fits your specs.

Side note, I wish that they sold new Kei cars here, I think they would be an excellent option for city dwellers, their intended market.

 

[AroniaFarmer]

Does anyone here either own one of these pint size vehicles or know someone who does? I have a peculiar need...a car that weighs less than 2000 pounds, and there is only one, the Smart Car. The Toyota Scion IQ is about two hundred pounds heavier, and then all the other cars get to be either too long or too heavy, including a Mini. Need to have this fit on our trailer we want to pull behind the motorhome so that the car will only be used when we stop and want to go explore. Yes, I've read the reviews, they aren't very attractive and for the money, there are much better cars. But this little thing would roll right up on our trailer and no Officer Bob can give me a overload ticket. This is NOT going to be used on the interstate, basically around town and around the local area near the rv. But I'm a little concerned that built by Mercedes or not, it's a car with huge compromises. But then the only other thing that would work is a trike, and I'd prefer not to get wet. Ok, if you think the Smart car is a bad idea, please suggest a better alternative, under 2000 pounds and eleven feet long. Not not an Ariel Atom or some craziness, a real car... thanks

Suzuki samurai anyone? I don't know anything about them other than they are nice and small, but a downside is they like to tip... A lot

 

[jinman]

This Jeep will fit nicely in that trailer.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Chevrolet Spark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

smart car crash - YouTube

 

[bandaidmd]

If you're worried about Officer Bob, it might be best that you check the current laws on transporting a car in an enclosed trailer. Back in '87, when I took truck driver training, the instructor said it was illegal because an enclosed van was a good way to transport a stolen automobile. I know, it's done every day, even in trailers with a logor advertising the race car inside and wonder if the law is still in effect or enforced. I only brought this up because you mentioned Officer Bob. Maybe one of or truckers can clarify.

I hope you didn't have to pay for that instructor.
Using that logic Horseless Carriage and the other classic car haulers are really some big time criminals.

 

[Larro Darro]

Daugen, when my parents were RVing, they pulled a Honda Civic behind on a car dolly. It is simpler to tow and is pretty low cost. And if you already have a good compact car, you will be saving $20-30K. Since the car is front wheel drive, the rear wheels are just free spinning, just like you were driving it. It doesn't put any extra wear and tear on you car. You need to make travel as easy as possible. Towing a car on a trailer that was not designed for it will just turn a good trip into work.

Larro