Sulu

That is making a mighty big assumption. It may be obvious to us car enthusiasts here, who have done a lot of reading and viewed many videos of car crash tests, but it is definitely NOT that obvious to the average car buyer, unless they have been told about, and shown evidence of, real crash tests. And physics is an incredibly difficult subject for the average person to understand.

And there is a lot of misinformation being thrown around about how unsafe the Smart fortwo is (perhaps being thrown around by people who neither understand it nor like it). Yes, it is an incredibly small car but the tridion safety cell makes it incredibly crashworthy.

J.P.

Have to agree with Bit, and this is being in Detroit , it's usually older males in the Stang's, most kids I see are in Eco boxes and suv-cuv's, just because 2 kids in Stang's cut you off isn't a micro trend, you made it a stereotype

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i think that might have been true 20 years ago when 'kids' got used mustangs based on the ancient crap fox platform, but that's definitely not the case today in my experience. and thankfully most of those old mustangs have gone to the scrap heap.

when was the last time you saw a dangerous maneuver from a mustang driver?

J.P.

He did say newspaper, they stopped printing those around the 1999

mmarshall

No, I disagree.....it's not a big assumption at all, and I stand by what I said. The simple type of science taught in virtually every American grade school is more than enough for even those in primary and middle school to understand that when a big car hits a little car, the big car usually wins. It doesn't take an auto enthusiast to understand that....and that is taught even in basic driving courses.

Now, having said that, I'll agree that the Smart may be comparably safe for its size, with the Mercedes-engineered safety-roll cage, but even that only goes so far if and when you have a serious accident in a Smart.

mmarshall

I wasn't necessarily trying to build a stereotype, as I noted in my posts that there ARE responsible Mustang drivers. But I've seen a lot of Mustang V8 jocks do a lot of very stupid things....sometimes surviving them, sometimes not. Enough, in my case, to at least see somewhat of a pattern.

However, you're correct that the very latest generation of high-school kids don't seem as interested in high-powered pony cars as those up to just a few years ago. In fact, a number of today's kids aren't interested in cars at all.....they're too busy with their electronic toys, and prefer to let Mom and Dad the driving while they text all day.

mmarshall

Sorry, i was unclear on that. When I used the term "newspaper", I meant the media in general........including the Internet.

You'd be surprised, though, at how many paper copies the Washington Post and New York Times still sell....even with today's 24/7 electronic media. Both of those papers have an enormous circulation....have for decades.

rxonmymind

Bwhahaha! Too funny

mmarshall

More of them are still in print than you think.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

yeah the wall st. journal just started sending a daily copy to me (i never asked for it). they go straight in the recycling.

mmarshall

I get the same thing every once in a while (unrequested copies) from the Washington Post and Washington Times. Like you, I don't usually read paper copes (except to do the crossword puzzles and word-games). But the point is that just because you and I don't read paper copies, many people in fact still still DO.....especially daily bus and subway commuters. Every evening, the floors of our Metro subway trains are littered with that day's newspapers that people read and just toss aside when they're done......just like slobs.

Anyhow, getting back to topic...........

Just a couple of days ago. Watched somebody in a gray Mustang GT (didn't get a good look at the driver), on the Interstate, pass someone on the shoulder at high speed and cut back in front of him. Not only was a risky maneuver, but also tossed up some gravel from the shoulder which could ding/chip his own paint job and others around him.

rxonmymind

Keep believing that. Like Bigfoot sightings...

rxonmymind

I can make an INDESTRUCTIBLE crash cell however, when that 1800lb car meets and 3500- 4500 lb vehicle and stop from 70-0 then bounces off like a rubber ball it's not the vehicle that you have to worry about. YOUR body will NOT live decelerating from 70-0 mph. Your internal organs, neck, brain etc will still be traveling at 70. But your car door will still open & look pretty. What a load of crap & half truth their selling about the smart car.

mmarshall

Go take a look at one of our D.C. Metro Subway cars.....then come back and tell me I'm living in Fantasyland.

I will, however, agree with you on this point. There is only so much you can do to make a small microcar safe in a major impact, even with the vaunted Mercedes engineering. Then you run into a simple and inconvenient truth called the laws of physics.