Two Smarts in One Family (well, more than that!)

My 92-year-old Grampa rode in my smartcar a few weeks ago, and was quite taken with it. So much so that he's buying one himself.

I've been handling the details for him with the same dealer that sold me my smartcar. I had the smart in Helena during the session, when parking is at a premium and the rolling, climbing streets are icy. The smart did very well!

I'll go to Utah to pick up Gramp's smartcar and drive it back to Montana for him. It'll match mine, almost exactly; just one feature different: Gramp decided on a single CD player instead of the six-CD changer I have!

My smartcar gets 40 miles per gallon and is a diminutive 5x8 feet. It's a sporty little number, much like myself. Rear wheel drive, with the engine in the back over the back wheels, it had better traction and control than many pickups or light SUVs this winter. The rear wheel base is a bit wider than the front wheels, too, so the vehicle sits solidly on the road. Heated leather seats, rear defroster, panorama roof with screen. It has a gasoline engine, and smart corporation plans to release an electric model in the US in a year or so. I think it's particularly funny that there's a car alarm if the vehicle is picked up off the ground. Spose the college prank factor came into play with that feature?

Go small, go green, everybody. It's as roomy inside as any other car. The passenger cabin is as roomy as anything else; it's just that there's no back seat and no trunk. There is plenty of room for cargo; I loaded six big boxes in the back, and still had all of the passenger seat to fill. I can easily get grocery bags, shopping, whatever in the back.

It's good to be smart.