Larry wrote:
"Bob" wrote in news:1155231608.995998.35340
@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:


I stayed with my dart. The joke was... Yep, that Dart is older than my
wife and twice as reliable.




1973 Mercedes 220 Diesel...I still have it. It's my favorite car. I did
a ground-up restoration from the guys who have been caring for it all
these years. 57 hp....0-60 in "a few minutes"...(c; About 38mpg around
town, including leaving the diesel running around 1000 RPM pulling the R-
12 air conditioner while I'm shopping....It has a manual throttle control
that stays where you put it.

'73 was the year advanced electronics crept into Mercedes cars. It has a
quartz clock, but a mechanical regulator on the firewall for the
alternator. The engine has no electrics, except the glow plugs which
take a full minute to heat up in winter so it will start. You get to
hold the starting knob out against a big spring until it glows in the
dash. Glad I live where it's warm.

Yeah, it's been making that awful knocking noise over 33 years, now. I
gotta get that fixed some day. I may trade it on a Mercedes Smart Car,
the tiny two-seater Europeans have been driving for a couple of years
before it comes to the states, as usual. Oil company control of the US
Government keeps out fuel efficient cars like the Smart so profits remain
high. Talking them all into a big SUV was a sheer stroke of GENIUS!

http://www.smart.com/
about 6600 British pounds but Californicate dealers want $28-30K for one
in the states. They won't import the simplest, most economical of them
Europeans are buying. Unlike my 220D, however, you'll have to hire a
computer analyst to repair it. ANY mechanic instantly knows what's wrong
with my old diesel Benz....(c;

BMW Minis are way too big and expensive....

The first 'Smart' cars arrived here in September 2004. I see lots on
the lot. Come on up...I believe they start at about $18,000.00
CDN..(approx $16,000.00 US?)
http://www.oregans.com/dealerships_smart_centre.asp