larry wrote..." Oil company control of the US
Government keeps out fuel efficient cars like the Smart so
profits remain
high"

But also wrote... " leaving the diesel running around 1000
RPM pulling the R-
12 air conditioner while I'm shopping""

Anybody else see the irony in this?

Scotty





"Larry" wrote in message
...
"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....