Sunday, January 20, 2008
Smart Car spotted in Honolulu
(Click for larger)
I spotted this Smart Car parked near St. Andrews last week while walking to the State Capitol. I didn't know there were any in Hawaii at all. The last I heard was that people were gaping at them in New York City whenever someone drove one down from Montreal. Obviously, my information is very out of date. It seems you can actually buy one, though there's no dealer in Hawaii right now.
As you see in the photo, two of these fit comfortably in a single parking space. Imagine if everyone owned a car this size—twice as many cars would fit on the H-1.
I've been very interested in the little car, which seats two, and has plenty of headroom and good visibility. So I left a note under the windshield wiper, hoping the owner would call.
He did. We talked about his car for some time. Sure enough, people are always asking him about it. He's actually had it for about nine months, he said.
Towards the end of the conversation he mentioned he is looking to sell the car—his family now has too many cars. I'll have to admit that for an infinitesimal fleeting moment, I kind of thought, if only my own car, recently stolen, had not been recovered, I could buy this Smart Car. It makes ecological sense, economic sense, and I'd probably love its ability to maneuver in traffic.
Anyway, I'm happy my car was recovered. It's almost completely repaired now, and I'm lucky to get it back. So no Smart Car for me, right now.
If you, Disappeared News reader, are interested in speaking with the owner about buying it, you can send your name/phone number to me and I'll pass it on. No, I don't get any kind of commission or anything. The owner was so kind in answering all my questions that I thought I'd just mention it on the blog. Send email to me at larry -# a t #- disappearednews.com and I'll pass on the information. Let's say, till the end of the week, I don't want to do this forever.
there's a dealership on Queen street, I think between South and Ward. there's also been a Smartcar sitting on a flat bed on the corenr of Kapiolani and Kalakaua for I don't know how long.
maybe they're gone now, but they were there last time i was in hawaii about four months ago.
I think they're gone now. I saw the Smartcar on the flatbed also, but didn't see it driving by the other day, though I could have missed it.
That place on Queen Street had a hefty mark-up, since the cars were not officially available in the US. Now that they finally bound for the US market, hopefully we'll see them at a [sorta] mainstream (i.e. Mercedes) dealer for a more reasonable price.
I have seen one pass me by in Kaneohe, too. Same color. Perhaps the same car.
Did the seller say how much he wants for it?
No, I didn't ask how much he was asking. It was just a thought on the spur of the moment that it would be cool if Disappeared News readers, ecological minded folk that they all are, might have a chance to buy the car if they wanted one.
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