Locals: Smart Cars reliable, fuel-efficient
By ROGER ADKINS, radkins@newsandsentinel.comArticle Photos
VIENNA - A few area residents are finding smart innovations in small packages.
Area residents may notice a few people driving around in pint-sized automobiles called Smart Cars, which have been manufactured by Mercedes in European markets for more than 10 years. The company made a batch of about 38,000 of the cars available to the American market, and a few have found their way to the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Jim Weigle and Bob Marshall are two of about four individuals in the area who decided to give the vehicles a chance. In doing so, they said they've found the cars to be extremely reliable and fuel-efficient.
Marshall said the vehicle weighs about 1,800 pounds and has a 3-cylinder, horizontally opposed, high-compression engine. Weigle said the Smart Car is slightly longer than eight feet.
The gasoline tank hold eight gallons of fuel and requires high-test mix, Marshall said. He said his average cost for a fill-up is about $25, if the tank isn't completely empty.
"That will run me for about three weeks," he said. "I drive it every day."
Marshall said he previously owned a large Chevrolet Tahoe and was spending about $100 a week in gasoline.
"My gas bill last month was down exactly $156 in a 30-day period," he said.
Weigle said he gets about 48 miles a gallon from his Smart Car in town and about 52 miles a gallon on the highway.
"I went from here to Columbus on about four gallons of gas. I do a lot of driving, in- and out-of-state travel. I used to drive a pickup truck. Then I got a Dodge Nitro, a gas guzzler. When it was $3 a gallon, I burning $160 a week in gas," he said. "Cut that to about $40 bucks a week and that's with the higher price. I just love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
A State Farm Insurance agent, Marshall said the cost to insure the vehicle is reasonable.
"It's actually a very safe vehicle. It's designed with a full roll bar, similar to a stock car," he said.
One misconception is that strong winds would cause the vehicle to wobble when being driven, Marshall said. The only time Marshall said he's noticed any movement is when following a tractor-trailer. However, he said he didn't notice any movement when passing the large trucks.
The vehicle is capable of a maximum speed of about 95 mph and has a quick pick-up to that speed, Marshall said.
Weigle said he travels out of state frequently and has driven the vehicle in all kinds of conditions. He said he once drove it to Cleveland in a blizzard and "never once spun a tire."
The first 38,000 Smart Cars available in the U.S. are mostly spoken for, Weigle said. The only way to acquire one at the moment is to get one that was "orphaned" by a buyer canceling the order.
Buyers can reserve a car with a $99 fee at www.smartusa.com. The current waiting list to receive a car is about 18 months, Weigle said.
"It took a little over a year to get mine. If you order one today, you're anywhere from 18 to 24 months to deliver. I knew about the cars because they'd been selling them in Europe for years. They were selling them in Canada, too, but they couldn't import them to the U.S.," he said.
Weigle and Marshall said the vehicle's small size is misleading. There's quite a bit of room in the cabin for such a small vehicle, and there's a decent amount of storage space in the rear. It's not exactly a family car, but it's surprising, they said.
"It's surprising how much head room and leg room. Everyone laughs about it, but when they drive it they want one," he said.
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WVCommissioner
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07-03-08 9:44 PM
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Not bashing, but, have an article about your car, be prepared to answer questions about your License Plate!
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RickWT
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07-03-08 5:13 PM
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Yes, who could have possibly predicted that the four-lane highway that ran 57 miles then ended abuptly at I-77 might some day be continued west on the only available trajectory? I wondered for 40 years why the state even allowed development in that area. It must have involved Arch Moore's friends somehow. At any rate, these nationwide guys see this stuff before they get here, so try not to feel too sorry for them.
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nonews
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07-03-08 10:01 AM
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Seriously. He was screwed royally by the state.
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DCGibson
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07-03-08 9:33 AM
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Good grief , enough Weigle bashing. Everybodys quick to forget he for many years provided free Christmas dinners to lonely and homeless at the Holiday Inn. He also on several occasions spent alot of money on Vets for animals hit on Rosemar Rd. , however wasn't this article about Smart cars?
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WVCommissioner
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07-03-08 6:00 AM
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Montana Tags, 10.00. Forming fake Montana LLC, 250.00 Avoiding Personal Property Tax? Priceless.
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charter14
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07-02-08 10:29 PM
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is this wiegel guy the same guy who owns holiday inn and trying to beat the city out of taxes? and drives a car with out of state license plates so he don't have to pay taxes? sounds like this guy is a tax evader!!!! maybe we can get fire chief with his bomb sniffing poooochie to sniff out tax evaders.
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vortex
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07-02-08 9:21 PM
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If Mr. Weigle is saving so much money, why will he not put WV license plates on his and pay his fair share of taxes ? Us poor regular people do.
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RickWT
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07-02-08 3:27 PM
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I saw a SmartCar up close the other day. Way too small to be safe. A minor wreck like hitting a deer would be dangerous in one of these. They are basically toy cars. No thanks.
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concernedcitizen
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07-02-08 2:24 PM
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I have seen a couple of these cars in Parkersburg recently. I'm so happy to have less annoying massive vehicles creating traffic problems. Hopefully the age of SUVs will soon end.
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parad0x
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07-02-08 2:03 PM
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The MPG claims in this article are unlikely and probably false. The Department of Energy has published their own articles and testing for every vehicle sold in the United States, and the smart is only rated at a high of 42MPG on the highway. Combined with it's ridiculously high price tag and low sales numbers, these cars are nothing more than a fashion accessory for the wealthy individuals who want to participate in the ever-popularized "green" movement. Further demonstrating the glamorization of this car, it's built by Mercedes Benz (watch out for electrical problems, SMART owners!) and has replaced the Prius as the new "hot item" for celebrities who own lavish electricity-guzzling mansions but want to "save the world". For similar money, a Honda Civic hybrid is a much better value, gets consistently better fuel mileage, and can carry more people / cargo / etc. It's a better value for money. And it's built right here in America.
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tubaman
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07-02-08 9:04 AM
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Ya, but since the cars are so small, you can only haul one day's worth of groceries home from the store at a time. So, rather than one trip to do an entire week's worth of shopping, you now have to make seven trips. Doesn't make the mileage look that great anymore, does it? Hmmmm? Not to mention the trauma incurred from 7 consecutive trips to Wal-Mart. AAARRRGGGHHH!
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