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(MSNBC)   Today's breathless hyperbole comes to you courtesy of Chris Matthews, who says American cars weigh as much as the Chrysler Building, while European cars get a million miles to the gallon   (msnbc.msn.com) divider line
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    More: Dumbass  
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9824 clicks; posted to Main » and Politics » on 06 Jul 2006 at 12:22 PM (16 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



196 Comments     (+0 »)


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What Your Dog Wants
2006-07-06 9:30:58 AM  
Breathless hyperbole, tongue-in-cheek humorous exaggeration... yeah those are basically the same thing.
 
NikolaiFarkoff [TotalFark]
2006-07-06 9:31:26 AM  
Of ALL the European cars that could possibly be brought over, the Smart is one of the worst on the list (overpriced, too small, gas mileage not nearly good enough for the size tradeoff). The best commentary I've read yet is how this is going to taint America's image of modern Euro-market cars, just like the mediocre, stinky diesels did in the 70s and early 80s ruined everyone's perception of diesel, or how 70s land-barges destroyed the station wagon market.
 
kronicfeld
2006-07-06 9:40:39 AM  
"I have been to Vietnam, Grenada, and Iraq, and I can say without hyperbole that this is ten million times worse than all of them put together." -Chris MatthewsKent Brockman
 
The Onanist
2006-07-06 9:52:01 AM  
VW with a TDI engine for good MPG.

That is all.
 
mr_crash_davis
2006-07-06 9:59:14 AM  
I would TOTALLY drive a Smart, if I could fit into one. Does it come with a giant shoehorn?
 
NikolaiFarkoff [TotalFark]
2006-07-06 10:55:35 AM  
I drove a Ford Galaxy 7-passenger minivan in England last month (1000 miles in a week). It had the 1.9tdi VW engine in it and auto tranny. Mixed driving (even with a full load) got us better than 40mpg UK all the time, which is still in the low 30's US. Did fine on the highway, even up to 80mph. Never even caught a whiff of sulphurous exhaust, even on cold starts. CO2 emissions are on part with gas hybrids.
 
Dr.Knockboots
2006-07-06 11:00:50 AM  
hell, the Scion box and Scion super small car were in front of me the other day on my drive home. neither of those two small-ass cars could get up the hill and out of the way of the traffic that was going the speed limit.
those little pieces of shiat were impeding traffic, i cant imagine a Smart car trying to fit in with the american traffic system.
I drove/rode in a Smart car for 4 months (off and on) while in Italy.. horrible car for anything other than congested city driving where the speed doesnt get over 30mph.
 
filth
2006-07-06 11:10:06 AM  
Smart's might make sense for purely urban surface street use, but if you want some real Euro goodness, the Honda Fit is a pretty damn good little car.
 
Quick1
2006-07-06 11:16:11 AM  
NikolaiFarkoff: got us better than 40mpg UK all the time, which is still in the low 30's US.

Wait, so now you're saying even MILES aren't the same in the UK? Those sneaky British.
 
NikolaiFarkoff [TotalFark]
2006-07-06 11:26:19 AM  
Quick1
Wait, so now you're saying even MILES aren't the same in the UK? Those sneaky British.

LOL...the gallons. The miles are the same, but it ends there. They use mph, which is identical to us Yanks. But the gas is sold in litres (about 99p/L, or $7.50/gal when I was there). And the gallons are OVER 4 litres, while US gallons are ~3.78L. Everyone else on the continent (and most of the world) uses "litres per 100km" for gas mileage. Between that and people being weighed in stones (14lbs), objects in kilos, I have officially given up on weights and measures.
 
TheSignPost
2006-07-06 12:27:13 PM  
But was he here?

Was Chris Matthews here?

That's all that really matters.
 
bbcrackmonkey
2006-07-06 12:27:24 PM  
Does anyone else here absolutely despise Chris Matthews? Not just for what he says, but because his head is shaped like a beach-ball and his voice is extremely high-pitched and whiny?
 
Nature
2006-07-06 12:28:03 PM  
Submitter sounds a wee bit biased.
 
maffick
2006-07-06 12:28:09 PM  
2006-07-06 11:00:50 AM Dr.Knockboots

Having driven a Smart several times, I could not disagree with you more. I am 6'4" and I fit in it no problem, it had great pickup.
 
oldfarthenry [TotalFark]
2006-07-06 12:28:35 PM  
Well, American cars do have to carry Americans around.
/Kidding! That polyester star spangled shirt is quite slimming.
 
TWX
2006-07-06 12:28:40 PM  
Hey, the Chrysler Building looks nice.

/wants me a new 2008 Challenger, which was just announced as a go for production for early 2008
 
maffick
2006-07-06 12:29:06 PM  
Oh, and it is Ron Reagan (the gay one not the dead asshole one) not chris matthews.....
 
groverpm
2006-07-06 12:30:08 PM  
Methinks smitty has a small one.
 
the biggest redneck here
2006-07-06 12:30:28 PM  
Umm, folks, that was Ron Reagan. Nice of you all to check facts and know what the he// it is you're talking about.

/ just lost a lot of faith in Farkers to dissect an issue before commenting
// not that I had much in the first place
 
foo monkey
2006-07-06 12:30:28 PM  
[image from img231.imageshack.us too old to be available]
 
Psumek
2006-07-06 12:30:34 PM  
I thought Chrysler was European?
 
TripSixes
2006-07-06 12:30:50 PM  
God, I love snails.
 
Synaesthesia
2006-07-06 12:31:15 PM  
The thing that bothers me is that SUV's neglect the U. They aren't designed for what their meant for, other than feeling very enabled and wasting a lot of gas.

/I believe that the resources will be put to a better use in a more enlightened age.
//If they weren't being used up by Farkers who NEED to get up that hill, and home 15 seconds earlier.
 
Briant73
2006-07-06 12:32:13 PM  
My personal opinion is these cars will be doomed to fail after one of them is in an accident with one of our chrysler building sized vehicles and we learn the results of such a tragedy.
 
TripSixes
2006-07-06 12:32:14 PM  
My Car:
[image from us1.webpublications.com.au too old to be available]
 
BHK
2006-07-06 12:32:15 PM  
I rather like the smart car, but I wouldn't feel safe in one here. That being said, Europeans don't prize modesty, they are just taxed into submission. I didn't know anyone there who owned a smart car because of modesty.
 
dalbuc
2006-07-06 12:32:22 PM  
The car is perfect if you are tooling about on surface roads. If I stilled lived in DC it is the kind of car I'd be looking for to navigate around there.

The 0-60 times I've seen quotes trend towards 20 seconds whihc means merging onto a highway is a death sentence.
 
theorellior
2006-07-06 12:32:24 PM  
oldfarthenry: /Kidding! That polyester star spangled shirt is quite slimming.

Someone needs to post that pic of the large woman in the leopard-print spandex workout suit.
 
Dear Jerk
2006-07-06 12:32:59 PM  
That was the worst thing I've ever read. Nobody's head is more beachball shaped than Matthews. Although smitty is the Most. Biased. Evah.
 
spleef420
2006-07-06 12:33:14 PM  
where's Marv when you need him?
 
FlippityFlap
2006-07-06 12:33:30 PM  
God I 'ate snails.....oh GOD!!
 
maitri
2006-07-06 12:33:36 PM  
Just think! You could be driving this!
[image from mataglap.com too old to be available]
 
hard h2o
2006-07-06 12:33:50 PM  
They can park on a bottle cap; they get a million and a half miles per gallon; a child can lift one up and carry it into the back yard. Yet they're comfortable enough, with plenty of head room and storage space. In short, smart cars are more or less perfect for going to work or running errands around town, just about anything within a 25-mile radius - roughly 90 percent of what we do with our cars.

So what do I do when I want to do the other 10%?
 
Angel of Death
2006-07-06 12:34:03 PM  
How can I suggest to Fark management the possibility of implementing a reading comprehension test when one applies for a Fark account?

/next up: reading comprehension tests when one registers to vote!
 
theorellior
2006-07-06 12:34:04 PM  
TripSixes: My Car

Your plane, too?
 
sivazh
2006-07-06 12:34:06 PM  
Hmm, kind of hard to identify the blogger when his freakin' pic and profile is right on the screen in front of you.

Ron Reagan
MSNBC Political Analyst

Things have gotten very very sloppy around Fark lately.
 
smeag0l
2006-07-06 12:35:07 PM  
Paying 15-20 grand for a 40 hp 3cyl diesel that
goes from 0-60 in 20 sec is !Smart.

With gas over there at $5/gal the europeans can't make
money on them. It's a toy car for rich hippies.
/stick to the prius, mini, civic, scion, corolla, golf etc.
 
jmr4152
2006-07-06 12:35:46 PM  
I would love to buy an econo box. I'm just afraid of being hit by 2 ton plus vehicles.

\Used to drive a Civic
\\Hit in the side by an Expedition going slower than 5mph
\\\Civic dead
 
the biggest redneck here
2006-07-06 12:36:02 PM  
"How can I suggest to Fark management the possibility of implementing a reading comprehension test when one applies for a Fark account?"

Soconded.
 
Jack31081
2006-07-06 12:36:03 PM  
Synaesthesia: The thing that bothers me is that SUV's neglect the U. They aren't designed for what their meant for, other than feeling very enabled and wasting a lot of gas.

SUV stands for 'sports utility vehicle' like KFC stands for 'kentucky fried chicken'

perhaps at one time it was true, but now it's just a meaningless acronym
 
fatal_exception
2006-07-06 12:36:26 PM  
Today's poorly thought out, breathless headline brought to you by submitter.
 
jakomo002
2006-07-06 12:36:37 PM  
Nothing makes you feel like more of a man than puttering around in a mini lotion-car.
 
rga184
2006-07-06 12:37:57 PM  
sivazh

It was the first thing I noticed when I went to the link. Do people even RTFA????? That, or they're utter morans.
 
Dr.Knockboots
2006-07-06 12:38:04 PM  
why does the Prius have to look like absolute garbage?
why couldnt they bring back the Supra looks with Prius mpg?


maffick - we must agree to disagree. Getting onto the "highway" in Italy was a nightmare.. all the other cars going fast.. then this little Smart POS chugging along at snails pace without ability to merge without causing issue.. sigh.
navigating up the hills around the vineyards.. horrible.
and FMS forbid you ever get into an accident in that thing.. insta-death.

TripSixes
why does that look like an old Honda CRX that had the back end melt? those wheels covers are unsightly.

but what do i know about ugly.. i drive an Avalanche. heh
 
Artisticallyderanged
2006-07-06 12:38:09 PM  
"with plenty of head room and storage space"

Has this guy even SEEN one of these microcars? a friend has one with the ragtop roof, and there is no storage space whatsoever in them. Not to mention if you are so much as hit by a bicycle you are in trouble. Smart? don't think so.
European cities generally speaking have smaller roads, smaller cars, lower speeds, tighter angles and parking, etc etc. Microcars make sense. In NA, large open high-speed roads mean that a small car would get destroyed if it was hit by anything. However, you'd need to aim very carefully to hit one.
 
thegipper
2006-07-06 12:38:10 PM  
my nazi mobiles get about 21 on the highway and 15 in the city.
 
cashman
2006-07-06 12:38:12 PM  
Methinks that most Americans would have a hard time squeezing their fat asses into one of these things,...

[image from graphics8.nytimes.com too old to be available]
 
TripSixes
2006-07-06 12:38:19 PM  
There are Snails, on her PLATE!
 
giantpiraterobot
2006-07-06 12:38:39 PM  
""How can I suggest to Fark management the possibility of implementing a reading comprehension test when one applies for a Fark account?"

Soconded."

umm. tharded.
 
Stryyder
2006-07-06 12:38:46 PM  
I wonder what Chris Matthews drives...
 
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