Cash For Cars In Maryland

When you are researching who buys cars in Baltimore, you can begin by looking for a convenient buyer in your area. Do you live downtown, in the Central District near the Camden Yards Sports Complex, the National Aquarium in Baltimore or the Convention Center? Find someone who buys cars in Baltimore that is located in the downtown core area or who is willing to travel. Don’t waste time driving to different corners of the city allowing dozens of buyers to inspect and possibly reject the car in question. If you do find a company or service who buys cars in Baltimore, Maryland that requires travel make sure you discuss with them the paperwork required to make the final sale before making the trip.

Cash For Cars

Perhaps you live in the Northern District, home to America’s first planned suburbs. While there may be options for selling your car in this area, be sure to research the competition to get the best price for your vehicle. It may take a few phone calls to find out who buys cars in Baltimore, MD suburbs for the highest amount with the least hassles. Ask how long the entire process will take and discuss any concerns about the car to be sold over the phone. Bring along or have ready a file containing the car’s history.

Maybe you live or work near one of Baltimore’s many college campuses. Find out who buys cars in Baltimore, Maryland from near the universities by doing research on or near the actual campuses themselves. Whether looking for a company who buys cars in Baltimore near one of the public schools such as the University of Maryland, University of Baltimore or Morgan State University or the private schools like The John Hopkins University, Loyola University Maryland or Notre Dame of Maryland University there are plenty of options. Don’t settle for an unprofessional scam artist who buys cars in Baltimore when you can find a reputable company through a few phone calls or online searches.

By: Derek Emery

Get Cash For Cars In Maryland

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In fact, Barrack Obama’s new chief of staff mentioned the car industry specifically in an interview on the television program “Face the Nation,” calling it “an essential part of the economy.” Rahm Emanuel said the federal government should provide aid to the automobile industry to help the major automakers and their supplies survive the financial crisis, the New York Times reported.

The comments came after America’s largest automaker, General Motors, the week of the election stated it has been losing more than $2 billion a month and faces bankruptcy. The new President’s staff members are calling on the Bush administration to accelerate $25 billion in federal loans provided by a recent law to help automakers and suppliers retool to build more energy-efficient vehicles.

Obama’s team hopes to come up with ideas to help the industry while at the same time developing a new energy policy that will let America become less dependent on foreign oil.

Of course, gas prices are pretty much doing that anyway, as buyers are more inclined to purchase gas sippers. It remains to be seen how the federal government could boost sales of fuel-efficient cars.

Uncertainty Reduced, Helps to Sell a Used Car or Buy a New Car

All of this should be good news to those selling a used car or in the market to buy a new car or buy a used car. The end of the election has reduced “uncertainty” and should embolden consumers to open their wallets and increase spending overall, according to the Portland Oregonian.

“The uncertainty is gone,” said the chairman and chief executive for Lithia Motors in Oregon. “Especially as the fear of the economy collapsing and the inability of banks to lend goes out of people’s minds.”

It couldn’t have come soon enough for the embattled automotive industry. Cars.com already is looking ahead, planning to kick off its 2009 marketing campaign with a 60-second commercial to air during the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. It’s the second consecutive year the site for online car shoppers will advertise in the Big Game.

The campaign will feature auto shoppers confident in their new car purchase, because of preparation thanks to Cars.com.

 Financial Institutions and Selling a Used Car

Another area to watch if you are selling a used car, seek quick cash for used cars or buying a car is lending.Barack Obama -Search using:

The continued shoring up of the banking industry should help more Americans secure credit, the Lithia Motors executive said. That should help if you are in the market to buy a new car, and possibly even if you are selling a used car.

Then there’s federal government lending to major American automakers. Congressional Democrats want the Bush Administration to use part of the $700 billion financial industry bailout to help automakers. Under discussion is $25 billion in loans for fuel-efficient vehicles, planned to be distributed over several months.

But help to automakers will take a back seat to federal assistance for financial institutions. Again, that activity should help those selling used cars or buying new cars or even buying used cars.

Hopefully it will ultimately help General Motors, which saw its shares drop by 23 percent barely a week after the election. It’s hard to imagine General Motors declaring bankruptcy.

However there is some history involved – Chrysler was saved by a 1979 federal bailout. Only time will tell if the election results will help owners to sell a used car, buy a new car or buy a used car. At least lawmakers have acknowledged auto sales as a problem area, and something the new administration can focus on.

Fill out our convenient form at http://www.cash4usedcars.com and get cash for your car quickly!

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If you are starting the process to sell a used car and want to spruce up its look for potential buyers, there are multiple options.

Many car owners go for bigger, rather lavish new wheels for style, and to be different. With so many Toyota Camrys out on the road today, for example, and often the same color, why not make yours stick out from the crowd?

Then there are physical improvements. Bigger wheels and tires help to sell a used car because your vehicle will have enhanced handling. The grip on cornering will be noticeably better for a potential buyer during a test drive. Be sure to talk it up.

The wider the wheel, the more rubber meets the road, so to speak, making turning easier even at higher speeds. There are also tires with short sidewalls, called low-profile tires, which deliver faster and more responsive turning actions.

That considered, as you try to sell a used car and think about new wheels, you have to weigh the cost-benefit ratio.

Cost-Benefit for New Wheels and Selling a Used Car

It’s a no-brainer that the bigger the wheels or tires, the bigger the payment. If you are hard-pressed to get cash for used cars and fast, you most likely don’t have a budget to spend thousands of dollars on new wheels.

What are the costs? For a set of four, anything from $750 on up to $5,000, according to Westways magazine, the publication by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The bigger the car, the more the new wheels tend to cost. So to sell a used car, your investment in new wheels likely will be larger if you’re selling a truck or sport utility vehicle.

Here is an additional cost that you should keep to yourself to sell a used car: insurance. Adding expensive, custom equipment adds another attraction for thieves, and some insurance companies may require an owner to purchase more coverage.

On the flip side, one could argue that wider wheels means better handling and therefore more ability to avoid dangers and safer driving. An insurance appraiser might not buy it, but it’s something in your toolbox to argue.

 Cons Along with Pros to Sell a Used Car with New Wheels

As you sell a used car, understand other drawbacks to new wheels and tires, including potentially lowered fuel economy, a rougher ride (with shorter sidewalls particularly), and the threat for higher-profile vehicles to rollover at high speeds on tight curves.

Remember that automakers engineer their vehicles with original wheels by considering both ride and handling, and they aim for a balance between the two. In switching wheel sizes, talk carefully with an expert to try to ascertain how the change might impact both ride and handling.

Additionally, greatly increasing the diameter and width of your vehicle’s tires could prove chaotic for antilock brakes, speedometer and odometer, and in newer vehicles computer-controlled vehicle systems.

So as you contemplate adding new wheels for your quest to sell a used car, put some thought into it. Check reports online, and talk with your salesperson to try to learn what the change will do to the vehicle’s performance.

That said, new wheels and tires sure can make your used car look sweet. The exterior look of a vehicle plays a major role in selling a used car, and the investment might just prove to be worth it.

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Some people who drive flex-fuel cars know they are saving gas but they don’t always know that they are in a FFV.

Luckily, their production and use is slowly picking up in the United States.

What is A FFV?

The official name is flexible-fuel vehicles, or dual-fuel vehicles, for obvious reasons. They are alternative fuel cars using multi-fuel engines burning on gas and a second fuel source, most often ethanol.

In 2007, 17 models were listed as FFV, up from six the previous year, and only three in 2004-2005.

But American automakers are still far behind the world’s leader, Brazil, which today claims almost 72 vehicles produced there are flex-fuel.

According to Yahoo! Autos, some of today’s most popular flex-fuel 2008 models are Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Chevrolet’s Impala and Tahoe

There are 2 different kinds of flex-fuel systems

1. Single tanks which mixes different levels of bioethanol (or gasohol)
2. Independant tanks for each fuel system

Flex-Fuel Vehicles Have Been Around Awhile

It’s interesting to note that many automotive historians consider the first flex-fuel car to be a Ford Model T dating back to 1908, which had a carburetor that let the engine run adjustably on gasoline or ethanol.

Unfortunately widespread use has been slow in coming, not gaining much worldwide traction until the oil crisis of the 1970s, and in America the wait was even longer.

South American powerhouse Brazil has been pushing and selling ethanol as vehicle fuel since the gas-crisis ‘70s.

Automakers there quickly modified gas engines to allow use of ethanol by managing fuel injection and other technological advancements that help engines run better and longer.

By 2003, 4.8% of Brazilian-made cars were flex-fuel. The number has increased each year since, sometimes dramatically.

American automakers have gotten into the race. Ford claims to offer cars globally that use E85 – 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline.

Aside from the Model T long ago, Ford was one of the first domestic car producers to try flex-fuel. More recently, several Taurus sedans with 3.0-liter engines from 1995 to 1998 were FFVs.

In 2008, Chevrolet claimed to produce several flex-fuel cars in America, all with V6 or V8 engines, including versions of the Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche, Impala, and Uplander.

What Flex-Fuel May Mean for You

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates there are more than 6 million FFVs on U.S. roadways today.

They qualify as alternative fuel vehicles under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, and also qualify for AFV tax credits, not to mention they produce lower emissions for environmentally careful motorists.

The DOE claims flex-fuel cars are not dissimilar to vehicles that run on conventional gas alone.

Power, acceleration, cargo-carrying ability and more are comparable, whether motoring on ethanol or gasoline.

The only difference is lower fuel economy when flex-fuel cars run on ethanol alone.

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is promoting awareness for flex fuel vehicles. To determine if your car is E85 compatible you can use their eligibility feature.

There’s still a way to go. For example, the NEVC’s website lists locations who sell E85. The page for California has nine locations and in Southern California only one of them were located in Los Angeles

Here is there information:

Conserv Fuel
11688 San Vicente Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310 571-0039

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But that day has come, and it has been here for quite a few months.

Aside from price shopping – four dollars-plus per gallon will do that – car owners want to know which gas or additive will make their car run better, and which types may be damaging to a vehicle or the environment.

Marketing for Gas?

Gas companies and refineries understand this well, and have even tied the value of their product into their marketing campaigns.

Most every driver is familiar with the cute little cars that talk for Chevron and the Techron added to the gas it sells from stations.

Techron is a fuel deposit-control additive, that most auto parts stores sell, so car owners could choose to buy their gas anywhere and just add a small bottle of Techron every other fill-up.

But Chevron mixes it in with all the gas and touts it like some secret ingredient, like a hamburger joint’s “secret sauce.”

Do We Really Need High Octane?

For so many years, motorists treated gasoline like an inconvenient requirement to motor around, just like insurance.

They would treat insurance with a bit more care – since auto insurance payments are for long periods of time, from monthly to yearly, the payments used to be much higher than a trip to the local gas station.

With gas prices rising faster than the media can report it, motorists are starting to realize the cumulative cost of filling up.

Consumers also are researching the costs and benefits of purchasing certain types of gasoline.

Many industry experts have said that the type of gas a person puts in a car does not matter…buy the cheapest available.

Others disagree.  “Gas is not just gas,” a service center owner told The News Herald in Panama City, Florida, in April 2008.

Service-center industry participants should know, they witness fuel system problems, engine carbon buildup and similar problems attributed to poor fuel quality.

Those problems can become costly in terms of eventual repairs.

Many are directing motorists to seek gasoline with fuel detergent added, or to add it after purchasing from the pump.

Car owners can tap sources, such as , to learn about retailers that use more additives than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets as a minimum requirement.

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For months homebuilders have worked diligently to attract potential buyers and boost traffic in their models, by giving away gas cards, free tickets to amusement attractions, and the like.

Some have had contests for no mortgage payments for a year; others have pitched contests for rooms full of Disney furniture.

Saturn is Pulling Away

A recent media release by Saturn puts them to shame.

The General Motors division has launched a national photo contest, called “Kiss My Astra.”

In it, Saturn enthusiasts can kiss an Astra model, have a photo taken of the act, and then upload the photo on ImSaturn.

Whoever submits the “funniest, most creative photo,” selected by online Saturn fans, will claims a 2008 Saturn XR 5-door.

“Saturn vehicles have always inspired feelings of passion from our owners, and the Astra is no exception,” Matt Armstrong, Saturn car marketing manager, said in the release. “With the ‘Kiss My Astra’ photo contest, Astra fans can share their public displays of affection for this fuel-efficient, great-looking new car.”

Are Saturn models so popular that they attract their own online community? That’s what Saturn officials are saying.

Out-of-This-World Online Community?

To participate in the contest, people have to join the ImSaturn online network and log in. 

The release states this: “In September, a group of ‘Astra-ologists’ from Saturn will select 20 finalists. Visitors and members of ImSaturn.com will then cast their votes for the best ‘Kiss My Astra’ photo.”

Astra-ologists?

Well, taking a peek at the Astra reveals why it might be attracting a following. With an EPA-estimated 24 miles per gallon in city streets and 32 mpg on highways, Saturn claims that no five-door vehicle in its class gets better mileage than its Astra.

Its variable valve-timing, 1.8-liter engine kicks out 138 horsepower, to go along with good space inside and considerable storage capacity, according to Saturn.

A big dual-panel sunroof is nice, but options are very limited. The company mostly touts a choice between a standard AM/FM/CD player, or a six-disc CD changer with MP3 disc playback with a seven-speaker audio system.

But don’t look for satellite radio or auxiliary input, because you won’t find it.

The Astra comes in three- or five-door hatchback body styles, and with sales beginning in January 2008, Saturn plans for it to replace the Ion as its smallest model.

The Astra XE is the standard trim level; the XR only comes in the three-door style, and adds 17-inch alloy wheels.

Cute Enough to Kiss, Without the PR

A criticism of the Astra is it is barely more affordable than the next-biggest Saturn model, the Aura – and they share the same fuel economy.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Astra is $17,425, while the Aura starts at $21,345.

Maybe that explains Saturn’s promotional push with the kissing photos.

Other small fuel-efficient vehicles appear to be going in the other direction – no special contests necessary. People are actually waiting for one to become available.

Take, for example, the Smart Fortwo. With gas prices topping $4 per gallon, interested buyers are putting down $99 and waiting up to nine months for the two-seat, pod-shaped Fortwo.

It’s parent company, Daimler AG, claims the waiting list tops 30,000 customers, and a good chunk of them choose to buy once their name reaches the top.

To get its 33 to 41 miles per gallon, one would have to plop down a bit more than $12,000 for a basic model, about $17,000 to go convertible.

And it’s cute enough to kiss – without a contest or photos.

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Parting with their truck was a rare occasion. Unless an owner had his or her eyes on a larger or fancier model.

Times Have Changed for the Pickup Truck

Image from Up North Promo
Pickup truck owners stuck with their brands fiercely, even mocking other truck-makers with rude rear-window stickers.

Women also got into the act, driving around in a mid-size or even full-size truck as if they owned the road – mocking their male counterparts.

Today, owners who just a few years ago would not be seen in a regular car are trading in or selling their beloved cargo-carriers.

The gas price crisis has hit American motorists that hard.

The slow death of the sport utility vehicle is well documented in the media. But the pickup truck?

Perhaps its demise is being exaggerated. After all, gas prices be damned, many motorists will still need their truck for work purposes.  Right?

Trucks Through History

The pickup truck has always maintained a “tough guy” image in America.

They were featured prominently in movies such as “Urban Cowboy” and “Every Which Way But Loose,” and surfaced again recently in political media reports.

Former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson attacked an opponent by stating, “He hasn’t spent enough time in a pickup truck”.

Texas Cadillac, indeed. The pickup is such a part of Texas culture that the state offers lower tax rates to register them compared with other types of vehicles.

And who could forget President George W. Bush cruising around his Crawford, Texas, ranch in his white Ford F-250 with Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting shotgun?

Indeed, many American males see the pickup as a replacement for the horse of the old West, giving them freedom to roam wherever they choose.

With the cargo bed behind the cabin, they can haul anything they wish, and newer models come with more modern amenities such as larger cabins and even extra doors to make carrying passengers that much easier.

Four-door trucks, called crew cabs, surfaced in 1965 with Ford’s F-250 short bed and were slow to catch on, but today they are quite common.

Even some families have attached to them, favoring their extra seating in the back of the cab.

Replacing the Ever-Loved Pickup Truck

But those same families are being pinched – ahem, hammered – by astronomical gas prices.

Families and individual truck owners alike are weighing options to get rid of their gas guzzler for something friendlier at the pump. But what might replace it?

There are no hybrids, or mid-size cars that can offer the hauling flexibility of a pickup truck.

Then there’s the coolness or macho factors. Have you seen George W. Bush in a Prius recently?

Perhaps certain crossovers might fill the void. The upcoming 2009 Ford Escape, for example, will have a new 2.5-liter Duratec engine, jumping up to 171 horsepower and increasing fuel economy.

An optional 3-liter Duratec V6 can bump it up to 240 horsepower. There also will be hybrid versions and the accompanying increase in gas mileage. All that plus room to haul.

Don’t tell anyone that the Escape is built on the platform the Ford’s supermini Fiesta, designed and built by Ford Europe.

Ford’s New Full Size

A different Ford model is getting noticed for the 2009 model year. The Flex

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Editors and reporters, tired of writing repeatedly about American motorists’ quick shift from large trucks and sport utility vehicles to small gas-sippers, seized the chance to write about a drawback.

Smaller cars cost more to insure

Insure.com surveyed insurance rates from four of the nation’s biggest car insurers, in multiple ZIP codes across America, for a variety of vehicles.

The findings for the 2009 model year, and average national premium:

• Honda Civic – $1,670
• Toyota Prius – $1,382
• Toyota Camry – $1,302
• Toyota Sienna – $1,266
• Honda CR-V – $1,258
• Ford F-Series – $1,194

The reasons all fall back to insurers’ experience with the total cost of claims.

Small cars are not as safe, both from a driving and collision perspective.

They are lower to the ground, limiting broad visibility. In collisions they just aren’t heavy or strong enough to fend off interior damage and potential injuries.

To further boost fuel economy and therefore sales, many of them are made as light as possible. Lighter materials are rarely stronger than heavier materials like steel.

Is Cost or Bodily Protection More Important?

“Of course, you might want to invest some of that money in a good short-term disability insurance policy if you drive a small car” About.com posted shortly after the Insure.com release.

The comment was a sort of caveat about small-car insurance costs, because in the long run owners still will save more in gas than by insuring an F-Series truck.

For example, the annual fuel costs for a Honda Civic are estimated at $2,091, while the F-Series truck would cost $4,042.

Subtract the insurance costs outlined above and the Civic still saves the owner $1,475 annually.

So it’s all about what is more important to the consumer. Do you want to save money, or gain peace of mind in terms of personal safety?

Safety plays a big part in many consumers’ decision-making process when it comes to buying cars

Particularly families, who often like the bulk of a minivan or SUV in terms of protecting precious live cargo.

The Highway Loss Data Institute, a division of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), recently offered data from 2004 to 2006 model vehicles that can impact how consumers feel about smaller cars.

From Worst to Best in Safety

The Institute tracked losses by insurance carriers in mishaps for the same automobiles compared and reported by Insure.com.

Honda Civic – “Worse than average” for personal injury protection losses and medical payments. This means passenger injuries are costly for this model.

Honda Civic Coupe – “Worse than average” for bodily injury and “substantially worse than average” for collision, personal injury protection and medical payment losses.

Honda CR-V – Classified as a small SUV, it performs at “average” for all loss categories except comprehensive losses, where it is “substantially better than average”. Comprehensive coverage includes theft, fire, vandalism and natural disasters.

Toyota Sienna minivan – “Better” or “substantially better than average” across all loss categories.

Ford F-150 pickups – “Substantially better than average” for personal injury protection and medical payment claims; “worse” for comprehensive claims. 
*Note: the F-150 ranks No. 4 on the “most stolen vehicles” list by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Time will tell if Insure.com’s release has any impact on the landslide of small car sales.

The demand is so great, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that a two-year-old Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, or Mini Cooper will cost almost as much as a new version. There is little depreciation because demand is not waning.

Autodata Corp. reports that from June 2007 to June 2008, total light truck sales fell 28.4%, while sales of the Toyota Corolla and Camry and Honda Civic and Accord are rising.

Honda has reported a Civic sales record in June 2008, up 23.1% from the previous year.

It doesn’t appear insurance costs are deterring many Civic buyers.

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Ford presented tips on how motorists can save gas over the summer travel season by changing their driving behavior.

The public relations announcement occurred the same month that the company publicly admitted to a forthcoming focus toward small, fuel-efficient vehicles, and away from the trucks that made it so much money the past decade.

Built Ford Green?

The thrust of the message to consumers is, “We want to help you save gas!”

While the company wants to have more smaller cars in its lineup primarily to increase sales, not necessarily to protect the environment, the overall reach of the messages is one of eco-consciousness.

Did Ford wait too long?

Many other automakers already are well on their way in selling smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles.

They already have them on the market, and by the time Ford catches up, it may be a challenge to secure a hold in the market.

In reporting an $8.7 billion second-quarter 2008 loss, Ford tried to ease the hurt by announcing plans to deliver some of its small European models to the North American market over the next four years.

Four years? How about one or two years?

Ford Says: Drive Better, Save Gas

“Fuel-efficiency experts agree that learning to drive differently can increase fuel efficiency”, Ford’s July 2008 media release stated.

“According to the U.S. Department of Energy, aggressive driving behaviors such as rapid acceleration, speeding and braking can lower gas mileage significantly”.

Nice information to have, but coming from an automaker known for a lineup chock full of trucks?

“Ford calls it EcoDriving – ECOnomical because it saves money and ECOlogical because it is better for the environment”, the release continued.

Ford’s gas-saving driving tips

• Drive slower and maintain a consistent speed, 55 mph is optimum
• Engines do not need warm-up time, idling wastes fuel & increases emissions
• Tires inflated to recommended pressure levels can cut fuel usage by 3 to 4%
• Don’t keep heavy items in your car and don’t stack luggage on your roof rack it cuts fuel economy by up to 5%
• Cutting use of the air conditioner when temps hit above 80 saves 10% to 15% of fuel
• Close windows, at high speeds, open windows create aerodynamic drag

European Ford Factory

Next Ford plans to bring to America what it’s already selling overseas.

Six European small cars are planned to hit U.S. roadways by 2012. These include the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, and Ford TransitConnect.

Also planned is the conversion of two additional North American plants that now build sport utility vehicles and trucks, to produce small, fuel-efficient cars.

According to the blog Fordfaqs.com, company executives plan to convert at least three SUV-truck-producing facilities in North America immediately to produce Ford models now sold in Europe.

One high-level executive said, according to the website, the timeline is “Yesterday.”

Among Ford’s Plans

• Convert the entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury lineup by 2010
• Double hybrid production for 2009
• Add the European Transit Connect small van to North America in 2009
• Add the European Ford Fiesta in early 2010
• Bring the next-generation Euro Focus in 2010
• Build a unibody Ford Explorer in 2010, with a fuel savings of 25 percent

It’s clear by the changes that Ford plans to make that the green-friendly trend is taking a firm hold in the automotive industry.

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It’s easy to understand if viewers believed the car was a toy, or just a prototype of something that might be built someday, but wouldn’t be seen anytime soon on American roadways.

What’s difficult to comprehend is this tiny vehicle – not even 9 feet in length – was developed by the parent company of Mercedes-Benz.

A New Trend

While Mercedes built a legacy of stylish, comfortable-to-ride-in luxury vehicles, the smart fortwo is appropriately named.

It’s a keen way to get around if you want to get two people from one place to another, easily and with great fuel economy.
 
Daimler AG, the parent company of the manufacturer, smart GmbH, originally designed the City Coupe and unveiled it in 1998 in Europe.

Europeans latched onto the car to transverse the tight streets of their crowded cities, and to combat fuel prices that were high long before Americans began griping about rising gas costs.

Early on, something that happened to the Mercedes impacted the design of the smart fortwo, improving its safety and paving the way for its introduction in the United States.

The Microcar Phenomenon

The official class in America, “Microcar”, says much about the vehicles. The second-generation models are small enough to park as many as three of them in a standard-length car space.

Parking is one thing…staying alive in a collision, another entirely.

Just before the City Coupe was launched, the Mercedes A Class failed a brake-swerve-and-recover maneuver aimed at testing stability in an emergency.

From there, smart GmbH decided to expend the funds needed to properly alter the City Coupe to improve the ride, handling and transmission. It impacted sales, but made buyers more comfortable in the long run.

Its new Tridion frame – made of rigid steel – surrounds and protects the passenger area and ultimately defines the vehicle’s design.

It weighs just more than 1,600 pounds, so how it performs in a collision is imperative.

To get the most out of the front crumple zone, the smart fortwo employs a rear engine – think Volkswagen Bug. 

The engine itself is remarkable

• Just three cylinders, but turbocharged
• 1.0-liter engine
• 71 horsepower

The smart fortwo comes in two body styles, the three-door hatchback, and the two-door convertible.

An interesting aspect of the exterior is interchangeable body panels. It’s easy for owners to change what the car looks like, just by changing side door panels, or the roof.

Of course its 42 miles per gallon attracts a lot of potential buyers these days. The smart fortwo was ranked the most fuel-efficient (non-hybrid) car in the U.S. federal government’s 2008 Fuel Economy Guide.

Among the Cheapest New Cars Out There

The smart fortwo became available in America at the start of 2008, with its redesigned Model 451.

By mid-year, Forbes.com named it the fourth cheapest vehicle to purchase in the United States, with a base manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $11,590.

Of its three trims, the base model Pure still comes with power locks and stability control as standard – the only such vehicle to claim that on Forbes.com’s list.

The other trims, Passion and Passion Cabriolet, range in price from MSRP $13,590 to $16,590.

Aside from fuel economy, potential buyers might not feel comfortable safety-wise motoring around in a car with such a short front-end.

However, in May 2008 the smart fortwo received top ratings in passenger protection, in both front and side crashes, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

With an engine pumping 72 horsepower, it’s not like you should plan to zoom around on freeways and highways often in a smart fortwo. For commuting, sure, but this car is really something for inner-city driving – where you get the most out of maneuvering through tight streets and traffic congestion.

It also sure would be cool to take the top off and cruise to the beach in a smart fortwo.

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