On 9/1/05, Thomas Myers <thomas.myers@xerox.com> wrote: 
> 
> If there is an upside to the gas prices....[ but not the tragedy ]
> 
> Maybe we will get access to more efficient cars...
> 
> As recently as March � daimlerChrysler was still on the fence about 
> bringing
> 
> The Smart car to this county.... 

<SNIP>
 Tom,
 The Smart car is available for sale in this country via the gray-market. I 
was in the San Francisco International Autoshow and saw them on the stands 
of ZAPworld. See the article at:
 http://www.zapworld.com/about/news/news_smartepa.asp
 They were priced at about the price of the Mini. At those prices, the Mini 
starts to sound like a much better bargain. However, they are more practical 
if the local authorities will allow them to park in half a space or straight 
into the curb. Otherwise, they are only marginally advantageous in city 
driving.
 I would never buy one to replace my Vanagon but would be a nice supplement. 
Worth the $17K base model price? Not IMHO. Maybe Daimler-Chrysler bringing 
them in will reel in the prices much as when Daimler did the same thing to 
G-wagen prices. 
 BenT