Dan's Papers - May 16, 2008 - Twentysomething...By David Lion Rattiner

For the summer, I have the pleasure of driving a Smart Car for two, a new automobile that is being introduced to Long Island this year by the Smart Car Center in Smithtown. The good people over there noticed my distaste (OK it's complete hatred) for the price of gas and have proven to me that you can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to driving in the Hamptons.

Smart Car is made by Mercedes Benz in a factory that uses completely recycled materials and where the employees work only four days a week. The physical size of the car is what is most striking, at just a little bit more then eight feet long. When you see the car, at first you are not quite sure what you are looking at, but then a flashback of a past trip to Europe, where they are extremely popular, comes to mind.

People have pretty much freaked out since I got the car. I get two reactions. The first one is, "Oh my God that is the coolest thing I have ever seen!" and the second is, "Just how do you fit in that thing, being so tall?"

It's true, on the outside the Smart Car looks small, but on the inside, you would not believe how much room there is. At 6'3" and 200 pounds, I feel completely comfortable. There is absolutely no difference in interior space compared to any other car that I have driven.

The car is also zippy. The engine is just three cylinders, but it still has pep off the line because the physical weight of it is so light, which makes driving the car a lot of fun. With a press of a button the top comes down, turning it into a convertible, and a switch from automatic drive to manual let me drive it with a state of the art paddle shift system, which makes it quick.

In Montauk I saw an old man wearing a Montauk Fire Department jacket hitchhiking outside of the IGA. Being that my grandfather used to be in the fire department in Montauk, I figured I'd pull over and pick him up. He entered the car silently and then said, "West Lake Drive."

I nodded, put my Smart Car into manual and sped off. We flew through Montauk, and I could see in the corner of my eye that this old man was impressed with my car. After driving in complete silence for about five minutes he said, "This is one sweet little baby! What the hell is it?"

"It's a Smart Car. They're new and they get great gas mileage," I said. Before he got out he turned to me and said, "The last time I was moving that fast I was in a tank! Thanks for your kindness," and off he went.

Being quick off the line is important to me with a car, but when you take away the Mercedes Benz design, impressive engine specs and driving ability, it's all about the fuel economy. That's really why you buy it. In the Hamptons, gas prices are absolutely ridiculous and it really makes me, and everybody else, mad. People are now filling up on $100. Now I'm sorry, but $100 should be the price of a luxury item - a night out on the town, a new pair of really awesome shoes - not the price of a tank of gas. The Smart Car gets 40 miles to the gallon on the highway and has a nine-gallon gas tank. Even at four bucks a gallon you can fill up for in the $20 range, which is a ridiculously fantastic feeling. If you drive like me, that money really, really adds up.

What makes you feel good about the Smart Car is that it is one of the only practical but at the same time cool cars on the market. You can get one for about $15,000, and also get great fuel economy. It's really a no brainer. If you have to drive a truck because you're a workman, the Smart Car isn't the answer. But if you are driving a truck for the style, there is no way that you haven't considered trading it in for a more fuel-efficient car. As far as I can tell, the Smart Car is the only car on the market that offers a good price, good looks, and some of the best fuel economy that you can get other than a motorcycle. So yes, as annoying as it sounds, it is a smart car to buy.