Dude, Where’s My Small Car?
2018 has not been kind to the small car.
Back in April, Ford announced plans to eliminate all models except for the Mustang, SUVs & trucks.
Just last week General Motors did the same.
Chrysler shut down the Dodge Dart. While, VW will sqwish the Beetle come next year.
All this news crams those who prefer small cars, like myself, into a real tight spot.
You see I love small cars. Always have.
As a kid the clown car was my favorite thing at the circus. How did so many clowns squeeze into that tiny car? I never knew but I wanted one, for sure.
My first car was a Datsun B-210. It put the “no” in “no frills.”
Vinyl everything (even the tires). The engine had 55 horsepower and was the size of a microwave oven. The glove box had more legroom than the backseat.
It became a true clown car during a trip home from a Hall & Oates concert when nine people piled inside.
“Is that the turn signal or someone’s finger?”
Through the years more small cars followed ending up with my latest steed, a Honda Fit.
Compact yet spacious (if that makes any sense).
Fuel efficient and 135,000 miles on the odometer & just as many crumbs in the driver’s seat.
My point is as auto companies claim markets are changing & consumers prefer bigger vehicles like SUVs & trucks, I want to stand up for the little guy…the Prius, the Smart Car, the Fit, the Spark, the Mini, the Beetle.
Stand up REAL tall because it is difficult finding our compact cars in a lot filled full of SUVs. It’s like finding a sapling in a forest of redwoods.
We deserve to be counted…not be hidden in the shadows of some behemoth GMC Denali blocking out the sun…and not taking up a space & a half in the parking deck like the big boys.
Counted, because we enjoy driving our puny cars with wimpy horns & tiny tires.
Though when it comes time for a new vehicle, the current trend of auto makers will certainly leave us asking…”Dude, where’s my small car?”
3 Replies to “Dude, Where’s My Small Car?”
My dad drives a Volkswagen Beetle that has been in our family for over 10 years. He says he never loses it in a parking lot because of its color, YELLOW!!
Margaret,
dang am I jealous. Always wanted one of the new bugs & I dig yellow (matches my teeth.).
Thank you for sharing!
Growing up my family owned several VW bugs because my mother’s brother owned a Volkswagen dealership. My first car was a hand-me-down stick shift blue VW bug. My first job after college was in Miami and the Mickey Mouse AC was what led me to purchasing my first car, a Toyota Corolla. One of the cars my family owned when I was growing up was a yellow VW Bug convertible, which my sister subsequently totaled. She was okay. When Volkswagen brought back the beetle, my mother just had to buy another yellow beetle , this time she did not want the convertible. My mother died in 2008 , and we have continued to keep the car. My dad told me just yesterday that the car is 20 years old , and every time he has the car serviced, it cost more then what the car is worth.