Metro Man: Puppy Love
By Jerry Attkisson
I’m in love—it’s just puppy love. My smart convertible finally arrived in late February. It was the first delivered in Atlanta.
My wife says it looks like a puppy from the front so I gave it a little red removable tongue. It’s small, cute, frisky, fun, and people seem to adore my smart.
My puppy’s not the least expensive small car available and others get even better gas mileage. But in this faltering economy with growing inflation and expensive gas the price, around $20,000, seems reasonable. At 40 mpg on the road it’s right up there with the hybrids.
There’s a year and a half wait if you order one. But when they first began arriving a small number of people who had ordered them decided against taking delivery due to a change in circumstances. These are known as "orphan" cars. There’s a long waiting list for these smarts as well.
I was lucky enough to snare one of these orphans which I plan to flip for a profit. You can’t flip houses at the moment so I thought I would flip a smart. It’s Yellow Jacket yellow and black but for about $1,500 you can replace the outside panels and make it Bulldog red and black or any of the other colors available.
This little puppy is one answer to Atlanta’s congestion and today’s economic environment. And my smart can run with the big dogs beyond the Perimeter at 90 miles per hour.
jerryattkisson@mindspring.com.
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