Yesterday I was able to finally check out another one of my crazy ideas for a commuter car to get to work and back. My current car is a 2009 Smart Pure. I have had it since May of 2009, and before that I had a 2008 Smart the had ummm lets say mechanical difficulties which forced it's replacement.. It caught on fire when I was driving down the road. Smart replaced it with a brand new one and took my old one back to Germany for testing to find out what caused it. I was able to extinguish the fire and sort of save most of the car. Tough to do with a mostly plastic car!! Last I heard from one of the Smart execs was that it is now sitting in a warehouse in Germany (Mercedes Benz designed the car)

My current smart has 135,000 miles on it and I am thinking it may be time for a newer car to get me to work and back. Can't argue with the 45 mpg I am getting on that little guy. Anyhow, I have been following the efforts of Elio Motors to build a 3 wheeled vehicle and all the problems they have been having with a new company startup, and designing a car that gets 80 MPG and is to be priced at $6800!! Not a strippeed down car, but has cruise, AC, power windows, seats 2 and has impressive performance. I got to actually see their prototype and sit in it! Been trying to see one for a number of years now and they finally came up to Minnesota.
I am not an 'average sized guy' by any means and my big concern (no pun intended) was if I can fit inside it comfortably. I hopped in my trusty Disco1 and drove the 53 miles up to check it out.

Overall I was impressed with the layout of the car and yes, I actually fit in it comfortably, even with my messed up knee ( had knee replacement surgery 3 months ago) This was a prototype and was made to show the layout, size and design of the body so it did not have the production motor or transmission, (parts were from a Geo metro)

Just thought you would enjoy something a little different . I could always use it as an escape pod for my Disco!!




The cane on the floor is mine, helps me get around when I have been sitting in one spot for too long.

The biggest draw for this 'Autocycle' is that it will get 80MPG, and loaded purchase price will be $6800!! Gotta love that!! That would make my drive to work and back use just a touch over a gallon of gas!!!

And it is kind of a cute car too. I won't ever get rid of my Disco1 as there is not much ground clearance so winter driving may be a bit challenging during the snowy months, but sometimes you gotta have a little fun too!!