Approved by the EPA and DOT, finally for sale...sort of.
Now you didn't expect to just go out and buy it, right? Of course not,
it's going to the highest bidder and with 9 days left on a
10 day auction, looks like it's going to cost big time.

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6472&item=4509504483&rd=1>

In article >,
(R.White) wrote:

> Approved by the EPA and DOT, finally for sale...sort of.
> Now you didn't expect to just go out and buy it, right? Of course not,
> it's going to the highest bidder and with 9 days left on a
> 10 day auction, looks like it's going to cost big time.
>
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6472&item=4
> 509504483&rd=1>

$26,000?!?!?!?! Those people are INSANE!

well, now we know what novelty is worth. (For that price you could fly
to europe, buy and ship one back, have a great little vacation and get a
hand painted t-shirt from the louvre gift shop)

hmmmm... (i'm not harshing on R.White with the following, and thank him
for bring the auction to light)

Their descriptive boilerplate sounds like lying through imperfect
truth-telling. It smacks of informercial promotion ("over 86,000
electric vehicles delivered world wide!) I'm forced to wonder how many
of those vehicles were ... golf carts or razor? scooters.

Furthermore, i notice that while they've signed a " ...$10 million
contract with Smart-Automobile LLC. This contract grants us the full
rights to sell these vehicles and to develop a dealer distribution
system..." they haven't been willing, capable nor competent to find out
whether the vehicle can be licensed in _any_ state in America. .

Or, possibly, they know that it can't be licensed in all 50 states (or
any?) but don't want to admit it.

Also, for a durable goods (? big, heavy expensive) like SmartCar -- a
$10 million dollar contract is less than chicken feed. It's almost
nothing.

I'm smelling huuge scam. Mercedes very much wants this car to roll out
successfully when it hits the streets. I can't believe they're planning
on a cheese-weasle ebay ploy like this.

The more i read their copy the more suspicious i become.

..max

--
the part of >
was played by maxwell monningh 8-p

"Max" wrote

> $26,000?!?!?!?! Those people are INSANE!
>
> well, now we know what novelty is worth. (For that price you could fly
> to europe, buy and ship one back, have a great little vacation and get a
> hand painted t-shirt from the louvre gift shop)
>
> hmmmm... (i'm not harshing on R.White with the following, and thank him
> for bring the auction to light)
>
> Their descriptive boilerplate sounds like lying through imperfect
> truth-telling. It smacks of informercial promotion ("over 86,000
> electric vehicles delivered world wide!) I'm forced to wonder how many
> of those vehicles were ... golf carts or razor? scooters.
>
> Furthermore, i notice that while they've signed a " ...$10 million
> contract with Smart-Automobile LLC. This contract grants us the full
> rights to sell these vehicles and to develop a dealer distribution
> system..." they haven't been willing, capable nor competent to find out
> whether the vehicle can be licensed in _any_ state in America. .
>
> Or, possibly, they know that it can't be licensed in all 50 states (or
> any?) but don't want to admit it.
>
> Also, for a durable goods (? big, heavy expensive) like SmartCar -- a
> $10 million dollar contract is less than chicken feed. It's almost
> nothing.
>
> I'm smelling huuge scam. Mercedes very much wants this car to roll out
> successfully when it hits the streets. I can't believe they're planning
> on a cheese-weasle ebay ploy like this.
>
> The more i read their copy the more suspicious i become.

After looking at what they had sold on eBay & items they have for sale, it
sure looked like a scam. I seen they claimed they were at the San Francisco
International Show, so I went to http://www.sfautoshow.com/epage.html , and
what cha know. They're listed under the Special Feature column.

Maybe they're setting up to take orders and make a few million off eBay b/4
skipping town .......

Max wrote:
> (R.White) wrote:
>
>>Approved by the EPA and DOT, finally for sale...sort of.
>>
>><http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6472&item=4
>>509504483&rd=1>
>
> $26,000?!?!?!?! Those people are INSANE!

Agreed, but then I hear someone is spending millions for a baseball bat.
Go figure.

> Furthermore, i notice that while they've signed a " ...$10 million
> contract with Smart-Automobile LLC. This contract grants us the full
> rights to sell these vehicles and to develop a dealer distribution
> system..." they haven't been willing, capable nor competent to find out
> whether the vehicle can be licensed in _any_ state in America. .

It would be a stronger selling point if they definitively stated they
were street legal. I don't suppose it would be terribly difficult for
an individual to check this out for themselves.

> I'm smelling huuge scam. Mercedes very much wants this car to roll out
> successfully when it hits the streets. I can't believe they're planning
> on a cheese-weasle ebay ploy like this.

The makers of the Smart car don't want to sell this model in the United
States. They plan on selling a bigger, SUV-like, thing at a higher
profit margin. The ebay thing is only for the first unit. All others
from this import company you buy at a regular price.

Anthony

Anthony Matonak > wrote:

> > Furthermore, i notice that while they've signed a " ...$10 million
> > contract with Smart-Automobile LLC. This contract grants us the full
> > rights to sell these vehicles and to develop a dealer distribution
> > system..." they haven't been willing, capable nor competent to find out
> > whether the vehicle can be licensed in _any_ state in America. .
>
> It would be a stronger selling point if they definitively stated they
> were street legal. I don't suppose it would be terribly difficult for
> an individual to check this out for themselves.

probably not too difficult. The fact that a company of their
self-described stature can't be bothered = Huge Credibility Deficit.
C'mon, if you buy any American, Japanese, Euro or Korean branded car in
this country, you're assured that you can drive it. Heck, even the
goofy three-wheeled Russian motorcycle my cow orker has was street legal
the day it was delivered. Requiring purchasers to check on the car's
regulatory suitability in their own state -- and any place else they
might want to go -- is outrageous.

Would you accept such a disclaimer from Pontiac?

Maybe it's just me, but I would have 50 written answers from 50
Secretaries of State before i ever sealed a "$10 million dollar
contract" deal.

I see a lot of promise in Smart Car types of vehicle and i see these
guys potentially doing a lot of damage to the concept with this scheme.

..max

--
the part of >
was played by maxwell monningh 8-p

Max wrote:
>
> I'm smelling huuge scam. Mercedes very much wants this car to roll out
> successfully when it hits the streets. I can't believe they're planning
> on a cheese-weasle ebay ploy like this.

they arent.