Date:         Thu, 11 Jan 2001 10:39:24 -0800
Reply-To:     Zach Kaplan <zakaplan@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Zach Kaplan <zakaplan@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: New Microbus Website
In-Reply-To:  <200101111806.KAA01893@merlin.prod.itd.earthlink.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@WORLDNET.ATT.NET> wrote:

> My son and I had a discussion about this fairly recently.  My position is
> that Americans do not want an affordable vehicle.
>
> In Europe, there is a large market for cheap to own and cheap to operate
> little tiny cars.  I don't believe they would sell here even if Big Brother
> wasn't watching out for our best interests.  Cars are status symbols to
> Americans.  We identify ourselves with what we drive; be it a Honda Accord
> or a Ford F-350 with dual rear wheels.The last vehicle that was available to
> us which fit into that category was that marvel of Serbo-Croatian
> engineering, the Yugo, and we all know what your friends and neighbors
> thought of you if you drove a Yugo!

There have been others in this category available in the US market in the
past ten years such as the 3-cylinder cars: Suzuki Sprint/Geo Metro,
Diahatsu Charade and Subaru Justy. The Geo Metro is still available but I
heard it is being discontinued so the Canadian factory producing it can make
SUVs.

Zach Kaplan