Current Events > Has anyone else noticed this trend with Smartcars or am I just crazy

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like almost every Smartcar owner is alarmingly obese.

You have a nearly 50% chance of anyone you encounter in America being obese, this isn't surprising.

nekrodev posted...

You have a nearly 50% chance of anyone you encounter in America being obese, this isn't surprising.

Yeah, but the amount of people driving smartcars is far lower

nekrodev posted...

You have a nearly 50% chance of anyone you encounter in America being obese, this isn't surprising.

outside some of the major cities this basically. I think America overall is like 33% obese

I don't see many smartcars around here but damn near every single Fiat I've seen is driven by a fat guy.

I myself am overweight, down from super morbidly obese at one point, and I have this theory that there are two kinds of fat drivers.

There are those who are comfortable being fat and know how to maneuver themselves with confidence and, dare I say, grace. They are okay having a large vehicle because aside from the room it affords them, moving that kind of mass around is second nature to them. It is a natural extension of them.

Then there are those who are worried about taking up space and how they'll navigate around others. They hate being an imposition. They worry about their overhang bumping into people or have unwieldy lovehandles that sideswipe things. As such, they want something that is the opposite of them. They want something that is compact and pulled in close so that it is not as unwieldy as they themselves are. Even if it's not as spacious as a bigger vehicle, even if it's actually cramped as hell, it's still better than having a large, cumbersome vehicle swinging its lovehandles all over the place, so to speak.

I was in the latter camp. I haven't driven much in my life, don't currently, and I don't have serious plans to ever become a regular driver because I hate everything about driving. A big part of that is that I never found the right vehicle early on. Everyone tried to force me into giant SUVs or bigass grandma Lincoln because fat guy needs a big, spacious vehicle. Didn't work that way. I felt self-conscious and out of control.

I did, however, drive a Geo Metro once and felt far more comfortable in that, aside from the big ass trucks and insane drivers that would destroy that car. I felt in total control in a way that I never did in the Suburban my brother tried to give me or even the Jeep Wrangler a friend let me drive.

I would like to try out a Smartcar, though maybe if I move elsewhere because I don't want to drive anything like that in Dallas.

TheLiarParadox posted...

I don't see many smartcars around here but damn near every single Fiat I've seen is driven by a fat guy.

I myself am overweight, down from super morbidly obese at one point, and I have this theory that there are two kinds of fat drivers.

There are those who are comfortable being fat and know how to maneuver themselves with confidence and, dare I say, grace. They are okay having a large vehicle because aside from the room it affords them, moving that kind of mass around is second nature to them. It is a natural extension of them.

Then there are those who are worried about taking up space and how they'll navigate around others. They hate being an imposition. They worry about their overhang bumping into people or have unwieldy lovehandles that sideswipe things. As such, they want something that is the opposite of them. They want something that is compact and pulled in close so that it is not as unwieldy as they themselves are. Even if it's not as spacious as a bigger vehicle, even if it's actually cramped as hell, it's still better than having a large, cumbersome vehicle swinging its lovehandles all over the place, so to speak.

I was in the latter camp. I haven't driven much in my life, don't currently, and I don't have serious plans to ever become a regular driver because I hate everything about driving. A big part of that is that I never found the right vehicle early on. Everyone tried to force me into giant SUVs or bigass grandma Lincoln because fat guy needs a big, spacious vehicle. Didn't work that way. I felt self-conscious and out of control.

I did, however, drive a Geo Metro once and felt far more comfortable in that, aside from the big ass trucks and insane drivers that would destroy that car. I felt in total control in a way that I never did in the Suburban my brother tried to give me or even the Jeep Wrangler a friend let me drive.

I would like to try out a Smartcar, though maybe if I move elsewhere because I don't want to drive anything like that in Dallas.

This makes an alarming amount of sense. I see the Fiat equivalent of a smart car being driven by big people pretty frequently.

Logically, this doesn't seem like it'd be an actual trend, considering that obesity tends to trend toward the poorer side of the wealth spectrum, while smart car usage tends to trend toward the upper side of the wealth spectrum. That said, confirmation bias obviously is a thing in... Anything.

StealThisSheen posted...

Logically, this doesn't seem like it'd be an actual trend, considering that obesity tends to trend toward the poorer side of the wealth spectrum, while smart car usage tends to trend toward the upper side of the wealth spectrum. That said, confirmation bias obviously is a thing in... Anything.

Smartcars are like $10k on average

LonelyStoner posted...

Smartcars are like $10k on average. Theyre nowhere near an upper wealth car.

Smartcars, on average, have higher upkeep/maintenance costs, and are also smaller and have less seating and storage. While the initial price is lower, the overall cost is not. Thus, they tend to be driven by wealthier individuals, over poorer ones.

StealThisSheen posted...

Smartcars, on average, have higher upkeep/maintenance costs, and are also smaller and have less seating and storage. While the initial price is lower, the overall cost is not. Thus, they tend to be driven by wealthier individuals, over poorer ones.

I harshly agree to disagree. That upkeep and maintenance cant come close to higher end cars.

I see more Rivians than Smartcars. But, I cant help but to chuckle at the thought of a fat man driving a SmartCar.

LonelyStoner posted...

Yeah, but the amount of people driving smartcars is far lower

I feel like it's tapered off, but I definitely don't live in a major population center, either. The only person I've ever known, personally, that owned a Smartcar was like 5'2" and 90 lbs.

LonelyStoner posted...

I harshly agree to disagree. That upkeep and maintenance cant come close to higher end cars.

This point doesn't negate what I said. Yes, it doesn't come close to higher end cars, but that doesn't negate the fact that poorer people, on average, don't drive smart cars.

I don't think we're necessarily disagreeing, as much as your scope for "wealthy" appears to be more narrow, and so it appears we're disagreeing, when we're not.

My point is, mainly, that your average low class person is less likely to drive a smart car than somebody of a higher class, whereas your average low class person is more likely to be obese than somebody of a higher class.

StealThisSheen posted...

This point doesn't negate what I said. Yes, it doesn't come close to higher end cars, but that doesn't negate the fact that poorer people, on average, don't drive smart cars.

I don't think we're necessarily disagreeing, as much as your scope for "wealthy" appears to be more narrow, and so it appears we're disagreeing, when we're not.

My point is, mainly, that your average low class person is less likely to drive a smart car than somebody of a higher class, whereas your average low class person is more likely to be obese than somebody of a higher class.

I can kinda see what youre getting at, but lower income and uneducated people are more likely to not take maintenance into account when they see a sweet deal for $10k.

Its an easy purchase if youre looking for a new car. The rich persons Corvette is much more likely to shake itself apart. Nvm the insurance

LonelyStoner posted...

I can kinda see what youre getting at, but lower income and uneducated people are more likely to not take maintenance into account when they see a sweet deal for $10k.

Its an easy purchase if youre looking for a new car. The rich persons Corvette is much more likely to shake itself apart. Nvm the insurance

They're not as likely to take maintenance into account, but they ARE likely to take seating and storage into account, which is why lower class people tend to favor things like minivans and SUVs, and seating/storage is something smart cars tend to notoriously lack.

StealThisSheen posted...

They're not as likely to take maintenance into account, but they ARE likely to take seating and storage into account, which is why lower class people tend to favor things like minivans and SUVs, and seating/storage is something smart cars tend to notoriously lack.

True, but theyre also much cheaper than a minivan or SUV.

LonelyStoner posted...

True, but theyre also much cheaper than a minivan or SUV.

It doesn't matter how much cheaper it is new if it doesn't suit your needs, whereas it's incredibly easy to find a relatively cheap used minivan/SUV.

StealThisSheen posted...

It doesn't matter how much cheaper it is new if it doesn't suit your needs, whereas it's incredibly easy to find a relatively cheap used minivan/SUV.

Not every poor person buys a minivan or SUV. They go for whats in their budget.

LonelyStoner posted...

Not every poor person buys a minivan or SUV. They go for whats in their budget.

This is flawed thinking. Budget isn't the only thing that matters. Use matters above all. If somebody needs seating and storage, they're going to buy a multi-year old used minivan or SUV over a new smart car, for the same price. And the reason it's easy to find used minivans and SUVs for relatively cheap is precisely because so many people buy them, in the first place.

Hell, even single lower class people are likely to buy a multi year old used car over a new/new-ish smart car, because it'll be a cheaper option, and used smart cars aren't nearly as numerous.

Your logic appears to be based entirely on smart cars being cheap as a new option, but it discounts almost... Literally every other factor that goes into buying a car, for a low income class person.

I just couldnt see myself driving something so small. I am 6 2. also, I have a 18 mile commute, mostly on a busy suburban beltway,

StealThisSheen posted...

This is flawed thinking. Budget isn't the only thing that matters. Use matters above all. If somebody needs seating and storage, they're going to buy a multi-year old used minivan or SUV over a new smart car, for the same price. And the reason it's easy to find used minivans and SUVs for relatively cheap is precisely because so many people buy them, in the first place.

Hell, even single lower class people are likely to buy a multi year old used car over a new/new-ish smart car, because it'll be a cheaper option, and used smart cars aren't nearly as numerous.

Your logic appears to be based entirely on smart cars being cheap as a new option, but it discounts almost... Literally every other factor that goes into buying a car, for a low income class person.

The fact of the matter is that Smartcars arent an upper income car. Its an objective truth. The average price is $10k. Its affordable.

LonelyStoner posted...

The fact of the matter is that Smartcars arent an upper income car. Its an objective truth. The average price is $10k. Its affordable.

That's not an objective truth because you're literally discounting everything that makes an "upper income car" an upper income car BUT price.

Your entire argument is based entirely on price, of which nobody is arguing. The entire point is who typically DRIVES a smart car, not who can AFFORD a smart car.

Your argument is incredibly flawed because you're attempting to support your topic without any facts to support it, other than price.

EDIT: Yes, a poor family can likely afford a smart car, but they're not going to buy one because it doesn't fit their needs at all, and that's why smart cars are typically driven by middle to higher class individuals, on average, over low class individuals, despite the price.

StealThisSheen posted...

That's not an objective truth because you're literally discounting everything that makes an "upper income car" an upper income car BUT price.

Your entire argument is based entirely on price, of which nobody is arguing. The entire point is who typically DRIVES a smart car, not who can AFFORD a smart car.

Your argument is incredibly flawed because you're attempting to support your topic without any facts to support it, other than price.

I simply noticed that a great deal of SmartCar owners are borderline obese, which was an interesting observation.