Downsizing

In these tough economic times (which President George W. Bush refuses to take responsibility for), people are looking to cut down or downsize on travel, gifts, and expenses. The American auto companies have seen dramatic drops in the sales of their oversize SUV cars. With job losses, layoffs, and Wall Street disasters, people have started to look at alternative ways of living and saving money.

My husband and I own Honda Civic Hybrid and a Smart Car. The Honda Hybrid gets excellent mileage and is perfect transportation for those of us with grown children. While some people might say that the Honda Hybrid is not fancy enough for them, my response is that we save money everyday with it.

My Smart Car has gotten a lot of attention. With so many people asking me questions, I have a prepared description of facts about the car. It is fun to drive and it also saves money.

I've been exploring the internet for small cars. Other countries have made dramatic changes in their personal transportation. Cars in Europe are small and much more efficient than the ones we drive here. Here are some of the cars I've discovered from various places on the internet----

CuriousPhotosblogspot has several pictures of small cars. Here are the ones I found most interesting:




Virtual Tourist found the car below in Amsterdam:



Noticiastech.com has a picture of the Nissan Pivo 2 (I did not even know there was a Pivo 1!!!!):




If these small cars exist in other countries, why haven't American car manufacturers made their own small, fuel efficient automobiles for the American car market? The last thing we'll be buying is a large SUV. Our next car will be something small with great gas mileage. Is there an American car maker that will step up to the plate and deliver a car that we'd be interested in buying?

By the way, smaller houses will probably become a part of the future. Cusato Cottages has a full line of small houses that can make nice, cute homes. The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has houses from 65 to 837 sq. ft. These houses are adorable and very practical.