Lots of folks maintain a tax home in florida because they don't have a state income tax.

Crazy

Why? It makes sense. After all, you don't have to pay taxes there

Low 30's is pretty meh mileage though. My friends little POS C300 4matic renter was doing 27 on cheap regular fuel while getting beat on, and it wasn't even broken in yet.

A CDI does better and its a real car.

I almost bought an EV in the mid-90's. Looked seriously at at a converted LeCar but it didn't have enough range to get me to work and back. I was reading a lot about conversions at the time. One way around the range issue is to have a generator on a small trailer which can be towed when traveling longer distances but doesn't have to be carried around all the time.
My school intended to introduce a class in how to convert a gasoline vehicle to electric last year. It ran into some bureaucratic problems and never happened but I was hoping to get involved.

I agree, the smart car was an interesting concept but it just wasn't implemented very well. I keep threatening my daughter with one; she's not amused. If they sold the diesel here, I might actually be tempted.

Smart had a roadster version in Europe. Seems that would have been popular here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Roadster

I really don't understand how anyone can be for artificially inflating the price of fuel and claim that they will cope. EVERYTHING in this country is transported via some sort of fuel burning vehicle. If you arbitrarily double the price of fuel, then that will basically add a third to the price of just about everything. Those who have such great high paying jobs to afford this overnight increase will most likely not have a job at that pay rate anymore as companies start trying to salvage some sort of profit. They'll take the hit of "experience" and hire a fresh college student at half the pay. Now all those things that are a third more expensive on the grocery store shelves will be out of your reach. Your electric bill, grown by a third to cover the rippling inflation, will be beyond your reach. Your unemployment won't be increased, your house will be unsellable due to the ensuing financial crisis, and you will be stuck between a financial rock and the hardest hard place you can imagine.
The solution for this sort of thing is the same as I proposed for the biodiesel situation: Let the well-off and granola crunchers pay the higher prices for this new infrastructure, then as the prices on petroleum products rise if the technology is sound then the prices on the newer alternatives should either level out or decrease, allowing those who work and support this country to afford to continue working and supporting this country while adopting this new technology.

As a side thought: If the price of gasoline were to triple overnight, even if everyone in the country could afford to run out and get a new electric or plug in hybrid vehicle at current list prices, where would they get them?
Does anyone produce a hybrid that can do the work of my truck? I guess I'll just have to do without the extra income I make hauling junk, as that would cost more than I could make from it.

I agree, you really don't understand...

I just saw a bunch of those in some movie the kids rented, I don't remember which movie. :confused:

however warranty claims resulted in a halt of production of both models in November 2005

It must might become a bastard child like the Ford Merkur. XR4Ti model was here for 5 years and Scorpio was here for 2.

Also, they have a homestead law on the books. If you go bankrupt, your house can't be reposesed. You can't sell it either.
Tom