Lookit Me! Lookit Me!

It's here! It's finally here!

Less than nine months after putting my name on the reservation list, I received my brand new smart fortwo car.

WOO HOO!

It has been great driving around the southern California freeways, already! It is very satisfying to simply see this big little car parked in the garage.

YAY!

First impressions: the automatic option is slightly jerky in the first two or three gear shifts, but using the manual option - which is clutch-less, by the way - makes for a much smoother ride.

The smart fortwo has three cylinders. Is it lacking in power? Not as much as you might think. I live near a huge hill of a freeway. When making my way up the incline, downshifting one gear from 5 to 4 gave me enough power to pick up speed and pass a few other motorists. I was weaving in and out among cars, going up that hill in my tiny little space egg, until I remembered that I forgot to put the new insurance policy in the glove compartment.

Whoops.

And the attention it brings . . . YEAH, BABY!

As anticipated, my candy-yellow micro car turns heads. I have enjoyed the looks I'm getting, everywhere I drive. People point from their cars and smile. Pedestrians try to look as if they're not staring, with little success.

The gas mileage is great for a non-hybrid car. I'm getting well over forty miles per gallon on the freeway.

I'm still driving my scooter into work five days a week. As small as the car is, it would still take an hour and a half in traffic to get to work, versus thirty-five minutes or so on my putt-putt. Maybe I'll leave an hour earlier for work on rainy days.

For now, the sun continues to shine. "Lookout, Weekend, cuz here I come!"