I may have to get me one of these. :-)

We went for the Yaris eventually.
To convince us, the retailer threw in a brand new radio, fog lights and a roof-mounted rocket launcher, just in case we travel to US.

@zach

Yeah, I live in Georgia, where the majority of the vehicles on the road are pickup trucks and big SUVs with the worst drivers I have ever encountered anywhere.

I have over 600,000 miles of nearly perfect driving under my shoe. I've seen a lot of things and wince at the thought of being in a minuscule car in an accident. All the safety ratings you see only reflect those cars that are in that particular class. It does not take into consideration everything else on the road.

I value my safety over saving a buck in gas. Small cars have their place in the market, but they are not for someone like me.

Here is an interesting comparison of the long-term cost between a Hummer and a Prius. Some things aren't always as they seem.

LOL @ the Marauder video

@Justice—you live in Georgia, right? Hahahaha. But no, I'm a big mustang fan and a big fan of pickup trucks.

I have a 1982 Toyota SR5 with the words "Bushwhacker" written across the side. It's a 5-speed, but the transmission needs to be rebuilt. I can't wait til I have time to work on it. But my dad (currently the actual owner, but I'll get it, mark my words) wants me to bring it home sometime to be repaired. Shit! I wanted to do that!

Mini Cooper's are fun as hell to drive. My friend's got a brand new 6-speed, I love driving it! She learned how to drive stick in it. Awesome sauce.

Toyota's are the best. They run and run and run. Only 200,000 on my Bushwhacker. I want to plop in a newer 4-cylinder if I can.

I LOVED my Mini Cooper. They have made them larger recently in the US but you can still probably get the smaller version in the EU, or buy a used one. They have different levels at different prices and lots of options. The older versions were more narrow than the newer body style. It also came with a great maintenance program and roadside assistance. The back seat was actually a decent size and you could fold it down for carrying large items in the hatchback. I put our dining room table on my roof rack and all the chairs in the tailgate and drove it several miles with no problems. It also came with runflat tires - essential for those pot holes that inevitably pop up on you in the city. Fuel efficiency is the same as the SMART, believe it or not (at least for my 2004 model - it may have improved since then).

Jamie and Adam can't have my car

Ah, yes, but how well does the Prius stand up to seven pounds of plastic explosives being detonated directly beneath it?

I think the Mythbusters would probably know.

That hasn't come up in my daily driving routine.

Ah, yes, but how well does the Prius stand up to seven pounds of plastic explosives being detonated directly beneath it?

I still like my 2008 Prius.

Could just go ahead and get the Terex Titan. Then you can park a destroyer in the back. Gets about 20 gallons to the mile. A true American SUV.

@JonJon: indeed, the video made me LOL hard... ^_^

Ahem. Meet the Knight's way bigger and way scarier brother. Made by the same people who made the Humvee. Designed for military use and now periodically available for civilian sale, like the Humvee. Way cooler name than a Humvee: Marauder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marauder_(vehicle)

It weighs more than three times what a Humvee does. It seats ten, and carries a payload that weighs almost as much as two more Humvees. It is 17 feet tall. It is markedly faster than a Humvee.

Here is a ridiculous video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDoRmT0iRic

Just ask the mayor of Vilnius

That's for sissies.

*This* is what Real Men (TM) drive when they go buy beer at the local supermarket:
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/12_01/tankDM0212_468x345.jpg

Hummer? PFT!

Get a Knight XV.
http://conquestvehicles.com/knight-xv.html

Edit for apologies to Yoav. You beat me to it.

@UrsaMinor: definitely not.
Especially considering SUV prices, fuel prices and the fact that my mother has no desire to intimidate people.

Something tells me that SUV + driving and parking conditions in urban Italy = not a good match.

Last car I bought (in the US) was a Kia Soul, a compact SUV which had a surprising amount of interior room, excellent turning radius (perfect for city driving) was well as some nice amenities. I can't say it would be right for you, but it was right for us.

Or, if you think a Hummer is a little too understated for your taste, you can go for one of these puppies.

I can't help much.

I drive a '90 Mustang LX with a 347 ci 430 hp forged stroker motor with all the goodies and a five speed. I've owned it for twelve years now and have done all the work on it myself. It gets around 15 mpg.

My other ride is a lifted F 150 Heritage Edition extended cab pickup with the 5.4 liter (litre for those across the pond) Triton engine and a big ass push bar on the front. (For the deer, of course.) It gets around 14 mpg.

Every car mentioned so far would fit in the bed of my truck. Just sayin'.

http://www.fiat.com/cgi-bin/pbrand.dll/FIAT_COM/showroom/showroom.jsp?modelKey=150

I hear nothing but good things, and they obviously have an EU version.

I know, right?

It's always good to have a Hummer in the garage for those occasions when nothing but a light assault vehicle will do.

Not looking for one of these then I take it.

http://www.hummer.com/vehicles/hummer_vehicles.html

Thanks for the feedback.. ^_^

We were already inclined towards a Yaris (the last two cars we bought were Yaris...) so probably we'll go for the new model and that's it.

The back seats of the IQ seem like a joke, but I'll have a better look at it and at the Aygo. oO

Yes, the Honda Fit was a top runner on my list, except for the higher price,and the incredible rudeness of the salesmen at both of the local Honda dealers here where I went to look at it.

Honda seems to have that problem. At the nearest Honda dealership, my wife got asked "Does your husband know you're shopping for a car?" We've never gone back there.

Toyota IQ is excellent. A colleague has one, and I'm amazed at the space inside the thing.

Yes, the Honda Fit was a top runner on my list, except for the higher price,and the incredible rudeness of the salesmen at both of the local Honda dealers here where I went to look at it. After being told by one salesman that yes, the car came to the dealership without all the fancy options that I didn't want, but they were going to put them on anyway and charge me for them, I went to the other dealership- where the incredibly inflated price was called non-negotiable by the salesman there.

Mind you, my last car was a Honda Civic that I drove for 15 years and I loved it. I bought it at Dealership A mentioned above. I was ready and eager to be a loyal repeat customer, but they went out of their way to talk me out of it.

The Toyota people were very nice, and willing to negotiate. The repair record for the Yaris is statistically the same as for the Fit, the fuel economy of the Yaris is better, and the Yaris list price is almost a third less. Reasonable salesmen, equal track record, better fuel economy and lower price? That was totally a no-brainer for me.