These people (the city bureaucrats) are their own worst enemies. If anyone should be deported, I would vote for the city's fleet manager. Here you have, on the one hand, illegal immigrants who are being arrested, jailed and prosecuted simply for doing what you or I, or any sane person, would most likely do in their circumstances, and on the other, people who will squander public money as if it were free and with only the lamest attempts at justification. If buying grey market cars with public funds isn't a felony, it should be.

Obviously this was about demonstrating Portland's Green credentials rather than any effort at fiscal responsibility.

Anyone that paid the least attention to the Smart Cars or did even minimal research (as one would expect of a Fleet Manager) would have been aware that this was an outrageous price. Heck, just a few years ago when they were talking about getting them over here the projected price was in the $10-12K range. And

Assuming that John Hunt got to his position by demonstrating some common sense one has to ask: who pressured him to make this purchase? If he did it on his own then Jack has a prime candidate for the next Survivor poll and Portland taxpayers have another example of why it's hard to sit down sometimes.

And for those lucky city staffers who get to tool about in these things - just remember, you only have three lugbolts per wheel.

I get the feeling Portland government and voters don't care how much something costs, just as long as it's "green."

"three lugbolts per wheel"

There you have the basis of the city government's organization chart.

"You look at what we're all paying for the (Toyota) Prius or any kind of fairly decent sedan, I didn't think this was too far out of where we should be to give something a try," [CityFleet Manager John Hunt] said. "To say, 'Let's wait' would go against our plan of attack to be proactive as a city and move forward."

But to recoup the $11,000 price difference between its cars and the Smart cars that go on sale next year, the city would have to drive each of its Smarts for 1 million miles.

HAHAHAHA!!!! I LOVE this town....

to be proactive as a city and move forward

Last one into bankruptcy is a rotten egg!

It was also pointed out elsewhere that these "Smart Cars" have NO FACTORY PARTS OR SERVICE SUPPORT at this time. Guess what happens when one of these vehicles has a service problem.........

Obviously this was about demonstrating Portland's Green credentials rather than any effort at fiscal responsibility.

At least that's what the big O would claim when (again) faced with the fact that their reporter is simply recycling last month's news from bojack.org, with no acknowledgement to Jack.

But the undertone in the article - government waste - is much the same as Jack's posting last month.

This newspaper is really pathetic.

You look at what we're all paying for the (Toyota) Prius or any kind of fairly decent sedan, I didn't think this was too far out of where we should be to give something a try," [CityFleet Manager John Hunt] said

How about a Toyota Yaris sedan ($12k/40mpg); Nissan Versa ($12,500/33mpg) or several others mentioned in the article. And they all seat at least 4.
And pretty sure they are all rated ULEV. So its just hype. And "image".
Idiots.

Why do we need to have ANY of these cars? Can't the city just reimburse for real, legitimate mileage and maintain a Flexcar account for those without cars?

The whole motor-pool thing is a huge waste.

Jon,

Sure, you can get a Toyota Yaris or Nissan Versa for half the price of a Smart Car (or a Hyundai Accent with a 100k warranty on a good day for $8,000), but they need a "decent" car that will last for seven years. When's the last time you saw a 2001 Toyota or Nissan that was still on the road?

"When's the last time you saw a 2001 Toyota or Nissan that was still on the road?"

Uh... my 2001 Nissan Maxima.

Greg C

When's the last time you saw a 2001 Smart Car on the road? (That wasn't just road kill from a Hummer running over it, because they couldn't see it.)

They're 2-seaters. So, that's $75,000 to haul 6 people around town. Sounds about right, huh?

"So, that's $75,000 to haul 6 people around town."

No chauffeur?

hahahaahahaha...

let's examine the city's auto purchasing strategy:

1. make list of fuel-efficient cars that can reach highway speeds.

2. make a price/performance comparison and balance it with the environmental benefits of hybrids and excellent fuel economy.

3. choose the most expensive, gas-only subcompact model available, even though you could buy something else with the same fuel efficiency and lower pollution for almost half the price.

(do not, under any circumstances, wait eight months to buy your chosen vehicle.)

4. vehemently defend your choice as "being proactive and moving forward."

Just to clarify, I was being ironic with my earlier post. It would be hard to find a 2001 Toyota or Nissan that wasn't still on the road unless it was totalled in an accident. I found it absurd that CityFleet manager John Hunt suggested that you couldn't find a decent car for under $25k that would last for seven years. By "decent" did he mean a car that seats more than two and has more than 61 hp? And what new car wouldn't be expected to last seven years without any major issues (except maybe the Smart)? My '87 Peugeot with 180k miles was still running when I sold it 17 years later and they aren't known for their reliability.