Tips 5

Mercedes-Benz Here is one of several great cars you can't get in the U.S - the Mercedes A series. This is my preferred alternative to the Smart. The Smart is toylike, very useful for a single person or couple to get around the very heart of the city. I wouldn't like to travel a couple of hundred miles in one. Mercedes, the builders of the Smart, have another model series, the A Series, which is small on the outside and big on the inside. Really. That's because they put the flat engine under the passenger compartment. Inside the car is at least as big as an E Series Mercedes sedan. Outside, it's smaller than a VW Golf. Its ride is sedan-like, even luxurious, not choppy. It's peppy, even. I'm sure others will have their favorite candidates of great cars you can't get, too. -- Louis Rosetto ************** I have to give proper respect where due: Mayor Bloomberg's New York City communication system 311 works and works well. So many of our needs from the government are simply needs for information and this handles it beautifully. I've used it several times and have always been satisfied. So simple and so effective: talking to someone who knows the city infrastructure. -- Stephen Turbek **************