I don't know what a Skoda is, so I don't think they are sold here in Mexico.
Skodas are nice cars but I think most Americans would find them too small
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Those don't look small, MrT. I thought they were like the Smart car in the UK. Now those are as tiny as you can get.
I was about to say something snide about the Skoda thinking they were something like a Yugo or a Zil. But after looking at the Skodaweb site, I realize I was wrong. They look pretty good.
We americans like to drive for the most part, at least I do. When people used to ask us what we were going to do when we finally moved back to the States, we always said "we are getting into our car and drive.". This we do and we prefer a full size SUV.
Our is ten years old, a Toyota Land Cruiser with over 200,000 miles on it.
An interesting point regarding the Skoda. It was produced, and was probably the most popular car, during the Communist era. In order to keep the price low for most people to afford, for many years the body of the car was made from pressed paper and wood, treated to make more stable. During those production years, the Skoda was an terrific oil burner, leaving many clouds behind it. Mechanical aspects during those years left one stranded more frequently than not. Immediately after the velvet revolution, the Czech engineers (which are among the best in the world) began to restore the brand in a more modern way.
posted by lonv166
about 1 month ago
lonv166, I'll have to see if they have any of those paper & wood models at the Skoda museum here! Ha ha! There are still a ton of vehicles (especially trucks) here that spew out black smoke, and I wish they had some kind of emission standards here... I'm not so sure I can agree with you about Czech engineers! Maybe they are good at engineering cars, but it seems the simple items I use everyday here are total pieces of junk! Scotch tape that won't cut off from the roll because either the tape is too tough or the teeth on the cutter are too dull...cork screws that work once or twice, then quit...Internet modems that kick me offline anywhere from 30 seconds to an hour after logging on... etc., etc. Anyway, back to the Skodas - I've rented a few, and I was surprised at the gas mileage - not as good as I expected.
Yup, same problem in The Philippines, products made for the locals, who can't afford or will not pay higher prices. People here beg for stateside stuff, from knives to lipstick. Lots of products however that are made here are shipped to the states, but not offered here. Found the same problem when I was in Czechoslavakia. Guess some things don't change.
If you have a chance, see if you can tour one of the crystal factories. You'd be amazed at the 18th century technology. But beautiful stuff!
posted by lonv166
about 1 month ago
I toured a small crystal factory last year. It was very nice! Most of them have closed down here due to the competition from Taiwan and China.
Energy saving vehicle in in the Philippines
