No One’s Snapped Up

3-Wheeled Car So Far

By LIBBY CUDMORE • www.AllOTSEGO.com

MILFORD – When Shirley and Douglas Bennett got back to their car after shopping one afternoon, they saw a little boy and his father waiting for them in the parking lot.

“The father told me that his son didn’t want to leave until he saw us wind up the car!” said Shirley.

Alas, the wind-up key on top of the Bennett’s three-wheeled Snyder is just for show, but now, the “mouse car,” as locals know it, is for sale.

“When my husband found it online in 2012, it only had three miles on it,” she said. “It the only one in New York state.”

A modified trike, the Snyder comes from China – their small size makes them very popular in Asia – and requires a motorcycle or trike license to operate it. Even with a three-gallon fuel tank, the Snyder can get up to 65 miles per gallon.

“When we registered it, they told us we had to wear helmets when we were in it,” she said. “Your head would rub against the ceiling! I said that ‘we’ll wear motorcycle helmets when motorcyclists wear seat belts’.”

The car gets 50-55 miles per hour, and in nice weather, Douglas drove it to his job at Amphenol, and also to car shows. “He won a prize for most unique vehicle,” she said.

The wooden butterfly key was something Douglas added, as well as a horn that played several tunes. “It really is the most fun,” she said. “People will whip out their cameras and take pictures when they see it.”

And it drew plenty of attention.  “One time we were stopped by police coming back from Binghamton,” she said. “They just wanted to look at it!”

Douglas died last September, and now, Shirley wants the car to have a new owner. It has less than 4,000 miles on it, has never been driven in winter and is selling for $5,000.

She has had several calls on it, but it has not yet sold. If interested, call (607) 286-4009.

“We had a lot of fun in it,” she said.