10rable OVERDRIVE DESPITE THE fact that today’s automobiles are vastly superior to cars from the past, certais: automobiles remain special to us. We become attached to these cars throughout our lives not because they are the fastest, cheapest, or safest cars on the ‘market, but because they some- : how tickle our senses in a way that other cars don't. - As | reflect back on 1993 and all the new products that came out: this year, 1 am reminded of the many significant cars that have. become part of my memory dur- » “ing the past 10 years. Having been a hopeless car-nut since the age of 12 or so, I have ‘had a favorite vehicle each year. They aren’t necessarily the best cars; in fact often they are ~ just average performers. . ~ Still, somehow these memorable ‘cars manage to capture my heart,” Yand remain locked in my mind “year ‘after year. :: Here are my favorites from the “past 10 model years: ‘1984 - This. was a significant year for the automobile industry, - with the introduction of Chrysler’s “new. Magicwagon minivans, BMW 313i, Nissan 300ZX, and many Others. : But among all. the wonderful ntries, Poniiac’s new two-seater Fiero became the car to remember. With a mid-engine. layout and GM’s first application * of the Plastic-on-frame structure, it left a real impact on many car nthusiasts, including myself. , 1985 ~ It was the milesione year . . for Toyota and GM, which started pumping out the joint-venture car -, from the Fremont, California | a of luxury cars called the Merkur (which no one.was able to pro- nounce), and Volkswagen brought . out the new Jetta and Golf twins. My favorite car that year? The VW Jetta. I can still remember how thrilling the car was to drive;. its rewarding road manners and teutonic feel made it one of the JHE SAAB $00’s balanced feel, practical design features, rock- solid character, and high fun-to- drive factor make | it one of the tnost fun-to-drive sedans that year, 1986 - Without a doubt, Ford's soup-bar-design Taurus and Sable sedans won my vote as the most significant and memorable madels in the 1986 model year. Ford gambled big — $4 billion worth of investment to be exact — but everyone knows now that it was the best risk Ford ever took. 1987 - Another important model year, with the introduction of the all-new luxury division from Honda: Acura, Both the en- try level Integra and top model Legend quickly became one of the best cars in my book, but my heart went to the beautiful ’87 Cadillac Allante convertible that was introduced in the fall of 1986. 1988 - Many new models hit the streets in 1988, including GM's new mid-size coupes (Grand Prix, Cutlass, Regal), Mazda’s redesigned Mazda 626, and Hon- da’s Civic. However, | fell in love with the slick, wedge-looking Audi 90 Quattro. Its all-weather capability and great handling had me convinced; | bought a used '90 Quattro a couple of years later in Ontario. 1989 - Among the newly in- troduced vehicles like the Nissan 240SX, Buick Rearta, and Chevrolet Lumina, the cute Suzuki Sidekick and its twin, Chevrolet Tracker sport utility truck, stood out. Besides, | had a persona! at- tachment to that 4X4 because at- the time, | was working asa robotic specialist at the GM- Suzuki joint venture plant, where the truck was, and still is, being produced. 1999 - I was very impressed with the smooth Honda Accord, sporty new Acura Integra, tough 44 1986. Ford's soap- _bar-design Taurus and . Sable sedans won my Ford Explorer, and gorgeous BMW 850i, but Mazda’s nostalgic Miata stole the limelight. For the first time, you were able to enjoy the sunshine and old memories of MGs without worrying about breakdowns and repair bills. 1991 - It was, and stii! is, way out of my price range, but Acura’s hot NSX aluminum sports car became my instant dream car. Thad a number of opportunities to drive this mid-engined Japanese “exotic,"’ and each time I had difficulty returning the key to the respective owner/company. Toyota and Nissan’s new luxury Bhoto submitted most desirable Sports sedans to own. fro divisions, Lexus and Infiniti, also inade news that model year, 1992 - While the V-10 Dodge Viper made history with '60s style na-holds-barred performance, the real star that year in Canada was the new Saturn automobile (which debuted in the U.S. a year be- fore). Despite the noisy powertrain, the Saturn became the most im- portant small car to hit the North American auto market. Its Japa- nese-style plant philosophy and the past decade customer-friendly sales approach allowed the Saturn cars to score extremely high survey results from J.D, Power and Associates. 1993 - | had many favorite cars this year, but the top honor went to Chrysler's LH family of sedans: the Intrepid, Concorde, and Vi- sion. With stylish cab-forward looks and huge interior, combined with agile handling characteristics, the LH sedans have redefined what a family sedan is all about. 1994 ~ | voted Mercedes-Benz's Our Year End Folk 1993 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM Luts of options, 4 door, adomatic $15,895 1993 CADILLAC SEDAN DE VILLE Loaded, immaculate $31,8 1993 BUICK REGAL CUSTOM Loaded with options , hxainous $17,895 1993 PONTIAC SUNBIRD SE Automatic, ax, 4 cyl, very sconomicat $10,895 new C-class as the Car of the Year in the Automobile Journal- ists Association of Canada’s an- nual event (and in fact it won that title), but the car T would like to own is the all-new 1994 Saab 900, t’s far from perfect, but its unique, unmistakably Saab style, balanced feel, practical design features, rock-solid character, and high fun-to-drive factor make it one of the most desirable sports sedans to own from my point of view. 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