32 - Friday. September 11, 1992 — North Shore News AUTOMOTIVE The never-ending search for t! SINCE its introduction at the turn of the century, the automobile has become an integral part of our society, reflected not as a means of comfortably getting from point A to point B, but as an phenomenon. {1 doubt Henry Ford had any inkling that a car manufactured by his company would gain the place in the American psyche as, say, the '65 Mustang convertible has. Just saying it conjures up something much more than what the sum of the formed metal, stit- ched leather, and pressed rubber - constitute. But it is not to this mid-’60s muscle-car alone that such a mar- riage of machinery and lifestyle exists. Indeed, a successful car of the last 20 years had to go beyond merely providing a means of transportation for the driver. and passengers. The marketing ploy for automobiles from the outset was: “if we can make them believe you are what you drive, we got 'em!°’ Well, they got us, and because of that old ploy, if the automobile industry gets a sniffle, a nation’s national economy is in bed with a thermometer you know where. Many nations look to their manufacturing base as a way to measure themselves against other countries. The fast, sleek, and sexy per- formance vehicles of American engineers mirrored the attitudes and perceptions of the American people, and the same nation look- ed. at Russia’s vehicles — the unexceptional Lada as the epitome of what is wrong with Communism. Fair or not, the cars of a coun- try can often. be used as a litmus -test for. defining the ideology of a unparalleled socio-economic By A.P. McCredie Automotive Reporter country. And likewise of individuals. Their car goes a long way in defining who they are. Their hopes, their dreams. Themselves. I drive — some would say coax (defined, incidentally by Oxford as: “‘to persuade gradually or by flattery or by continued trial’) — a 1973 Volkswagen camper. Orange. A couple of Grateful Dead stickers defiantly plastered on the back windshield. By putting myself behind the wheel of the German utilitarian vehicle, I have been burdened with baggage far weightier than what I am handed monthly i in the way of greasy invoice bills by my sadistically grinning mechanic Gunther. Iam a Hippie. Yuppies — or whatever they have reinvented themselves as this week — nostalgically gaze through the smoked windows of their hermetically sealed driving en- vironments, wistfully smile, turn to their significant other and utter the mortal words “‘remember the time...,""> as I chug off the line, my eyes nervously dipping to check the oil light. Young kids in fast cars mock me with adolescent glee as | fum- ble with the stick shift on the never-ending search for third. Good ol’ boys in pick-up trucks — usally with gun racks, Alberta Altima’s warranty sensational From page 29 ti-lock brakes are available on the GXE and SE models, but fox some reason are not available on the entry-level XE model. The Altima’s trunk is average in size, and there’s an opening through the fold-down centre rear armrest. A low liftover trunklid design makes loading easier. The Altima comes with one of the best warranties available: a complete three-year/80,000 | NO PENALTY EARLY ® SETTLEMENT 2 FLOATING OR FIXED ® INTEREST RATES @ DOCUMENTS FULL DISCLOSURE LEASE OPPORTUNITY TO LEASE 4. USED VEHICLES VERY FLEXIBLE TERMS ® AND RESIDUALS CASH IN YOUR VEHICLE @ AND LEASE IT BACK $ /month* °92 ACURA RS COUPE 5 speed, AM/FM cass. rae rice $14,264 kilometre bumper-to-bumper warranty, a six-year/100,000 kilometre powertrain warranty, as well as roadside assistance, travel planning, and a toll-free informa- tion line. The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices are a pleasant sur- prise: XE $16,490; GXE $16,700; SE $21,200. The XE is a particularly good value, priced hundreds of dollars lower than comparable sedans. 2 INDEPENDENT 5 RUTO DEALERS mFOR ALL MAKES & MODELS x: /month* ONDA CIVIC CX Hatchback, 5 speed CUSTOM $10, 242 LEASE PRICE *Based on 48 month open ended lease with zero down O.A.C. Freight & PD. plates and Reform Party bumper stickers — tailgate me as close as possible, hoping to crack my will, and I dare say a bone or two. (At first 1 thought they were just trying to read the faded White Bread Sucks sticker on the back window). The scorn and ridicule is some- times enough to make me want to trade the old workhorse in for one of those brightly colored, com- puterized raindrops that effortless- 1692 COROLLA SEDAN LSX @ 1.6 Litre, DOHC, Electronic Fuel Injection, 102 h.p. engine & Optional 3-speed automatic transmission f stereo ETR with cassette Cruise control/time adjustable intermitrent wipers B@ Tilt steering wheel ® Colour keyed bumpers @% Frone and rear mat set M 175/70SR13 Tires ly streak across the concrete win- dowpane — a toothy, spandex- clad blonde an after-market addi- tion. But I never do. It seems every time I gather up the will — and all those parts that I’ve been collecting every time I discover one lying on my garage floor — to trade in for a new vehicle that better reflects my hopes, my dreams, myself, I find that same self alone at the wheel, ® 4-speaker AM/FM B Full vibes! covers mudguards J Carpet’ a stretch of asphalt carpeting snaking into a yawning mountain valley, a long-loved song pulsing in my head. And, inexplicably, the valves perform in tight unison, the . carbs magically mix just the right concoction of air and fuel, and for one brief moment I feel like 1 don’t have to worry about looking at the map to plan an emergency stop at an over-priced country mechanic’s garage. Instant karma always gets me. 1992 TERCEL 2-DOOR SEDAN $ & 1.5 Litre, 12 valve, Electronic Fuel Injection, 82 h.p. engine @3 4-speed manual overdrive transmission @ Anchor points for - child restraint seats & Optional air conditioning & Electric rear window defroster with timer Ml Rack and pinion steering @ Power assisted front ventilated disc/rear drum brakes FROM .............. $13,995 FROM. ......---2+2+-+ °6,293 92 TOYOTA TERCEL Fleet returns, 4 door, auto, P.S., cassette. i 6 cyL, auto, bright white ; ’°88 TOYOTA COROLLA Sedan, auto, P.S., only 5,000 km’s, Reduced this weekend REAL PRICES ON REAL a VEHICLES ino SMALL PRINT) V6, 7 passenger, auto. - LGM, $1 tats 192 POO ror V6, 5 spd., A/C, 4 oe ie $19,517 included, taxes extra, vehicles may not be exactly as illustrated. 90 TOYOTA TERCEL 5 door, HIB, 5-speed, tow km’s. *89&'90 TOYOTA SUPRA TURBO’S | Both with targa top & auto trans. Both with — j 34,000 km’s, local service 3424 moan | °92 Fi RRER XL 4 Dr, ae, aut. Ae tacks Lee as $22,943