40 - Friday, December 25, 1992 — North Shore News
EE EE PL ae

OK, I’M ready to stick my
aeck out and choose the
cars 1 liked the most in
1992,

That’s not a particularly easy
job to do with so many good cars
on the market, but some cars do
deserve a special mention.

Keep in mind these are my per-
sonal favorites, subject to my own
personal whims and fancies.

My opinions are based on fac-
tors such as styling, performance,
comfort, quality, predicted
reliability, and value-for-money,
but in some cases, I’ve thrown ra-
tionality out the. window and
chosen based on pure emotion.

When a car hits you right there,
there’s nothing you can do but
swoon, regardless of its shortcom-
ings. (Something like young love,
but much more rewarding.)

Since price is one of the most ~

important considerations for
potential purchasers and since I
hate to part with a dollar unless
it’s absolutely necessary, I have
included value-for-money in the
equation.

Off the top of my head, starting
from the bottom, is the Nissan
Sentra Classic.

This car is a great value for
under $10,000. —

Built in Mexico, this previous-
generation Sentra was kept alive
as Nissan’s base model. It offers
four doors, five seats, a decent
trunk, economical though not
overly powerful four-cylinder
engine, good outward visibility,
and a record of reliability (past
CAA Pyramid Award winner).

You can have it ‘with an
automatic transmission and power
steering for under $30,000. Its
square fines aren’t particularly
contemporary, but who cares?

In the $10,000-315,000 catego-
ry, I like the Ford Escort hatch-

back, sedan or wagon (or its cous- -

in the Mercury Tracer).

This subcompact is cheaper
than most imports, and in B.C. it
even comes with a new five-year
powertrain warranty, something
domestic carmakers have lacked in
the past.

Ford doesn’t like to advertise
the fact that the Escort is based
on a Mazda 323 design, but !
think they should.

The 323 is a wonderful car, fun
to drive, economical, and roomy.
{t's just that the Ford is cheaper.

in the highly competitive
$15,000 to $20,000 price range
there are so many good cars, i'd
like to avoid choosing a winner
altogether.

The popular Honda Accord, the

AUTOMOTION

new, bigger and pricier Toyota
Corolla, the new Nissan Altirna
and Mazda 626 Cronos, the
Hyundai Sonata, Subaru Legacy,
Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Lumina,
Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Achieva,
Pontiac Grand Prix, Dodge
Spirit/Acclaim and the new
Chrysier LH cars (have I missed
any?). :

Though it’s getting darned close

‘Shato aubmitted
THE NEW Ford Probe GT gets the nod ?or best sports caupe of 1992. It’s priced under $20,000, a
bargain in this class.

Pick of the (bumper) crop

Personal favorites from the past year’s test drives

Greg

toa $20,000 base price, my choice
is the Toyota Camry four-cylinder
sedan simply because it’s so
bloody reliable and so well-built.

It's not a very exciting car, but
most people I’ve talked to have
learned to love it. .

First place would have gone to
the Chrysler LH cars (Chrysler In-

. trepid, Chrysler Concorde, and

Eagle Vision) but their record of
reliability is as yet unproven.

In the $20,000 to $25,000 cate-
gory, my choice goes to the
Camry V6 for similar reasons, al-
though the Nissan Maxima is a
very close second.

Equipped with a very smooth
V6 engine and all the power con-
veniences, the Camry LE is a
roomy, powerful, easy-to-drive
family car with a great repuiation.

The seven-passenger wagon is a
good vehicle too, but it’s priced
over $25,000 when options are
added up.

In the minivan categsry, there's
No contest.

The car-like Dodge Caravan
and Plymouth Voyager have their
competitors beaten by thousands

of dollars.
Sze Mazda page 41

Next week Greg Wilson

test drives the VW Golf

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