Underpriced cars offer value for mone

AUTOMOTION

THE EUPHORIA that
accompanies the purchase of
a brand-new automobile is
often followed by. a sinking
feeling the next day.

“IT spent how much for my new
car?”

‘The typical new car is in the
$15,000 to $20,000 range, and most
well-equipped mid-sized sedans are
over $20,000.

That's a lot of money to put into

- arapidly depreciating investment.

But there are some new curs that
for some reason or another, are
underpriced.

These may be cars that are not
popular or cars that are in their last
year of production before a new
model comes along, or perhaps
vehicles that the manufacturer or
dealer wants to clear.

With a little help from the
Canadian Automobile
Association’s (CAA) annual guide
to new cars, Autopinion, I selected
those new cars and trucks that were
particularly well-priced in their
class.

To weed out cars with a less-
_than-stellar reputation, I looked for
cars that had a reliability score of
“Better than Average,” and had the
highest degrees of owner satisfac-
tion.

Some of the results were sur-

’ prising.

Many very popular cars didn’t

make it to my list because their

price was high (Toyota Camry,
Honda Accord, Toyota Carolla); or
because they had an “Average” or
“Worse-than-Average™ frequency
of repair record (Chevrolet
Cavalier/Pontiac Sunbird.
Dodge/Plymouth Caravan, Ford
Taurus/Mercury Sable); or their
owners just weren't satisfied
enough (Ford Tempo/Mercury
Topaz).

Lalso left out newly introduced
cars (such as the Chrysler Neon) as
no historical data is yet available.

The top smatl sedan was the
Saturn SL sedan, a General Motors
car manufactured in Tennessee. OF
1993 Saturn sedan owners who
responded, 93% said they were
“Very Satisfied.” while 100% suid
they would buy another if they
could go back in time ond purchase
again.

The 1993 Saturn costs averaged

just $74,

The base price of the Saturn SL
is $11,595 (the SLI is $12,825, and
SL2 is £14,510).

These are well-made, roomy.
easy-to-drive cars with a standard.
fuel-efficient. 85 horsepower 1.9-
litre overhead cam, four-cylinder
engine. The Satum is available as a
four-door sedan or station wagon.

Next was the Eagle Summit (a
Mitsubishi car imported from

_ Japan).

It made the Hist with 93% of
1993 Summit owners saying they
were very satisfied. The Eagle
Summit is the same car as the
Dodge Colt. The CAA survey
didn’t have enough data for the
Coit. but I expect its performance
to be the same as the Summit’s.

Base two-door Summit/Colt
DL’s start at $10,995 and offer a 92
horsepower 1.5-litre four-cylinder
engine. Four-door DL models start
at $13,990.

The Nissan Sentra DLX two-
door, priced at $10,990, also made
my list, as 85% of Sentra owners
said they were very happy with
their cars. The Sentra coupe has a
powerful 116 horsepower | .6-litre
four-cylinder engine as standard
equipment.

The Mazda 323 hatchback and
Protege also made the list of small

See Mazda page 27

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.

lw

ISERVICE & INSPECTION.

sReptace transmission

gasket.

“Replace transmission

, “Adhust inkage as nec.

x ‘EXTENDED HOURS OF SERVICE
-Thurs:.7:-30am-8:00pm Fri. & Sat. 7:30am-6: copm

ie aie
yy Zz

Photo submitted

THE NISSAN Altima scored high in owner satisfaction in the compact category of the Canadian
Automobile Association's new Autopinicn guide.

° 4.5 L 32 valve V8, 278 horsepower
* Leather & wood appointed interior

° Patented four-wheel independent
multi-link suspension .

© Dual air bags, ABS, keyless remote
entry system

© Balance of 4 Year/100,000 km basic
limited warranty, 24 hour roadside
assistance, free service loan car.**

48 Mo/$15,000 DOWN

1993 INFINITI j30t

+ 3.0 L 24 valve V6, 210 horsepower
¢ Leather & wood accent appointed interior
eens, j
sa * Patented independent
multi-link suspension,,
dual air bags, ABS, 4 wheel
steering & limited slip
. * Balance of 4 Year/100,000 km basic
Exceptional value $41,090 limited warranty, 24 hour roadside

assistance, free service loan car**

* Smart peaple read the fine print and wear their seat belts.
Limited time rate of $745/month for 48 months, open end
lease on a 1994 Q45, $469/month for 48 months closed-end

on a 1993 J30t O.A.C. First payment é& security
required. Offer good for a limited :time only, Taxes extra,

* subject to availability.

(

REGENCY INFINITI
(NORTH SHORE)

1148 Marine Dr.,

985-0339

tC Swe INFINITI
G20 + J30 « Q45

created by Nissan

- MON. 9-6; TUES. - THURS. 9-9
FRI & SAT. 9-6. CLOSED SUN.

North Vancouver