OVERDRIVE

MANY AUTOMOTIVE
publications and groups give
Car of the Year, Best Buy,

_and other respected awards
every year to vehtcies that
they feel represent the best of
the industry.. .

Like the competitors in the-
“Tecent Winter Olympics, the win-- .,

hers of duio awards also receive the :

‘ultimate recognition and honor. in.
their field:

But what does this all mean nto
an average car buyer?

Are award-winning vehicles
indeed the best choice for every-
one? Maybe. Maybe not. .

* ‘There is no doubt that the win-
ners of Car of the Year (COY) from
. Motor Trend magazine and the
Automobile Journalists’
Association of Canada offer first-
rate performance, handling, design
and features.
-But they are not always the right
choice for every car buyer, ~
- In fact, some top-rated cars may
represent a wrong choice for some
people. ;

For example, a person who grew
up enjoyany the soft, mushy feel of
big American cars of the “70s or
“80s may be disappointed if he or
she decides to buy a
European car such as
the highly regarded
Mercedes-Benz C-
class sedan, the
recipient of a number
of prestigious
awards.

That's because
the C-class sedan
rides and handles
like a sports sedan,
and its solid roud-
feel may be too stiff
for big boat lovers.

. Similarly, it doesn’t make sense
for someone to go out and buy the
award-winning, Chevrolet Camaro
if that person is really looking fora

_ family car.

In other words, before you pay
too much attention to awards, pay
closer attention to your needs, taste,
and of course, you bank account.

When you're clear about the
type of car you need or want, than
you can start focusing on the cars
that have received special recogni-
tion,

In my opinion, you should first
focus on the quality and customer
satisfaction survey results published
by the Canadian Automobile
Association, Consumer Report
magazine, or J.D. & Power ,
Associates. .

The results from these sources
are based on responses from actual
owners of the vehicles, and there-
fore are a good measure of how
these cars stack up in the real
world. Coogee
Also, spend some time reading
the articles abou! the cars you're
considering.

The car reviews in our auto sec-
tion are a good place to start but
you should also pict. up some of the
major automobile magazines.

“The Vancouver Public Library

carries a buntber of auto mags, and
you can even “search” for specific
car information through their com-
puters.

66 J's you who will ultimately
own the car, not the person who

voted for it. 99

Again. be careful not to get too
caught up with the magazines’
ranking of cars.

Instead, focus on what the arti- .
cle says about the car you like —
and ask yourself if the weak points
about the car are important issues
for you and your family.

Finally, don’t underestimate the
importance of test drives.

Remember — regardless of how
many awards the car might have *

‘won — it’s you who will ultimately

own the car, not the person who
voted for it.

I suggest that you test- drive the. |

car you're thinking of buying at
ieast twice, each time taking about
30 to 45 minutes in the vehicle.
When you consider the fact that
you will be spending the next sev-

- eral years with the car, this is not

too much to ask.
[f-you take your time and ‘study

the survey results, read the articles, .

and test-drive the cars, you will be
able to determine which car best
suits your needs — even if you
don’! know which cars have won
the various awards.

Jam not implying that the Car
of the Year and other awards are

useless. In fact, Fam a strong sup-

porter of the Canadian COY held

sach your in Ontario.

Lthink that it provides an excel-
fent evaluation opportu-
nity for automotive
journatists, and it also
gives automakers a
chance to he recognized
for the effort that they
have put into devetop-
ing their cars.

But, | want to
emphasize the fact thit
there are many other
factors that need 10 be
taken into account other
than how they are
ranked.

Besides, when you choose a car

based an your own “vote,” and not

someone else's, the car becomes
your Car of the Year.

Cdn. made

THE HONDA Motor
Company, among the top
sales leaders in) North
America for the better part of
a decade, has announced that
it will increase production in
the United States and Canada
by 18.4% in 1994,

The move will bring
Honda‘’s production in North
America to a record level of
$97,000 vehicles this year. It
is expected that the plant in
Alliston, Ontario will be run
al near capacity, cranking
out 104,000 cars this year.

The new production sys-
tem also) means = that
Canadian and U.S. facilities
will be manufacturing almost
75% of all 1994 Handas sald:
in North America.

SERVICE & USED PARTS
(MECHANICAL & BODY PARTS)

Jimmy says these
cars must go now! -
HERE IS A SAMPLE OF OUR INVENTORY, CALL FOR OTHER MODELS
‘ ‘90 COROLLA WAGON

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