>~

18 — Friday, January 3, 1992 — North Snore News

AUTOMOTIVES

Favorite cars of 1991

Greg Wilson looks back over the past year ’s test drives

I AM often asked,

‘‘What is the best car on the market?’’

Words usually fail me at this point because, in my opinion,

there really is no best car.

Different cars suit different
people with different needs and
budgets. The variance between
good and bad cars these days is
much smaller than it used to be.
Twenty years ago, there really
were some bad cars, and some re-
ally good cars, but today a bad
car wouldn’t last 12 months on
the market. Cars are better, com-
petition is tougher, and consumers
are smarter.

However, I do have some
favorites. Over the past year, I
test drove about 60 new vehicles
and a few of these deserve special
mention. Curiously enough, many
of these are not big sellers.

High on my list of underdogs is
the Ford Escort. Totally redesign-
ed last year in a joint venture be-
tween Ford and Mazda, the sub-
compact Escort has the nimbleness
and reliability of a Japanese car
and the low price, and ease of
service of a domestic car.

When equipped with the op-
tional 1.8 litre engine, the Escort
is‘a real sweetheart and well worth
its low price. The same goes for
its cousin, the Mercury Tracer.
The Escort’s major drawback is
ho-hum styling, but this is not re-
ally an important consideration in
an economy car.

Another dark horse is the In-
finiti G20. Despite its plain looks,
this car is a gem. Sold by Nissan’s
luxury car division, Iafiniti, the
four-door, four cylinder G20 is
often criticized because it costs
over $27,000. However, the G20
comes standard with many luxury
options, including a feather interi-
or. If you were to load up a
Honda Accord or Toyota Camry
with these options, they would
cost the same or more than a G20.
In addition, the G20 is roomy,
fun-to-drive, and comes with a
four-year bumper to bumper war-

Greg
Wilson

AUTOMOTION
ranty.

A newcomer that deserves
special mention is the Saturn
four-door sedan. With all due
respect to General Motors, this is
a car thai you normally would not

-expect from GM. Think Honda or

Mazda, and you might be a little
closer to the character of a

‘Saturn. Fun-to-drive, roomy, and

well put together, Saturns are very
much like Japanese imports.

The Saturn’s big drawing card
is its low price which is literally
thousands of dollars less than
comparable imports. My only
complaint with these cars, par-
ticularly the sedans, is the rather
plain styling and undue engine
noise. However, Saturn is very
much a ‘“‘customer-driven’’ com-
pany, and I expect that they will
work out these problems very
quickly,

One of my all-time favorites is
the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth
Voyager mini-vans. Restyled in-
side and ont last year, the Cara-
van/Voyager is so practical and so
cheap. A seven-passenger Caravan

with a V6 engine and automatic
transmission can be had for well
under $20,000. In Europe, Cara-
vans and other mini vans routinely
sell for over $30,000.

In my opinion, the Caravan
best combines the virtues of a car
and van. It has a low step-in
height, a car-like driving position,
a smooth, quiet drivetrain, fits in-
to all parking garages, and dou-
bles as a cargo van. For families,
it’s an ideal vehicle.

In the popular family sedan
class, I think the Ford Taurus is
the best value overall. Feature for
feature, it is considerably cheaper
than most imports, and has better
ride and handling characteristics
than other domestic sedans. The
performance model, called the
SHO, is also a very good buy.

Big cars may not be very popu-
lar any more, but there are still a
few out there. The best, in my
opinion, is the recently redesigned
Ford Crown Victoria (also Mercu-
ry Grand Marquis). With room
for six, a smooth, big-car ride,
huge trunk, a wonderful new 4.6
litre overhead cam Y8 engine, and
reasonably good ‘handling, the
Crown Vic is a steal at less than
$25,000.

When it comes to two-seater
sports cars, the Mazda Miata is
the hands-down winner. Its tradi-
tional longtitudinal front engine/
rear-wheel-drive arrangement and
independent suspension give it
superb handling. Plus, its great
looks and convertibie top make it
a great summer car. However, it is
not a practical car, with virtually
no storage or luggage space.

If you’re not a sports car en-
thusiast, I recommend you buy
one of the many front-wheel-
drive 2+2 sporty coupes that have
come on the market. Otherwise,
you’ll end up a victim to all the
sports car puts out there who are
waiting to snap up used Miatas at
bargain prices from disgruntled
sports car preterders.

SUZUKI’S SIDEKICK combines fuel-efficiency with the “oftroad””

benefits of four-wheel-drive.

At the high end of the market,
the Nissan 300ZX twin turbo is
one of the nicest all-around per-
formance cars. It delivers its 300
horsepower to the rear wheels in
such a smooth fashion, that even
inexperienced drivers can safely
handle this car. With so much
horsepower and handling grip,
many cars in this class are dif-
ficult to handle for anyone but
racing car drivers. The 300ZX, on
the other hand, is ‘‘driver-friend-
ly,”? and therefore safer and more
enjoyable.

In the luxury sedan class, the
BMW 535i offers the best com-
bination of performance, safety,
and practicality. Unlike many new
Japanese luxury sedans, the 535i is
a driver’s car. Its wonderful inline
six-cylinder engine, big brakes,
and precise steering offer consid-
erable driving pleasure. At the
same time, it accommodates five
people and their luggage.

In the sports-utility class, I
have two favorites. The Suzuki
Sidekick/Geo Tracker and the
Ford Explorer. The little

MERRY XMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR
from “YE OLDE DETAIL SHOP”

18t ON THE NORTH SHORE

Sidekick/Tracker 4x4 is made- by
Suzuki of Japan and successfully
combines the ‘‘urban’’. attributes

‘of a comfortable ride, - roomy,

car-like interior, and fuel-effi-
ciency with the ‘‘off-road’’
benefits of four-wheel-drive, . a
hisk .ground clearance, big tires,
and a short wheelbase. In addi-
tion,- the Sidekick/Tracker.. is
available as a convertible or hard .
top. All of this for just $14,000!

The Ford Explorer, introduced
this past year, has an extremely |
smooth and powerful V6 engine, a
big interior, superb ride, and
many luxury options available. A
push-button, ‘‘on-the-fly” 4WD
system makes getting in and out
of 4WD quite easy. The Explorer -
is comfortable to drive both on
and: off the pavement. it’s not
very fuel-efficient, but neither are -
most 4x4’s._

Looking back over my list, I see
that I’ve chosen four Ford pro-
ducts. This was not deliberate, but
now that I think about it, they
have a very competitive line-up of

AUTO GUIDE |

THE ONE STOP
DIRECTORY FOR ALL
YOUR AUTOMOTIVE
NEEDS
To advertise in
this special feature

Phone 980-0511
JixcLonMarive” ~ SOLD wits

RECONDITION
.* MECHANICAL SPECIALISTS A aS

* COLLISION SPECIALISTS
OUR “30TH” YEAR SERVING THE NORTH SHORE
TATLORMOTVE OFFERS
| TWO DIVISIONS - 50 BAYS |
FOR FAST SERIE
Guat Paes

QUALITY WORKMANSHIP — TRUSTWORTHY SERVICE
HONEST RATES

B.C.A.A. APPROVED - A.R.A. CERTIFIED

1C.8.C. VENDOR — 1.C.A.R. TRAINED

© GENEAL MECHANICAL (MOTOR, BRAKES, ETC)” senor ineer FLEET DISCOUNTS

© AUTOMATIC & STANDARD TRANSMISSIONS, CLUTCHES. DIFF. ALL WORK FULLY

L

* COMPUTERIZED ELECTRONIC TUNE-UPS
APPOINTMENTS
FREE ESTIMATES

& CONSULTATION

OVER 30 YRS SAME LOCATION
THE PROFESSIONALS

WINTER SPECIALS

Why pay other’s high prices for your
new & used vehicle’s protection packages
UNDERCOATING & RUSTPFOOFING
AUTO DETAILING

(Interior / Exterior Clean-Ups) -
ICBC CLAIMS WELCOME

NORTH YAN UNDERCOATING

13li Pemberton Ave, N.Van.

i IB7-AAI7 scwors

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

can Noboru at

- CITY AUTO. Noboru
offers his experience
as a factory trained
technician with 15 years _
at a Honda dealer and a
total of 24 years Japanese
car experience. . ~

(2 blocks west of Lonsdzie)

CITY AUTO 984-4566 |

65 MAHON at ESPLANAD ,NORTi H VAN a

"GIVE YOUR SOME TLC
HAND CAR WASH

DETAILING, REPAIRS, SERVICE & SALES :
guaren |: Have a Japanese

car?
Leave it to Taka!

He has been solving automotive problems for.
over 20 years as a senior technician for Nissan
and Toyota dealers. Now he has his own shop in
the heart of North Van's car district.
118 Pemberton Ave., North Yan
%2 bieck south of Walch St. -

984-8779

+ COOLING SYSTEMS & AIR-CONDITIONING

* ALIGNMENTS, BALANCING, SUSPENSIONS, FRAMES, UNIBODY

* BODY & FENDER, MAJOR COLLISIONS — BAKE OVEN PAINTING .
* TOWING & COURTESY CARS ARRANGED

JAYCORMOTIVE 59 7D.

174 PEMBERTON AVE. 5 BLOCKS SOUTH OF MARINE OR.

N. VANCOUVER 985-7455

| WEST VANCOUVER'S FIRST CAR CARE CENTRE

T.L.C. Auto Centre
4534 Clyde Ave. West Van 926-TLOC
(926-8522)

Courtesy cars available