European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Sec amp and vol. 50, no. 342 500 sunday March 22,1992 d 8693 a markup on cars found High cafes Auto buyers also get less Protection than Consumers in the states Survey shows by Luke Britt staff writer customers of the military a $250 Mil lion a year overseas Auto sales program generally pay More for cars than they would in the United states and get less consumer Protection research by the stars and stripes shows. Price surveys conducted by the newspaper and scores of interviews with customers and Auto Industry experts reveal that a the new car Price ceilings imposed by the military Are widely ignored. A stars and stripes Survey of 1992 Model cars on Sale in Europe showed More than one third were being offered at prices exceeding contract limits. A the markup on cars sold through the Exchange service typically is 20 percent to 50 percent greater than in the states. A on Post Auto sales companies Are exempt from . Consumer Protection Laws some Host nation statutes and military Legal review or enforcement. A the Agency responsible for monitoring sales practices a the army and air Force Exchange service a earns $3 million annually from the Sale of new cars yet provides Only cursory customer Protection services. Some 16,700 american made cars were sold under government auspices at military installations around the world in 1991. Nearly 80 percent of those were sold to service members civilian employees and family members in Europe. Cafes Europe oversees the Sale of 97 percent of those vehicles at nearly 70 locations while the remainder a about 450 a year a arc sold at Navy exchanges in Italy Spain and great Britain. Automakers and Exchange officials say the program provides customers with the same or better opportunities found in the stateside car Market. In advertisements and pamphlets distributed by sales agents cafes promises car buyers that they will receive a car equipped exactly As see cafes on Page 10 first in a series a sur Fly shows overcharging. A customers not will Servia. A the a Ford from  pages 10,11,12u.n. Inspectors still sceptical of iraqi claims Manama Bahrain apr Iraq claims to have destroyed significant numbers of missiles chemical bombs and other arms but inspectors for the United nations said saturday they were sceptical of the word of a government that has repeatedly defied the world body. Involved in 94-vehicle pileup surrounded by wreckage 11-year-old Melanie Rawlings holds her 3-year-old sister Rachel on interstate 15 North of san Bernardino calif., on Friday the Rawlings family was among those involved in a 94-vehicle pileup on the fog bound interstate. None of the Rawlings family members was injured in the Chain reaction crash. See Story and photo on Page 6. Nine sures on Iraq to surrender All of its weapons of mass destruction. Derek Boothby British Leader of the 35-member team began meeting with officials at the Industry ministry shortly after arrival spokesman Kevin St. Lewis said by Telephone from the iraqi capital. St. Lewis said he had no details from the meetings which continued for More than four hours. Also saturday an iraqi team was at the International atomic Energy commission in Vienna Austria to discuss demolition of installations at a1 Hathcer nuclear Plant outside Baghdad. The Plant escaped damage in Allied attacks during the Gulf War last year. Iraq on Friday admitted having More weapons than it previously disclosed but claimed it had destroyed most of them. It also agreed to destroy missile production equip see claims on Page 2 me Fng of customs rules eases life on Iceland by Meridith Winder . Bureau Nas Kef Lavik Iceland a used to be that Marine Cpl. Kevin Abbott had a Tough time taking his video recorder and camera gear with him when he wanted to leave Nas Kef Lavik to photograph the local sights. Quot i had to write Down the serial numbers of All my equipment besides being shuffled around to two or three places. Once that ordeal was Over you had to Deal with the icelandic police at the Gate a Abbott recalled. Then when he got to the bases Gate Abbott had to show the police the forms and they checked the serial numbers against All the equipment. That meant pulling All the gear out of the bag. A for me that was a big problem Quot Abbott said. A i did no to like the idea of people fingering my gear. But now i just throw it in the car and head on out the  since last june customs restrictions have been eased on americans assigned to Iceland. The revamped rules Grant the 3,200 . Military people and approximately 2,500 family members stationed in Iceland More Freedom when it comes to taking some controlled items off base. Under the old rules alcohol most food and some beverages could not he taken off base. And even for those items that were allowed to leave the base a lot of paperwork had to be filled out. A a it a a difference of night and Day since the old rules were relaxed Quot said tech. Sgt. Kyle Wright. Wright is an air Force Security policeman working with Kef la Viks Provost marshals office town patrol. Quot under the old rules if you wanted to take a single audio cassette off base you had to fill out a form at one office and take it to another office to have it stamped a Wright said. A then you had to have it checked by a third office before you could take it off base. Now you can just take it with you without the paperwork  but to understand the customs restrictions people need a historical perspective said Wright. He has been at Kef Lavik see Iceland on Page 2