European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 14, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 14 the stars and stripes automotive monday november 14,1994 general motors corp. Is recalling 307.000 cars pickup trucks and four wheel drive vehicles to repair safety problems. The recalls announced Friday include a 150,0001994. Buick Road master Chevrolet Caprice and Cadillac Fleetwood cars that May have Loose fasteners on the fuel tank straps. If the fasteners detach the tanks could Sag and touch the Road. The company said it had no reports of related accidents or injuries. A 78,0001993-94 Oldsmobile Cutlass supreme cars that May have been built _ with a Brake line touching a transmission bracket or Frame rail. That could cause the Brake line to Wear through resulting in loss of fluid and braking ability. Pm said it knew of one Accident related to the problem but no injuries. A 79,000 1993 Chevrolet s-10 and Csc Sonoma pickups and Chevrolet Blazer and Gumc Jimmy sport Utility vehicles in which the part that holds the automatic transmission in Park might not work when the engine is running. The affected vehicles All have four wheel drive pm said it had no reports of accidents or injuries related to the defect. A a a Quot a Honda does no to expect to win its Battle against Ford for bragging rights to the nations Best Selling car this year but the company a sales and exports will grow through 1995, a senior executive said Friday. Honda a Accord outsold Fords Taurus by 58 cars in october 33287 to 33,229, but american Honda motor co. Does no to expect its yearly total to beat Taurus said senior vice president Richard Colliver a we expect Well both get what we want a he told members of the automotive press association. A Ford will be the volume Leader and Well be the no. 1 vehicle with he was referring to statistics on sales to individual buyers where Accord ranks first and Taurus sixth because about half the Ford sedans Are sold to fleets. Taurus has been the nations Best Selling passenger car since 1992, when Ford took the title away from Honda with an aggressive two year lease program that offered Low monthly payments. Colliver said Honaas Soverall sales in this country would approach 775,000 vehicles this year compared with about 716,000 in 1993, and be above 800,000 in 1995. In late december the company will begin importing its first entry in the hot minivan Market the Honda Odyssey. It expects to sell 25,000 to 30,000 of the vans in the United states in 1995, Colliver said there is no Plait to build the Odyssey in North America during the current four year Model Cycle. It is now being built in Japan. Nissan on wednesday unveiled the first Model of its new sentry Sedan hoping increased production of the new car will help reverse the japanese automaker s mounting losses. Nissan plans to make up to 170,000 new Jentras at its Only . Plant in Smyrna Tenn. Nissan annually produced 145.000 of the older versions. The new sentry which goes on Sale in january is the fourth version built in the United states since 1985. Nissan said it will be Shorter but slightly roomier than older versions. The japanese automaker wants new buyers to Purchase the sentry then step up to its More expensive Altima and Maxima models. Nissan a worldwide sales were Down 12 percent and the company lost $548 million in the first half of the year. October sales figures showed Nissan a car and pickup truck sales were up 16.1 percent to 65,232. For the first 10 months of the year Nissan a total vehicle sales jumped 14 percent to 662,030, compared with the same period in 1993. A from 77i e Assoc a Ted press adding up new fees automobile Sellers pressured to reveal destination charges by the new York times Detroit a imagine that a bottle of Ketchup is priced at $1,89 on a supermarket shelf but the clerk at the checkout counter tacks on another 10 cents. When you protest she explains that this is to cover the Cost of shipping the product from the bottling Plant to the store. Supermarkets and other retailers done to work that Way of course but the Auto Industry does with its ubiquitous a destination coming on top of optional equipment taxes registration and financing charges this additional amount a ranging from about $300 to More than $1,000 a is tacked onto the Price of every new vehicle ostensibly to cover the costs of shipping the car from the factory to the dealer. A a a a a a 7 v about 25 states including new York have passed Laws that require local advertisers to include destination charges in prices of new vehicles. But those Laws do not prevent deceptively Low advertised prices in National publications and broadcasts. A in reality the destination charge has Only a tenuous connection with actual shipping costs. It is Little More than a component of the vehicles Price a often disclosed at the last moment to the customer. The Chrysler corp. More or less acknowledged this when it announced a base Price for its new Chrysler Cirrus Sedan an amount that for the first time included the destination charge. Similarly the Chevrolet division of the general motors corp. Announced a Price for its redesigned 1995 Lumina that included the destination charge. A focus groups of Consumers particularly members of generation a told us to Tell it like it is a said Karen Stewart a Chrysler spokeswoman. A a that a what we did with John Maciarz a spokesman for Gener at motors said a there really Isnit any reason Why we put the destination charges in the base Price. We Are looking at Andy Boyd a spokesman for the Honda motor co., added a a it a simply an Industry practice and we want to be the Odd Man Linda Lee a spokeswoman for the Ford motor co., said destination charges reflected the actual costs of shipping the vehicles from the final Assembly plants to the dealers As veins the Cost of shipping components such As engines and transmissions to the final Assembly plants. They Range she said from $295 for the Ford aspire built in South Korea to $625 for the Lincoln Continental thus a customer buying a Continental in Southfield mich., less than 20 Miles from the Plant where it was assembled pays twice As much in shipping charges As the buyer of the aspire which was assembled Halfway around the world. It Wasny to always this Way. Until the late 1970s, the amount of destination charges varied directly with the distance from the factory to the dealer. A shopper from Florida or California therefore realized substantial savings by travelling to Detroit to take. Delivery of cars built in Michigan. But pm decided to change the destination charge to a Standard amount for each Model and the Industry followed suit. Pickup trucks such As this 1995 Ford f-350, have found favor among women who appreciate the size and convenience for starters. Pickups Are not for men Only by Linda Sharp Cox news service times certainly have changed where women and pickup trucks Are concerned. In 1974, when i ordered my first truck the Salesman went through the motions of placing the order. When 1 called a month later to Check on it he said he had not placed the order because he did no to believe that a Young single woman really wanted to order a three Quarter ton pickup with a manual transmission. In a curious How be feels today about the fact that women not Only buy a lot of trucks but also that Auto manufacturers actually direct truck commercials at women. Have you heard the Chevy commercial in which a Poinan nurse says a i could have bought a car but i really wanted an extended cab pickup in be obviously been a truck fan for a Long time and i have always preferred big trucks. I progressed from that three Quarter ton Long bed to a 1-ton four door a dually. For my everyday use the dually is probably a bit of overkill but if i were buying a new truck today it would still be at least a three Quarter ton. A Why a you might ask. Even though the ride is a bit harsher i much prefer the Standard equipment a buyer gets when opting for a three Quarter ton. You get heavier Springs and shocks a larger front Sway bar beefier Frame larger brakes and truck sized wheels and tires. A half ton truck comes with what i consider passenger car sized tires. A yes a pickup truck just might be the perfect vehicle. On a trip to my North Carolina Mountain Cabin i was offered the use of a three Quarter ton Chevy Long bed truck and i jumped at the Chance. There is always some errand to be run at the 150-year-old log Cabin. The c250g Chevy would surely come in Handy. Little did i know just How Handy. Soon after i arrived it became apparent that a trip to the Home Supply stores plumbing department was in order. It turned out the stores Garden department was having a Sale. Soon the c2500 s bed was full of dogwoods Colorado Blue spruces pampas grass Day lilies an chrysanthemums. I justified my Purchas by reminding myself that i had Bough this truckload of botanicals for a met fraction of what it would have Cost me i the City. I was saving Money i headed for lunch and As i pulled Ini the restaurant parking lot i spied a furn Ture outlet directly across the Stree there it was again a a a a Sale sign. I had been searching for some new b stools. It would Only take a minute to so what they had. Thirty minutes later the Long bed was loaded with two sets of a tresses and Box Springs and three new b stools. I prided myself that i had Gotte All this for just pennies More than or mattress set would have Cost me in Alai if g�0c thing i was driving that Ion bed truck or id have missed out on 1 these savings. A a. Yes a pickup truck just May be to perfect vehicle. Look How much it helps me out in just one afternoon. There a Only one problem. If that tru it had saved me any More Money i w going to have to get a part time Job to a Ford it
