University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, December 3, 1991 5 A new auto age Possible end of Japanese dynasty anticipated by U.S. car makers The Associated Press WASHINGTON - For U.S. car makers, the era of planned obsolescence is finished, and quality and safety are new watchdogs, a long-observer and critic of the auto industry says. *Planned obsolescence is clearly a thing of the past, because today's consumers plan on keeping their cars for four or five years and the trucks for eight or ten years. An annual rating guide to new and used cars. As U.S. automakers produce more quality cars, the long love affair of U.S. drivers with Japanese vehicles appears to be cooling, Gillis said. "In used cars, we're beginning to see consumerexpress more honesty about their experience with Japanese cars," he said. "We're seeing that the drivers they are having problems with Japanese cars." For example, he said, many owners of the 1889 Toyota Camry have registered complaints with the manufacturer. "In the past couple of years there have been improvements in the quality of U.S. cars, creating a more level play field with Japanese cars when it comes to quality," he said. "And consumers are coming to the realization that it's not necessarily true that if you buy a Japanese car you are buying a trouble-free automobile." Gillis commented in conjunction with the publication of the 1992 editions of "The Car Book," which rates new cars, and "The Used Car Book." Both publications are produced in conjunction with the Center for Auto Safety, founded by Ralph Nader. Gillis, who said a year ago that consumers no longer needed to fear buying a U.S. car, says "We're seeing continued improvement in domestically produced cars," he said. And he said that improvements in the product have been accompanied by a phenomenal turnaround. "It has become a buzzword in advertisements," he said. *Consumers docare da safetà and Manu- facturers have discovered that they can use docare da safetà.* Gillis said that while the safety of U.S. vehicles has improved, there are certain glaring safety defects, including new cars that either have baggage or have them on the driver's side only. "The passenger side seat has often been called a suicide seat, and it has never been." The 1992 edition of Gillis's new-car book rates cars in the areas of crash safety, repair costs, fuel economy, warranties, insurance costs, resale value and complaint history. Following list is the book's "Best Bets for 1992," giving emphasis to crash safety and the availability of air bags and anti-lock brakes as well as the other factors: Best Subcompacts: Nissan Sentra, Mazda Mata, Volkswagen Golf-GTI, Daihatsu Sienna Best Compacts: Audi 80, Chevrolet Corsica, Dodge Shadow, Plymouth Sundance, Pontiac Saturn. Best Intermediates: Dodge Spirit, Mercury Sable, Ford Taurus, Saab 9000, Plymouth Aero Best Large: Oldsmobile Toronado, Infiniti M30, Bukrivia Racer and the Chevrolet Caprice. Best Minivans: Oldmobile Silhouette, Chevrolet Lumina APV, Dodge Caravan-Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager-Grand Voyager and the Pontiac Grand Sport. Rating the 1992 cars The 1922 edition of "The New Car Book," a consumer guide released today, ranks new model cars in a variety of categories; some highlight Index of number of complaints Complaints Honda CRX '89-92 0 Porsche mirage '89-92 148 Mitsubishi I81 '81-92 165 Mazda RX7 '81-85 281 Honda Prelude '83-87 351 Best Mazda MX6 '89-92 119,615 Eagle/Renault Medallion '89-98 63,938 Chrysler Imperial '81-93 20,197 Pontiac Z00'82-91 12,154 Nissan XZ0'92 11,531 Worst Best in fuel economy Best in crash test Lower index number means car better able to protect occupants: Yearly fuel cost of car driven 15,000 miles a year. Geo Metro XFi $328 Honda Civic HB VX $353 Geo Metro $383 Geo Metro LSI $383 Suzuki Swift $383 Cost of manufacturer's warranty maintenance program: Lowest Audi 100 | $0 Audi 80 | $0 Volkswagen Fox □ $311 Volkswagen Golf/GTI □ $332 Volkswagen Jetta □ $332 Preventive maintenance bower inch lumber mean to better able to protect occupa **Subcompact** Eord Ford 1,880 Subaru Justy 1,901 **Compact** Dodge Daytona 1,479 Chevrolet Beretta 1,609 **Intermediates** Volvo 240 Wagon 1,549 Saab 9000 1,597 **Large** Infiniti M30 1,821 Ford Thunderbird 1,963 **Minivans** Chevrolet Lumina 2,032 Olds Silhouette 2,032 Highest SOURCE: "The New Car Book" Mercedes Benz 190E Mercedes Benz 300E Isuzu Trooper BMW 325i BMW 318i Re-sale value Percent of value the top 100 selling cars of 1987 held in 1991: Best Acura Legend Honda Civic Honda Prelude Acura Integral Honda Accord Worst Yugo AMC Alliance Isuzu I-Mark Dodge Colt Ford Taurus Knight-Ridder Tribune News/JUDY TREIBLE Snowstorms, flooding wreak havoc on nation The Associated Press A snowstorm sent snowplows sliding yesterday in Utah after closing highways and stranding travelers in Montana, and heavy rain in the South caused flooding that closed schools and roads. In between, freezing rain iced highways across the southern Plains. At least five deaths were blamed on flooding and slippery roads vesterday and during the weekend. Truckers and travelers heading home from the Thanksgiving weekend packed truck stops near Livingston and Park City during the night, and others slid off the highway, police reported. Montana highway officials reopened Interstate 90 between Bozeman and Park City in southern Montana yesterday, a day after high wind and ground blizzards - visibility obscuring snow whipped up from the ground - forced the closure of the 100-mile stretch of highway. By yesterday morning, West Yellowstone, Mont., had reported 28 inches of snow from the storm. The powerful storm snarled rush-hour traffic yesterday morning in northern Utah and caused numerous accidents. In Orem, Utah, a city snowplow traveling down a steep, ice hill was unable to stop for a stop sign and slid into a school bus carrying 80 students to Mountain View High School. Fifteen teen-aears and the bus driver suffered minor injury. "The snowplow hit the left rear of the bus and kind of spun it around, then tipped it up on its side," said police Capt. Jay Barker. Snow also fell yesterday over the northern Plains, Iowa, southeastern Minnesota and parts of Michigan. In Missouri, freezing rain coated roads and power lines from Springfield to Kansas City, causing two traffic deaths, closing schools and creating power outages across a third of the state. One of the deaths occurred in a 16-carpile pile on Interstate 70 about 60 miles east of Kansas City. "One officer describing it said it looked like I-5 in California," said Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Williams, referring to the pileup near Coalinga, Calif., that killed 17 people. Two school buses carrying special education students went off officy bridges during the morning in the area of Columbia, Mo. injuring at least two people, officials said. 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QUINCY RESEARCH CENTER 5100 East 24th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64127 Holiday Phenomenon! COLLEGE STUDENT EMITS HOLIDAY GLOW BY TOUCHING SHINING OBJECT! The student who started the campus by emitting a holiday glow is still undecided about a mini-series. "If I do it, I want to work with Meryl and Kevin, but I don't think my experience, while very memorable, is that big a deal," said the modest junior. it all started when an ArtCarped ring was chosen from a large selection of men's and women's finely crafted gold rings. The ring with its lifetime guarantee was a holiday gift. After wearing it, the student began to emit a holiday glow. "My ArtCarved ring has a lot of memories for me. I'm just lucky I have parents who ask me what I want and then give it to me." When last seen the celebrity junior was still glowing. Mon,Tues & Wed · December 2,3,4 10:00am to 4:00pm KU Bookstores·Kansan Union·Level 2 ARTCARVED COLLEGE JEWELRY ArtCarved. 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