ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 TAG: 9701150091
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Marketplace
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL
There's no mistaking the sound of a tired car engine on a cold morning.
And there's nothing quite so frustrating as chiseling 2 inches of ice off your windshield in 22-degree weather, only to discover that the hunk of junk underneath all that frozen slush won't even start.
Nothing so frustrating, that is, unless you try to buy a new car without doing your homework. If this cold wave has you thinking about retiring Old Betsy in favor of a 1997 model - something with a rear-window defroster and heated side mirrors, preferably - you might want to check out the latest edition of The Car Book.
First published in 1980, The Car Book this year gives you 224 pages worth of information on new cars, ranging from what you can expect to pay for replacement parts to how much head and leg room each car provides. The book devotes a page to each model, complete with a photo and nuts-and-bolts information. New this year are sections on children and air bags, car financing and maintenance tips.
It includes author Jack Gillis' list of best new car bets for 1997, based on his assessment of crash test performance, preventative maintenance and repair costs, fuel economy, insurance rates, warranties, safety features and complaint histories.
It also features a section on cars with the best and worst resale values, based on new cars purchased in 1992 and resold in 1996.
Gillis' sources for the book are varied: government complaint registries and crash tests, Environmental Protection Agency, National Automobile Dealers Association, Highway Loss Data Institute, auto manufacturers. If you had the time and knew where to look, you probably could round up most of the information yourself. But who has the energy to battle government bureaucracy to get an index of crash test results?
Fred McElmurray, sales manager at Saturn of Roanoke Valley, said his dealership encourages buyers to read up on auto reviews. His customers often come into the showroom armed with crash test results and issues of Consumer Reports magazine, he said. And if they don't, he'll often photocopy articles for them.
Consumer reviews typically are well-balanced in their assessments, McElmurray said. But reviewers sometimes may make a bigger deal than necessary about problems and not put as much emphasis on the good things, he said. Several years ago, he said, reviewers found fault with Saturns, saying the cars were too loud. For years after the company corrected the problem, dealers still were living it down.
"It's hard to reverse that stuff," he said.
Gillis, author of all 17 editions of The Car Book, is director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America. He also is consumer correspondent for NBC's ``Today'' show and author of a half-dozen books, in addition to the 17 editions of The Car Book.
The Car Book will arrive in local bookstores in a few weeks. It sells for $12.95.
If you can't wait, you can order a copy from the Center for Auto Safety, 2001 S St. N.W., Washington, D.C., 20009. Send $16.95, which includes postage and handling. Plus, if you order by mail, you get a feel-good bonus: Mail sales benefit the nonprofit CAS, an independent consumer group founded in 1970 to improve vehicle and highway safety.
Also in the works from Gillis: The seventh edition of The Truck, Van and 4x4 Book will be released late this month.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff. color.by CNB