mickey@cca.UUCP (Merrill Levine) (10/21/83)
Earlier this week, I attended the Boston Auto Show. I thought I would give a few observations: GM: Not much new...The Fiero seems nice, but it's not for the overweight. Ford: Has the new Mustang SVO AMC: Other than the new Renaults, the only new 'American' vehicle is the Cherokee. Seems nice enough (but no sticker price on the window). Chrysler: Couldn't get near the new Laser type cars (too many adolescents dreaming) but did get a nice look at both the T115 and Colt Vista. The T115 is not as small as you might think (definitly not a 'mini'). It should really destroy the full size wagon market. Unfortunatly, the only one they had was on a rotating platform, so I couldn't sit in/examine it. The Colt Vista is a seven passenger mini-wagon. I have to agree with this months C&D; The drivers seat has been raised and the stick shift lengthened, the net result being it feels like sitting at the wheel of a Vanagon or old Econoline Van. Base price is $8500. Saab, BMW, Peugoet(sp.?), Volvo, Mercedes: Only two new cars in the bunch, The Volvo 760 (nice car, steep price, $22.5K) and the MB 190E. The MB is 24K and reminds of the mid 70's 220/250 series although a tad shorter. Datsun: The new 300ZX was not being shown yet (the sign said 'see it here on Oct. 20th!) so don't even count on seeing one in the dealers for a few more days. The rest of the line is virutally unchanged. Honda: Honda has totally revamped their models. Starting with the Civic CRX (City 51/Highway 75), the entire Civic line is restyled. The CRX seems ideal for the single individual that doesn't make enough to afford a 10K+ sports car (which means you should see a lot of them soon). The rest of the Civic line is greatly restyled with a 'Hornet-like' rear window and all new interior. The good news is the prices have stayed pretty stable. The Accord has had it's sheet metal rearranged and not much else. Mitsubishi: From their display and the interest, this should be the car of the future. The models have all been stretched out some, and are all very sporty. Prices are reasonable too. The Montero (the Jeep copy) could really knock away some of the CJ5 market. It was a joy to sit in (hydraulic front seat) and just oozed that Japanese 'we did it right' feel. Suburu: Turbos are the big thing. No changes to the outsides, just the engines. Toyota: Quite a few impressive changes here. The new Corolla series is really not a huge departure from the previous Corollas: they're meant to be small people movers and still are. The new FWD versions look like poor peoples Celicas. The Celica/Supra line has had some body work (like fully hidden headlights) but not much else. A two wheel drive version of the Tercel Wagon was shown, but at $7250 base, by the time you add any options, you are probably better off with the 4WD version (SR5) based at $8600. They had a top-of-the-line Van Wagon. It's in the same league with the T115 and the Vanagon, but with the Japanese flair (full power everything, dual sunroofs and mini-icemaker) for only $14.5K. However, the dealer said they are getting up to 3000 over list for them (only 50/dealer this year). The show did help me make up my mind however; I went out afterward and ordered the Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon (SR5). The good news is that I was able to get it at sticker price with only one pack added on (Rustproofing - $299). The total was $9100 with the added cassette deck, rear wiper and all weather package. I'll be happy to supply my detailed observations to anyone about the 84's by mail as time will allow. Mickey Levine decvax!cca!mickey