The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

C2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, July 12, 2000 B est W heels · Oakville Budds' BMW THE ULTIMATE DRIVING EXPERIENCE Chrysler Intrepid brings back memories of muscle car era ay "R/T" and anyone who loves performance cars will start waxing lovingly about the Dodge Charger R/T, one of the most potent musclecars of all time. Although there are numerous maga zines and TV shows about the muscle cars, the actual era was quite a short in time. It started tentatively in 1964 when the Pontiac GTO exploded on. the car scene. By 1968, the rest of the car indus try had caught up with their big engined, high-torque road burners. But by 1972 the insurance industry had started to step in and then came the death knell with the "Fuel Crisis" of 1973. As wonderful as they were, musclecars were used for the most part as daily drivers. Because they were relatively inexpensive, you could buy a 400 hp rocket and drive it to work during the week and out to the track on the weekend. Chrysler is extremely aware of its past and the company also knows how to incorporate nostalgia with modem tech nology. Just look at the Prowler or the P/T Cruiser as examples. But most of the MoPar musclecars were actually family sedans and coupes with large engines, some sourced from big trucks. The "R/T" moniker made a comeback two years ago on the side of a concept coupe called the Charger R/T. It had the same "coke bottle" shape as the original and is rumored to be headed for produc tion. In the meantime, the success of S *1998 Z3 1.9 · let Black, Auto, A/C, 22,000 kms $39,900 *1 9 9 7 Z3 1.9 » Arctic Silver, 5-Spd.,A/C, 32,000 kms $37,900 + + + + + *1 9 9 8 3 2 3 ic » Alpine White. Cabriolet, 5-Spd,, 28,000 kms $42,900 *l998 3 2 3 i c A | j | j ^ | ^ ^ j $42,900 ' 19 9 8 3 2 8 ic A · Arctic Silver,Auto, Sports Pke. 34,000 kms The Chrysler Intrepid has been expanded to offer the high performance R/T that recalls the days of the MoPar musclecars bearing the same name. Chrysler's other so-called letter car, the 300M, has prompted Chrysler to put its most powerful V6 engine and sequential automatic transmission in a variant of the "LH" platform (that includes LHS, Concorde and 300M) that's being called the Dodge Intrepid R/T in the United States and the Chrysler Intrepid R/T in Canada. < · I never had a chance to drive the first R/T but I did pilot a 1972 (I believe) Dodge Polara sedan back in 1974 with a 440 cu. in engine putting out close to 400 hp or about the same as today's 8-litre Viper. With what seemed like unlimited torque you could light up the rather skin ny tires with a dab of the throtde. At almost any speed, pressing down on the gas sent the hapless rubber scrambling for grip as the torque simply over whelmed what traction there was. Perched up on simple oil shocks and rangy rear leaf springs, you soon learned that power is a wonderful thing if you can use it. Ergo, a spin in a MGB was a revelation. But back to the present and the 2000 Chrysler R/T and a word on the fit and finish of this car, as turned out by the good men and women of the CAW up in Bramalea. Trying to get doors and hoods to fit uniformly on cars like the LH is no easy task. Instead of flat panel like the old Polara I drove, the new LH cars like the R/T have bodies with compound and complex curves all in one fender let alone the whole side. It takes a lot of work and practice to get it right. Happily, Bramalea is doing a great job. It's no sur(See 'R/T page C3) $48,900 * 19 9 7 3 18ic * Boston<G reen^-SpQ Ieate^eatsM 5,000 kms :v . $34,900 $47,900 *1 9 9 7 3 2 8 ic · Boston Green, Sports Pke., Hard Too, 5-Spd., 49,000 kms + *1997 328icA * Arctic Silver.Auto. Sports Pke.. 50,000 kms 311 M $43,900 $42,900 *1996 328ic · Boston Green,5-Spd.,ASC&YT. Sport Pkg,, 45,000 kms U H M B I A L S O A V A IL A B L E : 1 997 Chevrolet Corvette · silver with graphite leather, 6-speed, glass roof, sport sport seats, only 10,200 kms, one owner. GM48/80.000 warranty available. $49,900/ 1988 Porsche 911 Cabriolet Guards · red, 5-speed, 17" wheels, good service history, 79,500 kms. $45,900.00 + These vehicles qualify for B M W Financial Services Interest Rate of 5.95%. 2 4 0 0 S o u th S e rv ic e R o a d (9 0 5 ) 8 4 5 -3 5 7 7 www.buddsbmw.com Tire buying tips What is the make, model, and year of your car? This information gives the dealer an idea of what type of tire will perform the best and look the best on your car. (For example: Ford Probe, 1989.) What is the brand name, model, size and type of your cur rent tires? Just look at the side of your tires. If your cur rent tires did not come with the car when it was new, be sure to check all four tires and make sure they are the same. The previous owner may have been less knowl edgeable about tires than you. (For e x a m p l e : 2000 TOWN & COUNTRY LXi $0 DOWN $2500 DOWN $3500 DOWN *5 5 3 ?» x *4 8 F « *4 5 2 *. 2000 CARAVAN 26T $0D0WN $2500 DOWN $3500 DOWN $3 4 6 * ? ax $2 7 5 3 + tax $2 4 6 S £ Ifl 2 0 0 0 GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO P.W., p.d.l., tilt, cruise, cassette, air, keyless, ABS, & more. 2 0 0 0 G R A N D C H ER O KEE LTD Fully loaded, 4.0L, leather, CD stacker, sunroof, ABS, keyless, p.w., p.d.l., power seats & more. 2 0 0 0 C H R Y SLER 3 0 0 M Fully loaded, 17" wheels, leather, p. sunroof, 3.5L. V6, AM/FM stereo, cassette, CD. $0 DOWN $2500 DOWN $3500 DOWN $0 DOWN $2500 DOWN $3500 DOWN choice SODOWN $2500 DOWN $3500 DOWN choice *6 6 0 TM $5 8 5 TM $5 5 £ TM *5 8 9 % , *5 1 5 1 TM *4 8 5 % 2 0 0 0 D O D G E D U R A N G O SLT Fully loaded, 7 passenger seating, leather, p.w.. p.d.l., keyless, 4.7L, V8,4WD, power mirrors, stereo & more. 2000 CHRYSLER NEON $0 DOWN $2500 DOWN $3500 DOWN S $ C 7 A 5 7 . $AO C64 $AAC67 | % PURCHASE Leases based on 36 months, 20,400 km per year, plus taxes & licenses. Unless otherwise stated. G lenleven C hrysler^ . O D G E · J E E P s s U _ I s r § 1 238 8 ROYAL WINDSOR DRIVE, OAKVILLE 905-845-7575 Bridgestone, S471, P I 8 5 .7 0 H R 1 3 , blackwall.) Do you like your current tires? Do you like the way your tires make your car feel and sound? Or how they make your car loci? What would you like to change? Make a list of the things you like and dislike about your current tires. This will help guide your dealer to the tire that best meets your needs. What do you want from your tires when you are driving? Do you want a soft, com fortable ride or do you want a tire that has been built to harness your sports car's capabilities? You may want both, but this is dif ficult to achieve. A tire that is designed for ride and com fort will not handle as crisply as a per formance tire, and a performance tire will not ride as comfortably as a tire designed for comfort. What weath er conditions do you normally drive in year around? Are the roads mostly dry (summer tires), or are they usually wet (all-season tires)? Do you ever drive in snow? If so, is it deep (snow tires) or just light snow (all-season tires)?