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lerships is the kind of kind of used cars they and trade a Mazda for >rt for another import. NNYSIDt COMPANY DODGE - CHRYSLER • PLYMOUTH 4810 W. ELM (ROUTE 120) McHENRY 815-385-7220 MON.THRUTHURS.9TO? FRI.9T09,-SAT.9T05 SUNDAY-CLOSED M Y171H7I7T C f? IHJAJLjiJ Friday, Septem ber 13,1985 Section C Mere they come Dealers, public await new models Steve Metsch jaeraid staff writer n • The season to buy cars -- 1986 models, that is 4 is nearly upon us. I* In the past several weeks, the Wheels desk has been flooded with press releases from each ftiajor automobile maker, proudly proclaiming Jheir new products and the advantages that pome with buying one. v Area dealers are readying themselves for the Arrival of 1986 models and curious customers. In ttct, some consumers have already begun their yearly pilgrimage to the local car shop. r- "Yeah, there's lots of people here," said Jim Samaras of Viking Dodge in Crystal Lake. * The glamour of new cars isn't the only lure for potential buyers, according to a pair of car sale veterans. * "No, not really," Samaras said when asked if tills is the best time for car dealers. "The best fime is March, April, the end of February, when people get their tax breaks back." A1 Sallustio of Anderson Motor Company in Crystal Lake claims the only slow time for car dealers is around Christmas. "For us, as far as automobile sales go, there really isn't a bad season except for Christmas, the winter months. You'll find this to be a very good time of the year. "For example, right now what's happening is a lot of people think they can buy a car since the kids are in school, they're done with their vaca­ tion. Now they're settling in for winter and want to replace their car," said Sallustio, Anderson's business manager. Samaras said the incentive of low financing rates being offered -- some as low as 7.7 percent -- have drawn quite a few people to Viking podge's lot. * "Our biggest problem is low inventory," he said, nodding toward a lot filled With cars. "Not with used cars, but with '85s. We don't have that many out there," he added. "I wish we had more '85s in stock. You can't sell from an empty basket." I The low financing that went with the 1985 cars rpay be gone once the 1986 models arrive. "The jury remains out on that," Samaras said, tin the meantime, local dealers are concen­ trating on selling the 1985 models and used cars. "The financing has made sales of late-model used cars a little slow. You know, the '83s and '82s, but the '79-81s, they're still moving well," Samaras said. "Anderson Motors appeals to a more elite audience, and sells BMWs and Mazdas along "We sell nice, quality, used cars that are one- to two-years-old, have average miles on them and are in good shape. They're traded for another import, or people want to step up to a $20,000 car. Or the caliber is the same and they just want to trade in their old car. "One thing about dealerships cars they sell reflect the sell. People will come in a Mazda or a used import That makes it a little different than domestic stores," Sallustio said. Like most people involved in automobile sales, Sallustio has a trunk-load of tales. "Take that Toyota Supra out there. It has 30,000 miles and is an '83. A beautiful Car. There's nothing wrong with it," Sallustio said, pointing at a silver, two-door model. "Well, this doctor came in and said he was tired of it. He traded it in and bought a BMW. "You take that '82 BMW. The guy who brought it in buys a new one every three years. He used to have an *82, now he has an '85 325 black BMW. "There are people who every year or two years get a new car. Their only reason is they get tired of it," Sallustio shrugged,--'* * Anderson Motors will hold a "grand opening" in October for the new BMWs and Mazdas. The new models will even be an eye-opener for the Anderson staff, since Mazda does things the old- fashioned way. Like days gone by, when the "Big Three" in Detroit would treat their new models like top-secret plans from the Pentagon, Mazda won't unveil its 1986 models until the official opening. Not even the dealers or me­ chanics have seen them. "I have no idea what they'll look like. Mazda has a lot of advance releases and preparation, just like Detroit used to. Now, some companies introduce cars in the middle of the year. There's no big hoopla, no excitement. "Mazda makes it really interesting. It's also difficult -- we don't have any idea what the cars will cost," Sallustio said. He and the buying public will find out later. None of the manufacturers have released any prices which could scare away potential buyers or have them think twice before buying. Samaras has noticed a change in buyers' behavior since the days of Arab oil embargoes. "It's hard to say, but they're going for more room and sporty cars, too. Daytonas, cars that are turbo-charged, that sort of thing. The trend is more towards performance than it is to economy -- as long as there's gas around and it doesn't cost $3 a gallon," Samaras said. In the meantime, everyone is preparing for -that annual autumn ritual -r- shopping for new cars. CAMS eases electrical repairs / FLINT, Mich. - Coupled with the in­ creasing electronic sophistication of its 1986 cars, Buick Motor D i v i s i o n i s i n ­ augurating the most sophisticated com- m u n i c a t i o n , diagnostic, and ser­ vice tool in the in­ dustry. Buick's Computerlz- e d A u t o m o t i v e Maintenance System (CAMS) is a fast, effi­ cient, easy-to use ser­ vice tool that provides complete product- related communica­ tion between the fac­ tory and the dealer­ ship. In addition, CAMS gives dealer­ ship service techni­ cians the ability to ac­ curately and reliably diagnose and repair on-board electrical components. CAMS is a joint development of Buick Motor Division and IBM, with assistance from other General Motors units , in­ cluding Electronic Data Systems (EDS). EDS will malntian the factory/dealership c o m m u n i c a t i o n s system. CAMS will be available initially to Buick dealers ex­ clusively. "We think CAM will be the best electronic s e r v i c e t « o I available," said Donald E. Hackworth, B u i c k g e n e r a l manager. "While there Is other elec­ tronic diagnostic equipment on the market, nothing we know of has CAMS' capability of finding and logically analyz­ ing problems, then providing the techni­ cian with the correct repair procedure. Cer- t a l n l y n o t h i n g available today can provide the kinds of communications possl- 'it&r tn ble with CAMS." At the heart of CAMS is an IBM PC/AT-based pro­ cessor with a touch sensi t ive screen that requires no special computer training of dealership service technicians. "Our dealers tell us i t is diff icult to t rain technicians to the levels required by the technology on today's cars -- and even more difficult to retain them when they are fully t rained," Hackworth said. "In developing CAMS, we knew It would be fruitless to establish a system that required a . trained computer technician to operate." The diagnostic mode is a typical example of the "user friendly" yet highly sophisticated, nature of CAMS. The technician first enters the vehicle identif icat ion number of the car , then answers "yes/no" questions about the car 's accessories: e.g. , whether the car has air conditioning, o r a u t o m a t i c transmission. The in­ formation is stored in the system. The technician then connects the CAMS terminal connectors to CAMS - Page 3C REBATE UP TO