OAKVILLE F le e t NISSAN m Bob McIntosh Direct: 905-827-7191 616 York St. Oakville W f: lease .ill makes iiritl models. An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 \Vi;i >NESI)AY. S K m iiMBHR 23. 2(K)2 · I W g c 1M i BEST WHEELS IS YOUR GARAGE PROTECTING YOUR CAR BETTER THAN YOUR BARGAIN-RATE CAR INSURANCE? Don't trust just anyone to insure your car. see me: Wayne McGill 2345 Wyecroft Rd. # 21, Oakville 905-847-5671 Make long rides more comfortable with Mazda MPV Needing more zoom-zoom-zoom in the MPV was about the only criticism laid against Mazda's second generation minivan when it was introduced in 2000. Most journalists at the time, including myself, wondered why Mazda choose to go H lltll M T I I l with the 2.5-litre ver Jim Robinson sion of Ford's Duratec four-cam V6 when the 3.0 litre was already available and being used in the, then new, Mazda Tribute SUV. I think the truth was everyone in the Ford Family Of Fine Cars wanted the 3.0-litre Duratec, from Ford itself for the Contour/Mystique and Cougar up to Jaguar which uses a modified version in the S-Type sedan. While it was never going to be the fastest minivan ever made, the 2000 MPV impressed in a lot of ways. The more compact size pleased my wife, who did not like the idea o f 15-feet of metal and fabric fol lowing her down the road in the larger, extended wheelbase minivans. She really liked the "tumble under" third row bench seat that when up, left a nice big storage area behind the rear axle, perfect for gro ceries, etc. The family also liked the fact both sliding doors had power windows so the kids wouldn't complain about being too hot or too cold, a feature I'm surprised no other minivan maker has yet copied. With the 3.0-litre now plentiful, for 2002 Mazda has ceased using the 2.5 with the bigger V6 at 200 hp and 200 lb/ft o f torque being the only engine avail able. As luck would have it, this engine is now linked with a five-speed electronic automatic transmission in a host of other Ford vehicles, thus the 2002 MPV owners reap the benefits of an extra gear and 35 hp over the four-speed automatic and 2.5-litre V6 used in the previous model. Except for cosmetic changes to the front and rear light clusters, the rest of the MPV is much the same as before. There are still three models, differentiated primarily by content. It starts with the DX at $25,975, the LX at $28,970 and then the ES at $36,510. In addition to the bigger engine and fifth gear, all MPVs come with two sliding doors and they all have the tumble-under third row, manual flip-out rear quar ter windows, tilt steering, steering wheel with wheelmounted audio contijpls, front and rear stabilizer bars, and the neat "side-by-slide" middle two seats that convert from individual captain's chair with central access to the back seat to a two-seat bench offering The 2002 Mazda MPV has 35 more horsepower and a fifth gear along with being the only minivan that offered electric win dows on the two sliding panel doors. access from the passenger side door into the back. Oh yes, 1 almost forgot, there are seven cupholders, two rear door bottle holders and clothes/plastic bag holder hooks - these being minivan "musts". Because Mazda is once again asserting its image as the sporting Japanese maker, the suspension has been given some tweaks along with a quicker steering ratio and heftier rear sway bar. Suspension is MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. Tested here is an ES that makes much of what is offered optionally on the LX standard. This includes leather trim, 17-inch alloy wheels (instead o f 16-inch alloys) and low aspect tires, a huge two-way power sunroof and both sliding door panels were powered. These can be activated from the key fob, from two rocker switches on the instrument panel, or by a rock er switch set in each B-pillar that can be operated from the second row. But the true test o f a mini van is how it performs as a people hauler. With the two kids grumpily banished to the back seat, we loaded in Uncle Donald and Aunt Annette and headed down to Grampa's farm on the Civic Holiday weekend. Of course we had "stuff' including two coolers, four folding chairs, food, shoes, and a purse or two all of which were swallowed by the rear cargo area (17.2 cu. ft or 487.1 litres). Speaking of room, the trim size of the MPV belies its capabilities which includes: 1,546 litres of cargo space (1,520 litres with rear air) with the rear seat folded; and 3,596 litres (3,525 litres with moonroof) or cargo space with the second row seats removed. We then put mom behind the wheel to gauge the current car against her own. In just about every parameter it was the same, except she noticed merg ing onto 401 traffic going at 140-km/h full-bore 'vaca tion speed' was much less stressful. The tester, like our own MPV, has the rear air con ditioner. I usually ride in the front seat and did not realize that the rear vents actually put out more cold than the fronts. This is something my kids have been telling me about for a year, but that I had put down to them being cry-babies. In Sandbanks Provincial Park on an overflow Sunday, Mom adroitly multi-point turned that MPV into seemingly impossible crevices between other cars much like a veteran transport track driver does with his 18-wheeler. Coming home, we encountered the mother and father of all Highway 401 traffic jams stretching basi cally from Port Hope on east towards Trenton. With ABS and Electronic Brake Force Distribution on the LX and ES models, the constant speeding up and sud den stopping was wearing on my wife, but the MPV sailed through it. It's events like that that make a vehicle more meaningful to you - almost part o f the family. Sometimes a trip becomes a memory, and this was definitely one to remember. TODAY'S BEST BUYS © /2 0 0 3 MITSUBISHI LANCER O f v 0 kms. automatic 3-600934 in n iu m /5 0 0 3 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER" /S2003 MITSUBISHI GALANT G1 O^kms^ 6cyl,_convertible. 3-601410 0 kms. Pearl white V 2 3 .0 8 0 JN Q U IR ^ ^ ^ V 4 3 ,6 3 2 INQUIRE y 3 4 ,1 8 2 INQUIRE /$001 CHEV CORVETTE C 0U P E f 1999 CHEV CORVETTE CONV? Auto, Red/Tan/Tan, 25.000 kms. 9-17301 ^ 9 9 7 FORD F350 CREW CAB" Auto. 10.000 kms. Stk#1 -34741 Diesel. 7-16400 \* 6 2 ,9 0 0 INQUIRE V * 4 9 ,9 0 0 INQUIRE V * 2 5 ,9 0 0 INQUIRE COMPACT CARS 2000 HYUNDAI ACCENT GS Stk#0-52135 65,000 k m .......................$ 8 , 9 0 0 2000 F0R0 FOCUS Stk#0-50408 86.000 k m ................$ 1 0 , 9 0 0 1999 SATURN SW1 Stk#9-11237 85,000 k m ................$ 1 0 , 9 0 0 1999 HYUNDAI TIBER0N SE Stk#9-46446 .....................................$ 1 0 , 9 0 0 2000 SATURN SC2 Stk#0-75835 51,000 k m ................$ 1 3 , 9 0 0 1999 CHEV CAVALIER CONV Stk#9-02028 75 ,0 00km ................$ 1 5 , 9 0 0 1999 BUICK CENTURY LTD , <r Stk#9-85970 .....................................$ 1 5 , 9 0 0 2000 FORD FOCUS SE Stk#0-09799 .................................... $ 1 2 , 9 0 0 1999 FORD CONTOUR SE nnn Stk#9-75483 60,000 k m ...................$ 1 1 , 9 0 0 1998 HYUNDAI TIBER0N SE ____ _____ Stk#8-01625 82,000 k m ...................$ 1 2 , 9 0 0 1999 CHEV CAVALIER Z24 CONV. Stk#9-05050 57.000 km ...................$ 1 5 , 9 0 0 1999 SATURN SL2 Stk#9-76205 65,455 k m ...................$ 1 1 , 9 0 0 1999 CHEV MALIBU Stk#9-39228 34,000 k m ...................$ 1 3 , 9 0 0 1998 MAZDA PROTEGE SE Stk#8-74960 82,000 k m ...................$ 1 1 , 9 0 0 2001 VOLVO S60 ,,,,,,,,,,,, Stk#1 -60719 32,000km ...................$ 3 2 , 9 0 0 1999 HONDA ACC0R0 COUPE Stk#9-01108 69,000 k m ...................$ 1 9 , 9 0 0 1998 NISSAN ALTIMA nM Stk#8-23383 87,000 k m ...................$ 1 3 , 9 0 0 1999 HONDA ACC0R0 LX Stk#9-38774 62,000km ...................$ 1 6 , 9 0 0 1997 NISSAN MAXIMA Stk#7-16655 88,000 k m ................... $ 1 5 , 9 0 0 1997 INFINITY 130 Stk#7-I476i .....................................$ 1 6 , 9 0 0 1998 BMW 740i stk#8-57094 75,004 k m ...................$ 3 9 , 9 0 0 1999 SAAB 9-3 Stk#9-69967 6 4 ,0 0 0 k m ... $ 1 9 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 0 9 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 2 7 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 2 7 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 2 7 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 8 4 Pmt. Rn. $ 1 8 4 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 4 9 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 3 9 Pmt. _____ Fin. $ 1 4 9 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 8 4 Pmt. Rn $ 1 3 9 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. Rn. $ 1 3 9 Pmt. S H Ym RECEIVE BACK T H E SELLING PRICE O F YOUR VEHICLE!! IF YOU PURCHASE A VEHICLE A I AUTUPARK SUPERSTORE, RETWEEN NOW ANO SEPTEMBER 2 8 TH , 2 0 0 2 , YOUR NAME WILL RE ENTEREU IN A RANDOM DRAW. IE YOUR NAME IS CHOSEN YOD WILL RECEIVE BACK THE SELLING PRICE DF YODR VEHICLE. 1998 CADILLAC CATERA $19,900 Fin. $228 Pmt. Stk#8-91529 34,000 km . . . 1999 CADILLAC 0EVILLE Stk#9-80215 96,000 k m . .. $23,900 Fin. $279 Pmt. 1999 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL Stk#9-40268 88,000 km . .. $21,900 Fin. $252 Pmt. 1999 BUICK PARK AVE. Stk#9-32452 59,000 k m .................... $24,900 Rn. $285 Pmt. 1999 JAGUAR XJ8 _ stk#9-62972 6 i, o o o k m .................... $39,900 Rn. Inquire Pmt. 1999 CADILLAC STS nn,, Stk#9-37989 .....................................$26,900 Rn. $309 Pmt. 1999 OLDS AURORA ,,,,,, Stk#9-11464 92,000 k m .................... $19,900 Rn. $228 Pmt. S PO R T U TILITY 4X**S 1996 GRANO CHEROKEE LTD. 1999 ACURA TL 3.2 nnn Stk#9-06775 50,000 k m ....................$26,900 Fin. $309 Pmt. 1999 VW JETTA GLS Stk#9-90203 60,000 k m ....................$21,900 Fin. $252 Pmt. 1999 SAAB 9-3 SE Stk#9-04676 75,000 k m ................. $19,900 Rn. $228 Pmt. 1997 VOLVO 850 SE Stk#7-99817 99,000 k m ...................$16,900 Fin. $195 Pmt. 1999 VW JETTA TDI ...,, ,, ,, ,,,,,,,, Stk#9-63673 55,000 k m ...................$19,000 Fin. $228 Pmt. 19 97INFINITI045 Stk#7-06720 .................................... $21,900 Rn, $252 Pmt. 2000 VW JETTA GLS TDI ,,,,,, Stkffl-66314 42,000 k m ................... $21,900 Rn. $252 Pmt. 1999 0LDSM0BILE ALER0 GL ,, ,, Stk#9-88337 35,033 Sedan .............. $14,900 Fin. $172 Pmt. 2000 INTREPID ES Stk#0-44151 .....................................$14,900 Fin. $172 Pmt. 1999 CHEV LUMINA Stk#9-28962 11 ,0 00km ...................$15,900 Fin. $184Pmt. 1999 MERCURY SABLE LS Stk#9-27302 72,000 km ... $14,900 Fin. $172 Pmt. 1999 NISSAN ALTIMA GXE Stk#9-11390 56,000 k m ................... $13,900 Fin. $161 Pmt. 1998 MERCURY SABLE GS Stk#8-28736 86,000 k m ................... $10,900 Fin. $127 Pmt. 1999 NISSAN PATHFINDER CHILK Stk#9-08701 79,000 k m . . . $20,900 Rn. $243 Pmt. $172Pmt. $299 Pmt. $184 Pmt. P IC K U P S 1998 MAZDA B3000 EXT CAB Stk#8-15543 50 ,0 0 0 km ..................$14,900 Rn. 1997 F350 CREW CAB - 0IESEL Stk#7-16400 134,000 k m ................ $25,900 Rn. 1999 FORD RANGER XLT Stk#9-69245 ................................... 1999 FORD F150XL Stk#9-36647 59,000 k m . .. 1999 GMC SAFARI CARGO Stk#9-13264 132,000 k m 1998 FORD CUBE 16FT Stk#8-54957 ......... $19,900 Rn. PASSENGER VANS $15,900 $16,900 $10,900 Fin. Fin. $195 Pmt. W O R K CA R G O V A N S Fin. Stk#6-89654 Stk#9-29575 Stk#9-38785 Stk#9-38173 Stk#9-28040 92,000 k m ................. $14,900 Fin. $172 Pmt. ,, ,, ,,,, $127 Pmt. $228 Pmt. $127Pmt. 1999 FORD EXPEDITION 123,000 km........... $22,900 ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Rn. $263Pm t. 1999 EXPEDITION E00IE BAUER 1999 JIM M Y SLT 110,000 k m ................ $28,900 Fin. $329 Pmt. 59,000 k m ................. $23,900 Fin. $279 Pmt. 1998 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER 1999 EXPLORER XLT Leather.61,000km ..$21,900 ,, ,, ,, Stk#8-61629 1999 ASTRO 108,000km .................$10,900 Rn. Fin. ,, $252 Pmt. $161 Pmt. $228 Pmt. ,, 1996 GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO 1999 FORD EXPLORER SPORT Stk#6-81979 auto.................................. $13,900 Rn. Stk#9-84949 Stk#9-61297 .................................... $19 , 900 Rn. 1999 GMC JIM M Y SLE 1 9 9 9 ISUZU RODEO Stk#9-86025 61 ,0 0 0 km ...................$18,900 Rn. $217pmt. 1998 CARAVAN ES Stk#7-29687 9 4 ,0 0 0 k m .... $13,900 Rn. $161 Pmt. 1998 WINDSTAR I I I ii M I Rn. $ 3 7 7 Pmt. Fin. $ 2 2 8 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 9 5 P m t. Fin. $ 1 8 4 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 9 5 Pmt. Fin. Inquire Pmt. 1998 GRAND PRIX GTP Stk#8-74374 64,000 k m ...................$17,900 Rn. $207 Pmt. 1999 SAAB 93 CONV. nnn Stk#9-60007 96,000 k m ...................$25,900 Rn. $299 Pmt. 2000 SUNFIRE GT Stk#0-56360 71,000 k m ...................$13,900 Fin. $161 Pmt. 2000 MERCURY COUGAR .................... Stk#0-19070 66 ,6 32km ...................$16,900 Fin. $195Pmt. 1999 MAZDA MIATA MX-5 ,,,, ,, ,,,,,,,, Stk#9-18434 44,000 k m .................. $22,900 Fin. $263 Pmt. 2001 FORD MUSTANG CONV Stk#1 -85062 18,000 k m ................... $24,900 Fin. $285 Pmt. 1999 CHEV CAVALIER CONV Stk#9-05050 57,000 k m ............$15,900 Rn. $184 Pmt. 75,000km ................. $19,900 Fin. $228 Pmt. Stk#8-85280 Stk#0-01807 Stk#9-34104 Stk#9-52120 Stk#7-95202 98,000 k m ...................$11,900 Rn. 86 ,0 00km ................... $22,900 Rn. 56,000 k m ................... $13,900 Rn. ..................................... $14,900 Fin. ............. $139pmt. $265pmt. $161 Pmt. $172 Pmt. 2000 MAZDA MPV ES 1999 WINDSTAR 1999 FORD WINDSTAR LX 1997 DODGE CARAVAN SE Stk#9-00987 72.000 km. 1999 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR .. $18,900 ,, ,, ,, Fin. $217 Pmt. Stk#9-32145 1999 NISSAN 70,000 km.................... $39,900 Fin. Inquire Pmt. 78,000 km................. $22,900 Rn. $263pmt. PATHFINDER Stk#9-81118 Stk#8-50394 Stkffl-86857 1999 FORD EXPLORER XLT 2000 CHEV BLAZER LS ..................................... $18,900 Fin. $217 Pmt. $228 Pmt. $161 ,, ,, ,, ,, 6 0 ,0 0 0 k m ... $19,900 Fin. $228 Pmt. $9,900 ... $16,900 $15,900 $14,900 Rn. $117 Pmt. Rn. $195 Pmt. Rn. $184 Pmt. Rn. $172 Pmt. LU X U R Y C A R S 1997 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL Stk#7-19403 126,000 k m .. Stk#9-09508 74,100 k m ................... $19 , 900 Rn. 19% GRAND CHEROKEE Stk#6-81979 114,000km .................$13,900 Fin. 1999 CHEV BLAZER LT 1999 CHEVROLET BLAZER 1999 PONTIAC TRANSPORT Stk#9-14840 73,000km 1999 CHEV VENTURE Pmt. Stk#9-14115 Stk#9-15972 ................... 7 5 ,0 0 0 k m ... Fin. $ 2 2 8 Pmt. $13,900 Fin. $0pmt. Stk#9-07129 56,000 k m ................... $19,900 Fin. ,, ,, ,, $228 Pmt. 1999 CHEV VENTURE ` All p aym e nts are quoted, bi-w eek ly paym e nts including taxe s & interest and SO Dow n. Lic ence extra. C all dealer for details. "A n y o n e w ho p urchases a retail vehicle from A utopark M itsubishi betw een now and Se pte m be r 28th. 2 002 draw tim e, w ill b e elig ib le to particip a te in a draw. T h e d ra w w ill be held at the p re m ise s o f A u top ark M itsubishi. 4 3 1 5 N orth S erv ic e Rd., Burlington, O ntario, on Saturday, S eptem ber 28th a t 3 :00 p.m . T h e w inning individual w ill be required to a ns w er a skill te stin g q ue stion . O d d s in w inn ing a re approx. 1 in 4 00. Call d ea le r fo r details. automotive superstore v x /w w . a u to p a rks u p e rs to re .co m Email: info @a u to p a rks u p e rs to re via · * 4 3 " 1 S North Service Road Bur l ington 905-331 -8500 B E TW E E N A P P L E B Y AND W A L OFF T H E QEW IN BURLINGTON