The Oakville Beaver, W ednesday O cto b e r 17, 2001 - D 5 IS YOUR GARAGE PROTECTING YOUR CAR BETTER THAN YOUR | BARGAIN-RATE INSURANCE? Don't trust just anyone to insure your car, see me: AutoGlass Wayne M c G i l l APPLE UPHOLSTERY.. 842-6060 2 3 4 5 Rd #21. Oakville SEATS, BOAT TOPS, CONVERTIBLE TOPS- 847-5671 1033 Speers Rd. An Oakville Beaver Advertising Feature To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Ford T-Bird is hi-tech retro B ack in the 1960s in the Windsor/Detroit area there used to be a daily movie on Windsor's CKLW-TV and the host was Bill Kennedy. Kennedy was a former B-movie actor who appeared in a number of pre-World War 2 westerns, mostly serials. How he got to CKLW was always a mystery to me. He was the show host and used to fill in between the end of a commercial and the start of the film with his memories of Hollywood and those he knew. But what makes me remember him to this day was seeing him driving down Riverside Drive to the station in his perfect '55 Thunderbird. Top down, wide-brim fedora hat up, and the hint of a grin like he owned the world - which to an impression able young buck like me - he did. Three years ago at the Detroit Auto Show when Ford president Jacques Nasser appeared on stage with nothing but the Thunderbird showcar, I was transfixed. Later, talking to other journalists about the car, it seemed they all had their own special memories of the first time they saw a TBird. And it seems there are a lot more peo ple who feel the same, because Ford has been inundated with orders for the car since it was announced last year it would go into production. "For months now, our dealers across Canada have been besieged by customers, some with cheques in hand, who want this car," said Ford of Canada's v-p of sales, Bob Girard. If anything, the car has been too suc cessful, with Ford unable to make enough to satisfy demand. Ford is only going to build 25,000 this model year, of which Canada is supposed to get 2,000. Sold as a 2002, the Ford Thunderbird has a base price of $51,550. An optional (83 lb) hardtop with circular side opera window a la 1955, bumps the cost to $56,500. About the only option as body-color matching seat and interior trim inserts. Ford has kept it simple and that's a good thing. The price is also interesting. Lower than a Boxster and about the same as a Prowler, Ford has taken retro and leading-edge engi neering and put them together in a straight forward, front-engine and rear-drive pack- JIM ROBINSON RoadW orthy age, easy to maintain package that some how seems the right way to go. On the outside, there is no doubt what this car is and who made it. With the reverse wedge lines, hood scoop, round headlights, side vents and egg-crate grille, the look is there. Under the skin it's new age engineer ing with twin-arm independent suspension front and rear with variable assist rack-andpinion steering. All four disc brakes have ABS and electronic brake distribution. All speed traction control is standard and there is an on/off switch on the dash. Power is a 3.9-litre, quad-cam V8 pro ducing 252 hp and 261 lb/ft of torque. Transmission is an electronic five-speed automatic that can be shifted sequentially or left in "D". The car comes with a set of 17-inch, seven-spoke alloys on low profile tires. In the US they have the option of chrome plated wheels that hopefully will be available later in the Canadian model run. My test car came in Inspiration Yellow, but it is also available in black, red, Thunderbird blue (a sea-foam kind of azure) and two shades of white. This is a very satisfying car to look at from any angle. From the blunt nose to the trailing off character line that terminates in a set of "afterburner" style round taillights, the T-Bird makes the most of Ford's DNA pool. The same look good/feel good effect hits you on the inside. With matching yel low door and seat inserts, even the wood part of the leather/wood steering wheel and the wood shift knob were Inspiration Yellow. Nicely offsetting the whole effect was the seafoam pointers on the instru ments, just like the ones Bill Kennedy had. I recognized a lot of the minor parts and switch gear as coming from other Ford products. That's also a good thing. Because The 2002 Ford Thunderbird is a case where retro has really worked. From the signature grille and reverse wedge body line, this car is state-of-the-art underneath. this is a Ford, it means parts won't break the bank and should be available for many years if the owner decides the keep the car forever - which is what I would be doing. On the road the T-Bird is very much a boulevard cruiser. But with 252 horses under the hood, it is no slouch either. Even though this is a convertible, there was a slight blind spot behind the left ear. Obviously this disappears with the top down. The opera windows on the hardtop should do the same in inclement weather. The top goes up in about 10 sec onds with a simple, and effective, centre locking handle. Just to let you know the rain is coming, the T-Bird has moisture-sensing variable intermittent wipers. PS, I took the car through the car wash and no water got in from the high pressure nozzles. The car was equipped with six-way power seat for the driver and a two-way power seat for the passenger. With a 180watt stereo system with six CD-changer in dash, you can play all your favorite stuff from '50s to today's whatever they call it. Actually I was very lucky and had the car on the last two 27-plus Celsius days of September. Of course, I took every oppor tunity to try and impress anyone I knew. I stopped with a neighbor at his local so he could show his friends. Not only did it empty the pub, but some adjacent stores as well. In fact, I toyed with the idea of driving down to Windsor and going past the hous es of all the girls who never dated me. Heck, it worked for Bill Kennedy! Yes, I simply have to drive this car again. Receive 10% off Parts & Labour on Brake Repairs with this coupon. Coupon m ust be presented when vehicle dropped o ff for service PECIAL E x p ire s O c to b e r 31/01 i I | Eastside Auto Service Limited '9 5 Mercury Mystique LS 2.5L 6-cyl., auto, p.m., air, p.w/l., AM/FM cass., cruise, ABS, certified & emissions passed, 140,478k, '9 6 Dodge Stratus ES 2.5L 6-cyi., auto, p.mirrors., tilt, air, p.wA, AM/FM 3-mth, 3,000k powertrain M warranty included (additional warranty available)., ^J A A B V w W cass., certified and emissions passed, only 49,000k, 3-mth, 3,000k powertrain0 1 A A A E warrantyincl. (additional y J warranty available) _ ! V _____________ Drive Clean Repair Centre -- -- AU TO SERVICE Q .E .W . S. S E R V IC E R D . rf -- ---- £ s w-J -e | "JS < s | < 573 C h a rtw e ll Rd. OAKVILLE APPROVED AUTO 11 REPAIR SERVICES || SPEERS RD. * " CORNWALL RD. ° (905) 844-9641 i© l VOLKSWAGEN'S BIG 3 BU RLIN GTO N HAMILTON OAKVILLE ...w e lco m e you to experience the experience! The event yo u 've been w a itin g for! V O L K S W A G E N ' S 2 0 01 INVENTORY C lea n -U p Event Featuring the area's rem aining inventory o f 2001 Volkswagen's 2001 Beetle GLS · Over 70 2001s in-stock to choose from · 5 speed, winter package, dark blue, 2 available (R759, 09727) 5 speed, winter package, silver, 5 available (R761, R924, R760, R341) Winter package, black, 2 available (R272, 09721) Winter package, silver, 3 available (R473, 010284, H9005) 5 speed, leather, roof, alloys, green (H9007) Automatic, leather, roof, alloys, green, 4 available (R807, H8898) Automatic, leather, roof, alloys, Vortex blue (R356) 5 speed, 1.8T luxury, silver (09735) 5 speed, 1.8T luxury winter package, green 5 speed, silver (010232) S speed, black (09723) 5 speed, air, black, (R769) 5 speed, air, blue, 2 available (010352, H9084> 5 speed, air, curtains, black (H9040) Automatic, air, silver (010385) 5 speed, winter package, black, 2 available (H9054, H9078) 5 speed, winter package, blue (R727) Automatic, winter package, black (H9080) Automatic, luxury, curtains, blue (010250) Automatic, luxury, winter package, silver (010333) 1.8T, 5 speed, winter package, black (010268) 17" wheels, blockk (010118) Automatic, blue, 2 available (09644, 09567) Automatic, green (R917) Automatic, monsoon cold, ink blue (010434) V6, automatic, winter package, anthracite (R594) V6, automatic, leather, luxury, silverstone (R894) Automatic, gold (010386) Automatic, silver (H9106) 5 speed, winter package, blue, 4 available (H8879, H9048, R576) 5 speed, winter package, curtains, black (H9027) 5 speed, winter package, roof, black, 2 available (H8869, R609) 5 speed, winter package, roof, white (R584) 5 speed, winter package, roof, blue (R585) 5 speed, luxury, green (09891) 5 speed, winter package, roof, curtains, white (H8868) 5 speed, luxury, winter package, black, 8 available 5 speed, luxury, winter package, baltic (010051) 5 speed, luxury, winter package, curtains, blue (R539) 5 speed, luxury, monsoon, blue lagoo (H9112) Automatic, luxury, winter package, baltic (R270) Automatic, winter package, blue (R560) 1.8T, 5 speed, winter package, black (010330) 1.8T, automatic, luxury, winter package, black (010276) 1.8T, automatic, luxury, winter package, curtains (09985) 1.8T, automatic, luxury, winter package, baltic (010300) V6, 5 speed, luxury, monsoon, winter package, black (H8671) * 2001 Beetle GLS 2001 Beetle GLS TDI 2001 Beetle GLS TDI 2001 Beetle GLS 2001 Beetle GLS 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 Beetle GLS Beetle GLS Beetle GLS Beetle Sport Beetle GLX Golf GL Golf GL Golf GL Golf TDI Golf GLS Golf TDI Golf TDI Golf TDI Golf TDI Golf GTI Golf GLX Cabrio GLS Cabrio GLS Passat GLS Passat GLS Passat GLS Passat GLX Passat GLX Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS JcttO GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS TDI Jetta GLS Sport Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLS Jetta GLX Jetta GLX s2 1,434 s2 1,434 *22,857 s2 2,857 s23,483 s24,548 s24,548 s26,010 s26,184 s26,214 s2 1,434 $18 ,8 9 4 518,894 M9,079 s2 1 ,6 8 7 s2 0,193 s2 1,566 s2 3,853 s2 4 ,0 2 8 s2 3 ,853 s2 4 ,143 $2 8 ,5 9 6 52 7 ,610 s2 7 ,6 1 0 s2 8 ,3 4 7 s3 1 ,0 5 9 s3 4 ,2 4 4 $3 6 ,1 22 $3 6 ,1 22 s2 1 , 6 1 1 V6, automatic, luxury, monsoon, winter package, curtains (H8814) 5 speed, baltic (H8743) 5 speed, 17" wheels, curtains, blue (010279) ` All prices plus S555 freight, S525 PDI, SI 99 administration, Ikence, plus all applicable taxes. s2 1 ,7 9 8 s2 2 ,4 7 3 s2 2 ,4 7 3 s2 2 ,4 7 3 s2 2 ,6 5 9 *22,660 $22,833 s2 2 ,8 3 3 s2 3,020 s23,058 s24,476 s25,338 s25,588 s25,634 s25,821 s25,821 s26,932 s28,444 $30,346 s31,307 WISE BUYERS READ THE LEGAL COPY: ' Cash' purchase a new 2002 Focus LX/Wlndstar D< for $14,950/$24,495. Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price. "Lease a new 2002 Focus LX for $199/5265 or a new 2002 Windstar LX for $285/$399 per month based on an annual lease rate of 4.9%/1.9% and a 36 month lease from Ford Credit to qualified retail lessees, on approved credit. Total lease obligation is $9,363/$9,540/$14,259/$14,364. Some conditions and a mileage restriction of 60,000 km over three years apply. A charge of 8 cents per km over mileage restriction applies, plus applicable taxes. $2,199/$0/$3,999/$0 M o w n payment or equivalent trade required. First month's payment and $250/$325/$350/$475 security deposit required. t3.9% /2.9% purchase financing on all new in-stock 2002 Focus LX/Windstar LX for a maximum of 48 months to retail customers, on approved credit. E.g. $15,000 financed at 3.9% /2.9% annual percentage rate for 4 8 months, monthly payment is $338.05/$331.38, cost of borrowing is $1,226.40/$906.24 and total to be repaid is $16,226.40/$15,906.24. Down payment or equivalent trade may be required based on approved credit. Cash purchase and purchase financing offers cannot be combined. If a finance offer is selected, negotiated purchase price may exceed the cash purchase price, and may result in a higher effective interest rate. All offers exclude freight ($740/$965), licence, insurance, administration fees and all applicable taxes. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Limited time offers. Offers may be cancelled at any time without notice. Offers are mutually exclusive and cannot be combined. ttFull-size Windstar is compared to a short wheelbase model advertised with most other minivans. tFive year or 100,000 km (whichever occurs first) Powertrain Warranty is available on all 2002 model year Focus and Windstar. Some conditions may apply to the Graduate Recognition program. See Dealer for details. Ontario FDA, P.O. Box 2000, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5E4 Drivers wanted. HAMILTON VOLKSWAGEN 1221 Upper James Street Tel: (905) 574-8989 R 0 SELAND MOTORS LTD. 888 Guelph line Tel: (905) 632-0222 OAKVILLE VOLKSWAGEN INC. 557 Kerr Street Tel: (905) 844-3285 Hurry.. .selection won't last long!