Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Aug. 7, 1997, edition 1 / Page 31
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15B Auto/The Charlotte Post Thursday August 7, 1997 RAV-4 offers excellent fit and finish Continued from 16B its not very noisy. The engine could use a few more horses. At 120, that’s OK, but under a full load it starts to protest a bit, especially with the automatic transmission. Honda’s station wagon-like CRV has 130, while Subaru eclipses tbe RAV as well with its Forester (165). Tb its credit, the RAV felt sturdy imder aU conditions. My test vehi cle had nearly 10,000 miles, but there was nary a squeak or rattle. a Tbyota haUmark. Tbyota also says its fine for hght oflf-roading. It is, but it, like most SUVs, will see mostly pavement work. The RAV is a bit pricey. The base price was $18,268. That included dual air bags, rear win dow defroster, fvdl-time four- wheel drive, tinted glass, spHt folding rear seat, rack and pinion power steering, independent sus pension and automatic transmis sion. Options included power windows, mirrors and door locks ($1,050); cassette with four speakers ($415); cruise control ($290); 16-inch alloy wheels ($685); air conditioning ($985) and four-wheel anti-lock brakes ($590). Floor mats and destination brought the as-tested price to $22,822. Six-cylinder Explorers and Blazers start in that price range, but very few are sold that cheap. Everything the RAV-4 competes with costs about as much. And Tbyota’s built in dependabiUty and rehabdity makes the vehicle more tempting. Big trucks causing havic on highway Continued from 1 6 B just since 1990 - and a whopping 50 percent on city and town roads. The number of big rigs on the road is expected to chmb at least another 14 percent in the next seven years. As the number of trucks on the road has increased, the saftey record of the industry has improved, said James Lewis, a spokesman for the ATA. But as the accident rate for trucks (and for cars as well) improves, the increasing number of big rigs on the road has kept the death rate fiom trucks at a consistent 5,000 per year. Critics fear U.S. high ways are reaching the saturation point. Although large trucks account for only 3 percent of vehicles on the road and 7 percent of miles driven, they are involved in 12 percent of the nation’s road deaths. And of those deaths, 75 percent are occupants of the other vehicle, and 10 percent are pedes trians, bicychsts and bystanders. Lewis points out that studies of pohce reports show that mistakes made by drivers of cars cause 72 percent of the accidents involving trucks. But it is the size of those trucks that can make such mis takes particularly costly. Washington state researchers found that double and triple trad er rigs have a threefold increased risk of crashes compared to single traders. And the risks of fatal crashes cUmb sharply with weight. An 80,000-pound big rig is twice as likely to be involved in a fatal accident as a 50,000-pound truck. Lewis disputed those figures, maintaining that triple traders have the lowest accident rate of any vehicles on the road. For example, he said, Nevada statis tics for 1993 show that triples had only .64 accidents per miUion road mdes. Good Credit, Bad Credit, No Credit YOU CAN RIDE! •'89 Grand Prix,extra clean $4,995 •'92 Dodge Caravan SE, $ 8,995 Excellent Pre-Owned Cars, Trucks, Boats & RV's ASHLEY ROAD AUTO ni T.Mi i\(, Curtis Weathers, Owner 1462 Ashley Rd., (Across from Freedom Mall) • 398-2448 GUARANTEED AUTO LOAN • Repossessions • Charge offs • Bankruptcies • • Foreclosures • Collections • No Credit • Pre-quality for a car today!!! Just ca!l our tol! free automated hotline from the privacy and convenience of your telephone! 24 hours a day-7 days a week CALL: (800)273-2514 YOUR APPROVED • National Lender Reports to Credit Bureau FINANCE LINK, INC. iil9 I m sorry. I must have misplaced your paperwork...” Lenders don’t often lose W-2 forms or income verifications. Don’t be fooled by excuses. What appears to be a delay could be discrimination. You can fight back. if you suspect unfair lending practices, contact HUD or your local Fair Housing Center. Everyone deserves a fair chance. 1^ EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY FAIR HOUSING IS THE LAW! U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development *1-800-669-9777 *1001-800-927-9275 Know the Facts. Competition is heating up for local phone service. This can mean more choices, better services and lower prices. Are all phone companies the same? Get the facts by calling the Telecommunications Consumer Information Center: 1-800-646-9999 ©1997 Telecommunications Consumer Information Center ; CREDIT REBUILDERSI NEED CREDIT HELP BUYING A CAR? ~~T~\ CREDIT V APPROVED BANKRUPTCY REPOSSESSION BAD CREDIT NO CREOIT SLOW CREOIT DIVORCE WEI IBP you RE€SIABLHD YDUR CROir NIAL OR RRMG1HS FORM TO KEVM NAME__ ADDRESS- CITY SS# .STATE. HOME PHOHE- .Z1P WORK PHONE- EMPLOYER YEARLY SALARY- OCCUPATION DOWN PMT. OR TRADE. SIGNATURE -UATEUF BIRTH. YOU ARE AUTHORIZED TO INVESTIGATE MY CREDIT AND EMPLOYMENT HISTORY AND TO RELEASE INFORMATION $5,000,000 PRE-APPROVED MONEY TO LOAN BRING IN THIS CREDIT APPLICATION OR MAIL TO: CLONINGER ford TOYOTA® 511 Jake Alexander Blvd., Salisbury, NC 28144 1-800-948-5667 • 633-9321 • 24-Hour Credit HoUine 1-800-691-7677 CALL KEVIN or HARVEY To Advertise In tKlje Cljarlotte Newspaper Please Call Laverne Ellerbe-Chisolm • Jeri Mcknight Pat McNair or Bob Johnson Serious Savings. 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Aug. 7, 1997, edition 1
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