Q–You are doing the American consumer an injustice by devoting so much print space (Cartalk, April 19) in defense of the sport-utility vehicle. SUV’s are primarily used in urban and suburban commutes where their usefulness is questionable. They are excessive in size, unwieldy and slow to maneuver, impossible to see around, inefficient in the use of natural resources, difficult to park in the city, being used when a car would suffice, and, oh, yes, unsafe for the rest of us in sensible vehicles. I will write our senators and congressmen asking for higher fuel-economy standards and legislation that will remove them from our streets. S.G., Chicago
P.S. On the way to mail this, one SUV turned into my lane on a one-way street and another made a left hand turn in front of me with no room for safety. This reinforces by opinion that SUV drivers are VIPs who think no one else matters.
A–What you are proposing is that the U.S. become Europe with narrow roads and sky-high gas prices that force people into teeny vehicles that look like arcade games.
Big SUVs aren’t evil. It’s the folks behind the wheel of the big SUVs who at times act as if they left their brains at home.
What it comes down to is that when it’s time to fill the fuel tank, the last vehicle you want to own is a big SUV, but when it comes to having another vehicle run into you, probably the first vehicle you want to be in is a big SUV.
You’d be wasting your time writing senators and congressmen asking for even higher fuel-economy laws and banning SUVs since legislators are busy trying to outlaw an even worse problem facing the world today. No, not drugs, guns, gangs, crime, homelessness, poverty, disease, or child/spousal abuse, but rather the wicked cigarette.
P.S. SUVs aren’t the only vehicles that turn the wrong way into a one-way street or make left turns in front of people.
Q–My wife and I recently purchased a new Volvo. We visited two dealerships, one 20 minutes from home, the second an hour and 10 minutes away. We purchased from the second dealer.
We needed some routine service work performed and called the closest dealer to make an appointment. The service manager told us to take the car back to the dealer where we bought it. He said he wouldn’t service our vehicle. If anyone is considering buying a Volvo, they should buy it close to home or face a long drive for service. G.H., Algonquin
A–Are you talking “routine service” such as an oil change, which you would have to pay for, or talking warranty work, which the dealer submits to the factory for possible reimbursement. If service, the dealer should have taken you; if warranty work, he would be bent out of shape that you didn’t buy from his store but is required by franchise agreement to perform the work.
Q–Regarding your column about Cadillac’s “anywhere/ anytime” sales and delivery program (Business, April 24), under Illinois law there is a three-day cooling off period when someone comes to your house to sell you something, which means if a Cadillac salesman comes to your home to sell you the car, you would have three days to drive it and return it for a full refund. Wonder if Cadillac thought about that? P.K., Lake Bluff
A–You are right, the three-day cooling-off period applies only to sales solicitations at your home, not when you amble down to the dealership to buy. So we called Cadillac and was told that a judge in a recent case in Georgia ruled that the three-day cooling off period didn’t apply to car sales, whether at the dealership or home. Based on that, Cadillac said it feels the three-day cooling off period won’t apply to its “anytime/anywhere” sale and delivery of cars. We’ll see how that goes the first time a car is sold and delivered to the home of an Illinois lawyer.
Q–Regarding your column that 6-speed manual transmissions on the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette are in very short supply and Chevy can’t get anymore for the current model year, it might interest you to know that the 6-speed was built by 800 now laid-off employees of Borg-Warner in Muncie, Ind., which was sold to Mexico in 1998 because of what the company called lack of sales and profit.
So before you recommend people buy a foreign-made vehicle, Beetle or otherwise, tell the real reason the 6-speed is in short supply. I know 800 employees who would love to be making the 6-speed for Corvette, Firebird, Camaro or Viper. Maybe by 1999 Mexico can supply the needs of sports car companies in this country. B.D., Daleville, Ind.
A–There’s probably 800 people who would love the chance to be making a 6-speed manual for the Beetle or Toyota or Mercedes, too. Chevy said there was some downtime in the switch to production of 6-speeds in Mexico, but knowing of the downtime in advance, it built up a supply of manuals to avoid a possible shortage. However, as we reported, Chevy didn’t anticipate 6-speeds would be in even greater demand than expected, especially when the manual went from a no-cost option to an $800 option and orders for 6-speeds still went gangbusters.
– To the reader who called: Yes, Chevy, as your dealer told you, had what it called a “minor” problem with spark plugs on roughly 800 cars, mostly ’98 Corvettes and some ’98 Camaros. Some Pontiac Firebirds were affected, too. The plugs weren’t torqued properly in the cylinders so there was some fuel leakage. Chevy tightened the plugs and the problem was solved. As for delaying delivery of your car, Chevy said the delay, at most, was one week while all cars were checked and fixed. You should still get your ’98 Corvette. If the dealer says he can’t get your car, give us a call.
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Send your questions about cars and trucks to Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, 700 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 135, Vernon Hills, Ill. 60061-1523.
