The best buy.
Not necessarily the cheapest, fastest or nicest looking, but each has a quality that makes it worthy of the ultimate consumer compliment: the willingness to go into debt to acquire one.
With that in mind, it’s time once again to choose the creme de la creme of vehicles on the market.
Vehicles were chosen without regard to country of origin and since the automakers have chosen to blend model years, the list includes 1999 and 2000 models.
So, without further ado, the 1999 Best Buys:
– 1999 Chevrolet Corvette: Coupe, convertible, roadster, you can’t go wrong with any one. Our favorite is the latest addition to the trio, the hardtop, with engine, transmission (6-speed manual only) and suspension perfectly mated for optimum performance. Road-hugging suspension, speed-sensitive steering, active handling, traction control and anti-lock brakes give the hardtop outstanding road manners.
Corvette’s philosophy is no longer “no pain, no gain.” Chevy finally realized that a sports car doesn’t have to punish its occupants and that it isn’t necessarily how fast a vehicle travels as it is how sensibly it manages the course. A civilized car that is in total control of the road so you are in total control of the car.
Base price hardtop: $38,320; coupe: $38,820; convertible: $45,220. Engine: 5.7-liter, 345-h.p. V-8; Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/28 highway.
– 1999 Chevrolet Malibu: Perhaps the best value of all Best Buys. One of the few cars in the General Motors stable with a pleasant, rather than psycho-babble, nameplate.
Why don’t teeny tiny cars sell well? Why would they with a stylish, roomy midsize Malibu sedan starting at $16,000 to $18,960 (LS) that comes with lots of standard equipment, including ABS and traction control, air conditioning, 4-speed automatic, tilt wheel and power trunk opener. (The LS also adds power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control and AM/FM stereo with cassette as standard.)
Ideal car for recent grad, the newly married and those who want maximum equipment for minimum price. With Lumina soon gone, Malibu may get the attention it deserves.
Base price: $16,000 ($18,960, LS); Engine: 2.4-liter, 150-h.p. 4-cylinder (3.1-liter, 150-h.p. V-6 LS); Fuel economy: 23 m.p.g. city/32 highway (20/29 LS).
– 1999 Lexus RX300: The benchmark for hybrids, a multipurpose machine that rides and handles like a car but provides all the benefits of a sport-utility vehicle in terms of sitting high to see down the road and offering four-wheel-drive for optimum stability and control whether the road is covered with snow or there isn’t any road at all.
A sport-ute shell fastened to a Camry sedan platform that will hold four adults and their luggage or two adults, three kids and the groceries. Toyota reputation for quality, dependability, durability, reliability in a stylish people and/or their things hauler.
Base price: $32,005 two-wheel-drive, $33,405 four-wheel-drive; Engine: 3-liter, 220-h.p., 24-valve V-6; Fuel economy: 19 m.p.g. city/22 highway.
– 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere: Knockout styling? Nope. Bargain price? Nope. Luxury sedan comfort with sports-car performance? No way. So what’s the attraction? It was the first (Pontiac Montana and Chevrolet Venture were second and third, respectively) to offer an in-vehicle entertainment system for the family mini-van. It includes a TV screen that flips down from the roof for second- and third-seat occupants and headset plugs and controls so the kids can listen to radio, cassette and CDs and watch movies and play video games without disturbing Dad or Mom. Puts end to age-old “Are we there yet?” annoyance.
Also comes with front and side air bags, ABS and traction control.
Base price: $30,605; Engine: 3.4-liter, 185-h.p. V-6; Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/25 highway.
– 1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE: You have to admire an automaker that asks its owners “What don’t you like?” and makes key changes based on the responses. Pontiac gave owners what they asked for: a little bigger and quieter Grand Am with a little more power and 3.3-inch wider tracking for improved road stance and much better ride and handling. Grand Am now behaves the way it looks, very sporty.
Gone is the quiet but underpowered 3.1-liter V-6, and in its place is a 3.4-liter V-6 that delivers more low-end torque for quicker off-the-line response. There’s SE, SE1 and SE2 and GT and GT1 sedans. The SE2 and GT1 sedans are personal favorites for offering the 3.4 as standard along with larger, road-hugging 16-inch radial tires designed for handling, a sports-tuned suspension for more sure-footed performance, variable-effort power steering for more precise response and ABS and traction control.
Base price: $16,530 SE, $19,590 GT; Engine: 3.4-liter, 170-h.p. V-6; Fuel economy: 19 m.p.g. city/28 highway.
– 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP: When you need more room and want more power, you can step up from the compact Grand Am to the midsize Grand Prix, which offers optimum performance in a sports sedan.
Wide tracking means incredible road grip. Drive aggressively and remain in harmony with the pavement whether it dips or twists. If it does, traction control goes to work to maintain stability. This is a driver’s car.
The supercharged V-6 packs a wallop when you need a surge of power, yet the fuel economy rating is a most pleasant 18/28.
Base price: $23,905 coupe, $24,055 sedan; Engine: 3.8-liter, 240-h.p., supercharged V-6; Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/28 highway.
– 1999 Saab 9-5: The old 9000 has a new name and a stiffer chassis, four-wheel independent suspension and wider-profile tires to reduce the tendency to float and list. Turbo V-6 delivers more low-end torque for lively zero- to 30-m.p.h. off-the-line bursts without the typical turbo lag.
Kudos, as well, to ventilated seats, mini-fridge glove box to keep pop cool, a rear seat that converts the back into a hatchback cargo hold and, in the attention-to-detail department, a pair of work gloves in the trunk.
Base price: $31,025 to $37,450; Engine: 3-liter, 200-h.p., turbo V-6; Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/26 highway.
– 1999 Toyota Camry Solara: OK, sedans are in and coupes are out, because the two doors limit the number of folks who will stroll into the showroom willing to check one out. But the only thing this car lacks that its four-door Camry sibling has is the two rear doors.
Styling is more distinct and sportier than Camry’s. The 3-liter V-6 is more spirited in Solara, yet the 20/28 m.p.g. fuel-economy rating is excellent.
The most noticeable difference, however, is sporty character of the Solara thanks to a suspension system with increased strut and spring rates as well as stiffer suspension mounts and tighter, quicker steering response than the Camry sedan. For optimum ride and handling, get the optional traction control. No plans for a rear access door, but a convertible is coming in spring.
Base price: $22,048; Engine: 3-liter, 200-h.p., 24-valve V-6; Fuel economy: 20 m.p.g. city/28 highway.
– 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 1.8 T: The Beetle had folks turning somersaults when it returned in the 1998 model year. Some of the adulation tapered off when people found the 4-cylinder engine was a tad underpowered. Beetle had eye-popping design, but lacked the performance to go with it.
So now comes a Bug for ’99 with a little more brawn, a 150-h.p., turbocharged 4-cylinder. For those who dare look, the rear-end spoiler built into the roof will rise at 93 m.p.h. to provide more high-speed stability. ABS standard, along with side-impact air bags, traction control, and, of course, a bud vase plus a book of poetry. Base price: $19,000; Engine: 1.8-liter, 150-h.p., 20-valve 4-cylinder; Fuel economy: 23 m.p.g. city/27 highway.
– 1999 Volvo S80: For years the Swedish automaker promoted safety because it couldn’t promote the styling of a box on wheels and certainly not performance.
Now comes a four-door, front-wheel-drive sedan with stylish rounded sheet metal and a pair of 6-cylinder engines that will rouse you from your slumber. The 2.9-liter 6 and 2.8-liter twin turbo 6 are peppy as well as smooth and quiet. The suspension with the 2.9 is more softly tuned, it’s a little firmer with the 2.8 turbo for flatter, quicker, more sure-footed maneuvers.
Safety still is emphasized as evidenced by front and side air bags and side curtains to keep heads from banging against the windows. You also get ABS and traction control.
Base price: $35,820 with 2.9, $40,385 with 2.8; Engine: 2.9-liter, 201-h.p., in-line 6-cylinder, 2.8-liter, 268-h.p., in-line 6-cylinder; Fuel economy: 19 m.p.g. city/27 highway (2.9), 18/27 (2.8).
– 2000 Audi TT coupe: At last, a traffic-stopping design for which Chrysler can’t take credit. TT is built off the same platform as the VW Beetle from its sister division. This front-wheel-drive coupe will be joined by an all-wheel-drive Quattro version as well as a roadster. The 180-h.p. turbocharged 4 will be joined by a 225-h.p. turbo 4 in about a year.
Pocket-rocket fun car that will be even more fun when the Quattro arrives. Above average road manners now; all-wheel-drive can only improve that. One major problem: Low roofline makes it an even bet you’ll hit your head in entering or exiting the car. Rear seat is a mirage.
Base price: $30,500; Engine: 1.8-liter, 180-h.p., 20-valve, turbocharged 4-cylinder; Fuel economy: 22 m.p.g. city/31 highway.
– 2000 Buick LeSabre Limited: Industry’s top-selling full-size sedan the last seven years got a much needed design and dimension overhaul. Those mammoth chrome door handles from the ’70s have finally given way to flush, body-colored handles.
Now built on same platform as 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora coming out next spring. Longer wheelbase and wider tracking for improved ride and handling and better stability. Optional Gran Touring suspension is a little stiff but provides quicker cornering with minimal body lean and more predictable maneuvering and control of the car.
Base price: $26,695; Engine: 3.8-liter, 205-h.p. V-6; Fuel economy: 19 m.p.g. city/30 highway.
– 2000 Jaguar S-Type sedan: Stunning. The Jaguar S-Type, Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler, Volkswagen Beetle and Audi TT coupe are in a design league of their own. Thanks to the 1989 acquisition by Ford Motor Co., Jaguar had the dough to do the S-Type, its smallest luxury sedan (until the X400 arrives for 2001).
Split personality depending on whether you opt for the V-6 for show or the V-8 for go. Best bet: The S-Type with V-8 and sport package with computer activated technology suspension (CATS) for optimum ride and handling.
Optional voice-activated controls are functional and fun. Simply say: “Climate control, 70 degrees,” and the climate control rings up 70 degrees without you having to twist, turn or pull a knob or dial. The Lincoln LS is built off the same platform and costs about $10,000 less, but lacks the styling and option content, CATS and voice-activated controls.
Base price: $42,400 V-6, $48,000 V-8; Engine: 3-liter, 240-h.p. V-6, 4-liter, 281-h.p. V-8; Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/26 highway V-6, 17/23 V-8.
– 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Redesigned (only long-wheelbase versions), new powertrains (no more V-12), more standard equipment (navigation system), yet the base price was lowered by $9,600.
Air suspension makes you feel as if you are driving on a cloud. Eight air bags include a curtain for perimeter protection. TeleAid emergency satellite communication system pinpoints your location in a mechanical or medical emergency. Parktronic uses sonar to warn of objects ahead or behind that may be out of your sight. And the best is yet to come: Distronic, a radar system that keeps the prescribed distance between you and the motorist ahead.
Base price: $77,850; Engine: 5-liter, 302-h.p. V-8 (5-speed automatic transmission); Fuel economy: 16 m.p.g. city/23 m.p.g. highway.
Runners-up
Some that missed the 1999 list of Best Buys were thisclose to making it.
Take the 2000 Chevrolet Impala LS (SS comes out this fall) with its spacious cabin, standard anti-lock brakes and traction control, Pontiac-like ride and handling and peppy 3.8-liter V-6 with above-average fuel economy. But the thick black bodyside moldings stand out like liver spots. Base price: $22,365; Engine: 3.8-liter, 200-h.p. V-6; Fuel economy: 20 m.p.g. city/29 highway.
And there’s the 2000 Toyota Prius, the Corolla sized gas/electric hybrid that solves the battery-car problem of six- to eight-hour recharges that limit driving range because the gas engine recharges the batteries while you drive. It missed the list only because it won’t go on sale here until this fall. Base price: $20,000 to $25,000; Engine: 1.5-liter, 58-horsepower 4-cylinder gasoline, 240 D-cell battery electric; Fuel economy: Averages 60 m.p.g. city/highway combined in Japan.
Don’t forget the really low-volume Plymouth Prowler, which is in a class by itself mainly because of its retro styling and has sold 2,640 units since bowing in 1997. A tribute to Chrysler minds that will pay homage to designs that never go out of style regardless of fuel economy, emissions and safety legislation that tries to crush creative efforts. This is a vehicle to be seen cruising in, providing you don’t mind attracting a huge crowd whenever you park. A work of art. Base price: $40,000; Engine: 3.5-liter, 253 h.p., 24-valve, aluminum block V-6; Fuel economy: 17 m.p.g. city/23 highway.
MATEJA`S PICKS
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Car Base price
1999 Chevrolet Corvette $38,777 (hardtop)
1999 Chevrolet Malibu $16,000
1999 Lexus RX300 $32,950
1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere $30,605
1999 Pontiac Grand Am $17,470
1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP $23,910
1999 Saab 9-5 $36,800
1999 Toyota Camry Solara coupe $21,988
1999 Volkswagen Beetle 1.8 T $19,000
1999 Volvo S80 $35,820
2000 Audi TT $30,500
2000 Buick LeSabre Limited $26,695
2000 Jaguar S-Type $42,400 V-6
$48,000 V-8
2000 Mercedes-Benz S500 $77,850
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