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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1976)
pep 4 THERE MAY NEVER EE A MASS-TRANSIT monorail between Comstock and Burwell, friend. So you just may have to up and buy a car. New automobiles are so ridiculously expensive many of us can consider only used cars. So here, in words and pe culiar pictures, we present six that a sharp shopper can snatch for under a grand. Our seamy selections are NOT recommendations. They were chosen to show the range of what is available in the low-buck category, from sedentary sedans to intense sporting machinery. , AH used cars have one thing in common. That's when . you buy them you must be very csrefd. A copy Edmund's Used Co-Prices (available it Nebraska Cook Store) will help you spot a fair deal, but selecting the right car is ancthenthing. First, decide what sort of car you really need for MOST of your driving. Don't pick something that will "let me move all my stuff," or you'll buy a rcmi. Consider size.-cperating economy, performance, safety and appear third dimension Then start looking. Take a long look in good Eht from about 20 fret away. A car that locks ratty probably is. Now look closer. Note dents, patches of rust and anything else odd. 02 stains on the wheels mean leaky brake cylin ders. Spots where the paint looks different mean wreck repairs. If the crack on the doors, hood or trunk isn't even all the way around, it may mean a bent frame. All of these can be fixed, but it is expensive. Other things being equal, give the nod to those without such symptoms. In a really cheap car you may want to overlook a few dents. But note things that might keep it from passing safety inspection. Bent frames, rusty exhaust pipes (look . under the car) and broken glass or lights are no-nos. Check the interior. Little rips in the upholstery may . grow, and these are expensive to fix. Again, if the interior looks ratty, it probably is. Now it's time t o drive. Before anything else, hold down the brake for about a minute. If it slowly sinks to the floor, dorCt even test the car. Then see if the engine starts easily. Try the lights, wipers, horn and other goodies. Drive the car around town, and listen for funny noises thursdtey, dcccmbcr 2, 1070 such as groans, grinds and clanks. See if the brakes stop , the car in a fairly street line. On a highway, see if there's any pay'" la stssrhg wheel-the less the better. Take your hands off the wheel ' briefly on a clear stretch and see if the car continues straight Slant in the road may make it veer a little, but anything drastic is bad. Once you've picked a promising candidate, spend the $20 or so needed to have a mechanic or diagnostic center check it over. With a mechanic youll probably need to arrange a checkup in advance. See that you get a compres sion test and plug reading on all cylinders (some diagnostic centers do crdy one unless you ask) and careful inspection of the underside on a hoist. If there's any major trouble, get an estimate on the cost to fix it so you can dicker with the seller. If the mechanic gives the car a clean 113 of health, it's still a gamble, but the odds are more on your side. Now ask yourselfDoes this car please me? WEI I enjoy it and be satisfied witn it? uur survey proves mere s pisssy ci choice in the used-car field, so there's no excuse for net buying one that makes you feel good. illy $ 1 ,000? Consider these used cars 1 1 f s " i T . ) Si : ' . ; k f 1 "7 - V . I'" , .... " i - w ;i 'J' 'J -- v.., Z I - "3 C . IV 6 i II . Mi li .. v ; I Driving a Volkswagen Fastback makes you feel so primly virtuous you want to fold your hands in your lap. The fastback is roomy for its size, well-made, durable and economical. It's also noisy, squirrely-iandling and slow. It's probably better than a Beetle because it has a bigger trunk and better visibility, but being better than a Beetle isnt that hot a recommendation. This is a fine car for people who'd rather not be driving. , y' '.154 Croups loo big to be bored in a VW can be bored in a 1966 ChevroVt Impala. Kent Wolgamott, keeper of this voluptuous Middle American, says it's aa easy car to hate." Then again, the Impala waddles along wi&out c3 change, tuneups or shock absorbers, repaying abuse by guzzling no more gas and wheezing out no more smog than it did when new. The vague handling makes it feel a lane wide and a block long in traffic, but there's enough Toom in the back seat for a Mazola party. i i' 0v v " v - si I f 1 A v lis Lewis' 1 960 Vol vo PV 544 (named Victor) isn't quite like today's stuffy, sensible Swedes. True,he's economical (20 miles a gallon) and roomy. Tie back seat's bigger than some big sedans; and the trunk is like a cave, if there were ventilation you ccold open a bar in it But when you floor the pedal his true personality emerges. The dual-carb, four-cylinder engine blows cfTVW , Rabbits and roars like a IlemhCuba. Handling is a-Ie, if tippy (Victor is five fect tall) and the S" ground clearance . Lis docs all cf Victor's mechanical work herself, no jpzuuicra wim lac simple engme. iody parts may be hard to find.but you'll never confuse your FV 544 wi:h sny thing in the parking let. y -O- " A 1970 DcS ge Scper Zst iaabect as rkd for -transport m an F4 Hntsa. Sat rssjbe yc're the only driver in a family cf Siamese quintals and cad roam. Actuary the Super Lst ka't that comfcitIe for rscw than four, but that's not the idea. The iisa is the power fid iph cf adxcnalia you get wheaoa hit His ps and the Brhunk pipes" roar. The steering is haavy and the psir.t pets and the engine mounts break and so does your gas budget, but you ted like you're plugged into a 223v cut kt when you goose a Super Dee. The classic American super car is extinct, and it (kssTvts to be. It ste too much snd breamed cut bad stUif. Cut if a Ch'k'i your dally wheels and ycu fzt want somethirg formal for weekend wear, you mi-kt consider saving one cf this breed. "