Bang for the Buck

Buying a new car or truck is a pretty personal thing, and one shopper’s dream can be another’s nightmare. But one thing almost all car shoppers consider as they begin the hunt is relative value: the bang to be had for the bucks being spent. IntelliChoice Inc., a car-rating service in Northern California, has been charting the costs of ownership and choosing “Best Overall Value of the Year” in numerous price categories for more than a dozen years. The company’s awards are based on the projected five-year cost of buying and operating a vehicle. Financing, depreciation, insurance, maintenance, repairs, fuel and fees are considered in the calculations. Here are the 1999 BOVY top award winners, announced Feb. 10 at the Chicago Automobile Show (a broader listing, including runners-up, is available on the company’s Web site at https://www.intellichoice.com):

Best Overall Value

Class/Price: Car/Over $20,000

Maker: Mercedes-Benz

Model: E320 wagon

*

Class/Price: Car/Under $20,000

Maker: Honda

Model: Civic DX 4-door sedan

*

Class/Price: SUV/Over $25,000

Maker: Toyota

Model: 4Runner SR5, 4WD

*

Class/Price: SUV/Under $25,000

Maker: Jeep

Model: Wrangler SE

*

Class/Price: Truck/Over $18,000

Maker: GMC

Model: Sierra C2500 3-door extended cab

*

Class/Price: Truck/Under 18,000

Maker: Nissan

Model: Frontier SE king cab

Best Value by Sub-category

Class/Price: Subcompact/Over $14,000

Maker: Honda

Model: Civic LX, EX coupes and sedans

*

Class/Price: Subcompact/Under $14,000

Maker: Honda

Model: Civic CX, DX, HX coupes, sedans, hatchbacks

*

Class/Price: Compact/Over $15,000

Maker: Audi

Model: A4 1.8T/1.8T Quattro

*

Class/Price: Compact/Under $15,000

Maker: Saturn

Model: SL series

*

Class/Price: Small Wagon

Maker: Saturn

Model: SW series

*

Class/Price: Mid-Size/Over $19,500

Maker: Honda

Model: Accord EX sedan

*

Class/Price: Mid-Size/Under $19,500

Maker: Honda

Model: Accord DX, LX coupes and sedans

*

Class/Price: Mid-Size/Large Wagon

Maker: Volkswagen

Model: Passat GLS

*

Class/Price: Large Car

Maker: Toyota

Model: Avalon XLS sedan

*

Class/Price: Near-Luxury Car

Maker: BMW

Model: 323i sedan

*

Class/Price: Luxury Car

Maker: Mercedes-Benz

Model: E320 all-wheel-drive sedan and wagon

*

Class/Price: Base Sport

Maker: Chevrolet

Model: Camaro convertible

*

Class/Price: Sport

Maker: BMW

Model: M3 convertible

*

Class/Price: Minivan/Over $22,500

Maker: Nissan

Model: Quest SE

*

Class/Price: Minivan/Under $22,500

Maker: Nissan

Model: Quest GXE

*

Class/Price: Full-Size Van

Maker: Chevrolet

Model: Express 1500 3-door passenger and cargo vans

*

Class/Price: Compact Pickup, 2WD

Maker: Nissan

Model: Frontier SE king cab

*

Class/Price: Compact Pickup, 4WD

Maker: Chevrolet

Model: S-10 LS regular and extended cab

*

Class/Price: Full-size Pickup, 2WD

Maker: GMC

Model: Sierra C2500 3-door extended cab

*

Class/Price: Full-size Pickup, 4WD

Maker: GMC

Model: Sierra K2500 HD 3-door extended cab

*

Class/Price: Compact SUV

Maker: Jeep

Model: Wrangler SE

*

Class/Price: Intermediate SUV

Maker: Toyota

Model: 4Runner SR5, 2WD and 4WD

*

Class/Price: Luxury SUV

Maker: Lexus

Model: LX 470 4WD; 2WD: two-wheel drive; 4WD: four-wheel drive

Source: IntelliChoice Inc.