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Show The Salt Lake Tribune AUTOMOTIVE Friday, September 26, 1997 Private commuter car offers smooth ride By Damiet LeDuc Association of Pnyate Railroad Car Owners. And. said Albert Simon Jr., KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS a columnist for the National Rail- Thefirst thing you notice is nide — as smooth as a fountain gliding over fine stationery Then there's the quiet. There no staon announcements in way Historical Society’s newsletter, the pen the 553 is likely the last car actually owned by a commuters club; the others are leased from railroads. The Commuter Associates’ 553 runs into Chicago once each week- are this train car because all of the passen- gers know where they're going. In day morning from Lake Forest, 35 fact, many days there isn’t even a conductor collecting miles and 45 minutes north of the city, and retums once each evening to the town’s understated, spotless. tickets. because. of course, everyone has purchased one This ts a journey out of thestation. a bridge game has been dealt on oneofthe five leathercovered card tables, and a dozen Chicago Tribunes and Wall Street Journals have been unfurled. There were nods of acknowledg- ment and a few hellos, but little chitchat amongthe members ofthis club. They settled into the bumtorange cloth and tan leather uphol- stery of the 44 club chairs, which face the centeraisle. red-brickstation, which is a block Each memberpurchases a month- As the clock approaches 7:56 each ly cket for $105, which allows him to ride any train. Belongingto the fromthe local aboardoneof the nation’slast daily, private commuter cars, Commuter Associates’ 553 Indeed, before the train has rolled Ferrari dealership morning. an assemblage of men commuters association costs each Buick drawing younger buyers There are other problems whenit By RacHEL KONRAD comes to recruiting members — KNiGHT-RIpDER NEWSPAPERS besidesthe cost. Many potential riders now commuteto other suburbs, notthe city. Andstill others are, as Norton pointed out, “brokers and After decades of watching its buyers grow older, General Motors Corp.’s Buick division may have finally shifted the tide. Young blood — relatively speaking — is flowinginto Buick dealerships and giving newlife to the 94-year-old brand. After years of studying how to appeal to “leading edge” baby boomers, ages 45 to 59, Buick executives say they're starting to see results. Advertisements featuring single working mothers and other guys like that who can work from home.” The 553 was built in 1949 with a lounge, barber shop and showers and wasused as a tavern car on the “nontraditional” buyers have attracted younger customers, said mar- keting services manager Karen Ebben. For example, the percentage of people under 50 who buy Buick’s restyled Park Avenue sedan has quadrupled since 1996. Nearly 40 per- Chicago & North Western Railroad. It was slated to become a tool car after retirement in 1975. When the Commuter Associates needed a new cent ofpeople who buythe Buick Regal sport sedan are under 50. And more than 20 percent of new Century buyers are under 50. That may not seem very young compared to companies such as Honda and Toyota, which have built small sport-utility vehicles specifically for the 21- to 35-year-old niche. But for Buick, whose average buyeris over 60,attracting 50-something buyers is cause for celebration. “We're not going to get all baby boomers into a Buick, or even a domestic,”general manager Bob Coletta said atthe official launch of the 1998lineup. “But if we can get 7 percent at some point, we'd be thrilled.” Coletta, a 41-year Buick veteran, hopes the division's market share in the car segmentincreases from 4.9 percentto 5 percent next year. With Buick’s relatively new lineup of cars, including the popular Century and Regal sedans, gaining market share won't be a challenge, car three years ago,it purchased the old car from the C&NWand refur- Wearing Winglips and pinstripes member about $100 per month bishedit to its currentconfiguration. gathers under a timbered awning for more, plus occasional assessments The main amenities now are the first class aboardanairplane: It gets the 553. They troop aboard their tan for maintenance comfortable seats, framed prints on you there no more quickly than the andbrowncar. whichis attached to Mostof the riders are in their SOs the walls anda refrigerator stocked Masses huddled in less comfortable the back of a regular double-decker and 60s and beyond. It is a signof with beer and soda, operated on the ton suburban Lake Forest. IIL. to downtown Chicago. Itis.aplacelike seats elsewhere. but it gets youthere commuter train Theguide for a recent moming’s tnip was Richard M. “Buzz” Norton, a 1962 University of Pennsylvania aduate and Chicagoantiques deal- in a bit more comtort for a lot more money Once, there were dozens of pri- vate commuter cary clacking alot the nation’s rail lines. delivering ng a charming host anda lover of captains of industry and. tycoons trains. from their suburbanestates to their urbanoffices in special style. Some Heis filled with the gossip and had bars and barber shops: most had felt-covered card tables. As recently as 1968, there wereat least 18 private cars in service nationwide, Today. but three than manyof the generation aboard this car; for them, a 7:56 a.m. departure and 5:07 p.m. return homeis too short a workday. Even manyof the Commuter Associates — whose lore of railroads — and a sense ot etiquette. Before the ride he cauons aVisitor that perhaps the other passengers in $53 won't want totalk and take a regular commuter train therest of the time. ers, 4 third are readers, and athird “Anybody with a real job. under 40. isn’t climbing on this thing.” too much. “A thirdare bridge play- remain, according to Private Var are grouches, People sort of like their privacy,” he said nish. the magazine of the American the times. Today's commuters, espe- cially those still establishing careers, are working longer hours 80 members include a few women honor system. Its older chassis is superior to those of current cars, Norton said, making for the smooth nde. And it is indeed a velvety ride, with pleasant views of Chicago's prestigious North Shore communities flashing by the windows,before the train comes to a gentle stop only automotive analysts said. “All of the new iron they've gotout this year gives them shot at improving their share of market,” said David Healy of New Yorkbased brokerage firm Burnham Securities. “Baby boomers maystill want sport-utility vehicles, which Buick doesn’t offer at this time, but they also go for high-quality, reliable vehicles, which Buick can offer them. The automaker’s re-styled image should be attractive to a younger demographic,” said Healy. — ride the 553 one way many days steps from the city’s financial dis- Norton said, settling into his chair. “They're already downtown.” trict. Itis not a commute, really. but a trip. How longit will last remains to be seen. There is no immediate end in sight. But the trends of contemporary suburbanlife are work- ing against the 553 Intrigue With Intrigue, you enjoy more car for less money Standard equipmentin the GL,in addition to that noted. includes sat on pedestals demanding acco- er and six speakers; heated outside lades for coming up with eye-popping concept cars that were then. mirrors Continued from Page F1 as well as different-acting vehicles For decades. GM design chiefs AM/FMstereo with cassette-play16-inch aluminum entry: leather-wrapped steering Ty put product ahead ofhis ego and wheel: dual zone air conditionin; imps: trunk cargo net: and in doing so came up with artistic twists, bends and creases that are pleasing to the eye — and don’t look alike. Bottomline is that Intrigue starts at $20,700 for the base model: $22.100 for the top-of-the-line GL. Length: 195.6 inches Engine: 3.8-liter, 195-hp V6 Transmission: 4-speed automat- inspired design that most stylists are only allowed to fantasize about and the Mercedes ML320 forits ability to climb straight up a wall wheels: driver's side power seat: like Spiderman homogenized into production models for public consumption. Reigning design guru Wayne Cher- Boxsterare knownfor raw power, the company enters a second 100 the Grand Prix for superior handling, the Plymouth Prowler for cruise control: keyless remote split folding rear seats. About the But pinpointing one stand-out or unique Intrigue trait is difficult “The intent wasn’t an in-yourface look with Intrigue. It was balance and harmony and a lot of only option you needis the power Astroroof at $695. attributes that together make it one appointment. Nothing about the Intrigue — a gangbusters name great car.” said Kenneth Stewart Intrigueleft us with only one dis- Intrigue brand manager. car really dazzled us or made us wanttogiveit abig hug and one of the few GM badges that doesn’t soundlike William Buck- change from deep gray to green based onsunlightorlack ofit The Chevy Corvette and Porsche So accept Intrigue tor whatit is, the second but not final chapter in Olds opus torewrite its history as we tested. Youcan drive off the lot Stylingis clean but more tunedto ley Jr. picked it out — does alot of with a fully loaded car for about the older buyer. Our test car was a things very well rather than just $4,000 less than a smaller. less pewter that had a tendency to oneor two things exceptionally 200—Domestic Cars BUCKREGA “45° V6 Dw 6 Cosseme. power sect Soee Se 17470 tor Cel. See us Sanat SALT LAKE VALLEYGMC 7BUCKRegaSomoged §7.000 Benes Busco. 267-4900 Intrigue is the next product in what will be a total revampof the Oldslineup by 2000. Aredesigned Bravada sport-ute also comesthis. fall, then Alero, the replacement for the compact Achieva, in the spring of ‘98 as a 1999 model The replacementfor the Olds 88, dubbed Antares, is due out in the fall of 1999 as a 2000 model. Like the Bulls, Olds can’t rest on its laurels. Aurora got people back into Olds showrooms who haven’t been there since the president was known as Ike. Intrigue shows that Oldsisn’t simply using smoke and mirrors to redoits productlineup. Yet after Intrigue the question remains. what does Olds dofor an encore? ee 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue GL Wheelbase: 109 inches ic EPA mileage: 19 mpg city/30 mpg highway Base price: $22.100 for GL: $20,700 for base model Price as tested: S24.590 — includes $695 for power sunroof; $600 for ¢ plated. 16-inch aluminum AM/FM su compact-dise $200 leatherseats Pluses: wheel ABS ar standard: V6 \ fuel efficie: comfort f design hi worthy 1 ese luxun ¢ Lexus. with m comfort. pep 900—Domestic Cars_ 900—Domestic Cars | 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars | 900—Domestic Cars 96 BUCKPor Ave, cusior) 4 dost 95BUICKCenluyUnies. Vo WBNFRheVroay oo 92BUCKSr 2 Secon. Vb telah eaupoed. PoE Eo. ae iret qe ecsooes Bist“ ON 620, YS] SeinsoneOS SeesoA WEST VALLEY Espey GpRoreeRs 4175 West 3500 South 87 BBX 83k res, 53.950 bes offer 48446765 % 2BACK PAK AVE Avene, excet corey ‘eater Box oer STON ERICKPos sak $3900 obs. 278-8125 72 BUCK Pork Ave, aleve Jooded,20,wo 17BUSONKENE wih ALL THE leSabre. Nol many V2 BUCK Skylark 4 ct auto. ok. Ask: | Sia 230% Sound Be hs one 38.995 10SPRMBE S996 DUPAEOA | 37BUCK Century Alo. OF 92500 Fi BUCX 4 ‘7x bit Onty ies Cob (Peco enterGrandSport Rowe Sen | Sreeah S995 aBeoiat BUCK Contry Voroker Nichze BROTHERS Spectrede oo LSEDCAR: 86 BUICK ah Pak Avenue, nice FREY SRE OVALE 563600 # 2200 SOUTHSTATE ® must aIS soe. ngeras for than the hot Lexus ES300 Minuses: Styling may notattract younger buyers; needs a knockyour-socks off feature Automotive Automotive" iy published each Friday by the Newspaper Agency Corporationand. is providedas an advertising supplement to The Sult Lake Tribune. Amticles in this Sectionare tor the promotional considerationof adverts 1s, Views expressedin “Automotive” do not necessarily reflect theeditorial opinions of The Salt LakeTribune. For more information about this section call the editor at 237-2924, send e-mail to nacete@nacorp.comor write t Newspaper Agency Corporation, “Automotive,” 135 $, MainSt.. Salt Lake City, UT SHI LL For questions regarding advertising, call 237-2910, Managing Editor Kent Condon Editor Amy J. Coleman "95, CADILLAC: Devilla Concours ‘Sd,duct aff bags. A, leather,CD. ‘heated eats, premium i powerful Lexus ES300 — the rage among those shopping sc-called entry-level luxury ears. years on the market. 9 that all cameoff the sameplatform. DUE TO STRONG NEW CAR SALES, WE HAVE AN ELLENT SELECTION OF (ATE MODEL CADILLACS. __IDDLEKAUEF, 63-2222 ow ‘94 95-96 97 Deviles AI vehicies hove passed Corlesons 78 point vehicie Inspection sn =copicabe owe poge. YOU RECENVE TE sae Onna PRIVILEGES YOU WOULD ON A NEW yaaa | womteccivey soon! Sedan Devil, ooded, wateaftendove 'F2CADKLAC “eaten‘Cora Hof Ssaak lee ‘VA.CADILAC Serta, 60k mintcond, vor Opt, the V7, $14980 278-0488 ¥ #, G7 Dodge. Neon wsap $15,375 5 spd. lots of extras, stk #97-06160 msap $11,300 CASH PRICE 98 Dodge Caravan Vo, au. a, 7 pass, Sermo bts of eras sk 90) $24,882 ple duCNY. 1ag) SALE PRICE $13,582 97 Dodge Dakota Club 1300 Short Bed 4x4 lub SLT MSRP $26,895 stk #98-00480, V8, auto, cruise, tit, cass. air, loaded America’s Truck Stop % The New Dodge PRICES MARKED eS i aot 98 Chrysler Sebring Convertible 97 Dodge Interpid 3.51, auto, loaded cr #97-06300 Only 24 mos. + tet pymt + doc + Mc. $1996 down down plus tax Total $2700 up front, res. $16,822, 12,000 mi/yr. See us on our website at ‘Nttp:/ / wrew hincherydodge: comm DAN EASTMAN'S NEW LOT CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH 200. N. Main Bountitul 298-265 |