M arch 10, 1993 • T he P orti , ano O bserver
P age A4
GRESHAM S X
Where Deals A n Made With A Handshake
HE SAVINGS
CHALLENGI
How to keep a car showroom new
Regular washings are
the key to maintaining
appearance and value
By Thomas Hogan
Keeping your ear clean and shiny
is more than just cosmetics. It s an
important pan o f m aintaining your
car’ s value and pertormanee.
The paint, for instance, is the only
barrier between its steel panels and a
car’ s worst enem y— rust. Aside from
on
good except fo r really d irty front
wheels. A nd i t ’ s hard to get o ff once
it’ s b u ilt up.’’
Freeland advises using a wheel
cleaner tget the kind designed fo r all
tvpes o f wheels at an auto parts store)
to remove b u iltu p gnme and gnt. I f
that doesn’ t w ork, he says, try a slightly
stronger product. Use a fine m ist spray
and w ork fro m the top o f the wheel
down. Repeat the process i f the firs,
application le ft any d irt or residue.
For cleaning tires, a household
cleanser and scrub brush w orks w ell.
But don’ t scrub the a llo y wheels or
_wheeI covers (hubcaps) w h ile you re
at it o r you may remove the finish. Be
sure to rinse o ff all traces o f the
cleanser.
A comm ercial car wash detergent
is the best product tor washing your
ear. according to Freeland. He says a
m ild liq u id dish washing soap can be
used in a pinch but autom otive experts
do not recommend it fo r the salest.
most effective cleaning.
To make car washing easy, firs t
assemble all the tools you’ ll need: a
hose w ith an adjustable nozzle, a
bucket o f sudsy water (use hot water
in cold weather for extra cleaning
power), a cleaning m itt (available in
or
ee
auto supply stores) o r a soft cloth, a
small H uffy tow el fo r drying, wheel
cleaner, glass cleaner, scrub brush,
paper towels, a small bustle brush,
vacuum cleaner and a v in y l 01 leather
c leaner. Sometimes an old toothbrush
is handy to ge, in tight places. And a
comm ercial quality tar rem over can
be helpful, too.
"Spend a little extra and get a pistol-
lvpe garden nozzle fo r your hose."
Freeland advises. "They usually have
vin yl or rubber insulation and better
m isting spray."
N ow you’ re ready to start washing.
Here's the Ron Freeland way:
F ill the bucket h a lf fu ll o f warm
water, add tw o o r three tablespoons o f
detergent (the directions usually tell
you to use too much, he says) and take
the bucket outside to the washing
area. W ith the hose set on m ist, spray
water into the bucket u n til it's fu ll ol
289-5579
4650 North Lombard
WHITE AUTO
WHOLESALE
EASY FINANCE APPROVAL
Bankrupt-OK
No Credit-OK
Bad Credit-OK
Just Divorced-OK
"All You Need Is A Full Time Job,
DO YOU LIVE
IN THIS AREA?
White Auto Wholesale
New And Used Car Broker
10900 SW Canyon Rd, Beaverton, OR 97005
(Behind Gattucia Kars)
Phone:(503)520-9301
$$We Pay Cash For CarsSS
BRAND NEW
\
1993 PLYMOUTH
VOYAGER
7 passenger w/air bag. family value package,
power liftgate, rear defroster, air cond & more.
BRAND NEW
\
1993 PLYMOUTH
VOYAGER
V-6
V/6 engine, automatic, air conditioning, 7 passenger,
air bag, power liftgate, rear defroster and more
BRAND NEW
\
1993 PLYMOUTH
ACCLAIMS
Autom atic trans, air conditioning, AM-FM cas­
sette. tilt wheel, cruise control, air bag and more
Watch out For
Children Drive
with Safety
YOU MAY PURCHASE A CAR
OR TRUCK FROM US WITH:
• NO CREDIT CHECKS
OR CREDIT TURNDOWNS...EVER
• DOWNPAYMENTS S400 OR LOWER
• 12.9%A.P.R. FINANCING
YOU CAN HAVE THE CAR CHECKED
OUT BEFORE IT’S BOUGHT
A n d /O r Trade."
'7 0 Mercedes 280SE Automatic......... $3 ,4 50
' Nissan 280ZX Turbo, Loaded
Low Miles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3 ,6 50
'8 4 VW Jetta GLI 4 D oor---------------- $3 ,9 50
'8 5 Peugeot 505 GL Sedan
Low Miles, One Owner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3 ,9 50
'81 BMW 320i Auto, A/C, Mags,
Flawless
$ 3 ,9 5 0
'8 7 Chevrolet Corsica Loaded. . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3 ,9 5 0
'8 7 Ford Tempo AH Wheel DR .............$ 4 ,6 5 0
'8 7 VW Jetta Auto, A/C...................... $ 4 ,7 5 0
SAVE ACROSS
THE BOAR®
/W 2 7'nt/ Features
NEED A CAR?
And A Small Down Payment
$895
Ford Escort
$895
Mazda 6 2 6 4 Door
$950
Dodge Challenger.
$1 ,2 50
VW Rabbit
$1 ,4 50
Olds Cutlass...
$ 1 ,4 5 0
Plymouth V olare........
$1,650
Nissan Stanza
„ $ 1 ,6 5 0
Mazda 6 2 6 4 Door
$1 ,6 50
VW Fastback Low Miles
$2 ,4 50
Subaru 4 Door ....................
..$ 2 ,4 5 0
Cadillac 4 Door Sedan Deville
Volkswagen Bug ••••••••«•••••••••••••••e« $2 ,4 50
Cadillac Coupe DeVille..................$ 2 ,6 5 0
Mazda B2000 SE 5 Pickup---------$ 2 ,7 5 0
Honda Civic 3 Door ......................$ 2 ,9 5 0
Chevrolet Spectrum 2 Door .„ ..„ ...$ 2 ,9 5 0
obvious safety problems, a rusty au­
tomobile is d iffic u lt if not impossible
to sell fo r a good price.
A dirty car is more prone to damage
from rust because the oxidation pro­
cess can continue undetected under
muddy.ireas until irreversible harm is
done.
Sim ilarly, i f a car's upholstery or
carpeting gets d in v. tattered or stained,
its resale value drops accordingly.
So what are the best ways o f
maintaining your car's appearance and
value?
I posed this queslion io Ron
Freeland, a friend in suburban B alti­
more whose cars always look show­
room new, even after years o f com ­
muting to work each day.
"The whole process is called de­
ta ilin g ." Freeland explained. "The
thing lhat make a ear really beautiful
is ihe details. Today's ears have great
paint and you don't have to wax or
polish them too much.
"The biggest thing is washing your
ear on a regular basis," he said, adding
lhat clean wheels arc very important.
" A lot o f people do n't wash their tires
and wheels. They don't necessarily
need to be scrubbed but they should
be thoroughly washed each week."
Dust and d irt from disc brakes,
especially on front wheels where the
brakes provide about 70 percent o f
Ihe stopping power, can be a real
problem. Freeland said.
"Y o u 'll sec lots o f expensive cars
like B M W s and Mercedes that look
results in a clean nui less snmy ap­
pearance.
He suggests removing and clean­
ing the flo o r mats and then vacuum­
ing all carpeting and seats. "A small
brush can be used to loosen embedded
dirt so it can be picked upcasily by the
vacuum," he said.
Freeland says he spends about 30
o r 40 minutes each week washing his
car. which he considers a modest
amount o f lim e to protect his invest­
ment.
"H a ll comes down toresale value.”
he said. " A clean ear in excellent
condition is always worth more."
“W ell Meet or Beat Any Price
Advertised on New Chryslers or
Plymouths in the Northwest”
“That’s our Guarantee!”
BRAND NEW
\
1993 PLYMOUTH '« *■ *■ *
SUNDANCE
Verifiable Rent Payments,
'8 4
'8 0
'7 8
'81
'7 7
'7 9
'8 4
'8 0
'71
'8 3
'7 8
'7 6
'81
'8 4
'8 5
'8 6
C om er
foamy suds.
A p p ly wheel cleaner to a ll four
wheels. W ait tw o o r three minutes
and wash o ff w ith a fine m ist spray.
Rinse the ear thoroughly from top
to bottom to remove surface grime.
Then w ith your m itt or cloth fille d
w ith soapy water do the top o f the car
on one side, including the windows,
hood and trunk. Rinse w ell. Next wash
the top, hood and trunk on the other
side and rinse.
N ow wash the front o f the car,
paying pa rticu la r attention to the
cracks and crevices in your g rille , the
bum per and the panel under the
bumper. M ove around to the rear and
wash the body panel, tail lights and
bumper. D o n 't forget to clean your
license plates and brackets.
F inally, wash both sides o f the car
and rinse thoroughly. Tar remover
can be used to remove specks o f as­
phalt. tree sap or bird droppings.
F ollow directions on the label.
Ron Freeland likes to drive his car
on a short trip after washing to dry o ff
most surfaces. He then wipes o ff we,
spots w ith a soft towel.
To clean the interior. Freeland starts
by w ashing the w in d o w s w ith a
commercial cleanerand paper towels.
He then wipes vin y l or leather areas
with a damp cloth to pick up dust and
dirt. If the v in y l’ s luster needs to be
restored he uses a m ixture o f half
vin yl cleaner and ha lf water.
Same Location Since 1948
Over 100 Late-Model
Used Car Inventory
Fleet & Lease All
Makes New
Robert Probasco
r
E.Z. CARR
4 DIVISION OF CARR CHEVEROLET GEO NISSAN
231-0000
We care more about your future than we do your past.
WHY PAY FULL RETAIL?
Autom atic transmission, air bag, rear defroster,
power steering, power brakes and more.
'92 PLYMOUTH
ACCLAIM
Automatic, air conditioning, power steer., tilt,
cruise & more. #P629
_____
1992
DODGE
DYNASTY LE
V/6 engine, automatic, power steering, air cond,
power windows & locks, tilt, cruise, cassette. #P659
1992 CHRYSLER
IMPERIAL SEDAN
Loaded
with
everything
including
AE3S
Drakes
2 TO CHOOSE FROM
S16,988
1992 CHRYSLER
LEBARON CONVERT
jaturday,
Up to 70 cars (many under $1000) • Gates open at 9:00 a.m.
84 Audi 50005
78 Ford LTD (Nice)
83 Chevy Blazer(Sharp)
81 Pontiac Phoenix (Nice)
76 V.W. Dasher
82 Ford Bronco
78 Pontiac Bonneville
85 Olds Regency
86 Nissan Station Wagon
79 Pontiac Grand Prix
79 Chevy LUV-P/U
83 CAD Seville
Full power
including
air
condition­
ing. etc,
etc. »-P650
SALE PRICE
11,988
GRESHAM
Plymouth
W/tere Dea/s Are Made With /(Handshake "
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PUBLIC
AUTO AUCTION
_L84
2 4 0 -0 4 4 8
6500 NE Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd. • Portland
_
B A N P IE L P J n t F W A Y
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*
D IV IS IO N S T
PleturM 4 actual unIM may «urtar Prie a t good thru J JR 93
1975 East Powell