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Wednesday, M ay 17, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D8 An Oakville Beaver Advertising Feature To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Warner Bros, and Chevrolet team up to produce a van for kids and adults t's 1 not easy keeping a bunch of now and my daughter has to have her CD 'wasskally wabbits' busy in the back player and my son would be moaning all 'was it these days. the way without Gameboy. I have used up seat It used to be when I started writing enough AA batteries to keep Duracell in these columns that a soother or two and a the black for another 10 years, juice box was enough to keep my two kids But it comes to a point where even the busy on trips to visit Grampa's farm or newest games or CDs have been played ad Uncle Donald. But it's the millennium nauseum so the kids are bored with every- I Chevrolet has teamed up with Warner Bros, to produce a special edition Venture minivan complete with VCR, LCD monitor and up to six earphone jacks. W U ji SALE ON NOW! O V ER 200 N EW & O VER 50 USED ! T r THE IMPORT FIGHTER Cw f & ! f 2000 OLDS ALERO GX* 2 DR. OR 4 DR. IDAY , J 2000 & 1 *4 2.4L, 4-cyl. engine, DOHC, 16 valve engine, 4 speed, auto., W/O/D, air, tilt, P/L, AM/FM cass., rear spoiler, 4-way manual drivers seat adjuster, ABS brakes, dual air bags, and more! (based on 10N39/10N43) GIMiWCKSI A li 2-dr. models include alum, wheels MALL PRICE 4 h j r VJM LEASE PRICE ^ I f /mo. ALL A MALL SALE HOTLINE... 842-09757: / ^ ` Plus applicable freight, admin., licence, gas tax, P.P.S.A. and all taxes. **GMAC " Smart Lease," 3 1 based on 36 months, allowing 60,000 km in total and reguires $2,500 down (cash or traded plus freight, admin., licence, gas tax, P.P.S.A. + taxes, O.A.C. Dealer trades excluded. 'Vehicle may not be exactly as illustrated. M SALE HOURS! WED.-FRI. 9*9! SAT. 9-6 H W Y . # 5 (D U N D A S ) m m u i p la c e MADNESS SALE TOWNE W. w £ * UJ VI < o NORTH SERVICE RD. _l Q.E.W. LL I d CC cc < cc hLAKESHORE RD. E. thing. To the res cue comes Chevrolet with its Venture mini van -- but a very special one called the Warner Bros. Edition. Yep Doc, that's right, Chevy and the people who brought us Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam Road Worthy have teamed up to produce a minivan complete with swing-down LCD video monitor for the back seat passen gers. Complete with Koss earphones, it has the capability to allow passengers to view a VHS video, listen to "their" music via the earphones (six plug-ins no less), or there is also a way to play a video game through the interface on the floor-mounted VCR. Not just for kids, this is first and fore most a family vehicle. As minivans evolve, the outside of the envelope has pretty well been decided. I've said before that minivans are the truest example of form following function. Minivan buyers typically want a V6 at the front driving the front wheels with the driver and passenger sitting up nice and high. It must have at least one sliding panel, preferably two, but not doors. Normal doors for the backseat died with the first generation Mazda MPV. The minivan must seat seven, perhaps eight, and it's a given that juice boxes/water bottles/soda can holders num ber in the high teens with more than 20 cupholders being pretty much accepted. Bragging rights go to those with swing-up tables and power swing-out rear windows. The Chevrolet Venture does all of the above. Motive power for all Ventures is a 3.4litre V6 that produces 185 hp and 210 lb.ft of torque mated to GM's faultless fourspeed electronic automatic transmission. I never did get the Nintendo 64 hooked up, as the journalist who had the van before me neglected to leave the operation manu al. That meant I had to try and get the TV/video and earphones/ sound running by guess and luck. Actually, it was dead simple because the Warner Bros, comes with a remote. Turn off the radio, plunk in the video, show the kids how to adjust their individ ual earphones for volume and we were off. I have to say it's been a very long time since my wife and I talked about things like work and health without that blipping Gameboy noise coming from the back. Also of interest is the kids got so interest ed in the movie, they forgot to ask about something to eat and drink along with way until we were almost home. List price of the Wamermobile was $37,670 and it came loaded at that price. Air conditioning controls for front and middle seats, heated remote mirrors, anti lock brakes, solar glass, cruise control, pollen and dust filter, twin sliding door panels, front Next Generation airbags with side airbags, power windows and locks, even front and rear power points were all part of the deal. The antenna is imbedded in the front windshield and those with Highway 407 transponders should take note. The only options were the $250 for the Touring Package plus $255 for traction control and $550 for the power curbside sliding door panel. Price as tested was $38,835 and $39,730 with a $895 shipping charge. The Warner Bros. Edition is pointing the way to the next step in minivan ergonomics and design. The Blue Oval boys now have their version with, you guessed it, a bigger screen. It can't be long before 21-inch flat plasma screens and theatre surround sound make your mini van become the drive-in as opposed to going to one. Some people at work have suggested a vehicle equipped like the Warner Bros, option is a distraction and, more darkly, could cause the driver to loose concentra tion. As for me, video movies and video games in vans and cars are not only inevitable, but a good thing. After all, we've been watching movies in airplanes for two decades. More to the point, cell phones when operated correctly in the hand-free mode are a fact of life. Let's face it, getting there shouldn't be half the fun, it should be all the fun. JIM ROBINSON Feature Car 1993 HONDA CIVIC 2-DR. Sport wheels, perf. ex., sun roof. Don't miss it! OVBt 40 USH) VEHICLES TO CHOOSE FROM! m m m 1987 HONDA CRX N ew b'.ick paint on the "Pocket Rocket." OVER 40 USED VEHICLES TO CHOOSE HIOM! 1991 M AZDA 626 4-dr., auto/air, Perfect 2nd family car. OVBt 40 USED VEHICLES TO 9 CHOOSE FROM! f t Q A I 1990 STANZA 6XE Deluxe. Fully equipped. Air, only 129,000 km. O V K 40 USED VEHICLES TO CHOOSE FROM! MB C w A A W 9A . " U j S l f i l f g f V KYLIE'S VANS 1510 SPEERS ROAD (3RD LINE AT SPEERS) W E DUY - SELL - LEASE - RENT - USED CARS