What's Driving Behrendt
•A MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT FEATURING NEW CARS, COMMUTER ISSUES,
AND STUDENT STORIES AT PENN STATE ERIE, THE BEHREND COLLEGE•
What Commuter
Council
by Brean n a Bush
staff writer
= Parking has become an issue s
mainly with those who commute.
More Behrend students seem to be
driving to campus than before. But
what happens if there are issues that
occur with commuters? That is
where the Commuter Council steps
in.
The Commuter Council is a stu
dent governing organization that is
represented in the Student Govern
ment where they hold a voting seat.
if parking, renting, landlord issues,
or any other commuter problems
arise, the Commuter Council is here
to help them. If they cannot, they
try to find someone who will be able
to.
Being active and on top of impor
tant issues makes the Commuter
council whelping hand to those who
cotmpytp CurrFntjz,tyey are look
irigi issUeouch as lack of hous
, oft . camPuld housing, and what
wabout poor landlords. They are
ing to put together a database of
'rental properties and a rating system
pf Properties and landlords.
Some projects and activities that
,have been or are in the process of
*nil planned are the 12-hour Sur
iiAx:Dance-a-thon, where proceeds
refit children with HIV, and the
!dbmmuter skating party that was
)eldlastsemester and this semester.
6ilu4eii are the Coffee and
tkaidn:Fr students and the com-
37 years
by Tammy Srembo
staff writer
"Wow!" This is what the entire
nation was saying in April of
1964 about a new revelation of
cars: the Ford Mustang. Ford
was already a successful
automobile maker and when
they released the Ford Mustang,
they had no idea that this car was
going to make their reputation
and name soar.
When Ford put the Mustang
on the market in April of 1964,
selling as a 1965 model, the
sticker price was $2,368. A high
price for a car back then, the
reaction to the new Mustang was
phenomenal. Not long after it hit
the market, dealers were not
keeping up with the high
demand, and Ford could not
supply the dealer's demand.
Dealers started selling cars at the
actual sticker price and at even
higher prices to keep up with the
increased requests.
Ford had no idea that the
response to this car was going
to be so great. They originally
projected their first year sales to
be 100,000 cars... after the
demand became so high, Ford
changed its projected first year
sales to be 250,000. Four months
of the Mustang being on the
market, and the 100,000 mark
was surpassed. The 1965
production was almost 700,000,
which was an all-time record for
first year cars on the market. In
all about
muter Fall Flipout and Spring Fling
Picnics
"I am very proud of my fellow
commuter council members and I
think that our group does an excel
lent job for the number of people in
our organization," stated Karl
Gressley, President of the commuter
council. "I just wish that more com
muter students were to get involved
in our council. I think with a few
more members, our council can do
even more for our commuter student
population. With more members, the
commuter voice can be heard and our
council can have more of a presence
in student issues."
Everyone needs to keep in mind
the issues that involve commuters.
Support, service and social activities
oriented toward commuter students
would possibly help involvement.
The Commuter Council is always
looking for ways of increasing com
muter students' involvement on cam
pus and providing more programs for
them.
Commuter Council Officers:
Karl Gressly. President
Julie Lafferty, Vice President
Meggan Allen. Treasurer
Julie Flagella, Secretary
Kris Motta
and Linda Lombardi,
Advisors
Meeting time: Tuesdays at
5:30 pm in Reed 113.
The Com
muter Council
Office is
located on the
lower level of
the Reed
Union Build
ing. The
office phone
number is
x 6452.
of the Mustang: an American legend
March of 1966, the number of
Ford Mustangs sold reached the
one million Hulk.
Why was this car so popular
back then and still remains so
today?"Fhe answer lies in the car
and legend itself. When Ford
designed the Mustang, they
wanted something 'All-
American,' sporty, and
something to show having fun.
The Mustang started a fad of
personal cars with
sporty characteristics.
With the name
Mustang and the
emblem
the
horse
representing
name, the Mustangs
quickly started being
called. "Pony Cars".
The features and
options in this make
of
outstanding
Feature , ,
options could be
customized to suit the
driver. This is one of
the reasons there was
a great response to
the Mustang's
introduction and the
theme that
personality of the car greatly
depended on how the car was
equipped.
When the Mustang first
entered the market, there were
only two body styles: the coupe
and the convertible. Throughout
the years, there have been such
MI MI M MI MI 111 MI MI El 1111 MI MI MI 111 MI MI 1111
Chrysler
for mid-sizes
"Dodge-different." It's one of
many catchy promotional one-liners
that the Chrysler Corporation has
come up with over the last few years
to try and assert their dominance in
the automotive world. In 2001,
however, Dodge will be different as
many new style changes and a few
new models have hit the current
Chrysler family of cars, which
also includes the Dodge and soon
to be extinct Plymouth product
line.
On the outside, one change is
the face-lift that some of the mid
sizers and minivans received. The
Caravan/Voyager and Stratus/
Sebring models underwent some
front-end modifications which in
cluded a more noticeable and
larger grille, a flatter front-end for
the minivan, and a more rounded
end for the Stratus and Sebring
models. The rear of the Stratus
was also rounded inward to match
the style of its big brother, the In
trepid.
As for the baby of the family,
the Plymouth Neon adopted lower
ground-effects in the front, which
allows more room for fog-lights,
a feature that didn't accompany
many earlier Neons. The LX ver
sion actually comes with fog lights,
in addition to the tachometer and 15"
steel wheels.
As the Neon continues to grow up
though, the more it begins to strik
ingly resemble its older sibling, the
earlier-style Stratus.
Speaking of family members re
sembling each other, the new Stra
tus coupe will for sure cause some
confusion due to its resemblance of
the now extinct Dodge Avenger. The
new sporty Stratus R/T coupe struts
a 3.0-liter Mitsubishi SOHC V-6 en
gine that pumps out 200 ponies.
Other nice features on the R/T in
clude a stainless steel exhaust sys-
styles as: GT, Cobra, Shelby,
Boss, Sateen, Roush, Steeda, and
McLaren. Each Mustang made in
Detroit, Michigan, is an
American tradition and an
American legend. Mustang body
styles are set to change every
four to five years, creating a new
look for the classic car.
Mustangs are still one of the
leading cars sold today on the car
market. Mustangs are also the
"Mustangs are not the fastest car out there, but with a little modifying, they put the
competition to rest with looks, style, and tradition." - Joseph Barrett, Mustang owner
leading used car seller. Some
people are Mustang collectors,
some people buy older style
Ponies and take them to car
shows, and some people buy any
year/make/model of Mustangs
just to own a piece of history.
There are others who buy them
by Rob Wynne
auto page editor
offers big changes
in 2001
tem and 17" cast-aluminum wheels.
The standard coupe ccmes equipped
with a 2.4-liter SOHCengine, which
is also a Mitsubishi design.
The Stratus sedan dumped the 2.0-
liter 5-speed as its snallest engine
choice and replaced it with what
used to be the optional 2.4 liter 4-
cylinder DOHC engine. Now the
option is the new 2.7-liter DOHC V 6
in the ES model that can he mated
The 2001 Chrysler Sebring Ltd. convertible ranks high in appear
ance, build, quality and performance.
to either the 4-speed automatic
tranny or the 4-speed AutoSticko.
Large 16" cast-aluminum wheels in
addition to fog lamps also comple
ment the ES model. With its gener
ous power upgrade, this cloud car is
ready to storm.
Also new for 2001 also is the
Chrysler Sebring Sedan. Looking
similar to a four-door Stratus, this
new sedan also packs a similar en
gine a 2.4 liter DOHC engine
mated to a four speed automatic
transmission. An optional 2.7-liter
DOHC V-6 will produce about 200
horsepower, which is 50 more than
the 4-cylinder. And for the Formula
to customize them, some to
rebuild and restore them, and
then there are some who buy
them just because they like the
power behind the Mustang.
Whatever the reason may be to
own one, everyone enjoys their
Mustang
"I love my Mustang, I'm never
going to get rid of it. If the en
gine dies, I am going to keep re
building it. This car is the best
car I have ever owned, and prob
ably will own for the rest of my
life," said Mustang owner Tony
Armbruster.
From the cost of $2,368 for one
of the first models in 1964, to
today's cost, which starts at
$17,500, people still don't mind
paying the high price for a qual-
One racer wanna-be, the Auto-
Stick® shifter is offered in the Lxi
package.
Speaking of the AutoStick°, sur
prisingly it is now available in the
ES version of the Grand Caravan.
One will also find beefier engines
in the Caravans and Voyagers very
capable of hauling around its 7-pas
senger capacity. Equipped with new
multiple-stage next-generation air
bags, as well as side air bags and
ABS, these minivans are a virtual
fortress of safety for all of the occu
pants, right down to the child
strapped into his newly improved
safety seat.
More power, more style. and more
safety sum it up for the 2001 Dodge/
Chrysler/Plymouth product line.
Most exciting this year, though, is
the announcement that the 2003
Dodge Viper has some very impres
sive improvements. Something was
rumored about an 8.3-liter VIO that
puts out 500-hp for under
sloo,ooo...Definitely "Dodge Dif
ferent."
ity Ford product. To some
people, the price of the Mustang
is priceless. The styles and times
may have changed, but the tra
dition is still the same.
It's been over 35 years, and the
Mustang is still as popular as
ever, and the 'stampede' is still
occurring
As Ford says it best, "Wouldn't
it be great if everyone owned a
Mustang?"
For more info on Mustangs,
production numbers, and
Ford products, check out:
r i
Ask the
:Mechanic
I this week's car care expert:
I Chuck McDaniel
I
•Service Dept. Manager•
I GARY MILLER
I Chrysler - Plymouth - Jeep
Q: Is it worth the effort to switch I
I to snow tires during the winter, as I
I opposed to keeping "all-weather" I
I tires on?
A: It depends a lot on the driving
habits ofthe individual and the type
of car. For compact cars like
Neons and Escorts, it wouldn't be
a bad investment. On mid-size cars
there isn't a whole lot of difference.
On trucks, vans, or• any type of
rear-wheel drive vehicle, snow tires
should seriously be considered.
Q: Should people add fuel line anti
freeze products to their vehicles
I during the winter?
A:Surprisingly, in this area, those
products are not needed because
the gasoline that is sold in this area
is already pre formulated for win
ter driving conditions.
I Q: With the massive amounts of
salt and dirt that accumulate on a
car during an Erie winter, is it safe
I to use the high pressure self car
washes and hot wax?
A: Hot wax really doesn't help your
car, because nothing is rubbing it
on your car :s surface to fill in the
scratches. Due to acid rain, small
pits may start to develop, so it is
important to apply numerous coats
of wax when the weather permits.
Q:Will changing my antifreeze/
I coolant level to a 60/40 (60% cool
' ant, 40% water) or 70/30 level dur
ing the winter help my car at all?
A: No. The standard 50/50 mix will
; suffice year-round.
I Q: Do you have any general com
ment for students who commute to
I school everyday?
I
I A: Yes...SLOW DOWN! Even ifyou
I have four-wheel drive, you still
I have to slow those four wheels
I down quickly if needed. Also, al
ways be prepared and keep a blan
ket in the car in case of emergen
cies.
I GARY MILLER
I Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep
I 5746 Peach St.
I Erie, PA 16509
I (814) 868-3635
Li J