
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 28, 1990                   TAG: 9005290361
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-3   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: Tammy Poole
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FOR THE RECORD

Thinking of buying a new car? With so many new models available and so much room for negotiation, you can't always be sure that you're getting the best deal on a new car. You'll find car-buying less confusing if you do some homework first.

In addition, here are some money-saving suggestions from Good Housekeeping magazine:

Buy at the end of the month. Dealerships often are trying to meet monthly sales quotas and may be more willing to deal toward the end of the month.

Be wary of unusually low price quotes. If a dealer quotes a price considerably lower than other dealers' prices, make sure you get the quote in writing and approved immediately by the dealer's manager.

Think twice about options. If ordering a car, carefully consider each option package, since you may be buying more than you want.

Buy an older model. If you can wait until late summer, you'll find most dealers anxious to sell their old stock before new models come in.

Sell your old car yourself. You can almost always make more money that way than by taking the dealer's trade-in offer.

Baby-food recall

Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp. is recalling two baby-food products distributed in 22 states, including Virginia, because small stones were found during routine checks.

The stones apparently were in a shipment of peas used in the company's Table Time Vegetable Stew with Chicken and Stage 3 Chicken Noodle Dinner.

The company found 52 small stones ranging in size from one-eighth of an inch to half an inch during routine quality control checks of more than 183,000 jars. The vegetable stew is marked with an expiration date of Feb. 28, 1992; and the chicken noodle dinner has a March 9, 1992, expiration date. The products are also included in a Stage 3 Dinner Variety Pack marked for use by March 1992.

Consumers can return the products to stores where they were purchased for a refund or exchange.

Clarifications

In a recent Quickline column on recycling used motor oil, the Virginia Energy Hotline said some facilities accept used oil for free as a public service.

However, a reader pointed out that some places charge for accepting the oil. Because most of them pay to have the oil hauled away, there is a small charge (about 10 cents per gallon).

The Virginia Energy Hotline said it has no way of keeping track of which companies charge for accepting the oil, so readers should call the company first to find out if there will be a fee.

A recent Quickline column concerning Hill Brothers of Lynchburg said the company filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Act on Sept. 25, 1989. However Chapter 11 was dismissed Oct. 31, 1989, for improper filing, according to the Better Business Bureau of Western Virginia.

Consumers should file complaints through the BBB rather than bankruptcy court because Hill Brothers has made a commitment that all complaints filed through the BBB will be settled.

by CNB