Your Consumer Reports Raffle Tickets Are

Your Consumer Reports Raffle
Tickets Are Enclosed:
Why a “Mystery
Car”? Discover
the reason the
make and model
must remain a
secret. Page 4
Choose between a Mystery
Car or $25,000 in cash - the
choice is yours if you are the
Grand Prize Winner.
Read this
important memo
before you say
“NO”. Page 7.
Jim Guest - President,
Consumer Reports
Free! *
*when you enter
the Consumer
Report’s
Mystery Car
Raffle and
make a taxdeductible
donation.
See page 5
See page 2 for details
Consumer Reports
Saved My Life!
See page 3 for Al Weber's
remarkable story.
You may already have won a CR Top-Rated
Family Sedan Test Car
Or $25,000 in cash. The choice is yours.
Saved My Life!
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101 Truman Aven
10703-1057
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Grand Prize: A CR
Fourth Prize: $500
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Third Prize: $1,000
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You’ll be a life save
2
Consumer Reports
l Weber wasn’t thinking about Consumer Reports on that
fateful day when his wife, Mary Ann, asked him to run a
few errands. He decided to use her car, and away he went.
And he wasn’t thinking about Consumer Reports a few minutes later when he was horrified to see a car coming toward him,
on his side of the road. There was no way to escape.
In an awesome clash of metal and shattering glass, the oncoming car hit him, head on.
At that moment, his survival depended on our ability to test
products.
You see, Al and his wife, long-time subscribers to Consumer
Reports, had carefully researched the available information about
auto safety, and had finally chosen an automobile that Consumer
Reports had rated as one of the safest.
And for Al, those safety features paid off.
At the terrible moment of impact, both air bags deployed
exactly as they were designed to. The engine compartment
absorbed the impact of the collision and the engine was driven
downward, instead of into the driver of the car.
Amazingly, Al got out of the car, and walked away without a
scratch. The crash didn’t even knock off his eyeglasses!
And about that time, Al Weber started thinking about
Consumers Reports!
A few days later he took the time to write a note to us say, with
mincing any words: “Consumer Reports saved my life!”
And he went on to report:
“We have been subscribers for decades. We would be lost
without the objective information and product ratings in
Consumer Reports. My wife and I rely on Consumer Reports for
We’ve told you
What the
Car
Salesman
Doesn’t
Want You
to Know.
Don’t complicate a
deal by discussing
a trade-in. That
may work to your disadvantage
because it gives the salesman a
chance to spoil a good deal on a new
car with a bad deal on your older car.
You can negotiate a trade-in
separately, after you have a firm quote
on the car you are trying to buy.
safety. That’s why we are donors.
“We’ve been supporting Consumers Union for years, and
after this crash, we will certainly continue to send contributions.”
Editors Note:
The Al Weber story shows why auto safety is one of the most critical
concerns of our testing engineers. For example, Consumers Reports
has been in the forefront of efforts to reduce the risk of vehicle
rollover, especially for SUVs. We successfully petitioned the National
Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a
way of testing vehicles for their tendency to roll and reporting that
information to consumers so they can choose safe vehicles.
Whether it’s the risk of injury in car accidents, dangers of dietary
supplements, or risk of potential hazards from backyard gas grills,
Consumers Reports is dedicated to your safety, and the safety of
all Americans. When a product is inherently unsafe, we tell you.
Case in point: When the first microwave ovens came on the
market in 1973, we discovered that they all leaked microwave radiation at levels we could not be sure were safe. Consumer Reports
warned the public not to buy microwave ovens until the problems
had been corrected.
Our report, and our petition to the government, led to
improved designs for microwave ovens, door interlocks and
improved standards for radiation leakage. The fact that today, all
microwave ovens are much safer than they were when they were
first introduced, is largely due to Consumers Reports’ testing.
We have also played a key role in improving the safety of
rotary lawn mowers, kerosene heaters, and many other potentially
hazardous products.
We’ve told you
What the
Gas Station
Attendant
Won’t Tell
You.
Don’t bother
buying
premium gas if
your car
specifies
regular. It won’t
make your car
go faster or
operate more
efficiently — and it’s about 14
percent more expensive.
We’ve told you
What the Appliance Store
Salesman Won’t Tell You
Do consider
dishwashers
like the
Kenmore
(Sears)
1603[2] for
$520, which
was rated a
CR Best
Buy®. And
please note, the pricey
Jenn-Air JDB2150AWP for $1,010,
was one of the lower-rated
dishwashers.
3
Here’s why we can’t tell you the name
of the car that will be awarded to the
Grand-Prize winner...
?
We will not name or show you a picture of the
automobile that will be given away. The reason — we
will not promote this car publicly because Consumer
Reports does not endorse any product or service.
However, we can tell you that this is one of the top family
sedans that we tested. This car was run through a
demanding handling course and thoroughly tested for
safety systems, convenience features, stability control,
emergency handling, comfort, and much, much more at
our auto test center in Connecticut.
And it can be yours, if you are our Grand-Prize winner in the Consumer Reports Raffle and your choice is
the car instead of $25,000 in cash. However, you must enter the raffle in order to find out if you are a
winner.
What Your Car Mechanic
Might Not Tell You.
DO try the ProStart (PepBoys)
Premium 65-750 car battery. It
was top-rated in our tests of batteries in the Group Size 65. It
cost just $60 and was rated a
CR Best Buy®! Two of the batteries with the shortest longevity in
our test were the DieHard
(Sears) Gold 33065 for $80 and
the Interstate Mega-Tron MT-65
for $85.
4
Receive a copy of "Fix it or Forget it," when you
enter the Consumer Reports Mystery Raffle and
make a tax-deductible donation to support our
$20,000,000 product testing program.
This special report, is your guide to replace or
repair 22 key household products . From
computers to washing machines, from vacuum
cleaners to lawn mowers - - we will tell which
products hold up best before you buy, which
extended warranties you should consider
buying (or not buying), and what to do when
these products break down.
This valuable information is based on 38,000 reader experiences along with advice from our in-house
experts. You will appreciate the clear and well researched guidelines. Fix it or forget it. Discover the
answer by entering the raffle and making a tax deductible donation today!
We’ve told you How to
We’ve told you about our top-rated cars!*
Save $97 On a Digital Camera
(*None of these cars are the Grand Prize Mystery Car)
Choose the Canon PowerShot A60 digital
camera. It cost $135 and was much higherrated than the Sony Cybershot DSC-U60
which cost $235.
We’ve told you
FREE!
We’ve told you
We’ve told you
What the Running
Shoe Ads Won’t Tell
You.
what your stockbroker,
your mechanic, your
salesperson, your
contractor,
your banker,
and maybe
even your
doctor
won’t tell
you.
Sky-high prices don’t necessarily make for the best running shoes. For example, in
May 2002 the top-rated Adidas
Supernova for $90, had better
cushioning and flexibility than
running shoes costing $120.
— Jeffrey A. Asher
Vice President, Technical Director
FAMILY SEDAN: Honda Accord. The Accord provides
an excellent balance of comfort, roominess and handling.
The new gasoline/electric Accord Hybrid, scored highest in
this category, and delivered 25 mpg in overall fuel economy.
($21,000 to $30,000)
Midsized SUV: Lexus RX330. The RX330 (about
$44,000 well-equipped) is an excellent overall package. Its
interior is as quiet and plush as many luxury cars. The
Toyota Highlander is similar, but costs about $10,000 less.
UPSCALE SEDAN: Acura TL. The TL (about $33,000)
THREE-ROW SUV: Honda Pilot. This eight-passenger
provides sporty performance and an impeccable interior.
The BMW 330i (about $40,500) also blends sporty performance with a refined, comfortable driving experience.
Pilot ($31,000) blends the qualities of an SUV and minivan.
With spirited performance, comfortable ride and secure handling it’s an all-around excellent choice.
FUN TO DRIVE: Subaru Impreza. The rally-carinspired Subaru Impreza STi proves that you don’t have to
spend a lot of money to get a fun-to-drive sports car. It
blends quick acceleration and balanced handling with the
practicality of four doors. (About $26,000)
MINIVAN: Honda Odyssey. The Odyssey leads the class
in agility and comfort. Combines secure handling and wellcrafted, versatile interior. ($26,000-$38,000)
SMALL SUV: Subaru Forester. The Forester is a good
vehicle and a good value--about $21,000 for the 2.5 X. This allwheel-drive, car-based SUV handles with agility and rides comfortably. The Toyota RAV4 ($22,000) is a good runner-up.
GREEN CAR: Toyota Prius. This gasoline/electric
hybrid provides roomy interior, good driving performance.
Its 44 mpg is the highest overall fuel economy we’ve
recorded in a 5-passenger vehicle. (About $23,000)
We’ve told you about our test results on:
• autos
• rotary
lawn
mowers
• gas grills
• toasters
•
•
•
•
computers
microwaves
car insurance
and much, much
more to help you
protect your family!
5
“I won the mystery car in
the Consumer Reports raffle.
My family couldn’t believe it!”
…and you can enter our raffle with total confidence.
Enter Now!
FROM
Senior Director, Business Affairs
Just like Jean Jones, who won our grand prize last year, you could be a
holding a winning number. All you have to do to find out if you are a winner
of one of over 100 prizes is to return your raffle entry form now.
However, if you fail to enter, the prize you would have won will be awarded
to someone else. Wouldn’t that be a shame.
Please MEMO
Lou Milani
Read
This
Note
Before
You
Decide
Not to
Enter
the
Mystery
Car
Raffle
Jean Jones
Mystery Car Raffle Winner
Just as we never accept free product samples from any manufacturer and never accept
contributions from any corporation to insure your trust in us, you can enter our raffle with
confidence because the winning numbers are pre-selected at random by computer.
We run our raffle this way because it the best way to insure our complete objectivity and fairness,
which is what you expect from us.
Entering our raffle is easy and it’s fun. But, before you do, please stop and think about the times
Consumer Reports saved you money, alerted you to a safety threat or advised you on critical
health or financial issues.
This is why we ask you to return your exclusive raffle entry form along with a generous contribution
in the reply envelope provided today. And while you are not obligated to contribute, we will be
deeply grateful if you do. Your chance to win is small, but your chance to help is great.
Suppose you found, in your pocket or purse, a lottery ticket for
a drawing that had just been held.
You already knew from news reports that several winning
numbers had been issued — one for the Grand Prize and
numerous others for runner-up prizes.
Would you throw away your lottery ticket without at least
checking to see if you have a winning number?
Of course you wouldn’t. Even though the odds might be slim,
there’s always the chance that you might be a winner. And it would
be crazy not to find out.
That’s why it amazes me that among the many people who
receive our Consumer Reports Raffle Tickets — containing
multiple tickets mind you, not just one — some choose not to mail
them in. And this despite the fact there is no donation required for
someone to find out if he or she has won.
We hope for a donation of course — we do need your help to
support our work in testing and informing consumers like yourself.
But you do not have to make a donation to find out if you have
won. So when people don’t respond, it doesn’t make any sense to
me at all.
Mystery Car Raffle
Grand Prize!
Thanks!
Or $25,000.00 in cash
if you are the
Grand Prize
Winner!
The choice
is yours.
101 Truman Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10703
Jim Guest - President,
Consumer Reports
Your “Mystery Car”
Raffle
Tickets
are
enclosed.
JNMG01
®
101 Truman Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10703
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Consumers Union of
United States, Inc.