Wines improve with age, but only up to a point. The same is true of vehicles.

Oldsmobile's venerable Cutlass Ciera line is an excellent case in point. True, after 12 years on the market, Olds has made many modest - and even some major - improvements to the Ciera, wagons and sedans alike.

But even cupholders aren't enough to disguise the fact that this is unquestionably one of the most dated designs in the midsize wagon segment.

But before we dismiss the Ciera wagon out of hand, let's consider the buzzword of the '90s: value. In the Ciera, the word rates a capital V.

If you're not worried about styling or technology - if you want cargo space and transportation with an affordable price tag - maybe this is the car you've been looking for.

At $18,078 rolling out the dealer doors, our '95 Ciera wagon tester came in thousands of dollars under the cost of many of its more modern competitors.

Another plus: Oldsmobile has had plenty of time to work out most of the bugs. The Ciera wagon's reliability has improved dramatically in recent years. It has ranked at the top of the J.D. Power and Associates charts in terms of defects per vehicle, an impressive achievement.

So whether you're hauling a passel of kids or a pile of packages, it's nice to know you've got dependable wheels.