The Greatest Values in America Tired of settling for junk? Here are more than 75 products and services available nationwide that always deliver value, plus the reasons why quality matters.
By Charles E. Cohen Contributors: Debra Wishik Englander, Carla A. Fried, Mary Granfield, Bruce Hager, Augustin Hedberg, Roberta Kirwan, Leslie N. Vreeland

(MONEY Magazine) – Sometime between the season of the Cuisinart and the era of oat bran, we predatory consumers of the 1980s began to chew our kills more Sslowly. Perhaps it was ominous tremors in the junk bond market, a flurry of pink slips amid corporate restructuring, or that October Monday in 1987. Possibly our judgment was maturing as we aged. Or maybe it was plain glassy-eyed satiation after years of licentious spending. Whatever the reason, at a pace almost too gradual to be noticed, the pure high of the buy faded, and we began to hunger for something more. What we craved was value. Quality. Durability. At a fair price. Something that, unlike love, the ozone layer or the value of a dollar, would remain constant. A star to hitch our hopes to for the decade to come. This month, MONEY celebrates this new passion by singling out more than 75 of the greatest values around today. The list, which appears in words and pictures on this and succeeding pages, was assembled by 10 staffers who scoured the American marketplace for top-quality products and services. We did not aim for bargains. Some of what we picked is expensive, although other things are moderately priced or even free. Nor is the list confined to American-made goods; anything available nationally, either in stores or by mail, was eligible. We embarked on this project knowing that, in one respect at least, it was doomed to fail. Value, like religion, is intensely personal when deeply felt. And no two people compiling a list of values will ever agree completely. Nevertheless, a collection of values that many, if not most, people can accept reflects our national life as well as crime statistics, church- attendance figures or any other cultural yardstick. The reason is that materialism is starting to take on a new respectability at the dawn of the 1990s. Increasingly, Americans are using their possessions not to impress others but to express themselves. ''People now find in consumption a 'theater of life,' a place to find meaning,'' says City University of New York sociologist Sharon Zukin. ''Politics, education and religion don't interest people as much anymore. But if I buy a certain kind of lettuce, I will tell you about it at a dinner party because it is easier to construct a social life around private acts of consumption than to try to change the world.'' Of course, economic necessity drives our fussiness too. Americans tripled their national debt during the spending spree of the 1980s, and consumer debt more than doubled to an average of $2,800 for every man, woman and child. Meanwhile, real disposable income, which increased about 3% a year, is losing momentum and will probably grow only about 2.2% per annum in the 1990s, according to the Futures Group, a Washington, D.C. research firm. ''People look at the modest increase in their incomes and conclude that this is a time to be a little more cautious,'' says Richard Curtin at the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center. ''Not to pull back, perhaps, but not to be overly aggressive.'' On the positive side, buyers are also getting smarter. ''We're seeing a much more experienced consumer, given the aging of the baby boomers,'' says Curtin. ''They're not making their first purchase of cars or durables, they're making their third or fourth. So they understand things like quality and a product's life cycle.'' Adds Carol Colman of the New York City consulting firm Inferential Focus: ''People are so saturated with things, they're choked on what they own. So they buy with an eye toward getting twice as much from the next product.'' Already, manufacturers are scrambling to respond. In October, the American Society for Quality Control released a Gallup poll showing that nearly three- quarters of businessmen think that making top-quality products will help them resist a recession. And American business leaders say that the quality of their goods rose by 19% from 1985 through last year, according to the Boston University School of Management's annual survey. In general, manufacturers say, today's buyers are looking more closely at materials, workmanship and design. ''I think one of the most striking indicators is the fact that automobile companies have been competing around the length of their warranties,'' says Fred Block, chairman of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Here, then, are some of the best values that MONEY's nationwide sweep uncovered:

AUTOMOBILES For many auto lovers, the hottest model of the fall was an impish roadster from Japan: the convertible Mazda MX-5 Miata. Americans were so starved for this mechanized whimsy that they paid thousands of dollars above the suggested retail tag of $13,800 for the first cars to arrive last summer. That markup melted, however, as supply met demand. And you could cut your outlay even further by leasing -- another automotive value. A $16,100 Miata (like the one on page 150) with power steering, alloy wheels, stereo and air conditioning could be had for less than $350 a month on a 48-month contract. Those who want proven worth might turn instead to the car that J.D. Power & Associates, the respected auto marketing research firm, ranked tops in customer satisfaction for the past three years in a row. That's the Acura line from Honda, which starts at $11,950 for a bare 1990 Acura Integra three-door sedan. If safety is what you're after, the Mercedes-Benz SDL/SEL line (starting at $56,800 in 1990) and the Saab 9000 ($25,000) had the lowest injury claims during the 1986 to 1988 model-years, according to the insurance industry's Highway Loss Data Institute. The American-made GMC Safari Van ($14,003) had the lowest cost of repairs. And when the cost of both injuries and repairs were considered, a host of domestics popped to the top, including the Plymouth Grand Voyager ($18,325) and its sister, the Dodge Grand Caravan ($18,325); and the Mercury Grand Marquis station wagon ($18,504) and its cousin, Ford's Crown Victoria wagon ($17,668). And even if your wheels are virtually crash-proof, we recommend an old standby in auto value: membership in the American Automobile Association ($17 to $60 a year), which brings free 24-hour road service, help in plotting trips and AAA's first-rate guides.

CLOTHING One indisputable measure of value is knowing that you can return something that disappoints you. L.L. Bean (800-221-4221), the sportswear and camp-gear outfitter that runs a 24-hour-a-day store in Freeport, Maine, has made that guarantee for 77 years on all merchandise, including its $52 classic waterproof hunting boots. (Last year, for example, Bean replaced a pair of mountain glasses that a Colorado pilot swore fell out the window of his cockpit despite the ear hooks that are supposed to hold them in place.) And to guide you on your trek, consider the Sierra Club's five books on the National Parks ($15 to $17 each; 415-923-5500) or the single $14 volume published by < the National Parks Foundation (Suite 210, 1850 K St., Washington, D.C. 20006). If your great outdoors is more urban jungle than unspoiled wilderness, you might get equally good value by shopping at one of the Gap's 722 stores (the couple on page 150 are wearing Gap clothes). Or, for a more blueblooded approach, try something from Brooks Brothers -- home of the button-down collar and cordovan tassel loafers ($275), a genre it claims to have invented. Barneys, profiled in the story beginning on page 136, is tops for more flamboyant, high-style wear. In women's accessories, one of the best values today is Hermes' luxurious, silkscreened scarves, which run about $175 each at boutiques or by mail order (800-441-4488). Then slip on a shearling coat, made from sheep's hide that is turned inside out to keep the wool close to your skin. Entrefino shearlings from Spain are considered among the finest and are priced accordingly: $2,500 to $4,000, about half the cost of a comparable mink. Top it off with a string of pearls (from $750 to $1,500 for an 18- to 22-inch strand). ''Jewelry prices go up and down,'' says Richard Reuter, president of Leys Christie, a pearl importer, ''but the price of finely cultured pearls does not change much because they take so much time and labor to produce.'' When families were larger, you could buy children's clothes once and then pass them along as hand-me-downs. But now that the one-child household is common, Hanna Anderson (800-222-0544), a Portland, Ore. catalogue operation, offers an interesting solution. Return the durable 100% cotton clothes in decent condition and Hanna will give you a credit of 20% of the original price and forward the clothes -- called Hannadowns, of course -- to needy kids (most recently, to victims of Hurricane Hugo).

SPORTING GOODS If, like many Americans, you dabble in several sports, you'll find value in the latest twist in athletic footwear: cross-training shoes, so called because you are supposed to be able to use them in a number of different workouts without disgracing yourself. The leading models are all named like jet fighters: the Nike Air Trainer SC ($100), for instance, or the New Balance CXT800 ($90). Even casual strolling warrants special foot protection these days: Rockport's Pro Walker ($60 to $70), to name one. Cycle enthusiasts will welcome the $330 Hardrock Sport mountain bike from Specialized Bicycle Components (408-779-6229). Forget complicated twin-lever shifting. The Sport lets you select from 18 gear ratios simply by pressing two buttons -- one to shift up and one to shift down. And when you pack for the road, do so in the Locker Bag SV ($55) by Ogio International that fits in a saddlebasket -- or under an airplane seat -- without getting crushed.

FOOD When it comes to edibles, true value -- once discovered -- is quickly consumed. So the person in search of quality must go where the food is: to a Texas barbecue, for example, a New England clambake, or a Florida stone crab feast. Okay, maybe you can't get to Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant in Miami Beach this Friday. But from Oct. 15 through May 15, you can call 800-780-CRAB and Joe will Federal Express you a fresh order of five large claws (20 to 24 ounces total) for $24 plus an equal sum for shipping. At the opposite corner of the country, the Kirkland Custom Cannery (800-321-FISH) in Kirkland, Wash. sends its delicious kippered-style smoked red King Salmon for $36 a pound, shipping included. For superb smoked fowl, call the Orthodox Catholic monks at the New Skete Community in Cambridge, N.Y. (518-677-3928; $19 plus $3 to $7 shipping for four chicken breasts). And for smoked ham, we recommend a delicious precooked nine-to-11 pounder from V.W. Joyner's century-old smokehouse (800-628-2242) in Smithfield, Va., home by state law of the famous Smithfield ham. It costs $50 plus $6 shipping. To save money on the finest caviar, Bruce Sobol, co-owner of the New York City specialty house Caviarteria (800-4CAVIAR), recommends the house brand of broken-egg Russian beluga -- only $15 an ounce rather than $39 for the unbroken variety. Then wash it down with the headiest spirit glasnost has yet brought to the U.S.: Stolichnaya Cristall (about $20 a fifth). ''Completely smooth,'' raves food critic Anthony Dias Blue.

HOME The do-it-yourself gourmet will love the Pasta Express machine ($199) from Takka of Creative Technologies. The device dries its product with a quarter- horsepower fan for stick-free results. And the Krups L'Espresso Plus No. 969 ($350) is the only home espresso machine that can use premeasured pods of Illycaffe, the premium Italian espresso. A more everyday kitchen addition might be the $50 Rowenta Cool Touch Toaster with a white plastic exterior that stays cool even when the insides are fiery. And, for that day when the kids decide to toast raw hamburger, the SAFE Flame Fighter Kitchen Wall-Mount Model SKH (under $20) will snuff out the flames without leaving a residue, and the Bionaire BT-500 Air Purifier ($79) will de- smoke the room -- tax deductibly, if you bought it on your doctor's orders.

TRAVEL For the traveler who wants to see everything, it's hard to imagine a better value than an Around the World Airticket, available from TWA ($1,899), American ($2,099) or United ($2,204). Though you must book all stops in advance, travel in one direction and stay a minimum number of days in some countries, you save thousands of dollars over conventional coach fares. A durable European travel value is the Eurail Saverpass ($230 each for 15 days with a partner), which authorizes unlimited first-class travel in 17 countries. And if you'd like to record your stops, do it with a reliable 35- millimeter all-automatic camera. The Chinon 3001 camera ($160 to $200) would be a fine choice.

FINANCIAL PRODUCTS Nothing beats good old Visa or MasterCard for overall access to the marketplace. But not all cards are alike. If you pay your bill promptly each month, pick one without an annual fee such as those from Manufacturers Bank in Wilmington, Del. (800-635-8350) or Horizon Savings Association in Austin, Texas (512-338-9433). If you usually carry over balances, however, get a low- interest card such as that of Arkansas Federal Savings Bank (501-224-7283; a hefty $35 annual fee but an 11.88% rate). If you want a decent return and exceptional safety, the 10-year Treasury bond is now yielding 8.29%, about 3.5 percentage points over inflation. But for higher -- and only slightly riskier -- interest, shop for money-market funds with low management fees like these two by Vanguard (800-662-7447): the Money Market Reserves-Prime, yielding 9.1% in early October; or Money Market Reserves-Federal, yielding 8.9%. More Americans carry life than disability insurance, although you are actually more likely to be seriously disabled than to die -- at least for the first 55 or so years of your existence. Thus, younger people will find value in good disability coverage -- especially from a so-called rising-rate policy that costs less in your early years. One policy from Ohio National (513-861-3600) paying $3,000 a month in disability income would cost a 35- year-old nonsmoking man just $740 a year, compared with $1,175 for a conventional policy. Not until age 55 do rates for the two types of policies converge. Finally, everyone knows money can't buy love, and that may be why one of the greatest values -- a loving pet -- is free (or nearly so) from most animal shelters. At some places, a companion is yours for the asking; elsewhere, you pay only for neutering or shots (rarely over $30).