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MEDIOCRITY HAS MERIT. The 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport sedan isproof.

Yeah, 1986. I rented it from National Car Rental on a recentbusiness trip to Indiana. Drove it several hundred rainy miles. Anabsolutely ordinary, devotedly suburban, passionately middle-class,American family car.

I was impressed.

Manufactured in March 1986 and sold to National shortly thereafter,the Celebrity Eurosport had 21,000 miles on it when I picked it up. Italso had several scratches and a few dings on its dark metallic bluebody; and there was some minor vandalism — a missing plastic”Eurosport” nameplate, torn from the interior panel of the driver’s-sidedoor.

Mostly, though, the car’s appearance was passable. Bland, linearstyling inside and out, but nothing terribly offensive or bothersome.Sort of an automotive Levittown.

A slam? Nope. Lotsa families grew up in the Levittowns of America incomfort and safety. Judging from the performance of the rental car,lotsa families in Celebrity Euro- sports get around the highways ofAmerica in pretty much the same way.

Complaints: Surprisingly few. There were some rough spots in gearchanges in this four-speed automatic transaxle, front-wheel-drive car.But the ill-mannered vibrations were infrequent and short-lived.

Also, I could live without the non-reclining, cloth-covered frontbench seat. Bucket seats are preferable for this bottom. Of course, notall bottoms are created equal.

Praise: You hear so much hype about the inherent superiority ofJapanese and German cars, you almost start believing it. Indeed, the”Eurosport” marketing of the Celebrity is a product of that silliness.Too bad. This All-American folksmobile is good enough to win on merit.

Any car that retains dignity and composure after 21,000 miles ofbrutality from scores of different drivers gets my vote. Fit and finishon the Celebrity Eurosport held tight. Egads! The climate control system — air conditioning and window defrost — worked better than thosein several far more expensive, 1987 Japanese and German cars.

Braking worked well on rain-slick roads. But some credit here goesto the original equipment, steel-belted, Uniroyal Tiger Paw radialtires, still gripping after all those punishing miles.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Good. In fact, notable, consideringthe Indiana-Ohio downpours that turned the test drive into a scary kindof water torture. The Celebrity Eurosport maintained normal highwayspeeds without slipping, sliding or shimmying. The steadiness of theride bolstered confidence.

The car’s standard 2.5-liter, four-cylinder, fuel-injected enginewhined a bit at higher speeds. But it pulled its weight.

The 1986 Celebrity Eurosport standard engine produces 92 horsepowerat 4,400 rpm, compared with 98 horsepower at 4,800 rpm produced by theimproved 2.5-liter engine in the 1987 model.

Sound system: AM/FM stereo radio, electronic seek and scan, byGM/Delco. Better to nal quality and signal retention than many brand-newauto radios.

Mileage: Easily 25 to the gallon (15.7-gallon tank, 390-mile range),driver only (with about 50 pounds of luggage), mostly highway and airconditioner on most of the time.

Note: With the exception of the improved 2.5-liter engine and a fewtouchups on exterior styling, the 1987 Celebrity Eurosport’s practicallyidentical to the 1986 model, which should make the next paragraphinteresting.

Price: $8,400 by National Car Rental’s used-car division. Priceincludes air conditioner, power steering and power brakes, and atwo-year, 24,000-mile warranty from date of purchase on all powertrainand related drive components.

National, like its major competitors in the rental-car business,routinely sells its cars before they turn 30,000 miles. Detailedmaintenance histories are available. Ask for them.

New-car price: $12,209 for a comparably equipped 1987 CelebrityEurosport, includes $1,530 in options and $414 estination charge.General Motors new-car powertrain warranty is six years, 60,000 miles.Dealer invoice on 1987 model is $8,858.70.