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YOU COULD SPEND a lifetime reviewing General Motors cars — onlyGeneral Motors cars. When it comes to “product proliferation,” nocompany gives you more.

Look at GM’s Buick division. Zounds! Eight car lines carrying 26different models! Shoot, it’s not that GM can’t do anything right: It’sjust that, with so many vehicles, GM has more opportunities to do wrong.

Witness the 1988 Buick Electra T-Type Sedan. The “T” stands for”Touring,” which means it’s supposed to be sportier than other Electramodels (of which there are three: the Limited Sedan, Park Avenue Sedan,and Estate Wagon).

But the T-Type is having an identity crisis: It’s the misfitoffspring of an overcrowded family, a machine that didn’t get enoughattention while growing up and now doesn’t know what kind of car itwants to be.

For example, on a crowded highway, the T-Type plays the super dude:”Zoom, zoom, varoom! Yo! Ah’m baad!” But further along the same road,exposed in lighter traffic, the car reverts to eating humble pie –just another mom-and-pop sedan.

Even the T-Type’s interior reflects this confusion: part leather,part vinyl; “rally cluster” instruments on a traditionally linear,family-sedan dashboard; front seats that are neither buckets nor benchesbut an odd combination of both.

What we have here is a primo case of an auto trying to be too manythings to too many people, an otherwise good car in search of a statusquo that doesn’t exist. GM should give this one a distinctivepersonality, or scrap it.

Complaints The test-model T-Type had fewproblems beyond its personality. A cover plate on the door-mounted(driver’s side) window and seat controls was loose; and there was theirritating absence of a trip odometer from the “rally” instrumentcluster.

Praise: The overall fit-and-finish of the test car was excellent.Enough of this junk about how GM cars “don’t hold up” and “aren’t puttogether well.” GM rapidly is closing that part of the quality gap; andsome competitors who have gotten used to the notion of a ne’er-do-wellGM could get caught in the squeeze.

Head-turning quotient: A body of simple dignity badly served bypretensions to sportiness, particularly that tacky T-Type logo.

Ride, acceleration, braking and handling: Excellent in all fourcategories, but not discernibly different from the more luxurious, moreconsistently designed Electra Park Avenue. The T-Type is powered by GM’ssplendid 3.8-liter, sequentially-fuel-injected, V-6 engine, rated 165 hpat 5,200 rpm. This is a very smooth-running powerplant.

Sound system: AM/FM stereo radio and cassette with electronic seekand scan controls, by GM Delco/Bose. Excellent.

Mileage: About 25 to the gallon (18-gallon tank, estimated 445-milerange on usable volume), combined city-highway, usually running withfull five-passenger load and with air conditioner on.

Price: Base price is $17,479; dealer’s invoice price is $15,084.38.Tested model had $1,722 in option s (cost the dealer $1,463). Totalsuggested retail cost of the test car, including $525 destinationcharge: $19,726.

Purse-strings note: Complaints on the T-Type are mostly subjective.Technically, it’s a quality piece. But vehicle personality and buyerperception play major roles in auto pricing, which means you can bargainon this one.