Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-09-05
TO OWN AN AUTOMOBILE.
What the Machine Costs for Operation,
Repairs md other Necessitles.

What the Machine Costs for Operation,
Repairs and other Necessities.
One Of the most important questions
that arises IN the mind OF an owner of
an automobile, is the cost Of maintenance
Of lis car. It Is very dificult for one who
does not look personally 10 the upkeep Of
his car, TO determine the four points
which enter into It's main tenance: How
long will an automobile last? What does
Il cost to operate Il? How many miles
will It run on n gallon of gasoline? How
long will the tires wear? These are
probably the four important factors
In the ltfe Of an automobile. In some
cases an automobile IN the hands of a
competent driver will give a great deal
more satisfaction, at the minimum cost
as compared to the same car in the hands
OF a less experienced man.
To determine the average cost OF main
tanning and operating an automobile, an
enterprisins manufacturer has Just com
piled statistics. showing that with
tudlc,ous handling. and the ordinary care
that should be accorded an automobile
the amount to support machine Is
not nearly as great as most people believe
The Cadillac company determined recent
~ TO discover the cost. II sent invitations
through the newspapers throughout the
country and to owners Of single cylinder
Cadilas asking them for sworn state
mcnts as to the total expense incurred
In the maintenance Of their car or those
who responded. hundreds are willing to
make statements Of :he approximate cost
of running their cars. yet none Of these
was used Only the actual cost sworn
before 4 otary public and witnesses.
were accepted. One hundred and sixty
four statements were received coming
from 80 different states which show
records fears that have been used on
all kinds OF roads and under all sorts OF
conditions From the data received the
following statements were compiled.
The mileage gotten out OF the cars
varied considerably, ranging from so to
5000. Many Of the affidavits showed a
mileage OF over 10000 and nearly 30 per
cent had gotten over l0oo0 miles out OF
their car The total combined, made
over 800, 900 miles, or to be exact l.5S5.-
427; the average of this being 1861 miles
per car.
The gasoline consumption afforded
great interest. one car running as low
as 20 miles per gallon, while another
ran as high as 81 miles per gallon. Forty
per cent. OF the number have claimed
70 get over 20 miles per gallon. while the
average OF all Is a trifle over IS 1-3 miles
per gallon.
The cos sf repair-this amount ranges
from practically nothing in some cases
70 several hundreds OF dollars in others.
The total amount OF repairs, not includ-
ing tires FOR the iGl cars was Sc. 90 or
an average for each car Of S24.74 For the
average length of time the cars have been
used wear, months. - days. 1t means
an average OF S.17 per month. or less
than 81 cents per week. Another way
to compute the cost would be TO total
the distance travelled, taking 16l cars
totall.ng LOS AZ miles and with the
total cost for repairs ss.SSl2 %, 1t means
that the cost OF the upkeep averages
Oo4939 per mile or in other words only
A IA cents per 100 miles that is travelled.
That certainly is cheaper :han walking.
In considering these points do not over
look the number Of passengers carried.
Some were runatouts carrying one or
two. and sometimes three pass
engers carried. Some were runahouts
carrying one or two. and sometimes three
passengers, while others were four pass
enger cars carrying five or six passengers.
The average AS shown by afhdavits was
nearly l-2 persons. so Il would make
this expense less than Is cents per 100
miles for each passenger
The next Item OF expense is that OF
gasoline. The sworn statements show
that the miles obtained per gallon run
from as few as 2-S up as high as
several who got q or more. and one as
high as 80 miles per gallon. Take the
average OF the lot, it shows 1854 or a
tribe over IS la miles per Ion The
cost of &c solIne varies in different parts
of the country. but may probably be
averaged at IS cents gallon; it @ould
then make the average one cent per
mile per car for fuel, or less than l-S OF
a cent per mile per passenger.
To obtain the amount OF expenditures
for tires, which In some cases had been
included in the repair expenses because
many owners do not Keep separate OK
pense accounts. 200 dealers throughout
the country were asked the following
questions;
What Is the longest time YOU have