The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-31

AN AUTO AND
ITS COST
as to Expense of
Repairs and Consumption
of Gasoline.

One OF the most important questions
that arises In the mind of an owner of an
automobile Is the cost of maintenance of
his ear. 1t is very difficult for one who
does not look personally to the upkeep of
his car to determine the four points which
enter into it's maintenance. They are:
How long will an automobile last2
What does 1t cost to operate 1t?
o many miles will it run on a gallon
of gasoline?
How long will the tires wear?
These are probably the four important
factors In the life of an automobile. In
some cases an automobile in the hands OF
a competent driver will give a great deal
more satisfaction, at a minimum cost, as
\ compared to the same car In the hands
| of a less experienced man.
To determine the average cost of main
taining and operating an automobile an
enterprising manufactures has just COM
piled statistics showing that with judicious
handling and the ordinary care that
should be accorded an automobile, the
amount to support a machine is not nearly
as great as most people believe. The
Cadillac Company determined recently to
discover the cost. It sent Invitations
through the newspapers throughout the
country and TO owners Of single-cylinder
Cadillacs asking them for sworn state
al 10 " II lOidA t4RthoC
In the maintenance Of their car. or those
who responded. hundreds were willing TO
make statements of the approximate cost
of running their cars, yet none OF these
was used. Only the actual cost sworn
before a notary public and witnesses were
accepted. One hundred and sixty-four
statements were received coming from
thirty different States, which show records
Of cars that have been used on all kinds
of roads and under all sorts Of conditions.
From the data received the following
statistics were compiled:
The mileage gotten out Of the cars varied
considerably, ranging from $50 to $4,000.
Many of the affldavits showed a mileage
of over 10000, and nearly so per cent. had
gotten over 10000 miles out of their car.
The total combined made over 100000
miles, or to be exact. 1,555, 427; the average
Of this being 9,661 miles per car.
The gasoline consumption afforded great
interest. One car running as low as 9 70
miles per gallon, while another ran as
high as 80 miles per gallon. Forty per
cent. of the number have claimed to get
over 20 miles per gallon, while the aver
age of all is a trife over IS 1-3 miles per
gallon.
The cost of repair-this amount rnnges
from practically nothing In some cases to
several hundreds of dollars in others. The
total amount of repairs, not including tires,
for the 11 cars, was S~6,SS1.29, or an average
for zach car of $42.74 For the average
length of time the cars have been used
q year, Z months, 20 day)' it means on
average of $2.17 per month. or less than 81
cents per week. Another way to compute
the cost would be to total the distance
travelled. taking 161 cars. totaling 1,5oo,42I
miles, and with the total cost of repairs,
Sc. SS1. 20, 1t means that the cost Of the up
keep averages .OO4939 per mile, or in other
words only 4414 cents per 100 miles that
is Travelled. That certainly Is cheaper
than walking In considering these points
do not overlook the number of passengers
carried. Some were runabouts carrying
one or two and sometimes three passen-
gers. while others were four-passenger cars
carrying Ave or six passengers. the
average as shown by afidavits was nearly
81 persons, so 1t would make this ex-
pense less than 10 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 9 2-3 up as high as several who got
% or more, and on as high as 30 miles per
gallon. Take the average of the lot, It
shows 1874 or a trife over IS 1-3 miles
per gallon. The cost of gasoline varies IN
different parts of the country, but may
probably be averaged at Is cents a gallon;
IL would Inen lldhe lue dNCidbS A SShs -
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 in
cluded in the repair expenses because
many owners dc not keep separate expense
accounts, 200 dealers throughout the coun-
try were asked the following questions;
What is the longest time you have
known a set Of tires to wearf
What is the greatest number OF miles
you have known a set of tires to run2
If a customer were to ask you as to about
how long or how many miles a set OF tires
could be expected to last, with proper care,
what would you tell him?
The answers to the first question were
in about two years, in some cases less, and
in several cases three years, and one an
sWer was four years. To the second ques-
ton the answers were all the way from
1000 to 1900 miles, but the majority run
along from 6,O00 to 5000 miles. Regarding
the third question, there was Il wide differ
ence of opinion. but they averaged up be-
tween one and two years and from 5000 to
1000 miles. Many replies being qualified
| by the statement that 1T would all depend
| upon the carefulness of the operator and
the roads he would have to travel. 1t
certainly is commendatory not only to any
one car, but to the whole industry, when
| after a careful canvass of over 16O auto
| mobile owners, 1t Is authenticity estl-
mated that the cost of upkeep of a care
| fully operated car, renders the cost Of
| transportation, Der mile, less than any
4 other means of locomotioD.