Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11

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ton than any other city-nearly 1 per
cent of the total population owning cars.
And 1t has been only recently that
the popular-priced car has been able to
make its own way. For long time the
cry of the people was:
when will one be made sufficiently
loW-priced for people like you and my
SELF? In other words, very real de-
mand has grown up for a good motor
vehicle of moderate power. moderate
speed and moderate weight, to be sold at
moderate price. Moderation in the last
particular involves a machine that can be
profitably retailed well within 1000, and.
at the same time. stand up under ordi
nary hard service conditions.
+
The problem of the popular-priced mo-
tor car is by no means as simple as 1t
appears. 1t stands to reason that a low
priced car must be smaller and lighter
than one sold at higher figure, but. at
the same time, must be proportionate1y
strong and well-powered. also economical
in the use Of fuel. proof against common
forms of disablement, and generally easy
and inexpensive to operate. This is the
situation that affects the designer. Com
merclally speaking. other difficulties oc.
cur. Materials and workmanship have
their market value. which can be cut
only at the expense Of good results Also,
the sales agent or the jobber demands his
share of the profit at a fixed rate in COM
missions or discounts, and he must be
satisfied If the public is to be reached.
Advertising is another item of consider
able magnitude. Consequently, If motor
car manufacturer expects to count any
Kind of reasonable profit he must make
the market price of the finished car on an
average about hundred per cent in
excess of the actual cost of production.
And with the motor-car, as with nearly
every other manufactured product, the
only way of achieving a low market
price is by manufacturing in large guam
plicity that the cost Of production on any
scale will be greatly reduced. Both
courses have been followed successfully.
One of the best known types Of what
may be classed as popular-priced ma
chimes may be purchased for $500 or for
$3.50 with a tonneau at the rear This
machine is driven by single-cylinder en-
CINE hung beneath the body according
to the design most popular in the United
States three or four years ago. Although
many engineers have condemned the sim
gle-cylinder engine for automobile use,
their contentious are hardly justified In
connection with this machine. 1t is the
one most frequently seen of all the small
er types of American-made automobiles,
and according to tests seems to have OBJ
tanned remarkable records in service. Ac-
cording to recent summary published
by the builders, cars of this make have
been in constant service as long as four
years and are still running. The sum-
mary on detailed reports of 1874 cars,
ranging from few months to four years
of service. during which period between
fifteen hundred and thirty thousand miles
have been travelled per car. shows an
average fuel gasoline efficiency OF some
what over eighteen miles per gallon, an
average cost for repairs per week of
somewhat less than 80 cents and per hun
dred miles of about AN Conts. The fig
ures for repairs include cost of tire re-
newals, and apart from this fertile soufce
of expenditure in some indi. --ual cases
Some of these cars also achieved an aver
age efficiency of thirty miles per gallon
of gasoline.
Or this summary the average time of
operation is given as about one year and
eight months, the average distance trav-
eled at 1901 miles, which indicates an
average consumption of 533 1-3 gallons
of gasoline, representing an expenditure
of $1O6 per car for this average period and
mileage.
L
states that he drove it two years and
five months over 1900 miles, of country
road at an average monthly cost Of IL
cents for repairs. Another drove his ma
chine one year and seven months over
400 miles of city streets with no repair
account. A third claims three years and
one months travel over 10000 miles of
billy country at an average monthly cost
of 1919. The oldest car Of this make on
record showed service of three years
q nc v,n;11
travel, and an average of $1.1O per month
for repairs.
Such figures, selected from a long list.
exemplify the facts that, first, a reliable
car can be made and sold for much less
than 81 600; second, that 1t need not wear
out for several years, If we'll treated;
third. that the cost for repairs depends
very largely upon the skill and watchful-
ness of the driver.
For $3.50 one may purchase the master
piece of one of Americas earliest design
ers of automobiles, whose genius con-
tributed largely to the success of a ma
chine that for years was nearly the
best known on this side of the Atlantic.
Unlike the machine just described. 1t is
driven by a horizontal two-cylinder op-
posed engine. a type first introduced by
ance and ease In riding. AS in a tour
ing car Of large size. all the vital ma
chinery-the engine and transmission-is
hung over the front axle under a bonnet.
being thus perfectly accessible at all
times. without the bother of crawling
beneath the body of the vehicle or dis
placing the lady passenger.
Furthermore. 1t is gratifying to reflect
that for paltry $3.50 one may purchase
a machine that will literally do stunts
of the most spectacular and mentionable
description. One man boasts that he
travelled l. 200 miles in thirteen days in one
of these vehicles at a total cost of "a lit
tie less than 1 cent per mile. That
makes "a little less than" $12 in thirteen
days.
This trip. at the usual rates, cost him
$3.50 for fuel and so cents for lubricant
decided saving on railroad rates, even
with frugal lunches en- route.
Another man reports that after 1900
miles of travel he carefully took down"
his engine and found absolutely no deteri-