Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-26
SOME HELPSFOR AUTO BUYERS
Suggestions that Will Be Found USE
full for Selecting a Car.
PRICE IS THE LAST ITEM
High Price Does Not Always Bespeak
the Highest Quality in an Auto
mobile, as Buyer VIII
Find Out.

Price is positively the last item to be
considered before purchasing a motor car.
Because price is of least Importance and
does not necessarily indicate value. For
instance, among smaller cars. ranging in
price from 81, 80 to $l.75O. it is the judg-
ment of some that the best of the class
is a car selling at almost the lowest price;
and yet the 1850 buyer probably lays fiat
tering JUNCTION to his. soul that he has
bought the superior car of the lot.
Then there are those among buyers of
large cars who pay $1,000 to $500 more
than necessary for a car, solely because
they believe that high price bespeaks quail
ity. 1t doesn't-always.
The man who is keen for quality, the
buyer Of dlscernment. one who knows
merit when he sees it. who does not mis-
take price for quality, nor take a neigh
boris say-so for it. finds out first what car
most nearly fills his requirements and buys
that particular car at whatever the price
may be. That's good sense.
First-Ffrst OF all. note whether the car
seats the number of passengers you desire
to provide for, and seats them comfortably.
II passengers must be wedged into place
you will do well to avoid that car, else
you would forfeit comfort at the start.
And II you can't have comfort, why have
q car at all?
Second-Power. Observe whether the car
has ample power to carry it's full compile
ment Of passengers at the desired speeds.
An under-powered car is always a bitter
disappointment. And note this trick of the
trade. A car may be geared so high that
It will run like a scared deer on the level
and yet be unequal to the first hill OF any
consequence. or. 1t may be geared so low
that It will scale hills handily, but be
unable to show real speed on the level.
Hence, in trying out a car, insist upon
having the same car show its power and
speed on both hill and level on the same
ride.
A car should have ample power to do
practically all its work (hill climbing
included) on high gear. A car that must
frequently use second or first gear is most
certainly underpowered.
In hill climbing be not satisfied with
mere speed or high gear success. Stop the
car on the grade and note how 4 gets under
way again. Times will come when you
will be required to stop on hills, and you
need to know what to expect. The car
that will pick up handily in a test OF this
kind shows merit.
Motor should Be Quiet.
birdSQuletness Is lhe moloT quieb' n
noisy motor is years behind the lines and
ought to be avoided because 1t is an i'm
perfect motor.
Fourth-Vlbration: Run the motor al
various speeds while the car stands. II
the car vibrates materially the motor is
imperfect. The more the vibration, the
sooner will that motor wear itself out and
wear out the car as we'll. Economy says
avoid vibration.
Fifth-Flexibility: Flexibility means
range OF motor speed on the throttle with
out changing gears. Have the car run on
high gear and see how slowly 1t will run
without slipping the clutch. Clutch-slip-
ping is a drivers trick, and you don't buy
It in the car. Have the driver keep the
clutch in full contact. Then the car thai
shows the widest range OF speed on high
gear is the most flexible. A car that will
slow down to five miles an hour and speed
up to sixty-five. is Sb per cent more