The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-29
The Used Cars are frightened up,
Made to Look Like New
and Sold to Easy
Marks.
SECRETS OF TRADE
The Auto Only Goes to the junk Pile
After it Has Passed Through
the Hands Of Many
Owners.

owners.
The question has doubtless occurred
many times to people of this city who
daily notice the passing of hundreds
OF automobiles of the most prepossess-
Ing appearance as to what becomes OF
the old automobiles that were SO en-
tirely different from the present ma
chimes, and doubtless they will be in
terested in the following explanation
by Roy o. Randall in the September
number of Popular Mechanics:
Autos, autos, everywhere,
And not car that's old
This metrical sentiment, slightly
| paraphrasing Coleridge, defines the
daily impression of the casual observ-
er, who, watching the boulevards's
brilliant procession of whirlins
wheels, flashes of brass and brightly
enameled colors, in wonderment asks
himself, Where are the cars of yes
teryear?'
What has become of the strange ex-
ample of motor car building which
marked the beginning of the industry
in America? Where are the high
wheeled monstrosities around which
the gaping crowds throrged In the
years shortly following the Chicago
worlds fair? Whittier have drifted
the Panhards and other foreign red
and blue devils" SO potent during
that earlier period in arousing admi-
ration and envy?
And the later models of American
obstruction, say Of five, ten or doz-
en- years back. They appear to have
vanished like the dinosaurs and the
dodo.
If you would solve this mystery.
which is far from lacking in human
4 interest go to the men who are sell
ing the splendid and mighty cars of
today, then to the secondhand dealers
and, finally, to the junk man who will
give you the last chapter of the tale.
From them you may hear the story
in varying versions. Said the repre-
sentative of one big automobile manu-
featuring company:
Is Good History.
"The query" What becomes of the
old automobiles?' reminds me Of that
other oft-repeated question, What is
the life of machine?' Into bota there
enter so many contingencies that |
hesitate to answer. The history of an
automobile, that is, a good one, from
, the time it leaves the factory until
the scrap iron collector gets posses
sion of it is full of interest Its first
owner, ordinarily, Is man of wealth
who runs the cars one season, after
which he becomes enamored of some
new device on later method of the
same make, a new body design or
some other feature, or switches over
; to an entirely different make OF car
, and turns the old one in on his new
: purchase.
y Probably the car is in first-class
shape and only slight repairs are re-
quired for putting it in excellent run
ming condition. But it is secondhand.
notwithstanding that fact, buyer
!. usually is found who pays for 1t two
thirds of the original selling price.
This second owner, not being OF the
, flush money type, may operate the
car until it approaches q degree OF
general decrepitude.
HE will then dispose of 1t, either to
second hand dealer or TO one OF
that class of buyers which has the
'auto-bug.' This man Is bound to
have a machine and If 1t will run at
the outset, he is satisfeG--he is the
!. owner of an automobile. After the
third owners modest salary fails to
!, keen up with the steady outgo for re-
, pairs. the machine then falls into
the hands of another bug, who has
the disease in the tertiary stage. After
numerous doleful experiences and
.doctoring' of the old wreck, the lat
ter inevitably ending in failure, the
Junk man carts it away on his truck
: and finds ready market for the
/ brass lamps and trimmings. the rub
e her of the tires and the iron.
Profit by Insurance.
There is another and less scrupu'
5 lous sort of person who gets hold OF
an old, dilapidated car and, because
it still is classified as an automobile
!. is able to take out insurance on 1t. A
4 mysterious fire or explosion puts the
r car entirely out of business and, II
i the insurance adjuster is easy the
: owner of the car may make profit
. on the nefarious deal"
/. One dealer was OF the opinion that
! the average man on the street was
5 deceived If he imagined that all cars
he saw on the boulevards and else
where were new cars; Don't fool
Yourself . he said There are hun.