The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-29

It's true that lots of the old machines
go to the western towns and to the
farmers, but not all of them by any
means.
Farmers Getting stuno.
Look, there goes one now" The
dealer pointed to car of the touring
type. That car probably is of the
1903 crop. And there are others still
older. l can pick them out by the doz-
en-. Farmers do get stung on Sec
ond hand cars that have been fur
bished up bit, but SO do the un-
sophisticated of the city. One class
These prospects come to the deal
er with very little knowledge and
this applying to only two or three
makes OF cars. After they've been
turned loose in dozens of shops they
become bewildered. They have come
here, though, to buy an automobile
and after arriving at complete confus-
ion they settle on the first thing that
looks good to them at the price they
are able to pay. Naturally they get
stung right. They see machine nice
ly vanished up, with it's brass parts
shining, tires in good shape and after
a trip in the derelict, during which
the car is piloted by an expert who
gets all available power out Of the
engine, they fall for the game and
sign check. The tyro frequently is
deceived and Intentionally, by con-
scienceless dealers with regard to
the speed obtainable from an old car.
In many cases the maximum speed
possible with a worn out engine Is
from IL to Is miles an hour, maybe
not more than ten.
Demonstrators Demonstrate.
1.-THE demonstration handles the car
as only an adept of many years ex-
perience can, and, arriving at the
maximum of ten miles, he turns to his
quarry and inquiries. How does this
strike you? She's running twenty
miles now, maybe trifle more than
that Believe you said you didn't
want too fast car
MOO is the uncertain response,
but you could let her out If neces-
sary?' o yes the driver answers,
certainiy-up to 80 or 35. But we
don't dare to take chances here on
the avenue. The cops watch US all the
time for speeding. They're on the
job every minute Got soaked Is and
costs last week This veracious state
ment satisfies the credulous buyer and
he finds at the end of the ride that he
has bought something. That's exact
ly what 1t is-something.
The Old Cars.
"The old cars? Why, there Is no
such thing as an old car exclaimed
one of the largest secondhand deal
ers in the country. LET me show
you" He led the way to the rear OF
his. spacious salesroom and pointed to
two passenger car with top extend
ing far forward which somehow was
remaindful of the Avenue de TOpera
or the Champs Elysee.
"French car? Yes, you're good
guesser. It's Panhard of 1892
eighteen years old, originally built
for four passengers. AS you can see
the car looks bright, even at this day,
and it is, without exaggNrationyg still
serviceable car. The body has been
remodeled and now the seats are pro-
vided only for two The owner holds
this car at $500. Probably you'd be
interested yourself? MOI"
There are indeed, many interesting
| features in the secondhand business
and there are, If the truth he told,
some handlers of cars who are not
over scrupulous in their dealings
with the more ignorant class of buy
ers All they desire is to make sale
and the buyer who looks no deeper
| than the clean and shining exterior
of patched up machine always gets
the worst of it. Would he buy real
estate that way? Most assuredly no.
Yet he will spend a thousand dollars
4 or more on an antedated automobile
4 with sublime recklessness.
Tricks are Legion.
The tricks in this new trade are
1 legion For instance, a salesman will
tell the prospective buyer that a Ger.
/ tain car is owned by a man or wo
man who has just obtained a divorce
A big price will be asked. but the
salesman will say that the owner
needs money and might take less. In
4 some cars they operate with a con
federate, who comes into the build
ing while the customer is there and
poses as the owner. Another scheme
is to call up the imaginary owner or
the telephone and through confed
crate working at the other end, prob
ably stationed at neighboring drug
store, permit the prospect to talk
with this man who will tell a hard
/ luck story and, reducing the price
will force sale without proper dem
onstration of the car.
In every case the machine sold is