Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-08
HOW T0bUY AN AUTO
Mechanical knowledge Is Not
at All Essential.
twelve BITS OF ADVICE
Comfort Comes First in Selecting Car.
How Motor Works Is Also
Important.
Twelve BITS OF ADVICE

To make a safe and satisfactory selec-
ton OF motor car does not require spe-
cial ability along mechanical lines. By
the aid Of the following suggestions any
sensible man or woman can reach pur-.
Chasing decision with no fear that the
chosen car will be a disappointment:
First-F1rst of all, note whether the car
seats the number OF passengers you de-
sire to provide for, and seats them COM
fortably. If passengers must be wedged
into place you will do well to avoid that
start. And If you can't have comfort.
why have a car at all?
Second-Power-Observ whether the
car has ample power to carry its full
complement Of passengers at the desired
speeds. An underpowered car is always
bitter disappointment. And note this
trick OF the trade: car may be geared
so high that it will run fast on the level
and yet be unequal to the first hill of
any consequence. Or it 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 car insist upon
having the same car show it's power and
speed on both hill and level on the same
ride.
Hill Climbing Test.
In hill climbing be not satisfied with
mere speed or high-gear success. Stop
the car on the grade and note how it 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 test of
this kind shows merit.
Th1rd-Quietness-Is the motor quiet? A
noisy motor Is years behind the time and
ought TO be avoided, because it is an i'm
perfect motor.
observation-disclosures the motor at
various speeds. while the car stands. If
the car vibrates materially, the motor is
imperfect. The more the vibration. the
sooner will that motor wear itself out, the
car as we'll. Economy says avoid vibra-
ton.
Fifth = Flexibility Flexibility means
| range of motor speed on the throttle,
without changing gears. Have the car
run on high gear, and see how slowly it
Will run-without slipping the clutch.
Clutch slipping is drivers trick. and
you don't buy it in the car Have the
driver keep the clutch in fun contact.
Then the car that shows the widest range
OF speed on high gear Is the most flexible
OF this there Is no question.
Importance of Flexibility.
Fle1ibility is important because it
| avoids gear changing, saves motor work,
reduces wear and tear on motor and
transmission and means economy of fuel
The driver who is compelled to shift
gears in and out Of traffic does work that
a really flexible motor would do for
him
Sixth-Acceleration-sl down the
motor on high gear and have it pick up
speed as quickly as possible. The slug
way slowly under load, is not one Of
quality and ia always bad in traffic
Seventh-Cranking-N whether the
driver is required to crank the car for
any length Of time in order to start the
| motor. Some of the best cars are equip
ped with self-starters, which render
cranking unnecessary. Cranking is al
| ways disagreeable.
Durability-Require the sales
| man to give you trustworthy statements
Of the durability of his car. There are
cars which seem to possess many merits,
but lack that Of durability and are ex-
pensive in upkeep. The only makers
who are sure of their ground on this
point have abundant evidence to present
| to you.
Ninth-WeiSht-Ex lightweight
cars ride hard and are likely not to
Withstand hard usage. Heavyweight
cars Withstand hard usage, but eat up
| tires and fuel. Either kind is highly eX
pensive in upkeep. Medium-weight cars
| avoid these faults.
Appearance of CIR
Tenth-General Appearance-Any cas-
| ual observer can tell the general charac
ter Of car by its appearance. Where
slipshod work appears that car is to be
| avoided Beauty of body lines and
work, of painting and upholstery. unmis
| takably mark the high-grade car.
But above all else is
Eleventh-Comfort in Riding-Does the
car ride comfortably? Sit in the ton
neau, for the front seat of any car is
| tonneau gives the test Try ruts and
| bumps, and note how you suffer or are
| free from annoyance. And remember
that the tonneau is where your wife or
sweetheart or mother or friends will
ride, and surely you want them to enjoy
| riding and not to find it bugbear.
Twelfth-Who are the makers? What
experience have they had in building the
particular car offered for your purchase?
And what has been the experience of
their customers in the past? Do custom
ers enjoy prompt and cheerful service?
Should you need supply part. what as
surance have you OF getting it quickly?
Are the makers stable, or may an adj
verse wind blow them away and ma
ter,ally injure your investment? That
condition has happened In the past and
NAV happen again; you can avoid 1t in
YOUR case by making sure of your ground
before YOU purchase. There are standard
makers who may be patronized safely;