Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-03
NEWS OF INTEREST TO OWNER PROSPECTIVE BUYER
TOURING POPULAR
VACATION SPORT
REQ Sales Manager Says De-
mand For Skies Is Unprece-
dented in Motor History


There's only one way to account
for the tremendous demand for Skies,
and especially REQ Skies, this season."
says r. c. Rueschaw, Sales Manager
of the REQ Motor Car company, land
that is that Mr.. Average Buyer is, from
past experience, extra cautious about
the car in which he and his family ex-
pect to tour this season.
With the actual opening of the
touring season-and we always look
upon Decoration day as the opening
day-people appear to have stopped
looking for novelties and gotten down
to brass tacks in the selection of tour
ing cars.
I'VE thought the demand of the last
two months could never be surpassed,
but with the approach of Decoration
dealers everywhere beseeching us for
more cars, and especially for Skies.
Chicago and New York, the xo
| blase centers, are usually apathetic at
TINS season. Perhaps 1 should not
| say 'apathetic' but simply normal.
There is not so mucn fluctuation in
these two large centers as there is,
naturally. in smaller places and in the
rural districts where so much depends
upon road conditions, farming oper-
ations, etc.
This year, however, the same i'm
! pulse seemed to strike the two big
| villages at the same time and by rare
coincidence received on the same day
kilograms from our New York and
Chicago distributors each asking for
"a trainload of Skies to be timed so
as to reach these metropolis just ahead
of Decoration day.
Whaddaya mean - trainload!" I
asked, feebly, while trying to catch
my breath. OF course a trainload
might be anything that one locomotive
or four locomotives could draw. We
1 nj ~ leo
as felt we could, in fairness to our
other distributors. let these two CEN
ters have, ard we hope to satisfy, at
least In part the big Decoration day
demand.
There's funny thing" continued
the REQ sales manager, Decoration
day is to motorists what Easter is to
the ladies-the motorist who cannot
appear on that day with a spick and
span, brand new car doesn't feel as If
he's in 1t. In that regard he's like
mllady, who feels she's lost half her
lie II she can't appear in the Easter
parade in her new bonnet.
There's a good deal of logic back
or the automobile end of it, however,
because most buyers NOWADAYS are
people who have owned and driven
cars before, and, with excellent tudg-
ment they generally use the old boat
through the winter and until the
roads get good in the Spring. Then
they sell 1t, trade it in or keep IL for
second best and buy new one
for the touring season.
AT this time more than any other
we find the qualities for which REQ
stands-sturdines and reliability
are the most appreciated. Few mo-
torists desire excessive speed and
more of them value Staying qualities"
rather than quick getaway" At
l that's
tremendous demand for REQ Skies this
year is evidence to my mind that buy
ers are more than ever cautions and
! less prone to take chances in their
selection of automobiles
One thing is certain: there'u be
more touring this year. than ever be-
rore. People can't go to Europe,
and while few may go to Alaska,
seems to be most of them will stay in
the States, and, naturally, touring
will be the real thing this year.
! We have wonderful hills and roads
and scenery-wonderful National
parks and places of interest that would
take not one year but lifetime to
see. 1 think Americans will make a
virtue of necessity this year and tour
| their own country. And once thev
have gotten the habit they're bound
to continue it.
This years demand seems to be for
roominess in the car more perhaps
than for any other quality, save that
of dependability.
Il know that when I go for a trip
want to take along a lot of fishing
tackle and other paraphernalia in
case L happen to pass a shady pool
! or piece OF rapid water that looks like
ly. Others are partial to the golf
sticks, and still others to the gun.
while the dog-tent isn't an uncommon
part of modern motor equipment. Peo-
pie who once become addicted to out
of-doors are liable to go to any
lengths-and the further they go the
more they seem to like II.
IF you'll study the average buyer
nowadays you'll hear him insist upon
plenty of room in his touring car. be-
cause he knows from past experience
that II takes the joy out of life to
tour in a car into which you have
TO be put with a shot horn. Nor
does he want his baggage piled on top
of his feet or confined to a small space
in the rear Of the tonneau.
Our sale of Skies this year is 200
per cent more than that of last year.
and that's pretty good indication of
which way the wind is blowing. And
this Decoration days demand looks as
If the wind has developed into a cy-
clone.
But for the fact that we were
able few months ago, to obtain by
paying a slight premium, sufficient ma
terial to make an extra 5000 Skies,
dread to think OF what would have
been the condition at this moment.
THE life of a sales manager isn't n
happy one when the demand is either
too little or too great, but as between
the two / believe I prefer the under
demand. one can get out and work
nd na1t aaE NH H..