Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-09-23
DON'T BE FOOLED
In BUYING CAR;
HERE'S A WARNING

A simple method by which the
buyer of an automobile can find
out whether he is actually getting
the things he wants most in his car
is explained by Roland Sauer,
Packard distributor, BY this meth
cd, he claims, buyer can resist the
wiles OF the most hypnotic sal es-
man, and keep himself from being
talked into getting a car that does
not meet his needs.
MANY people go at buying a car
with nothing much to depend on
but their feelings" says Mr.. SaueF.
"A salesman will eXpatiate about
the good points of his car, ana
cover up the weak ones, and in the
end the purchaser gets off-balance
and is likely to be sold on some
feature that is of minor Importance,
like pretty upholstery or a cigar
lighter on the instrument board. A
business man would not think OF
spending hundreds or thousands OF
dollars for anything else with as
little science as he often uses IN
buying a car.
"The efficient way for a man to
go about such a purchase is to SIT
down beforehand, and write down
lust what he wants from his new
car and how important each Tea
ture is going to be to him.
Naturally no two men will agree
about the relative importance, but
they all want the same things IN
diffent proportions: appearance
comfort, performance, economy,
service and safety. These include
every feature of the car. The next
thing, and the important one, is to
decide how much each feature
should count. Some want appear
ance more than anything else, Tor
some economy sets an absolute linz
it in the choice of car, and Tor
Others 1t is of hardly any import
anoe. The difference is what gives
a real market for different cars,
1--WE have found by experience
that most men will usually think OF
the appearance Of the car first, and
figure 1t at 80 to 35 per cent of the
total value of the car. Then they
will take up performance, which
includes speed, acceleration, fleNi-
bility, smoothness, reserve power
and dependability, and give thar
about so per cent, Safety is import
ant too, and they will give that
about 80 per cent. Then 1t is time
to stop and think, for they have al
ready gone above 100 per cent, and
there are three elements that have
not even been mentioned.
con the second ATTEMPT, we find,
a man will scale everything down
a little. and he begins especially to
doubt whether appearance is qui'o
so important. II he is fairly we'll
to-do. he will finally get a table
something like this:
performance 35; safety, 15;
comfort, IS; service, IS; appear
ance, 10, and economy 10. Total
100.
THAT is for a man who wants the
best service out of a car, regardless
of money, If he has smaller m
come, his basis will be about as fol-
lows
performance, 80; economy 20;
safety, 15 comfort. 5; appearance,
10, and service 10. Total 100.
"He has given up several things,
you see, for the sake of the added
economy If he has still more
limited income he may have To
make economy so per cent and get
what he can of the others. But
whatever his income may be, this
method enables him to get just the
kind of car that will give him the
most for his money. 1t Is a method
by which every man can sell him
self the right kind of a car"