The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-05-17

banker. Fred Crumpacker a good
lawyer. Jack Jones a good doctor,
II good automobile merchant,
then tell the world about it-other
wise it is more honorable to say
nothing That is my conception of
Rotary.
An automobile trade has, in
TO it, A man drives up with
car. Fudge, I like your WHY'S
Knight. I'm sold on it, and the way
you do business. Come out here
want to show you what a good
car 1 have" Then he begins to
tell me it is the best car he ever
owned; runs better today than it
ever did. Now. what the automo-
bile man has TO do is to sell his
own merchandise and his own
house rather than permit the Gus
toner to sell him his used car.
Every used car taken in ex-
change has to be resold. If we
ask more than the car is worth, the
customer is dissatisfied. his good
will is lost. also the possibility of
ever selling him or his friends in
the future. To illustrate a used
car transaction, let US say we ap-
praise it at 100000 In November.
It is an open car and will probably
not be sold until spring. Storage
at the rate of $500 per month for
five months is $500; repair order
job amounting to $500; painting.
$4,000. Early in April man comes
in and is interested in that car
Nine times out OF ten it will take
from thirty minutes to three or
four hours to get it running. BY
that time the customer is dissatis-
fed and decides he doesn't want it,
But. on the other hand. suppose he
takes il. Three hours work at
$50 per hour plus a rebuilt bat
terry of $1,000 makes the total in
ventory of that used car now
s47650- We have TO get that
to say nothing of bookkeeping in
volved. salesmans commission. and
advertising. But the car is one
year older-and there is the risk
of losing 500 to $500 on the trans
action. This is the tragedy.
Now. business can only be con.
Quoted successfully at profit. and
all the profit the reputable new car
dealer wants today is the profit on
his new car. If he doesn't have
/ that. how is he going to qualify
himself with proper tool equipment
and service facilities to properly
! take care of his customers? The
automobile as it stands on our
sales floor is absolutely worthless
1t becomes valuable only when ii
| is put in motion; and automobile
ownership has reached such a fig
ure in this country that the serv-
| iceing of cars has become truly a
public service in every sense OF the
| word. In this respect the mer-
chandising of automobiles is diff
ferent from that of most any 9th
er retail business because the cal
chase.
There are approximately ter
million cars running in these
United States today; and to keey
them all running and in satisfae.
tory condition is the gigantic tasl
that is put up to the service mer
in this country. The automobile /.
transportation, and according 4
statistics compiled by the Nationa
Automobile Chamber of Commerce
better than 80 per cent of our pas
senger cars are used more or les
for business purposes.
Ynpripa n mamie a lynou
are impatient. You pick up tn,
telephone to register a call /
you don't get your party promptly
you begin to complain about tn.
telephone service. You drive you
car down town when the weathei
is below zero. let il stand all day
Then If you happen to have troubl,
starting it. the car is probabl!
condemned or the dealers service
However, practically all inconven
fence and trouble has been removed
from the well-nigh miraculous op
Grafton of the motor car. The ma
chine which. a few years ago wa
a highly speculative and, quit,
i often, impractical proposition ha
been perfected now to the poin
smoothly and powerfully The ca
buyer expects nothing less of TIL
automobile. This certainty Of per
Torrance has been given to tn,
automobile by ths exercise of
sincere interest of the dealer VII,
has the right conception of hi
owners requirements.
The manufacturer makes
thousand cars, all Identical. The,
go into possession Of a Thousand
owners. all different. It's tn,
dealers business to see that al
give complete satisfaction. TIL
fact that they are doing so, show
how much more than merely
sales organization the modern auto
mobile merchant must be In TIL
early days of selling automobile
| very little attention was given b.
the agent to the matter of propei
! instruction in the operation ane
| care of the ear The result is tina
| most of the people owning automo
biles today do not know how t,
drive a car properly or take carr
OF 1t, and any minor trouble he ma,
! have is generally his own fault