The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-03
OF INTEREST TO NEW CAR BUYER
Vital Things To Consider When Prospective Purchaser Is
 Making A Decision

ST. LOUIS, Feb: 2.-The prospec- tive buyer of automobiles in the year 1924 has some very interesting things before him. In the mechanical sense, there are several designs of four wheel brakes. There are several designs of thS two-whee1 brakes in service and emergency. There are many new ideas in body design. Many new things in sterring. gear shift, carburetion, in Dtrument equipment and so on. Me chanicnl features are not alone to hc considered.
 Business conditions and clements that may have just as much effect on the ar-sutlsfnction of the car owner. as the mechanical features are to be just as carefully considered:
 What about the trading allowance first of all? The trading allowance that is included in the list of price of m automobile makes q fictitious list price. It is made up in that form for the sole and express purpose of per- Mittfne q dealer to make an overall 1owunee in a trade for an old car: And when the man who pays cash, buys the same car he pays penalty for it. One caution is for the prospective purchaser to be careful to comrar" the actual valnes of the new cars vii, their list prices and carefully weisi' ''e signifi- ennce contained in the hli Nwa;lee price If an old car is to be traded.
 Ninety mine per cent Of the owners Of old cars know when they are being given an excessive amount for their old car in q trade.
 Therefore, they also have opportunity of knowing whether they are buying a new car with full value represented in its list price.
 Again the prospective purchaser should carefully consider the record of the dealer from whom he is going to buy the car. Is the dealer one in whom he can have confidence? How does that dealer handle the used car depart ment of his business?
 It is imperative that the automobile dealer shall make a profit in every de- partment of his business. Just the same as in any other business, profit Is essential to remain in business. If the used car department is operating at heavy loss, is 1t not far. to be- lfeve that in some other department, the dealer will have to make enough profit to cover that loss? The buyer of cars from such a dealer is going to help pay that used car bill somewhere, or else the dealer goes out of business, unable to absorb his losses. The car becomes an orphan and the owner Is at the mercy of independent and his neighborhood repair shops.
 What has been the history of the dealer in business? Has he been sue cessful? Or has he handled one car, then another and another. until the list is like an old roster of the indus try? What is the reputation of his maintenance department?
 All of these are vital things to con- sider when the prospective purchaser is making his decision. They should be considered before ever looking at car. The outside appearance of an automobile in an automobile show or store, has nothing whatever to do with the personal satisfaction that the owner may have in the operation of that car after taking it out of its show place.
 The dealer, the salesman, the house policies, its financial stability, it's treatment of it's customers, its main- fenance department, have everything to do with the car-satisfacdon, K The prospective purchaser, who makes his selection on the basis of a large allowance for the old car, can not intelligenly buy and take into con alterations, the clements that will de- termine his own best interests.