Evening star., 1924-09-21
By WILLIAM ILLMAN.

Advocates of progressive engineer
ing design and lovers Of fine coach
work viii be interested TO learn that
an analysis of motoring conditions
rareals a pronounced trend toward
better automobiles. With over Is,
10000 cars IN service in the United
States alone, It is believed that the
average man is sufficiently sold on
car ownership TO a point where he
now aSpIres TO own som ethIng a lit
tie better than the average.
Everywhere car buyers are said to
he showing d preference for higher
grade cars-a trend which is expected
TO benefit the entire industry, since
every manufacturer would do a rush
business If all the motorists IN the
class below graduated into his group
These facts are being reported b.
salesmen, who ind that even where
a manufacturer makes an extensive
line OF cars Of varying sizes the pref
e-ence IS for the best the manufaC.
turer makes That the stock OF bet
ter cars still continues to move far
slower than the moro popular priced
and small cars is attr ibuted to force
OF necessity and not preference.
when motorists can buy better
cars they will buy them" one sales
man sums 1t up.
Keep Quality Tr.
a number OF manufacturers have
added bigger and better cars to their
line N anticipation of a denaa nd
which IS already in evidence, since
many people are IN a position to buy
from preference rather than neceS.
sity. Tho industry has felt the pub
lies pulse and concluded that It will
not pay to cut quality in order 10
make prices attractive. This ex-
plains why prices are higher on some
ct the cars which arc most popular
with the general public.
In explanation OF the appearance
on the market OF smaller and lower
priced versions OF high grade cars
II IS pointed out that this trend is
but d temporary plan of acquanting :
The public with the advantages Of bet
ter carE. 1t IS figured that once a
notcrlSt becomes d fan for certain
high grade make OF car he Will not
be entirely satisfied until he owns
the best car IN the manufacturer s
line. assuming that the motorists in
come and station in life warrant 1t.
Sim multane eouSly with this offering
OF popular priced versions of high
grade cars IS the trend toward adding
h.gher-grade lines to popular-pr
cars. The result OF these Two de-
velopm ents is such as 10 ropular!ze
SO coo Class-a development which in
itself Is indicative OF higher class
motoring
With Ford converting pave pound
ers into motorists at al astonishing
rate, and with all motorists stepping
up the ladder n accordance with their
ability, 1t Is believed that the time
is not far distant when the invest
nlent per car will be considerably in
excess of S611, which represented the
Average price of new cars sold during
1923 just as the nation can point
with pride to a large per capita saw
ings or irVestmen in real estate, so
IL may shortly be able to point with
pride to its larger per capita invest
mont IN automobiles. It is a healthy
trend which many believe should be
encouraged
New Buyer Csutaoun.
Car ownership Is an experiment I
with a hrst buyer He does not know
how much It IS going to cost him to
operate the car and he is naturally
inclined TO figure on some jokers in
the way of expenses. He cannot be
guided by the experience Of others
because he can see very we'll that
SUCCESS with an automobile varies
widely according to individual ability
When he buys d car, therefore. he is
inclined to buy a trife below his
means. He seldom goes the limit
But he IS a different type of buyer
after beng initiated into the fold
He readily appreciates where an ad-
dltional investment in car comforts
can be made to yield attractive diyi-
dendS, and in acquiring a taste for
the better things in cars he gives the
matter OF purchase of better car