The Winslow mail., 1925-02-27
THE AUTOMOBILE
DOLLAR is ONLY
ONE WORTH MORE


motor car industry has the dollar
spent brought back to the spendeI
so many miles of untroubled trans
portation, so much comfort, or pow
er, distinction, luxury, convenience
or service.
At no time in that history has
the spending of an automobile dol
lar been attended with SO little
loss through repairs, maintenance
delays and annoyances attendant
upon the use of any machinery.
Today's automobile has more
power, more comfort, more uSabil-
ity, better appearance. 1t is out
fitted with conveniences undreamed
of decade ago. It's power plant
runs with greater reliability, less
trouble, greater economy and yet
the car is bought for almost the
lowest price, including all these
advantages, that it ever has sold
for, even when it had none of these
advantages.
The year 1918 has been consider
ed low water mark year for prices.
Taking, as an example, car that
will not involve invidious compari-
sons, a Studebaker special six Sc
dan sold that year for $1,950.
Judged by the standards of that
year, today's car of the same make
and model is actually worth ap-
proXimately $875 more than it was
then. Yet today's price is within
$35 of that low water mark
The whole motor car industry
today represents something of that
increase in the value of the auto
mobile dollar, With the growth Of
larger companies which can give
larger value for the dollar by rea-
son of quantity production, COM
plete manufacture, low overhead
costs and enormous plant facilities,
the value Of the motor car dollar
is still growing.
Companies not enjoying these
larger facilities are dropping out
or are being absorbed, but the con-
tinued march of the dollar value
goes on.
Continuing the illustration re-
ferred to, today's special six yields
80 per cent more power than that
of 1918. Mechanical difficulties
present then have practically all
disappeared, by reason of fully ma
chined crankshafts of larger size
which end vibration; better lubri-
cation under pressure with con-
stantly strained oil; waterproofed
( ignition systems and electrical
wiring enclosed in metal conduits;
automatic spark advance, valves
for crank case draining which
make it unnecessary to crawl under
the car and dozens of other i'm
provements of similar nature end
ing the old-time mechanical trou-
bles.
Undreamed of comfort in the car
today comes from full ballon tires,
curled hair and cotton padded cush-
ions, mohair upholstery and softer
tempered springs.
Gone is the gas lamp, the oil
light, and their troubles. The
electric lighting control of today's
car is on the steering wheel, at
finger tips.
What was called best kerosene
a decade ago is standard fuel to-
day; hot-spot and double manifold
devices burn it properly.
A decade ago coachwork and
body building was considered an
art. Yet today there is added to
even better woodworking all the
strength and security of steel and
where a company makes its own
bodies, like Studebaker, the auto
mobile dollar buys a soundness and
security and comfort in a motor
car body that could not possibly
have been included a decade ago
Accessories by the dozen were
added to the factory car by buyers
then. Today, on the special six
sport roadster, for instance, one
finds as standard equipment front
and rear bumpers, locked moto-
meter and winged radiator cap
combination rear and stop light
glass windshield wings; extra tire,
tube and cover; one-piece wind
shield and automatic cleaner; rear
view mirror and ornamental out
side bows.
On other cars are trunks con-
tanning suitcases, or racks for them
dome and reading lamps, mohair-
covered robe rails and foot rests,
heaters. On all are clocks, gallon
gasoline guages on the dash and a
metal plate for owners name.
The automobile bought with to-
days dollar skips over hills on
high gear which, a decade ago,
gave car struggle on low. So
reliable are today's motor cars that
Journeys once considered great
feats are common practice and
there's no journey in America to-
day that's regarded as unusual.
All these improvements, these
accessories, this greater power and
reliability have been added, yet the
price is practically the same as in
1919, though material and labor
costs have kept steadily rising.
The automobile dollar today is
the only dollar spent which yields
a greater return than before the
war, solely because of the quantity
production, complete manufacture
and economical administration OF
vast plants and equipment, in which
Studebaker is "a cOnSpiciOuS exam