Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-24
BUYER MUST KNOW
WHAT CAR WILL Do
Determining Factor in Pur-
chasing Is View of Auto
Sales Manager.

What n car will do should be the
determining factor in purchasing an
automobile, declares s. E Alderman,
sales manager Of the Franklin Auto
mobile Company.
W hile people like to drive good.
looking cars" says Mr. Alderman,
Just as they like to wear handsome
clothes or to live in attractive houses,
performance is or should be the fun
damental buying consideration.
Certainly TO one can quarrel with
the man whose choice rests upon i
ear which has smart, distinctive lines
To him. real part OF tue pleasure
OF ownership comes from the knowl-
edge that his car attracts the adrnira-
ton Of others. But along with at
Effectiveness must I've the basic service
qualities. And although most cars to-
day give & big measure Of value, they
differ widely in performance.
Satisfactory Way to Judge.
The one satisfactory way TO Judge
an automobile Is to test It, Just as
the only satisfactory way to judge q
cigar is to smoke It. This applies
to all classes Of cars. A trial gets at
the basis Of the vital satisfying road
characteristics. No one can com
petently judge the value OF car
without a road test ranging from so
to 90 miles in length. A ride around
city square or three city squares
tells one practically nothing
The prospective car purchaser
should decide upon run of sufficient
length 10 take in all kinds of road
conditions. And he should do the
driving; more can be learned from
behind the wheel than in the capacity
OF & passenger.
The seven basic motoring elements
upon which competent judgment of
performance invariably is based are:
Comfort. easy handling, safety. power.
road.holding ability. reliability and
economy. Naturally. ones Judgment
is the result of comparative expert.
ences; comparison must. therefore, be
made with ones best previous motor
ing. The first five elements can be
judged quite conclusively as the result
OF trial run. while the last two, re-
liability and economy. can be deter
mined through inquiries among
owners.
Test of Comfort a Factor.
"Automotive engineers have ad.
vanced the science of balancing and
distributing the weight OF automobiles
to the extent that high speed running
over toughest roads may be made
without dis;i greeable effect upon pas.
sengers or driver.
Accordingly. test of comfort is
a drive. over a number of miles Of
bad roads at speeds ranging up to
SO miles an hour, with the prospective
purchaser Of the car behind the wheel
for part of the distance. at least
The vital points to look for are ham
mering of wheels against tires and
chassis. and strain upon chassis or
body structures. A sure road grip In
rapid rough road travel and absence
of any feeling of punishment are. In
dications of a good performer.
1T Is apparent that the rough road
test for comfort Is. at once, a test
of power. road-holding ability, curve
taking ability and road ability, the
latter being the capacity Of car
for rapid travel over all kinds Of roads
without disseminating driver or pas
sengers.
Easy handling depends largely
upon ample power. effective brakes,
road-holding and how a car steers.
High power minimizes gear shifting
1t should not be necessary to tug at
the steering wheel or grip 1t tightly;
the modern advanced designs In steer.
ing mocha nism compel a car to follow
the natural course Of the road almost