Evening star., 1934-01-28
What the Auto Buyer Wants
Head of Motor Ovners' Federation Discusses Change
in Public Taste, Wrought by Years
of Adversity.

in the 1884 automobile 30 that while
the buyer will vehemently demand that
the price be right, In reality IL Is not
so much for him q problem Of whether
the price Of this or that car Is right.
1t is rather that he determines how
much he can afford to spend for his
transportation needs. Fundamentally,
it is not q question OF price but Of
price range.
Durability . Consideration.
Will it hold up? The frequency with
which one hears this question indicates
the weight attached to durability and
stability by the consumer The hard
years OF the depression, when old cars
had to be kept going. served to stress
the importance of keeping repairs and
parts replacement bills to q minimum
so as not to upset a precarious budget.
Assurance to the public as to the dura-
bility and stability Of the current prod
uctS of the automobile factories cannot
be made too emphatic.
believe that comfort is becoming more
and more Of a consideration-partic
larly with the women, who by and
large dictate the choice of the family
car. It is generally conceded that
feminine influence was q major con-
tributing factor in the development
Of the harmonious color schemes and
smart streamlining that characterizes
our cars today. But these things
largely accomplished, the women are
today stressing the importance Of COM.
fort and convenience. And in answer
to this demand, perhaps in anticipa-
ton Of 1t, we have one Of the most
important developments of the day in
passenger car construction, namely,
roomier and more comfortable, air.
conditioned, draftleSs interiors. I look
for continued improvement in this di-
rection.
Likes Independent Springing.
also look forward to q fine public
response to the individual front wheel
suspension, or knee action" which
features some Of the new models Our
roads are not yet 30 perfect that this
device should not add to the ease of
the ride.
Ease Of operation! Here Is an
turers have met buyer demand more
than half way. 1t Is reflected in a
considerable reduction In the number
Of operations and the accessibility of
practically all the vital mechanism.
This, of course, is conducive to quieter.
smoother, easier and surer control and
diminution Of strain ON the man or the
woman at the wheel.
Your 1894 buyer has as keen an
eye to economy Of operation as he has
to price. In this connection, / was
impressed with some figures saw the
other day which showed that group
OF automobiles in the low-price range
can now be operated at q cost of less
than S cents per mile. including de-
probation and all other factors en-
tering into cost, as compared with SO
cents a mile in 1908. The tendency
in every class Of American car today
is toward greater economy Of opera
ton without diminution Of power or
comfort Scan the columns of the
newspapers and magazines and you
will note at once the stress placed by
the manufacturers on the low gaso-
line and oil consumption of the new
models. They have apparently accu-
rately sauged public psychology at
time when In some States the tax on
gasoline Is close to 100 per cent Of the
(Continued on Fourteenth Page.)