Evening star., 1935-09-01
HELPFUL H|NTSFOR
WOMAN DRIVERS
Broader Viewpoint May
Hold Wisdom in New Car
Buying.
BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL.

Although they have been buylng
cars rather freely for more than
quarter Of a century, motorists still
60 on lunches, buy salesmanship,
lean toward high allowances and in
general display every possible evi-
dence Of poor judgment when setting
out to sign on the dotted line. Women
could and should make an effort to
make buying more systematic.
1t is not just a matter Of the pub
lies unwillingness to consider the
advantages in switching from one
price class to another. Surprising
enough Is the fact that most people
who buy in a definite price class
do not consider more than two or
sthree makes of cars in that price
class. There is also an unexplained
habit Of judging cars entirely by
demonstrations. recently tried two
demonstrators Of popular make and
found them way below the perform
ance standard for that particular
make. Demonstration cars may be
favored with the best of servicing,
but they are also badly abused by too
many strange drivers.
Most buyers do not know when new
models are expected, nor do they
study trends in design. They are
also too much concerned with trying
to unload the old car before making
up their minds what they should buy
and when they should buy it. There
inh IN,
in any other investment. Just one of
the sensible steps any buyer could
take would be to go in through the
| service entrance instead Of the show
room.
A woman motor traveller carries with
| her a special list of the parts Of
| her car which must be fabricated so
that If obliged to obtain service at
out-of-the-w points there will be
less likelihood of something being
overlooked. 1t is not the conven-
tional greaSing chart, but detailed
| list of both regular and special at
| tentionS the particular car demands.
A woman who has just taken de-
livery of new car after having used
her old car since 1928 tells me that
she notices how it is necessary to
turn the steering wheel through a
| greater arc before obtaining results
in directing the cars course. Almost
any driver who jumps from 1928 to
1885 will notice this difference. It
| simply means that the latest steering
gears are designed for more turns of
the steering wheel for a complete
swing of the front wheels. The steer
ing wheel is said to be geared lower.
1t is one reason why newer cars are
easier to park.
No woman would think Of starting
to wash the clothes at sunset some
rainy night. Just about as illogical
as the rainy night wash, however, is
the business of trying to polish and
wax the car in the hot sun or on
damp day. Crisp air is best for
Frightening the hood. An excellent
arrangement is to have the car stand
a bright sun. If the polish doesn't
seem to dry fast enough or come to
bright enough luster, just roll the
car into the sunlight for few minutes,
put it back in the shade and then
try polishing again.
In learning to drive car one Of
the important things to carry as a
mental sticker on the windshield is
how to know when the engine is run
ming. One guide is the hand of the
ammeter, which will either show
charge or flicker while the engine runs.
Another is the oil pressure guage,
which will show pressure. So many
newcomers try to start off and are
then both alarmed and perplexed be-
cause the engine has stalled. Even if
the instruments have mentioned fail
to give the newcomer a satisfactory
| hint as to what the engine is doing,
at least she can press on the accelera-
tor pedal as a further guide. This
races the engine momentarily, ac-
tivates the dashboard tell-tales and
also tells her by the noise that all is
well under the hood.