Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31783, 13 September 1968, Page 19

Auto Gossip

by

A.J.P.

Scruffy Anyone who has studied second-hand cars cannot but have wondered at the untidy and worn appearance of many of them. The owners, obviously, have taken little trouble to preserve them and keep them clean and undam. aged. And here is the remarkable thing: second hand expensive models are often much more scruffy inside than their more humble brethren. Tattered Oh, the outside looks smart enough, to be sure. But the inside is so often badly soiled, the trim tattered and untidy, the carpets stained, and cigarette burns speckle the seats. Instrument lights have long since burnt out, missing knobs have not been replaced, woodwork is scratched and chipped. Dealers, of course, do their best to repair the ravages, but private vendors often do not Prosperity and Pride Why is this? Why does the man with the more humble vehicle take good care of it, while the more expensive vehicle is allowed to deteriorate through sheer carelessness? Does prosperity sometimes preclude pride of ownership? Perhaps the man who has had to make an effort to get his car is more likely to take care of it Yet some of the others spend as much time in their cars as in their living-rooms, but they would not treat the interior of theii houses in the same way Stained carpets, torn chairs and tattered wallpaper would swiftly be put to rights. Not Pampered

There is an owner of a quality car who told me, proudly, that he never “pampered” his cars. Indeed, the inside of his vehicle looked as if he had carried rusty angle-iron and old rubbish tins. Fortunately not all owners of quality cars are so minded —the careless ones, I feel, are in the minority. Many are immensely proud of their vehicles, and take great efforts to keep them looking as near new as possible. Their efforts are re. paid in two ways: a satisfying pride of ownership, and a higher price when the time comes to sell.