SCARED OF USED CARS

NZ Truth, Issue 1176, 14 June 1928, Page 17

SCARED OF USED CARS

Public Is Chary About Buying jj! THERE must be a very considerable number of people, ; who, while || |i '* they cannot afford a new car, would join the ranks of motorists if || |i they could be assured that the purchase of a good second-hand || Si vehicle was not attended by so many risks. |I

I7VEN the "expert" occasionally gets Li misled, and it is. therefore, not surprising that the average person views the purchase of a second-hand vehicle with a feeling of trepidation. In order to pvercome these fears an English car-selling concern has adopted a method of dealing in used cars which could well be followed in New Zealand. l This Firm has in ' employment, testers, whose sol© duty is to try out the various cars as they are traded In, and make exhaustive reports of the conditions, and performance of each' car.

Defects are remedied, worn out parts renewed, and all cars to the value of £ 100 and over are sold with, a three months' guarantee. . . Under this guarantee the firm agrees to supply free of charge new parts in exchange for. those . that in normal service and use prove to be defective, or failing this, to effect an efficient repair. The guarantee is not applicable to bodywork, batteries, or to ' any proprietary article forming the equipment. "When the car is sold, the firm affords customers .special facilities* When the machine has completed 1000 miles after date of purchase, the owner can take It to the service station, where a minor overhaul is carried out free of charge. This consists of tightening up spring clips, body bolts, spring shackle bolts, and the adjustment of brakes, valves and clutch. , At the same time the sump is drained and refilled with correct grade of lubricating oil, free of charg-e. Although there seems a lot in this at first glance, such a method of dealing in used cars would not' prove expensive to the firm that instituted it, and there is no doubt that the public would have confidence in buying under such conditions. There are undoubtedly very many people who are deterred from buying a used car only because they fear getting "caught." The three months' guarantee would make all the difference in the world to them, and if a firm really meant to play fair, the guarantee would not be onerous' except on very rare occasions; when they, i themselves, had made a mistake in the car.