BUYING SECOND-HAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 4039, 11 August 1931, Page 62

BUYING SECOND-HAND.

POINTS TO REMEMBER. (By Sir Malcolm Campbell, Motoring Editor of The Field.) There is a great deal to be said for the practice of investing in second-hand cars in preference to new ones. The biggest expense we motorists have to face is depreciation, and the greatest percentage of depreciation always occurs during the first twelve mouths of a car’s life. There is no hard and fast rule as to the sum one can expect to obtain for a second-hand car, the figure will depend entirely on the make of car and the type of body with which it is fitted. Some cars, for example, will show a loss of at least 50 per cent, after only a few month's work, where others can be used for a whole year and still be worth twothirds of the figure originally paid. It is quite obvious, therefore, that if you wish to own a certain make of car that does not command a high figure on the second-hand market it will be much better to buy that particular make secondhand. since you can obtain it at a comparatively low figure. If you acquired it brand new you would have to face a considerable loss when it came to be disposed of. WHEN A NEW CAR IS BEST.

On the other hand, it is far better, in some cases, to buy a new ear instead of a second-hand one. because you may have to pay so much for a used car of that particular make that it is hardly worth while. Generally speaking, a popular make of car will depreciate approximately 33 1-3 per cent, after 12 months’ use, whilst others will not fetch more than 50 per cent, to 60 per cent, of the original value after that period of running, and some may even realise less than this. I can never understand why a motorist with only a small amount of money to spend should choose to invest it in a new car, as, obviously, he would obtain a much better bargain were he to spend the same amount judiciously on a second-hand model.

Take, for example, the £lOO car. This article, instead of representing £lOO, really only represents £75 at the most, seeing that a discount of anythin - ’ between 15 per cent, and 20 per cent, is allowed to the agent, and when this has been deducted, the manufacturer’s profit has to be accounted for. So we can assume that the car really represents value to the extent of £75 only. Now had we decided to buy a second-hand car with the £lOO that in this instance would be available, one might easily be able to acquire a really good car that had cost at least £250 twelve months previously. Very considerable discretion must, of course, be exercised when selecting a used car, and if the purchaser is not experienced in these matters he would be well advised to place his confidence in a friend on whom he knows he can really rely. The following advice may be of assistance to the motorist who contemplates the purchase of a used car. Having made up his mind what make of car he prefers, the first question to be decided is where to find that article at the right price and in good condition. By studying the private and trade advertisements of used cars, in various journals, he will obtain a good idea of the average price being asked for any particular make of car and year of manufacture. Care should be taken to deal only with those firms with a recognised reputation. The experienced eye should be able to tell at once from an outward inspection the sort of treatment that any particular car has received since it left the factory. For example, examine the driver’s cushion, clutch/ brake, and accelerator pedals, and 1 you will will soon see whether the car