MOTOR & CYCLING

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1930, Page 16 (Supplement)

MOTOR & CYCLING

THIS YEAR’S NEW CAR TOURING, SALOON, OR SUNSHINE. ' CARE NEEDED IN PURCHASING. (By ‘‘Autoscribe.'’ Reading advertisements for used cars which have'done but a few hundred to a few thousand miles brings home forcibly the fact that many people buy cars without giving sufficient time to considering exactly what they want, and thus get machines that do not give them the type of service they expect. Between how .and the end of the year ' several thousand new cars will go out to proud owners in the Dominion. In normal years close on 7000 cars are sold during the last four months of the year, but it is hardly to be expected that gales will be as great this year. Irrespective of the number sold, however, the fact remains that by the end of the sunnier an appreciable number of the people, who bought those cars will be dissatisfied, and will be trading them in fdr?j..other models or other makes, and thiis.adding considerably to their motoring expenses. Where money is no object such extravagance does not matter greatly, but as most car buyers have to keep tl(e- car for some years whether they are .satisfied with it .or not, it pays to dally,, long before making the final decision. SIZE, IVEIGHT AND “HORSE-POWER. The first decision ,to be made is as to size and make, and this will depend on the purpose to, which t-hq car is being put, and the purse of the buyer. It is safe to predict that there, will be certain definite trends this year, partly because of the. much-stressed need for economy, and ,partly xm account of the steadily, improving : ,-road« i It seems certain for instance that the .remarkable popularity of the “baby” size cars, will continue, and probably .increase, and that the proportion f of ■ sales of lower-priced.,qars will be greater than in previous; At one stage during the last few years there seeniejL. a definite trend to,-the six-cylindered’ cay. but the present .Year's figures show tlid.t this is not'.npjV‘|he case. Broadly,tspeUking,; cars are divided off into price, and those within say the £ - 250-£3(W class- . arp comparable. Some ofjcpurse. offer much .better value than others,' while servicing facilities are a point; thatshould not; be' overlooked. AThh lability, ,to • securespare parts and. -satisfactory service, when far away from the home, town'.are- two things the value of which cannot be overestimatfd. - •' , - . The first thing to decide, to, my mind, is the exact, amount-.you to spend.’, J f it may well be worth, while going into the question ,as - tq. whether a really good second-hand .car might not be bet l -- ter value and 'give you more satisfied tory service than a cheap new' car.' Having once decided that yon can spend no more than £2Q.O or £3OO or £4OO as the-case may be,-I think you should, stick to' your idea- through thick and thin. Pick out all the cars in that price class and make your selection from them, and do not -he inducedyto £lOO or more above the. prics you Jan really afford. T-here is no point in having an expensive car you are almost afraid to use. CASH OR TIME-PAYMENT? Once again the length of the purse comes into it, for if you have the cash available it is always very much cheaper to pay cash. Credit is bought and sold just the same as anything else, and when you have an overdraft .<lhewba,uk; Charges you from 6 to 7 per cent. Credit for motor car buying is dearer because there is a greater element of -risk about the transaction, and although it may not look as if you are paying a high percentage, credit buying of cars necessitates fairly substantial interest. However, if you can well afford to pay the necessary instalments out of income, you will be able to have the use of the car much sooner than if you saved up the needed cash, and you will be amongst the great majority who feel. that it is better to buy on timepayment than wait until enough cash is saved up—if ever. Time-payment becomes an evH only when it induces people who cannot afford to have cars to buy them. It has a grea t many advantages, and has given satisfaction to thousands of buyers for years. I mentioned earlier that I thought the ..first point to be decided was the amountsyou. were prepared to spend on a car. “At first eight you would think tliat wfis what everyone would do; but !■ have., foiled,from inquiries I have made myself, that this is not so. People ■who would; \ ordinarily buy a ...car at from £2.30-£3bd' will often buy a £4OO car on time-payment. They forget that it is-never sound to spend more than can absolutely be .afforded, and that "they wpuld have been better off with the £3OO car, and the extra money later. THE BODY TYPE. Where most buyers fall down, however, is in the type of car they select, and it is here that the greatest judgment is needed so that you will be certain of securing the ear that will give you the best- possible service. There are now three types from which you can choose—-'the ordinary closed car, the closed car with “sunshine” top, and the tourer or open car. The numbers of tourers sold has been steadily decreasing, and it is a well recognised fact that they are harder to sell when sec-ond-hand than are closed cars. The dearer they were in the first place, the greater the depreciation. There is, however, one exception to the rule about toureris, and that is in the case of “baby” cars. Here they are quite popular, and do not show the same ratio of depreciation. A motoring friend who owns a “baby” tourer, and who goes camping a- lot, says that the baby saloons are hard to pack, but that with the tourer it is easy to throw back the hood, pack in the luggage, and put the hood up again. The “sunshine” saloon is an English idea, due probably to the fact that sunshine. is precioifs in England and that the, motorist wants to get all he can. It has all the advantages of the closed ear, but as a. portion or all of the top is easily rem<>y.a.ble, it lias also the advantages of the open car. Only a. limited number of cars can -be obtained with the ••'sunshine” hood, but the numbers are increasing,-and it certainly looks as if it is going to be an increasingly popular feature as the years go by. A car that combines the advantages of both closed and open models is certainly a desirable type.

( nines-there is a definite reason why you want an open car, it is good advice to suggest the purchase, of.a closed car. These comprise by far the greatest number of cars sold in New Zealand to-

day, mill they have steadily increased in popularity year by year. Their resale value is almost invariably higher than that of an open car,, and while they may be a bit stuffy in’the hottest of summer weather, they are ideal-for the wintry conditions that make open ear travelling so. unpleasant. If you are kecn z on camping and have the idea of using the car to sleep in when touring, it is often possible to have the seats altered for very little, and make the front seat fit back to the rear seat, forming a useful bed. These are the things that want deciding at' time of purchase, for it is always easier and cheaper to have them done then than later. If more people thought out these ideas before purchasing, there would be fewer “'snips” for those who are prepared to buy a ear that has done only a few thousand miles. CHART OF RECOMMENDATIONS. PRINTED IN MANY LANGUAGES. The Vacuum Oil Company lias just issued to all garage*, service stations and other resellers of petroleum product* the new 1930 Chart of Recommendations, which is a guide for the 'correct; lubrication, of various types of cars, trucks, buses, motor-cycles, tractors and aeroplanes. This chart isjthe result of the combined efforts of 204. automotive engineers, who have had direct contact with designers' and manufacturers of cars in producing the various recommendations given in the list. / The chart is translated into eighteen different languages, and is to be found in every . country in the .'.world where automobiles are used. "In Sweden it is called Gargoyle Tabellen; in France, Tableau de Graissage; .in Central Europe, Kozalo; in Italy, Guida de Ljbrificazione; in South America, Tabla, del Mobiloil; in Spain, Cuadro di Recommendaciones. The Australian chart contains the recommendations for the lubrication of over 300 cars, 150 motor trucks, 40 buses, 120 motor-cycles, 40 tractors and 87-aeroplanes. It i* the only chart in the world containing recommendations for aeroplanes. The chart originated in 1906. There were few cars then, but the designs differed, and four grades of oil were made to meet lubrication .needs’, of various types of cars. Later a type: written list of recommendations 'was made, but as the recommendations grew in number they were printed and sent round to customers. This was the first chart made. Through the years, with the growth of the automotive industry, the chart hak grown in size as the number of cars listed has been added to. ENJOYABLE MOTORING. ' ; TWELVE SIMPLE RULES. ■;..Tlie. \secret of enjoyable and safe JjiotQipn'g can be compassed in a precepts, according' tb 'Xir. Wallace R. Campbell, president ‘of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, •Ltd. “Off the. eve of the summer motoring season, when millions of tourists will take to the highways throughout the Dominion, the need for greater safety cannot be over-stressed,” Mr. Campbell said. “In addition, a general observance of the courtesies of the road will further enhance Canadians’ reputation for good manners. Road courtesies are the best insurance of safe and pleasant driving. Visitors to Canada, in the past have paid tribute to our observance- of the common rights of automobile, drivers. We are naturally a people who value our property, who care for it and who hold proper regard for the property of others. This trait exhibits itself in our deportment on the road. It i<s inherent in most of us to be careful, especially where damage to life or property is involved. . - ■ 1.-..; “Sotinbvisiting autos . by the millroiiswill appear on our highway*. These, tourists will add to traffic congestion. In 1929, 4.508,808 tourist automobile* entered Canada. This was over 23 per cent, more than visited us in 1928. A proportionate increase can be expected this year. Driving will become more complex. For the sake of common safety and courtesy, it may be well to fix in our minds, so that they may become a part of the automatic reactions of motorists on the road, the following simple automobile driving rule*. These suggestion* are merely common sense as applied to driving. Every experienced driver knows them. But a review of them can do no harm.” The twelve rules are: . 1. Courtesy comes first. Consider the right* and privileges of others. 2. Keep your mind on your driving, and .anticipate sudden emergencies. 3. Learn the “feel” of having your car under control. . 4. Obey all traffic and parking regulations./- - 5. Keep to the rigjit, and comply with road markings and signs. 6. 'Signal for *tops and turns—watch the car ahead. ’C.-Cy. 7. Slow down at crossings, schools and dangerbus places. 8. Never pass car* on hills, curves, crossings. ’ 9. Adapt your driving to road conditions —rain, ice, soft spot* and ruts, 10. It doesn’t pay to take the “right of way” too seriously. .. .’ 11. When you drive, remember the times when you're a pedestrian. 12..-Know;-the law. It was passed for your -protection. BODY NOMENCLATURE. VARIOUS COUNTRIES DIFFER. ’there seems to be rec l need for international standardisation of automobile body styles. During recent months body-builders in France, the United States and England have brought out systems of body nomenclature, and thej r correspond in the naming of but a few models. Frequently, as in the case of the coupe, for example," the name of a body style in one country means something entirely different in another country. 0 In the” United States a coupe is a ” single-seat closed car, with a permanent top; in France, it is a semi-en-closed job, with the driver’s compartment open and the passengers contained in a cab. There are other similar instances. Comparison of tho French, American and English systems of- body noinenclatme reveals that the French is the. most complete. The. Chambre Syndicale des Carrossiers has worked out a system of 22 separate designs, based on the numbers and position of doors aiiil windows, which can be expanded, by the addition of convertible roofs and tail sections, to make 54 distinct models, each r.eadily recognised at a glance. The criticism that could be made of the French system of nomenclature is that it is a little technical for sales purposes. It does ’nut offer easy model names for sales- ' n;cn and buyers, but is nwre adapted to custom work. Automobiles are divided into four general categories—permanently enclosed

cars, convertible or alLweather cars, open cars, and cars with chauffeurs. Addition of a . tailpiece puts all models automatic." • in the sport class, the word ••'sport” being merely added, to the Tegular model , name. The possibility of installing a removable roof over the chauffeur’s compartment makes the model a half-enclosed car. The American system, as brought out by the Society of Automotive Engineers, is more simple, if less complete. It includes 16 body styles,, most of' them closed... Of the number, 10, are really basic in .design, the sport -.roadster, spcrt-coupe, ' sport-imperial-phaeton, touring car, landaulet-sedan, and town ear being only modifications of standard models. It contains.but two models for chauffers, which are so popular in Europe. One of the significant features of the American system is the great predominance of closed models. Open and convertible types are not used nearly so iriuch in the United States as in England and on the Continent, where the climate is milder. In England particularly open and allweather models are popular. Of the 20 types -'officially recognised by the British Engineering Standards Association, only four are permanently closed jobs. The others are all open or convertible. Nothing could bo more indicative of the British love of the open air arid desire to see the country. England is also noted for the number of motorists who use automobiles for touring and camping purposes. Hitching a trailer carrying tent and utensils on behind one’s car and going off on a tour is very popular in England. In America and in England most model names arc of French origin, although they may be used without regard for original meanings of the words. SOME WORLD STATISTICS. EIGHT MILLION MILES OF ROADS. Interesting facts are available, in the recently issued Automobile Statistical Report of the National Chamber of Commerce of New York. According to this authority there are to-day 7,800,000 miles of highways in the world. In the United States over .24 per cent, of the drivers are women, but they are only in 6 per cent, of the motor accidents. All told, there are 34,876,837 motor vehicles in the world, of which 76 per cent., or 26,501.443, are running in the United States. England (excluding Scotland and Wales) up to the end oi 1929 had registered 1,212.8393 automobiles, and Canada .had 1,168.185, about double the number of the 581,310 cars and trucks credited to Australia.