MOTOR & CYCLING

Taranaki Daily News, 20 June 1931, Page 16 (Supplement)

MOTOR & CYCLING

.HOW TO BUY A USED CAR AN ENGLISHMAN’S EXPERIENCE. STORY POINTS USEFUL MORAL. (London ‘Motor Correspondent.) I have mentioned on previous occasions the advantages to be derived from buying one’s new or second-hand ear locally, and an experience which was related to me the other day by a friend points a useful moral in that connection. This friend for one reason or another had, until recently,; kept out of the motoring movement and had never either owned a car or driven one. He thought, accordingly, that a good way to make a beginning' would (be to buy a second-hand car of the mass-produced variety on which to try his hand and learn to drive. “Something,” as he put it, “that I can knock about without much damage.” It is curius how many people imagine that they can knock an old car about with impunity.' It does not seem to occur to them that old bones must be treated with greater respect than young ones. But that by the way. I asked my friend what price lie was prepared to pay, and he replied that it was somewhere between £6O and £SO. I assured him that at that price level he would be able to secure a mass-pro-duced car, two or three years old, which should, with care, give him several more seasons of good service on the road.. When he first mentioned his project to me I pointed out that on the whole it was better for a beginner to buy a new car because he would naturally treat it with more care than an old one and would take greater pains to get to know it, all of which is good for the novice. A new car would also confer the further advantage of greater immunity from trouble at a time when mechanical knowledge would be at its lowest point. THEORY AND PRACTICE.

However, he had his own ideas as to that. He urged, for instance, that he might find he did not like motoring—a highly improbable thing I imagine—and that if he bought a second-hand car he would, be able to dispose of it at a smaller loss than a car which he had bought new. Knowing something about depreciation I said no more, except to suggest that he should buy his car from a reputable dealer in his own locality. Here, again, my friend had his own ideas on the subject. He declared he was not going to trouble about local dealers, who would probably have only a limited choice. He would go straight to one of the large London distributors for his car. This intention he carried out. Theoretically it seems a sound plan to go to a large firm of London distributors for a second-hand car, but in practice, as my friend, found out, it with the larger the firm of distributors does not work very well. To begin the grander are their ideas as to sales. To the prospective purchaser the expenditure of £6O is usually a matter of some moment, but these large distributors only think such a sum a trifle and, apparently, scarcely worth putting themselves to any trouble about. Such, at any rate, was found to be the case by my friend. As he lives some little distance from London, he took the precaution of telephoning to the London distributors his requirements and. the price he was prepared to pay. One of the hierarchy assured, him that these requirements would be abundantly met, and that his only difficulty was likely to be an embarrassment of choice.

A WASTED DAY. Upon this assurance my friend took his cheque-book to London and called upon, the distributors. After some trouble he managed to obtain touch with the member of the staff to whom ha had telephoned. The latter began to take him round and showed him several cars that did not even approximate to my friend’s requirements. As he did not display any enthusiasm, the salesman made some excuse and left him to the mercies of a subordinate, who was effusive in his assurances that a suitable second-hand car was available. To cut. a long story short, my friend found that there was nothing approaching his requirements, and as the salesman did not seem to care whether he bought a second-hand car or not, he left the premises with cheque-book intact, and full of scepticism ■ to the existence of a used-car problem at any rate among the London dealers. On arrival in his home town he paused at the door of a prominent local motor dealer. Staring him in the face was just the type of car he wanted. It was marked at £65. A trial run was immediately arranged, the car behaved excellently on the straight and on some neighbouring hills, and a deal was concluded, the agent promising not only to tune up the car, 'but to freshen up the paint and retouch the bodywork generally. There is probably a suitable Spanish or Scandinavian proverb to point the moral of thia story, 'but I prefer to leave it a plain, unvarnished tale. MAPS AND MOTORING. . Motoring is being made easier and easier not only as regards freedom from mechanical trouble, but freedom from the necessity of having to use one’s brains. The manufacturers see to the former and the motoring organisations to the latter. For instance, the Automobile Association, jiot content with furnishing itineraries for motoring tours to every civilised part of the world (the R.A.C. also does that, of course,) has further abolished the need for consulting maps by giving with these itineraries detailed sketch maps, which show not only the road to be followed but also the countryside which is being traversed. This sort of service is, of course, valuable to those who like everything cut and dried for them, but personally I still like to plot out my route on an ordinary map and to identify the countrywide from such a map. There is a great fascination in spreading the map before you on the commencement of a long journey and of noting the k’nd of country to be traversed and the landmarks to be passed. If 'me route is new to me I add to my enjoyment by looking up the various places to be passed in reference books, noting their claims, if any, to historical or other interest. Nothing more impresses one’s fellowtravellers in a car than the ability to tell them, as one village is pasoea, that “William the" Conqueror wrote his Domesday Book near that stream,” oras another village is negotiated, that “it is the birthplace of Shakespeare’s aunt.” I furnish these frivolous examples merely to indicate that it is unnecessary to make a painstaking

study of the history of each town and village. Having regard to the speed of modern cars it is sufficient to memorise one salient fact with regard to each place of interest passed on the way.

THE DIESEL TYPE OF ENGINE. REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENTS. Indications in the world’s leading automobile manufacturing centres point to an almost fundamental change in the design and. functioning of the automobile engine for heavy road transport. So rapid has been the progress during the last two or three years in the evolution of a light efficient combustion ignition oil engine that the day now appears to be not far off when this type of engine will become standard for commercial ’ motor transport. The recent developments have been really remarkable, and the weight of the “C. 1. engine has now been brought down as low as 131 b. of metal per horsepower, which is only 11b. or so above the average power-weight ratio of the present-day motor truck petrol engine. Many of the world’s cleverest automobile engineers ar3 now concentrating on perfecting the Diesel type of engine, firms of such renown as Rolls-

Royce announcing that they are obtaining results beyond expectations. It is worthy of note that 80 per cent, of the output of the great German firm, Mer-cedes-Benz, now comprises machines fitted with ‘‘C-I’’ engines. There are already hundreds of really efficient “C-I’’ heavy oil engines running on the roads in England and on the Continent, rendering efficient service, and at such a low running cost for fuel that it is very evident that, the heavyoil engine will ere long be challenging the position now held by the petrol engine for heavy road transport. There are many reasons why this is desirable. The “C-I” power unit has a higher thermal efficiency, smaller fuel consumption and lower cost of heavy oil in place of petrol, almost complete immunity from fire, whilst a vehicle fitted with this type of engine has, for the same volume of fuel now carried by a commercial motor vehicle, a far greater mileage range without refilling tanks.

In England, Francs and Germany it is anticipated that the petrol engine, for commercial work, will .be hard preseed in the near, future, to repel the advance of its new rival. In Australia there are already a few commercial .vehicles of this type in operation on the road. Fuel is to-day one of the heaviest items in the operation costs of a motor truck, and with the high price of,petrol it is not surprising that the automobile industry and the hundreds of owners of: motor trucks in. this country are watching with great interest the rapid development overseas of the heavy-oil automobile engine. To be able to obtain high engine efficiency with fuel costing about sda gallon, would ensure substantial reductions in the cost of road transportation of produce and merchandise. The purchase price of heavy oil would not likely remain at its present low figure for many years, because if its use became general the price would probably increase accordingly, just as petrol did in </he days when it was a little needed by-product. CANADA’S MOTOR VEHICLES. DOMINION'S BIG FIGURES. According to a report on highways and motor vehicles in Canada, recently issued by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Canada has more motor vehicles per capita than any other country except the United States and Hawaii. Only three countries, the United States, the United Kingdom and France, have a larger' number of motor vehicles, irrespective of population. There were 1,195,'594 motor vehicles registered in Canada in 1929, which was an average of one motor vehicle to each 8.2 persons. Ontario, with 544,478, had the greatest provincial density of persons to motor vehicle. The total revenue from motor taxation collected by all provinces amounted to £8,250,000, including £4,500,000 from licenses, permits, tax on motor buses and trucks and £3,600,000 from gasoline taxes. In addition the Dominion Government collects £5,140,000 in import duties and excise tax, exclusive of sales tax on motor vehicles, tyres and motor vehicle parts. The road mileage open to traffic was 390,060 miles, including 72,157 miles of surfaced highways. Gravel roads, with 63,433 miles, constituted the greatest part of the surfaced mileage, and waterbound macadam was second in importance with 4349 miles. Ontario, with 33,222 miles of surfaced road in the southern part and 8670 miles in the northern part, a total of 41,892 miles, had 58 per cent, of the surfaced highway in Canada. Quebec was second with 12,124 miles and British Columbia third with 6947 miles. DOWNHILL WORK. A HINT FOR MOTORISTS. Coming to a steep grade, one motorist throws out his clutch and uses the brakes; another shifts into second or low and uses the braking power of hie engine. The former thinks he is saving gasoline by not linking the engine with the wheels; the latter believes it is safer and more economical not to use his brakes. According to tests conducted by engineers, the motorist who usee the braking power of liis engine is not only saving the brakes and playing safe, but incidentally he is also using no more benzine than the motorist who coasts. These tests proved, it is claimed, that a car going downhill' at 30 miles an hour in gear consumes no more petrol than a car that is standing still with the engine running at its lowest idling speed. It was further found that the car could travel downhill for an hour at that pace, using only a quart of 'benzine. HAND SIGNALS. MOTORISTS’ NEGLIGENCE. "A general negligence is noticeable among motorists in the practice of giving directional signals by hand, and this tendency is to be regretted,” says the latest message from the Canterbury Automobile Association, in its effort to instil “Safety First” principles. . “Every motorist has a plain duty to assist following traffic no matter of ■ what type by giving ample indication of

his intention to change his course, and every road user is entitled to expect such courtesy from the driver ahead. “Quite a large number of motorists fail to give any warning whatever of change of direction, and the many who do fail to extend the hand at a distance from the car to he of any value. It is useless to hang one’s hand negligently over the aide of the door panel and expect such action to convey any intelligent meaning to the following vehicle drivers. There is only one way to signal by hand, and that is to thrust the hand straight out. To many drivers that is impossible, because of incorrect driving posture. The proper place for a driver in right behind the wheel, and if anything as close to the right hand side as possible. Some seconds before, or at the same time that a hand signal is given, it is wise to sound the warning device. That detail is often missed. "Following traffic should not keep too close to the car ahead, and particularly near corners a sharp look-out should be maintained for the hand signal from the person ahead.” INTERNATIONAL MOTOR TOURS. increasing popularity. The prospect of motoring overland through India, the Holy Land, Egypt and Europe en route to England is proving a strong attraction to many motorists to-day, judging from the number of motor cars bearing foreign automobile badges passing through the main cities. With the natural desire to extend their travels to ‘‘fresh fields and pastures new,” an overland journey by car through other lands offers opportunities to motorists for sightseeing which are scarcely possible by any other means. The cost, too, is in no way disproportionate to the more established methods of travel abroad, and in favourable circumstances is relatively lees. An itinerary can be conveniently followed, which permits of car travel through the different countries traversed at the season of the year when climatic conditions for motoring are usually favourable. The Australian Continent, Java, Malaya, India, Irak, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Europe, British Isles, Canada, United States and New Zealand can all be included in this way. Motor spirit and oil supplies are available without prior arrangement on all the principal trans-world routes, and, for an average type of touring car, carrying two passengers and essential equipment, the cost per capita for petrol and oil for a complete round-the-world tour would not exceed £lOO. The Shell Company, in Australia is making arrangements for the first party of Australians to undertake a tour to Europe towards the end of the year. Two other parties of motorists are on their way at the present time and finding this method of travel extremely interesting as bringing them into direct touch. with the rural population of the countries through which they are travelling. STRONG WHEEL EQUIPMENT. In relating the story of his wonderful flight from England to Australia in 9 days 3 hours 25 minutes —over 19 hours faster than the previous record — Flying Officer C. W. A. Scott paid a great tribute to the staunchness of the Dunlop wheel and tyre equipment fitted to the Moth machine. On one occasion he endeavoured to land in an open space just as it was getting dark, near Gwadar in Baluchistan. Wien the wheels touched the ground the machine bounced 20 feet into the air, and a bad crash was narrowly averted. Considering the total weight of the two wheels is approximately only Ifliu. Soz and the low pressure tyres onl, weigh 151 b. each, it is indeed remarkable that such light wheel and tyre equipment can be made to withstand the terrific stresses imposed by landings on rough country, and finish up a 10,450 mile journey in perfect condition. NAPIER CHANGES. Owing to the death of Mr. M. S. Napier, the late chairman and joint managing director of D. Napier and Son, Ltd., the famous aero engine manufacturers, certain changes have been made in the management. Mr. H. TVane, C.8.E., who has been joint man-

aging director and general manager since 1913, the year in which the company was formed, is now chairman and managing director, Mr. F. A. Davies, who has been secretary for a similar

period, and who was appointed to a seat on the board four years ago, has taken over the position of general manager. Mr. R. C. Johnson is now secretary of the company.

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