Pawl now on to the end of the year your
bargain-hunter is at his busiest. In the language of the cinema he is trailing an ideal. The motor show is next month and if only half the stories about the staggering numbers of new cars ordered or already . sold are true there should be some wonderful bargains to be picked up. There are still a great many people who buy every new model as it comes out, who find it either more 'amusing or: more economical to drive the latest type as soon as poSsible and for as short a time as possible. Perhaps their number is increasing. Many dealers today are glad to conclade arrangements with customers living in their districts by which they supply a new car every_ year against a pre- arranged price 'for the old one in part exchange, and this means that wherever there is a dealer of well-established repute, with a decently large business, there are you likely to find, about show-time, sonic very good used ears.
My. own die-hard' preference is and always has been for the new car. There are excel)! ions, of course, but on the whole I have never much liked the idea of buying what may turn out to be another man's mistake or, which is almost certain, his repair bills. When you know the car's history, exactly how it has been treated, how many miles it has run , and what its crime-sheet or maintenance-record is, that is a different matter. That is not really buying a second-hand car. It has, in fact; no more of the second-hand character. about it than your own old car, second-hand meaning in this case unknown. I, do not think that this traditional attitude is justifiable any, longer. One of the most remarkable things about the modern car, the most remarkable and the least recognised, is its superlative excellence. It is one of the most wonderful pieces of machinery in the world, and. its reliability and resistance to ill-treatment arc nearly incredible. It is extremely complicated in action and design and it contains an alarming number of pieces, the most important of which are part of a series of collections whirling round or being pushed up and down at anything between 20 times a minute and several. thousand. While this is going on they are cooled
and lubricated by what arc still admitted to be very indifferent methods, they are subjected to all sorts of unfair strains through outside agencies or through the ignorance or insensi- tiveness of their driver, and they are violently thrown about, the more, delicate partially insulated from direct shock by springs and, to a very small degree, tyres.
You have only to think for a moment of what goes on in an ignition system, of any kind, of the force of 500 or 000 explosions a minute on pistons and their rings, cylinders and their heads, often 'made of different materials, of the strain on any gear-box in mountainous country, of the work a clutch has to do, of the hammering and heat endured by valves, of a dozen operations we have taken for granted for years, to realise what opportunities there should be for constant and expensive failure, and how phenomenally well made and designed all these delicacies must be to be prevented from seizing them.
Modern ears break down (to use the old phrase) very seldom. Minor defects appear which cause annoyance and some small delay ; occasionally a flaw or, very rarely, a piece of stupid deSign leads to more serious trouble and expense. In the last instance that particular model very soon gets known and in nine cases out of ten its makers take the necessary steps' to get it straight. The bad models, if not exactly publicly branded yet, get too well-known soon after their first failures to be passed on save to exceptional " mugs." To generalise, I believe permissibly, all the rest of " last year's " reputable cars are safe choices. What, exactly, are cars that are not reputable I find it hard to say. It would be most unfair to mark them out by price. One of the cheapest cars in the world is also one of the most reliable, and several of its near rivals have as good a character, whereas there have been cars costing a great deal that began to develop maladies of an irritating and expensive kind soon after a year'S work.. And in 1935 it would be foolish to assume that any inexpensive ear that is loaded with accessories and luxuries is sold on its equipment and not on its health. Still there are a few, a very few makes which are less safe as second-hand bargains than others, cars to which things sometimes happen. Most owners know them.
This new dependability of used cars is the more extraordinary in that I believe owners are getting more instead of less lazy about their cars. The quality of foolproofness has been sO highly developed of late years that the novice is, if not encour- aged to neglect his car, at least largely protected from the consequences. Some of these born-lucky people just' put in petrol when it is wanted and oil when they remember to, decoke their engines when they are no longer fit to drive and generally live in a Spanish attitude of mind. And " last year's " cars stand up to it and continue to give faithful service. It is not less than astounding.
. Nevertheless there arc obviously certain precautions to be observed by the man who is buying an unknown car, and as the air is alive just now with stories of unheard-of bargains to be had round every corner, some general hints may serve as reminders of the things that do sometimes happen to the best-regulated second-hand cars. As most people have economy in mind when considering a used car instead of a new one, look first at the condition of the tyres, remembering that a new set costs £12 or more. Next start the engine from cold and notice if there is undue piston-slap, or more than a slight wisp of smoke on violent throttle-opening, indicating the approaching need of a re-bore. See if there is any backlash in the steering or in any of the connexions. Repairs to steering gear can cost a good deal in time, and time is often the heaviest item on the bill.
See that the doors open and shut properly and have no rattle, that the upholstery is in good condition, that the safety glass has not blown yellow bubbles or become dim, and that no repairs are needed to the wings. " Undenting " wings runs into money, if it necessitates re-cellulosing. Finally, on the run on which you must insist., notice again whether there is a smoky exhaust, whether the gears engage and run quietly, whether there is any pull either way in the steering. Listen for engine knocks and test the brakes hard and continuously. lie-lining is fairly cheap, but it as well to know how much you may have to spend on your bargain after you have bought it.
Joins PRIOLEAU.
Previous page
