Motoring
The Owner-Driver's Problems
BY JOHN PRIOLEALT.
. , IF it is a truism to say that the motor-car has today taken-its unnoticed place in the day-to-day life of every- body who can afford to buy- nne and pay for its upkeep, it is just -as true to say that. only .a minority really think so: -. There is still a good deal-left in the mind of the general public of that instinctive or sometimes uncori- scious-distrist of a higlity edmPlieatedPiece of machinery which was naturally-.implanted there about thirty years ago when reliability (of a sort) had to be paid for very dearly indeed. A: deplorably :large_ number- of owner- drivers in' this country _and, unfortunately, of potential owner-drivers are still convinced that the ownership', of even a Well-made car-and there are very few.others now --1-must entail trouble, ekpense and responsibility out of all proportion to the amount of _pleasure, convenience and.- comfortable travel enjoyed. It in the hope of dispelling this illusion and to afford practical help to all owner-drivers that these articles are written.
While a practical knowledge of the .working of the different parts of a car is an invaluable asset to the man . who must make his mOtoring.-econOmical and, which is almost the same thing, trouhle-free, general reliability has reached so high a pitch to-day that one can affirm without any exaggeration. that nothing but ordinary common sense - is necessary for anyone successfully . to run a, modern car. There. are, of Course, -few people Who have no mechanical sense at all, who will never get to know a car by that sympathy which is instinctive and makes its proper care as natural a job as. it is fascinat- ing, but there is no reason whatever why even those few should fail to make a success of what is for so many an easy and delightful hobby. Most makers issue instruc- tion-books which, despite the inevitable inclusion of mildly technical terms, tell their customers everything they must do and how to do it. It is to their interest to see that their cars make and keep a reputation for fool- proof reliability. It is their laudable ambition to sell Everyman's " motor-car, and, with very few exceptions, they have succeeded beyond the dreams of the most optimistic prophets of a few years ago. • Trouble sometimes arises, whether in carburation, ignition or other points, but except in a scattered few examples, of cars that are built, without efficient super- vision or sent out without having been subjeded to proper and exhaustive testing of every part, this is nearly always owing to neglect on the part of the owner. - 'Occa- sionally you will come across a car, excellent in other respects, in which vital and sensitive parts are fitted in positions none too accessible. When that admirable thing, the magneto, was the almost universal ignition unit there were some notorious cases of contact-breakers that could only be adjusted with the help of a mirror or after the floor-boards had been removed. Carburettors were sometimes hung so- low that the job of dismantling and re-assembling them took _hours instead of minutes. With the coil system now in general use the distributor can -be and nearly always is arranged so that work on it is as easy as on a bench, and at least one of the most widely-rised carburettors is so designed and placed that anyone who can use a clock-key and apply his fingers . usefully can keep it clean almost without dirtying the latter.
The newcomer to motoring is still, as in the last twenty years, likely to be bewildered by the wide variety of cars from which he must make his choice. For the preient I propose to deal only with the selection of a new car. There are probably more and better real bargains to be picked up second-hand just now than at any other time since cars were built,• but the procedure of buying one of these is entirely different from that of buying a new one and is, moreover, a subject demanding special treatment. There are, after the question of the price to be paid, three - main points to be borne in mind when making your final choice. Unless you are buying what is known as a " sports " machine, be very sure that the car that seems to you the most promising has plenty of room and plenty of power. Always buy the biggest and the most powerful for the available money, and always choose the higher quality. These, . I admit, are seldom .found together in the same car at a low price, but the principle holds good. Quality in a motor-car, if you are for comfort, peace of mind and economy, is at 'least as important as in anvtliino else. It means good design, material and construction, and therefore reliability and, an important factor, pride of ownership. In normal times it also means that a much better price second-hand for it will be offered when the time comes to sell it.
It is essential to buy a car which is comfortable for driver and passengers on long journeys and in all weather conditions. Cramped space and discomfort induce tiredness, one of the most fruitful sources of accident, and lead, sooner or later, to a hatred of the whole car. It is impossible to enjoy anything when you are uncom- fortable, and, after a short time, it is practically impossible to drive safely. Immediately related to this question is that of adequate power. It is a commonplace that " nobody .wants to go fast," but it is the strict truth that everybody wants to drive comfortably and without prolonged effort. You may never want to exceed fifty miles an hour, but like to drive lightly and easily at forty or forty-five, to-day the average running-speed of most _cars over 12 h.p. If this is so it is fatal to buy a car whose maximum speed is fifty miles an hour. In order to keep up your running-speed at over forty you will, on the average British road, be constantly driving at the maximum of which the engine is capable. This is extremely disagreeable for you and, in the end, bad for the engine.
Your best plan is to narrow the choice down to two or three machines of the best quality and reputation you can afford and then decide upon the most com- fortable and the fastest. Do not be misled by that flourishing post-War bogey the horse-power tax. If you are hesitating between two otherwise equal cars, one of, say, twelve, and the other of fourteen horse-power, take the latter. The difference in petrol and oil con- sumption is not likely to be perceptible and the odd forty shillings, distributed over twelve months' taxation, cannot make the difference between being able or not being able to afford the more sensible car.
It does not matter very much, from the point of view of general satisfactiOn, whether you buy a four- or a • six-cylinder car, but the points for and against each design are interesting from the point of view of the inexperienced owner-driver, and I propose to diseun them in a succeeding article. For the moment the important thing to remember is th-c, the chief requisite:; of modern car are quality, comfortable accommodation and liveliness.
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