TO BUT OR KEEP.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 313, 7 November 1929, Page 7

TO BUT OR KEEP.

THE MOTORIST’S PROBLEM. With summer only a few weeks ahead many motorists will be begin- , ning to consider the problem of whe- . ther to buy a new car or make the old one last another year or two. In some cases it might be cheaper to buy a new one. To people who motor for pleasure and private purposes only the problem is not one of outstanding importance. There may be great pleasure to be derived from keeping an old car which has carried one many happy miles and which is understood thoroughly. Having been used mainly for pleasure, it will have covered only a comparatively small mileage, even in two years, and in mechanical condition it will be very little inferior to new. Especially is this the case when it has been properly maintained. The case of the professional man’s car is vastly different. It is called upon to cover anything up to 25,000 miles yearly, and generally receives the barest minimum of care, other than running maintenance, while, being housed at nights in all sorts of places, its paintwork suffers badly. ■ In this case, therefore, the problem , is distinctly one of economics and finance, and the long-sighted view J can be the only sound one. The crij tical stage in the life of a car | used for business is the end of the j second year, or soon afterwards. The I 40,000 odd miles shown on the 1 “ clock ” are a sure indication that a : thorough mechanical overhaul will soon be necessary, while repainting, new tyres and a new battery are ; also indicated. This general refurj bishing will cost in the neighbour- . hood of £SO or £6O. In fact, while j the car is away for some four or I five weeks the owner will have to i hire a substitute, so that the full cost of repair may easily reach over £75. After this the car will, of course, be good for at least a further two years’ reasonably reliable and satisfactory service, for in many re- | spects it will be almost equal to new. Now, a new car would probably cost about £3OO, but a part-exchange allowance on the old one of about £IOO may be expected, whereas, after a further two years, the allowance for the old car might be less than £3O. A car three or four years old is increasingly liable to mechanical mishaps, especially when little time can be given to maintenance. A new car, therefore, is a thoroughlyeconomical investment. It is only in very exceptional circumstances that a man who uses his car in his profession can afford to indulge himself in the luxury of keeping an old car for friendship’s sake after it has reached that period in its life when a major overhaul is required.