Motor Notes

Putaruru Press, Volume VIII, Issue 343, 19 June 1930, Page 7

Motor Notes

OVERHAULS.

DO THEY PAY? Doubt is often.expressed by motorists as to whether it pays better to have a motor car thoroughly overhauled or to sell it for what it will fetch, and buy a new machine at the end, say, of two years driving or less, according to the distances covered. Whether or not this plan is wise depends to a great extent on the owner’s viewpoint. Some people, perhaps the majority, regard their cars in much the same way as they regard their clothes, both must be up to date and they are willing to spend money to keep them so. To such owners money spent on overhauls would be sheer waste, for, no matter how well the car looked and performed, it would appear “ dowdy,” alongside more recent: models, provided, of course, that it was of a make which undergoes considerable annual change in external design. The opposite viewpoints are those of owners who value their cars merely for their usefulness as mediums of transportation, or for high-speed capabilities rendering them valuable for sporting purposes, or for their extreme economy. This class of owner inclines to spend a considerable amount on a proper overhaul when necessary, provided the result will satisfy his requirements.

There is no doubt that the latter class motors more economically. For an expenditure of £3O an immense amount of work can be done on a chassis, and in most cases its performance will be made little inferior to what it was when new, while body overhauls and repaints cost much less. If, on the other hand, the car was sold, the difference between its cost when new and the price at which it changed hands would be perhaps several times as much. When selling a car it seldom pays to spend much money on an overhaul beforehand, except for painting. Buyers anticipate defects in a used car, and are willing to make them good, but they expect to buy at a price • leaving a margin covering necessary work. Production of itemised accounts for overhaul work may convince the buyer that the car is in perfect condition, but usually the safest plan is to spend nothing, but to make a fair allowance in the price asked, pointing this out when making the sale.