HIGH-ROAD & BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21176, 27 July 1940, Page 20 (Supplement)

HIGH-ROAD & BY-ROAD

LIFE OF A CAR GRADUAL EXTENSION BUILDING FOR DURABILITY “How long should a car last?” is a complicated question that has intrigued many motorists. The longevity of a car is dependent on so many factors that it is difficult to answer the question in a specific manner, for the nature of its work, how it is driven and the care and attention paid to the maintenance of its efficiency all have a bearing on the length of its useful life. In the early post-war days the average life of a car was probably about five years. Many vehicles, no doubt, remained in service longer, but few of them provided economic transport in their declining days. The present-day car is built so that it will last a number of years, and if decently handled and not overdriven or overloaded, much of the mechanism is still capable of functioning successfully even after eight to ten years’ service. Nearly every part of a car is much heavier than necessary for a sFiort life, because manufacturers now design and build their machines to last for a long period of service. Actually, cars could be built mLich lighter if the ordinary motorist would agree that it is a sound pqlicy to buy a new car at least every two or three years. Many motorists believe that such a policy pays, and under certain conditions, it undoubtedly does. By acquiring a new car often, all the latest improvements are obtained automatically, the costly complete overhaul is avoided and the likelihood of mechanical trouble reduced considerably. Maintenance of Efficiency However, most motorists who purchase new machines now retain their cars for a considerably longer period, because of the huge dependable mileage built into the modern car and the maintenance of its efficiency by reason of the better servicing facilities now available to the motoring community.

In all motorised countries, the average life of motor cars (also of commercial motor vehicles) is extending year by year. For instance, in Great Britain in 1936, it was 7.8 years for new cars; to-day according to the British Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the expectation of life of a new car is 8.22 years. Approximately the same figures apply to U.S.A., Canada and Australia. When one considers that, with proper treatment and maintenance, a 'new car will give at least eight years’ satisfactory service, comfortable and speedy transportation unrivalled by other forms of land travel for upwards of 60,000 to 75,000 miles—in many cases, even over a greater mileage—one begins to realise what wonderful value the presenfday new motor car brings to its owner, says the Dunlop Bulletin. In a less degree so does the decentlydriven “used” car that comes on to the market as a trade-in for a new vehicle, after it has been driven for only about one-third of its inbuilt mileage.